Nurturing and cultivating a positive/growth mindset is hard. It’s no joke. It’s easier to do when I am dotting all my i’s and crossing all my t’s when it comes to making healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices, and when I’m feeling well. During times of wellness, I feel invincible. I feel like a super hero; like I personally conquered my arch rival – Hashimoto’s. I feel unstoppable. Time passes, and I get busy. I get over confident. I rationalize that I do not have to dot all of my i’s, and it probably will not hurt to stop crossing those t’s.
Then I feel it. My nemesis, back again. I feel Hashimoto’s. I feel it there in my joints, and in my digestive tract, and in my fatigue, and in my brain fog, and wait, there it is in my freezing cold hands too. Then it hits me. I realize I did not permanently eradicate Hashimoto’s at all. I simply quieted it for the time being. And then another hit, but this time the hit feels a little harder than the last…. the fact that my Hashimoto’s autoimmune disease diagnosis is lifelong. There is no cure. There is no magic pill. There is no easy way out. It is something that I will always have to watch for. It is something that I will always have to be aware of. It is something that I will always have to be on the offensive against.
The realization feels heavy, and it weighs me down. But wait. Hold up. When I dig a little deeper, I realize that I do not have to fight it. In fact, that is the problem to begin with, right? The very definition of Hashimoto’s. My body, my immune system, is literally attacking and destroying my thyroid gland. I actually need to stop the attack; stop the fighting. Then I remember the answer.
The answer is love. When I choose to let go of negativity, and instead consciously choose each day to love and accept myself, my imperfect body in particular, that is when it is easiest to make healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices that heal and strengthen my body. When I choose to love and accept my body, flaws and all, that is when I am sure to dot all of my i’s, cross all of my t’s, and discover more i’s to dot and t’s to cross that will help me to be the best, healthiest, happiest, most fulfilled version of me that I can be.
“As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything that drew me down and away from myself. At first, I called this attitude a healthy egoism. Today I know it is ‘love of oneself.’”
-Charlie Chaplin
“Healing cannot occur in the absence of self-love and compassion.”
-unknown
How has self-love helped you in your wellness journey? Please comment and share – I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences!
Love this! Very inspiring
Thank you so much!
So inspiring and thank you for sharing. I also have hashimotos and some says can be hard. I have learned that self love is so important. Finding a functional medicine doctor that has helped me was my first step. From there it has been being my own advocate and with diet and supplements have my life back. Share story because someone needs to hear it and give them hope!
Thank you Stacy! I agree with you whole heartedly that self love is so important, along with the right doctor, diet, supplements, and being our own advocate.