I Spy With My Little Eye
Did you ever play “I Spy” when you were younger? I remember playing it on road trips with my brothers and then playing it with my children when we needed to pass time somewhere. I loved being the guesser and trying to narrow down what object the other person was seeing.
As I grew older, I noticed the things that I used to be able to “spy” were starting to look a little fuzzy. Gradually I stopped doing some of the things I enjoyed, because it hurt my eyes. One of those things was reading my Bible. I could no longer see the tiny print and I would leave feeling frustrated. I also had a hard time seeing at night which led to more fear driving once dusk hit.
My mom finally convinced me to go in and said to stop letting an easy fix stop me from enjoying my life. Aren’t moms wise? I was definitely resisting what I thought was a body failure on my end. My body was changing. Again. And this time my eyes were part of that process! I felt discouraged but knew my mom was right. Time to take care of myself and that means making an appointment to get my eyes checked.
I can now see a lot more clearly and am doing more of the things I love. I am also more aware of ways I can keep my eyes healthy. Here are a few lifestyle changes I have made to help me take care of my eyes.
Keep my blood sugar stable.
Blood sugar can cause swelling in the lens of the eye which can temporarily cause changes in vision. Even though I don’t have diabetes, I am very aware of the foods I am eating that might cause my blood sugar to spike. One way I manage this is to include a lot of raw vegetables in my meals and snacks. Eating a vegetable before a protein or carb helps our bodies to keep our blood sugar more stable.
Plug my phone away from my bed.
I used to be on my phone right up to the second I went to bed. Now I plug my phone in across the room on my dresser. This helps with a couple different health goals. I am no longer straining my eyes in the dark. Also, if I wake up in the night, I am not grabbing my phone and scrolling until I fall back asleep. Another benefit from keeping my phone away from my bed is that I am not as tempted to hit the snooze button in the morning if I have to get out of bed to turn off my alarm. All wins!
Rest my eyes.
I am on my phone or a computer for most of my day. I now plan on intentionally having time away from screens or allowing my eyes to have time to close and rest. This doesn’t necessarily mean taking naps or sleeping. This means going outside and being in natural light. I might also mean taking time to listen to a meditation with my eyes closed. Taking the focus off of what is coming at me visually, and turning inward.
How might your life look and feel differently if you incorporated one of the items mentioned above? What else could you “spy” in your life when your eyes are healthy?
Sometimes when life gets busy or your thoughts seem to be whirling, it can be hard to spy how to move forward. We would love to support you in your next steps whether it is with your eyes or something else.
Click Here to schedule a Strategy Session with me where we can go over what might be holding you back and make a plan to move forward. What do you spy in your future? Let’s find out together.
