So much of my life has been impacted by autoimmune disease. It’s been a determinant in how I’ve spent my time, what I’ve pursued, how I’ve been able to show up in relationships, and jobs, how I engage socially, and how I relate to and care for myself. It’s caused me to examine shame, self-trust and self-love, personal responsibility, boundaries and personal integrity. Most importantly it’s required that I seek the answer to what it means to me to live a purposeful, authentic, embodied life. Here is Part I. Check back tomorrow for Part II!

1.) You Know Best - For many years I’d go from one practitioner to another feeling desperate for someone to tell me what to do and how to heal. I’d get so many different answers, many that would be contradictory. I’d end up feeling confused, defeated, overwhelmed, trapped and disempowered. Instead of listening to my body’s cues and honoring the information it was giving me, I’d override that information by following protocols that weren’t working for me. I believed that other people knew better than I did. Over time, I realized that I am the only one living in this body, having this experience, and therefore learning to listen to the wisdom of my body and supporting myself with food, activities, relationships and rest that make me feel good is paramount. You can trust yourself. You know yourself best!

2.) Healing Begins With Compassion - Blaming, forcing, punishing, restricting, and chastising never work. When your body is struggling with any sort of imbalance, it needs your support. It’s not doing this to punish you. It’s giving you cues to alert you to what needs love, care, and tending to. Our relationship to our ourselves is just like any other relationship. Trust is cultivated when there is emotional safety and presence. Extend yourself some compassion. This isn’t an easy journey.

3.) Our Bodies Are Miraculous - I used to see my body as my enemy, I didn’t understand why I continued to have so many symptoms especially, when rationally, I thought I was doing everything “right.” Acknowledging that my body is working hard for me, performing untold numbers of chemical reactions automatically without any conscious thought helped me to change my perspective. Our bodies are so wise. I’ve learned that surrendering and putting trust into my body while taking the steps I need to take to support optimal function not only help me to feel better physically, but allow me to believe the best of myself, my body and Life.

4.) The Earth Will Nurture & Nourish You - When I get outside, walk barefoot on green grass, eat whole foods grown from the earth, drink pure water, bask in the sunlight, and breathe fresh air I feel alive, vibrant and connected. Mother Nature provides everything we need to thrive. As someone who depends upon the earth’s bounty to assist me in healing my body, I’ve become deeply aware that our inner ecosystem is a reflection of the larger ecosystem that we inhabit. It’s imperative that we care for and protect the earth as our health, and spirits depend on it. Incredibly our own bodies mirror the rhythms and cycles of the earth. Just think, for thousands of years, ancient civilizations understood time through the waxing and waning of the moon and women’s menstrual cycles - how incredible is that?!

5.) Your Spirit and Mind are Not Separate from Your Body - For many years I was disembodied.  I had a spiritual life, but in the tradition I grew up in, that meant denying your flesh because it was inherently sinful.   Thankfully, I’ve learned that, that is the furthest thing from the truth.  I know now my spirit speaks through my body.  It tunes me into messages I need to pay attention to through signals like a pit in my stomach alerting me to something  that I need to be wary of, or a deep knowing or sudden burst of excitement to indicate I’m on the right track.  

I realized too, that my mind was never destined to be anxious or depressed, due to chemical imbalances out of my control, but that I have the power to influence the health of my mind by supporting my gut health.  Making it a practice to speak lovingly to myself and to change my habitual negative thoughts rooted in harmful subconscious beliefs picked up in childhood, has also been life changing.  The more kind I am in the thoughts I think about my self and others, the more at ease my body is and the more at ease I am in my body.

I’m excited to share the remaining pieces of wisdom that I’ve learned in my journey with you in my next post! Sending love and blessings you beautiful soul.