I have written about this before, but it bears repeating. Breasts are symbolic of nourishment. In this culture we tend to look upon breasts as symbols of sexual attraction, but obviously breasts were made to feed babies. Breasts are first and foremost about nourishment.
Last night a friend handed me a copy of Louise Hay’s Heal Your Body A-Z. He gave it to me because I was having some back issues, but as I leafed through it, I found the section on “Breast Problems.” Hay wrote as probable emotional cause: “A refusal to nourish the self. Putting everyone else first. Overmothering….”
So, I invite you to ask yourself: “Do I put the needs of others before my own?”
If you are a woman – and especially if you are a mother, I am willing to bet that often the answer is yes. And if you are a woman with elderly parents, or if you are a nurse or a social worker, or even if you are married, I bet the answer is often yes.
It seems many of us have been trained since we were very little to look after others. We may have had younger brothers and sisters to look after; we may have been trained to cook and clean and do the laundry – certainly moreso than any brothers we may have had. And when/if we married, most of us voluntarily took on the responsibility of most of the housecleaning and shopping and ferrying around of children. Even in our jobs we may have been trained to take care of our boss’s needs rather than our own.
Even if we are conscious of patriarchy’s presence in our lives and we do what we can to honor the rights of ourselves as women, most of us are nevertheless firmly committed to kindness. And while kindness is certainly a virtue, martyrdom is not. And many of us unconsciously cross the line from kindness into martyrdom.
If you’ve had a really rough day at work, for instance, and you’re worn to an absolute frazzle, how many of you will push yourselves to make dinner rather than ask your husband to pick up some take-out or, heaven forbid, even do the cooking himself? How many of you will throw something together even if you’re dead on your feet rather than ask the kids to make themselves a sandwich? I’m not saying we shouldn’t make nourishing our families a priority, I’m just suggesting that sometimes we need to honor our own needs first. If we are so depleted that we get sick, we obviously are serving no one, least of all ourselves.
I was blessed to have a relatively stress-free life when I was married and raising my young stepson. However in my fifties, my life got a bit more stressful. I was working for a hospice organization and had thirty to forty patients to look after. And then my mom had a heart attack and my dad had Alzheimer’s and so I jumped in to take care of them. And then, needing money, I took another hospice job and so I was taking care of both parents plus a roster of patients. Did I take care of myself? Not so much. I indulged in comfort food way too often. Because I also had a long commute, I didn’t have much time or energy for walking or other exercise. So generally, I was unhappy and exhausted and burned out.
I share this as a gentle reminder to women everywhere. Be kind to yourself. If at all possible, structure your life in such a way that you are not overburdened. And if your choices are limited, make sure that at least there are plenty of release valves. Figure out a time each day when you can take a short walk. Or wake a bit earlier so that you can meditate. And if you absolutely must work outside the home while simultaneously raising kids, if possible, have help around the house. Delegate. Negotiate with your partner and older children to make sure they do their fair share of the household chores. Make sure you have time out with girlfriends during which you can just be yourself. Try to make room for massages or a yoga class or gym membership in your budget. Find ways to relieve stress. Stress is a major factor in most illnesses, including breast cancer.
Like the flight attendants remind us at the beginning of each flight, put on your own oxygen mask before helping your child. We can’t take care of others if we don’t first take care of ourselves. And it is essential that we take care of ourselves while we are relatively well or we will be forced to do it when we are ill.
Don’t refuse to nourish yourself. Don’t put everyone else first. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Be kind to yourself. Mother yourself! And be well, my friends.
The Breast Blog 