This past weekend I took to researching some ways to pamper myself. Most of what I found was DIY spa treatments. I'm reluctant to use these as I have rosacea and, as with moth people who suffer from the condition, extremely sensitive skin. I think I'll leave that to the experts, which I can't afford right now, so....Anyway, I came across a few lists along the lines of " (Insert random number) Ways to Pamper Yourself" most of which were for free or low cost. What did I find? Do yoga. Journal. Read a good book. Yeah, thanks! I got that! Some said to read a book to a child and go for a walk in the woods.
I guess pampering yourself is a relative business. That, or, I'm living the life! I always find it funny to come across a person who has to make it purposeful to pick up and read a book. It's such a matter of habit for me. Most nights I can't even fall asleep unless I've read something. My boys come home with reading logs every year from school. I hate them! No one who reads for enjoyment charts how many minutes she's read. If that's how we read, we'd all hate it. No one would read. And yet, the schools shove them down our kids' throats year after year with the same results...non-readers. I have yet to meet a grown up who enjoys reading say that doing reading logs changed their minds about reading. For me personally, it wasn't until I got into high school, where reading logs are pretty much abandoned, that I really began reading for pleasure. So, yes, at the risk of sounding snobbish, I suppose I regularly pamper my mind/intellect.
OK, great. The lists have left me feeling good about at least one part of my life. But, I still need to treat myself to seven more activities. I have been very good about wearing makeup every day and actual outfits. So this weekend, as I was sitting bloated after a cheesesteak pizza night, pampering idea #3 came to me.
During my first pregnancy I experienced terrible constipation. There! I said it. I repeatedly told my doctors at every visit and the reply was always the same, "Every woman does. That's part of pregnancy." But, just because everyone else experiences while pregnant, doesn't mean that I have ever experienced it before. I had no idea how to treat it other than eat fiber, but I was so sick, I wasn't eating much of anything. Then one day I came home from work, ran to the bathroom with terrible pains and I couldn't go. Nothing. Nada. My husband forgot his cell phone at home and I was left to rely on my neighbors to take me in pain and smelling like a sewage plant to the doctors office. The one doctor in the group I hadn't yet seen couldn't believe how constipated I actually was and asked why I hadn't been drinking Metamucil. I had no idea what Metamucil was except that it was orange and my Nana drank it every day with her lunch. I certainly didn't think it'd be appropriate to drink while pregnant. That isn't covered in the book.
I drank a glass of it every day while pregnant after that, and it made me feel great. It even relieved some of my morning sickness. Sal was born and I abandoned the practice as I could then return to a more fiber-filled diet. Pregnancy Two was OK, and then the constipation struck again during Pregnancy Three. I had heard from a nurse practitioner about a tea that relieves constipation, so I thought I'd try that. You know what the tea is called? You won't believe me when I tell you, but I swear I'm not lying--Smooth Move. Truth! I swear. Well, let's just say it's a very ambitious tea and does its job very well, so have your reading material stocked. I returned to old faithful Metamucil and once again abandoned it after Milo was born.
Since I'm nearly thirty-eight, I now realize why my Nana drank the Metamucil after eating a bowl of bran flakes. After Milo, my body just didn't bounce back like it did before no matter what I ate. As you get older, you need a little help in that department. <sigh> So there you have it. Way 3 is to drink a glass of Metamucil once a day. I started it Friday night and I've already got more spring to my step. It's not the most orthodox pampering method, but it does make me feel good and it's 60 seconds of my day that I purposefully set aside to do something just for me.
Sorry for the detail. I'll try to make Ways 4-10 a little more pleasant to the reader's ear.
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