So, you guys rock. Asking me on FB, “What are the changes you’re experiencing with no alcohol?”
First of all, let me clarify: We don’t drink a lot. I talk about drinking a lot because, well, my children inspire me with their craziness. And plus it’s sort of a schtick. You know, “My son just came in with a sewer pipe, not realizing it was a sewer pipe. Where’s the wine?”
That kind of stuff.
But if I actually drank as much wine as I talked about, I would hope someone would do an intervention.
Back to the real point of this blog:
I’ve been on a healing mission. Not just with the Hashimoto’s but with all the varying new/weird/unexpected symptoms that crashed on me the last 9 months. I have been gasping at night, developed a tumor and fat pads on my knees, gained almost 20 pounds in 3 weeks and more symptoms than that. It hasn’t been fun but it has been an adventure. I’ve had dreams that have given me answers, I’ve been to so many health professionals, spent all the tax return money (which I was hoping to use to celebrate our 25th anniversary in August, but all is well…) gotten in to see doctors in one day that normally have a 3 month wait, and I got to have a physical health reading from the personal physician to the Dalai Lama.
Pretty cool, right?
So, during this time of listening, I’ve been hearing repeatedly: Do yoga. So, I thought I’d make a 31 day commitment to add yoga to my life.
While I was at it, I thought, “Let’s take out alcohol, too.” Then, about 2 days later I asked myself, “What the hell was I thinking?”
Lesson #1: Healing promotes more healing.
When I committed to yoga, I thought I’d do it every day but I ended up doing it an average of 3-4 days a week but more stuff started kicking in.
I started riding my bike anywhere from 6- 14 miles in a day (yes. me.) I began oil pulling again, dry brushing, taking hot-cold-hot lymphatic showers, doing infrared sauna, jin shin jyutsu and so much more.
I mean it. More than that. Taking remedies, eating a certain way, making sure I went to bed peacefully.
It was amazing how many other healthy practices rushed into the space where I had made a commitment to take care of myself. Things that were hard before seemed easier to take on. Commitment is powerful.
Lesson #2: Healing takes time
It takes time from your day to do oil pulling, dry-brushing, hot-cold-hot showers, bike-riding, yoga et al. And honestly, I’m not someone who has put a high enough value on taking care of myself — which is part of the issue I have. I’d rather ‘get things done.’ But you know what? When you’re half dead with no energy and the other half of you is freaked out because of shit the doctors are saying, you’re not going to get a whole lot done anyway, so you might as well take care of yourself.
And that’s what I did. I re-organized my time around taking care of me. That part, that carving-out-time part is something I used to do when I lived a more natural life of loving myself. I am, apparently needing to re-learn that habit.
Lesson#3: Healing helps you speak your voice
So, my neighbors. Oh…my neighbors. Oh! Oh! Oh! YES!!! My sex-screaming neighbors. Dear Lord, what an ordeal.
The screams started mid-day about 4 weeks ago, while the boys are in school. Then, the next day. And then the next.
And I started thinking, “Oh shit. I cannot explain this to my children.”
Because they weren’t regular cries of passion. They were like, “Somebody’s Filming A Porn Video and Someone’s Likely Getting Hurt Everyday” kind of sounds for about 30-40 minutes.
It sounded violent. In fact, they happened one morning while the boys were doing Legos and they said, “Mom! Someone’s in trouble! We should call 911!” I rolled my eyes on the inside and said, “Sounds like a cat in heat.”
Didn’t need to tell them that the ‘cat’ was our new neighbor’s roommate and that ‘heat’ means crazy, violent-sounding sex.
So, I asked my faithful 2000 FB friends for advice and in between a lot of really humorous and inappropriate answers, I got some good advice. And even better, I got a lot of energy and interest behind me to help carry me toward a resolution.
There was a lot of interest.
Especially the men.
I ended up having a serendipitous moment with the owner as she was leaving in her car and told her. She was mortified. Told me it was her cousin and that it wouldn’t happen again. I was like, “Dear Lord, I want her to have sex, I just don’t want to hear it!” And she apologized that my boys had to hear that. “How awkward!” she said.
How awkward, indeed.
She was cute. I appreciated her grace.
Anywhoo….
So the benefits of not having wine, which is what you originally asked and spurred on this conversation. I can answer that by telling you how I notice wine DOES negatively affect me:
I get moody.
I pick a fight with my hubby more easily and stay in it longer.
I eat foods that are not my best choices.
I’m tired the next day.
I don’t sleep as well at night.
So, the good stuff I noticed?
1. More even moods.
2. More legit ‘discussions’ and less wine-manufactured arguments.
3. Not eating too much or the wrong thing.
4. More consistent sleep.
So, there was a lot more good stuff this month but that’s my report. I’d tell you more but we’re about to sit down to our first glass of bubbly in 32 days and we’re going to have it once a week if we want.
Maybe we won’t.
But either way, it’s been a good month and I feel like I took actions that were more loving, more healthy and more healing.
Thanks for taking this journey with me.
I actually started a new 31 day adventure 4 days ago. I’ll write about it soon. You’ve been reading enough and beside, your drink is getting warm.
Cheers!
xo,
Stacey
