Recently, I watched this video and found it both funny and thought-provoking (as regards my understanding of self-care).
If dehydration were such a problem, Europeans wouldn't have survived the Middle Ages. And yet, that advice of "Just drink when you're thirsty" is a hard one for me to follow. Specifically, my BFRB helps me to not feel thirsty (or hungry, or tired, or sad, or angry... I could go on and on).
So what do I do? I go overboard. I turn my water bottle into a fidget (glass please, metal and plastic taste funny), and I fill it up (with tap water) and try to drink 4-6 bottles a day. I often don't get there. Most days, I top out at 2. But reaching for the water bottle is a better fidget than reaching for my hair.
I've also started paying attention to how chapped my lips feel. I don't use chapstick because that masks dehydration. Rather, if my lips feel dry, I drink water. If they don't, I still drink water. (Just kidding! I'm probably fine, but then I still go fill up one of the tiny glasses and chug a few gulps).
I'm probably chronically under-hydrated in the US, but I'm definitely under-hydrated in Spain. Navigating the tiny glasses, and the bathrooms, and the fact that everyone drinks wine and beer and NOT water is definitely throwing me off my hydration game.
I'm not going to die of hyponatremia from trying to drink more than 1L of water a day, and I'm also not going die of dehydration if I forego water to drink wine and beer (though alcohol doesn't help with the hair-pulling, so I'm stuck with water). That said, water is pretty important for my body to function, so I'll continue to drink in excess until I can figure out what thirst feels like.
I'd rather be hydrated than pulling out my hair.
If dehydration were such a problem, Europeans wouldn't have survived the Middle Ages. And yet, that advice of "Just drink when you're thirsty" is a hard one for me to follow. Specifically, my BFRB helps me to not feel thirsty (or hungry, or tired, or sad, or angry... I could go on and on).
So what do I do? I go overboard. I turn my water bottle into a fidget (glass please, metal and plastic taste funny), and I fill it up (with tap water) and try to drink 4-6 bottles a day. I often don't get there. Most days, I top out at 2. But reaching for the water bottle is a better fidget than reaching for my hair.
I've also started paying attention to how chapped my lips feel. I don't use chapstick because that masks dehydration. Rather, if my lips feel dry, I drink water. If they don't, I still drink water. (Just kidding! I'm probably fine, but then I still go fill up one of the tiny glasses and chug a few gulps).
I'm probably chronically under-hydrated in the US, but I'm definitely under-hydrated in Spain. Navigating the tiny glasses, and the bathrooms, and the fact that everyone drinks wine and beer and NOT water is definitely throwing me off my hydration game.
I'm not going to die of hyponatremia from trying to drink more than 1L of water a day, and I'm also not going die of dehydration if I forego water to drink wine and beer (though alcohol doesn't help with the hair-pulling, so I'm stuck with water). That said, water is pretty important for my body to function, so I'll continue to drink in excess until I can figure out what thirst feels like.
I'd rather be hydrated than pulling out my hair.
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