Sick and Tired

“When you are ill, do not say, ‘I am harmed,’ but rather, ‘I am being trained.’” — Epictetus

The Obstacle

I am sore.
My head hurts.
I am too tired to do much of anything.

The only times I have gotten out of bed are for water or to purge.
I can’t eat, and I don’t want to.

I haven’t looked at or talked to another human in a full day.

I am not able to work out.
I am not able to walk the dogs.
I am not able to do anything productive.

I am just lying here.
In and out of consciousness.
Hoping for the next comfortable position that will let me rest for another little while.

My body is discontent.
My body aches.
There is no comfort here.

My body heals.

The Gift and Opportunity

My body is at rest.

I can focus inward.
Take some time with myself.

I give gratitude for all the times I am not sick.
For the mornings I wake up feeling well.
For movement and working out.
Walking the dogs.
Having a body that is able to do productive things.

I give thanks when my head no longer hurts.
When the purge is over.

This time of rest.
Sickness, and soreness is a reminder of all the other times I take for granted.

Today’s sickness is a chance to purge.
To fast.
Start fresh.

A chance to sit in a body that isn’t as well as it could be.
To give gratitude for the very fact that it is able to heal.

The Practice of Self-Mastery

• Do not fight the body. Let rest be the work.

• Stay present with what is, without judgment or urgency to fix.

• Notice how quickly health, energy, and capacity are taken for granted.

• Let the sickness alone be the suffering, do not add to it with your own thoughts and complaints.

  CHEAT CODE: STOP → NOTICE → REST → RECEIVE → GIVE THANKS