"Sometimes, I'm so jealous of how selfish you are with yourself" - a good friend of mine said to me after I turned down an invitation to a party.
Why did I turn it down?
Well, the following day, our group was supposed to be doing an outdoor activity.
It required me to stand and be active for a few hours.
I knew that if I went to the party, I would:
- get home really late
- aggravate my symptoms from the alcohol
- sleep very little
- feel absolutely terrible the next day due to a flare-up
Lack of sleep in people with autonomic dysfunction tends to aggravate symptoms.
So I knew that in my case, I would feel nauseous and my heart rate would be through the roof. To top it off, I would just feel on edge the entire day. 😒
In the past, I would feel guilty about saying no, but there was no morsel of regret here.
Why?
Instead of interpreting the situation as: "I am missing out by not going to hang out with people. They'll probably think I'm such a nerd for not coming."
I thought of it as…. "I stood up for myself and what is good for my body. I will stay in, get rest, and tomorrow be able to function flare-up free the whole day. A few hours of fun is definitely not worth 16+ hours of a flare-up."
That night, I went to bed feeling quite pleased with myself.
I also realized that there were a few other people who didn't really feel like going but just went because everyone else was going.
Take a moment and reflect...
When was the last time you said "No" to something that did not support your health? Let me know in the comments below.
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