A Royal Pain in the Back

I had a dull ache in my back, right below my ribs and it wasn’t going away. I texted my husband and said, “You might have to take me to the hospital, this pain seems to be getting worse and it’s not responding to Tylenol.”

The next thing I knew, I was spending the evening in emergency at the Kentville hospital with my first ever kidney stone.

If you’ve never had a kidney stone, you have no idea how incredibly painful they can be. This 3.5mm stone was my first, and I hope it’s my last because the pain is one of the worst pains I’ve ever felt in my life. I’ve suffered two bowel obstructions so I know a thing or two about pain.

The timing of this incident was particularly interesting to me though because exactly three years earlier, after several weeks of travel, I found myself in the hospital with a bowel obstruction needing surgery.

Since mid-March this year, I’ve been in Florida, New York City, Halifax, Toronto, Boston, Asheville and home in Annapolis Royal in between.

It seems that my body needed some well-deserved rest, and was protesting all the travel I have been doing.

Which brings me to what I’d like to talk about today: self-care.

At the end of March, I turned another year older and I had an epiphany. I am the most important asset in my business and not taking care of myself not only puts ME at risk, it puts my business at risk.

That set me on a path of getting a long overdue physical and committing to a comprehensive exam every year, healthier food habits, and more movement.

Your business depends on you being healthy, as do your clients, your family, and your team. But your business can be demanding and unrelenting. Often, it’s your own self-care and well-being that gets put on the back burner.

I am what you call overly responsible. Which means, I show up for others and do what I say I will do for them regularly, and often at my own expense. While showing up for your clients and your team is important, doing it at the cost of your own health is a huge risk.

Too many entrepreneurs are overweight, not in great physical, mental, or emotional shape because they are at the very bottom of their own priority list.

Please don’t let that be you. You can make small choices every day to prioritize yourself more and take back control of your health and well being.

You may be afraid that you’ll lose clients if you take care of yourself. What I’ve found recently is that not only do my clients support my desire for self-care, they encourage it.

If you haven’t been taking care of yourself as well as you should be, don’t wait for a health crisis to make the change. You don’t need a kidney stone or a larger issue to serve as the reminder to take better care of yourself. You can choose to start right now.

As for me, I seem to be doing better. After a few days of taking it easy, combined with extra strength Advil and drinking lots of water, the pain seems to have subsided. I’m hoping that means I’ve passed the stone and I’m moving on to a healthier state.

And as for you, you’re THE most important asset you’ve got, as well. What will you do to take better care of yourself starting today?