Steven M. Hughes, FBS®’s Post

I got a diagnosis last month that took me aback. It’s been a while since I have been posting on LinkedIn consistently. Much of that is because I got caught up in the “doing” offline and haven’t spent as much time sharing thoughts or experiences in my professional life. Today, I’m sharing one from my personal life that impacted both. Last month, I woke up, headed to the bathroom and when I caught my reflection in the mirror, something looked different. I saw the right side of my mouth slanting down. “The hell is going on with my face?! Is it a stroke? “ Questions started rushing to my head as I looked at my face in disbelief. At that time, I also realized that my right eye wasn’t closing when I blinked. It felt “weird” seeing myself look (and feel) so different from just the night before. I was planning on traveling that day, but I moved my flight and with the nudging of Chaquetta Richardson, JD I went to urgent care. “I believe it’s Bell’s palsy,” the doctor said. I hadn’t heard of it until earlier that day and what I did hear wasn’t making me feel better. The doctor asked if I’d been sick recently and I told her no. “Then it’s stress.” Stress? I meditate, work out, eat “right,” and give myself intentional time away from work…how could this be? It sent me into a reflection on the first half of 2024. And it's true, I have been stressed. Part of it has come from not consistently doing the things that keep stress at bay. Most of it comes from pushing towards my professional goals for the year. Even more stress came as I didn’t know what was going on with my face and how it would impact my work. Then I took a step back. I found other people who had Bell’s palsy, knew someone who recovered from it or could send tips on how to alleviate the pain and heal the muscles that have weakened in the face. Today, I’m feeling more like myself. I still have some aches and pains here and there, but many people can’t even notice what I experienced last month. I felt I had to share this, especially during #NationalMensHealthMonth, after giving myself time to process and get back on track. I talk about financial wellness every single day. But make no mistake, every area of our health and wellness is connected. When you don’t cater to your mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial health in favor of ONLY focusing on one, you’ll see signs and signals to change courses. I’m thankful that my sign (this nerve disorder) was something I caught early and could tend to. My ask? Have a mid-year check-in with yourself. 1️⃣ Get clear on the things you stopped doing that were helping your wellness and things that you started doing that may not be helping at all. 2️⃣ Check in with your primary care physician and other members of your healthcare team. 3️⃣ Schedule those appointments if you haven’t already. "Slow down to speed up." - Rachel Roop You won’t regret it (and may even love it).