Treat Yourself Like A Baby And Remember Your Magic 3

For anyone who has had a baby, you might remember the magic 3. “Is your baby tired, hungry or wet?” The answer to a crying baby is almost always one of these. Strangely enough, that doesn’t go away. As my children get older, tantrums, crying and irritability are frequently due to things like hunger, exhaustion, even the need to use the bathroom. Of course, as we move through life, other factors affect our kid’s happiness. School work, relationships with friends, and learning independence are a few examples. Sometimes the complicated stuff covers up the basics. Let’s put it this way, I can focus all I want on helping my daughter prepare for her math test, but, if I forget to have her fed and well rested, I am "shooting myself in the foot."



I was thinking of how relevant this is in adulthood. We are all so muddled with complicated problems that we can forget the basics and the impact of them on everything else. How often do you treat yourself like a baby and remember your Magic 3?

Ever look at the clock and realize it’s 3pm and you haven’t eaten since 8am? Ever have to hit the bathroom, but find yourself putting it off…sometimes for hours? What’s with that? How about taking your medication? Would you make an uncomfortable and achy baby “wait and see” how bad that headache will get? We are so attentive to our babies and children, but how good are we are treating ourselves with the same attentiveness?

My challenge to you this week is to treat yourself like a baby and remember your Magic 3. Take care of your most basic of needs. Attend to them and respect them. See how listening to the needs of your body affects the rest of your day.



The Magic 3 is as easy as remembering whether you need to rest, eat or get comfortable!



R - Rest. Do I need to rest right now?

• More sleep time
• Time outs to give your brain and body a rest
• Change in activity to give the part of you that is working a break

E - Eat. Am I hungry, thirsty or energy depleted?

• Physiological hunger
• Dehydration
• Energy depletion

C - Get comfortable. Is my body uncomfortable in some way?

• Tight clothes
• Tight shoes
• Too cold or too hot
• General body discomfort
• Aches and pains

Good luck, have fun and remember to take care of the basics. In truth, you will perform better everywhere else in your life when you take care of these details!

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