Dearest readers,
Happy Monday! Today really was my one real day off from work… nothing to teach, no groups to run, nowhere to be. I’m getting geared up to go to the gym shortly, but before I do that, let me tell you about my day!
I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing for therapy at 9am. I answered the call while half asleep, and my therapist asked me if I needed a minute to get ready before our session. I replied in the affirmative. After going to the bathroom and splashing some cold water on my face, I returned to my therapy appointment, but I was still groggy. I realized that 9am on a Monday morning is too early for therapy. And it’s a waste of time and money when you’re not focused and alert during session– all the valuable nuggets and insights your therapist disseminates escapes you because you aren’t processing anything clearly.
I actually ended my therapist appointment early since it was torturous to try to stay awake on the phone call while barely being able to string two sentences together. It was straight back to sleep after, and I woke up again at 10:45am to the sound of my father knocking on my door, since I had acupuncture at 11:30am.
We have a family friend, Auntie Mickey, who is an acupuncturist. She is very close to my parents, has known them since before they were married, and treats me like her niece. She is kind enough to offer me free acupuncture treatment every Monday at her home clinic in San Francisco. We have refined an elaborate production of how I receive treatment. My dad (or someone else in my family) drives me to Auntie Mickey’s home, which is easy to spot because it’s the only pink house on the street. He double parks in front of her house, then I ring the doorbell to her garage, which doubles as her home clinic, to let her know I’ve arrived. I make eye contact and wave hello to her, then I go back to the car and wait for her to come out. Yes, my friends, she gives me acupuncture treatment while I’m in the CAR, laying down on my left side with one needle in my head, and another two on my low back (targeting the kidneys). Like this, I lay for 1 hour, sometimes until my left arm gets numb. And then she returns at 12:30pm and gently pulls the needles out. The reason I can’t go inside her treatment room is because she treats a lot of immunocompromised cancer patients, and she can’t risk people like me getting them sick. Creative solution to receiving a great service.
Now, I’ve been doing acupuncture for several months now. Auntie Mickey claims she can heal me from my mood disorder with acupuncture, but I am quite dubious that this is the case. Regardless, acupuncture cannot hurt me, and I do notice mental relaxation and sleep benefits to this Eastern healing method. Anything that helps is worth a try.
It’s now 5:16pm, and I need to go to the gym. Motivation is pretty low to work out, even though I haven’t exercised intensely for 2 days now. I realize that I need to hit a workout every day, even if it’s just something light, otherwise I’ll lose momentum in my forward progress. Exercise is a non-negotiable self-care tool for me to stay regulated, so I need to do something every day, even if it’s just 30 minutes of cardio. Time to go, I’ll talk to you guys after my workout!
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