Staying in Balance Acupuncture
  • Home
    • Conditions Staying in Balance Treats >
      • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
      • Musculoskeletal Pain
      • Repiratory Issues, Weak Immune System
      • Fibromyalgia
      • Sleep Disturbances and Insomnia
      • Depression, Anxiety, Stress
    • Treatments >
      • Why Acupuncture?
      • CFS/ME & Fibromyalgia >
        • Hope for CFS & FMS
  • Bio
    • Testimonials
  • Initial Visit
    • Directions
    • Forms
  • Contact
  • Roadmap to Health
  • Events
    • What People Are Saying
    • Workshops Led By Bonnie Diamond
    • Ear Acupuncture Clinic
    • Illness as a Spiritual Journey
  • Blog
  • Community Resources
  • Packages




​Blog

Self-Care is one of the highest forms of love

2/10/2019

0 Comments

 
​We are approaching our national holiday of love. It's a whirlwind of buying flowers and chocolate. I happen to be a card person, and I'm having trouble resisting getting yet one more each time I walk into a store.
 
Lately I've been thinking about an aspect of love that often gets overlooked. This is self-care -- the act of putting time and attention to make sure that YOU are living a healthy and happy life. Self-care is one of the highest forms of love.
 
It took a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for me to wake up to the fact that I was not taking care of myself -- body or spirit. I was working long hours at a job that didn't fulfill me. I was in default mode, doing what I was told to do, not what I really wanted to do.
 
The illness was my body speaking to me, saying that the life I was living wasn't right for me. Because I had limited energy, I had to make choices about what was most important. I had to slow down and listen. In this process, I discovered acupuncture and the idea of living a life in balance. I changed what I was eating, who my friends were and my profession. I got out of a relationship that wasn't right for me.
 
But most of all I started a journey to become and stay healthy. The limited resources that I had went to doctor's visits, acupuncture treatments, psychotherapy and studying acupuncture -- one of the oldest and most widely used health modalities in the world.
 
I learned about these five aspects of health that correspond to the Five Element/Five Organ system that is part of the practice of acupuncture.
  • Nourishment -- principles for healthy eating (Spleen/Earth Element)
  • Immunity -- using the breath; protection (Lung/Metal Element)
  • Resilience -- rootedness; core energy; meditation (Kidney/Water Element)
  • Direction -- movement; ability to plan and follow through (Liver/Wood Element)
  • Connection -- gratitude, joy, relationships, celebration (Heart/Fire Element)
 
Using these principles my life changed in ways that I could only imagine.
  • I found work that I loved.
  • I met the man of my dreams.
  • I stopped dieting, stopped weighing myself and started eating nutritiously.
  • I found a spiritual community that supported me and fed my soul.
  • I started spending more time outdoors, cooking, reading and connecting with friends.
 
All these things were acts of self-care. They are things that I continue to practice to this day. Even when I get off course, when things get busy and life gets stressful, these are things that I return to time and time again.
 
Out of this experience came a desire to help other people, possibly you, live healthier and happier lives. If this journey interests you, consider signing up for my Roadmap to Health 6 Week class. This is for you if:

  • You want to get healthier, but are not sure where to begin.
  • You have tried various diet and exercise programs, but none has stuck.
  • You are interested in learning more about Chinese & Japanese medicine.
  • You experience pain & are looking for natural solutions.
  • You are looking for a group to offer support and encouragement.
 
This class begins on February 19th -- it's been postponed one week due to snow.
 
For more information and to sign-up at a special rate, simply visit me at www.bonniediamond.com/roadmaptohealthspecial
 
This Valentine's Day do something nice for yourself!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    August 2012

    Author

    Bonnie Diamond, Licensed Acupuncturist

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Categories

    All
    Acupuncture
    Autonomic Nervous System
    Back Pain
    Bones
    Breath Work
    Chronic Illness
    Colds And Flus
    Depression
    Earth Element
    Food
    Gratitude
    Health
    Healthy Habits
    Holidays
    Holistic Health
    Insomnia
    Jon Kabat-Zinn
    Late Summer
    Love
    My Practice
    Osteoporosis
    Power Of Intention
    Reflection
    Self Care
    Sleep
    Spleen
    Transition
    Vitamins
    Weight Loss

    RSS Feed

Convenient Easthampton Location


Tuesday & Wednesday & Thursday, 10am-8pm

179 Northampton Street, Suite C
Easthampton, MA 01027




Copyright 2018 All rights reserved.
Photos used under Creative Commons from anitakhart, symphony of love, Berries.com, stevendepolo, TAKUMA KIMURA, swong95765, Angelia's Photography, marcoverch, Herbert Guedes, Rob.Bertholf, _e.t, PhoTones_TAKUMA, mislav-m, Håkan Dahlström, Monkey Mash Button
  • Home
    • Conditions Staying in Balance Treats >
      • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
      • Musculoskeletal Pain
      • Repiratory Issues, Weak Immune System
      • Fibromyalgia
      • Sleep Disturbances and Insomnia
      • Depression, Anxiety, Stress
    • Treatments >
      • Why Acupuncture?
      • CFS/ME & Fibromyalgia >
        • Hope for CFS & FMS
  • Bio
    • Testimonials
  • Initial Visit
    • Directions
    • Forms
  • Contact
  • Roadmap to Health
  • Events
    • What People Are Saying
    • Workshops Led By Bonnie Diamond
    • Ear Acupuncture Clinic
    • Illness as a Spiritual Journey
  • Blog
  • Community Resources
  • Packages