Our lives are a book. Plots differ and the conflict varies, but we each have a story to tell.
A story that is filled with chapters. A story meant to be shared with those around us. This is how we learn, grow and help each other.
It's with that in mind I write this post.
I made a decision this month to be intentional about sharing what I’m thankful for.
The first day I did this, I shared that joy is always possible because thanks is always possible. A thankful heart produces joy. At least, that’s what I learned from One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.
Well, this is day four and I have to say, it's working. As I’m “forced” to consider what I’m thankful for each day, I find joy wanting to bubble over.
What I'm thankful for today
The end. But it's not really. The longer version is that it didn’t happen overnight. It took years of making lifestyle changes. Disease isn’t like an injury. It doesn't happen in a day. Rather it takes years to show up, making it appear rather sudden.
On the same note, healing doesn’t happen overnight either. The truth is, I didn’t take medication to heal me. I took it to relieve my symptoms. In my case, the synthetic hormones were replacing the ones my body wasn’t making. It helped, but never completely. It wasn’t a permanent fix. There was still a problem and I still wanted to fix it. I didn’t want to spend my life in a doctor’s office every three-six months, which was what I had been doing, and I didn’t want to be constantly tweaking the dosage of my meds to fit my body’s ever changing needs. I wanted to be off the meds altogether. My goal was and always will be, to heal my body from the inside out so I can live my best life. As long as I needed medication, I felt like I hadn’t accomplished my goal.
I’ve come a long way in the past ten years and the story isn’t over, but a chapter has ended. I’m not sure what conflicts will show up in the future chapters, but I now know I have more control over the storyline than I previously believed.
Here’s what I’ve done to get this far:
The Health Plan That Worked For Me
Used food as medicine. I eliminated inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, sugar processed foods and highly refined vegetable oils. I adopted the paleo eating plan.
Prioritized sleep and rest.
Kicked the environmental toxins from my life. I began using Young Living (quality matters) essential oils. This is where I get mine: Shop Here
Began reading labels and understanding what’s in the products I use. Again, Young Living has been a great resource for all kinds of clean living products. Explore the link above to find all the non-toxic swaps, from household cleaning to beauty care.
5. Acknowledged that I cannot compartmentalize my emotional, physical and mental health. One affects the other. Stress management is a must.
6. Learned the power of positive thoughts and beliefs. Toxic thoughts and negative emotion have the ability to sabotage my progress.
7. Worked with a functional medicine provider to identify underlying issues that are affecting my overall health. After years of guess work and paying for endless doctor visits, I found someone willing to do all the things (extensive testing and bloodwork) to help me find the root cause of my disease.
8. Healed my gut. This has been a game changer!
9. Educated myself. I’ve spent years reading books and listening to podcasts. Eat Dirt, The Paleo Cure, The Thyroid Connection, Grain Brain, and No Grain No Pain have been instrumental in my learning journey. I listen to podcasts, such as The Art of Being Well with Dr. Will Cole. Danielle Walker has been an excellent resource for recipes.
Now that my gut is healed and my antibodies have lowered, I truly believe I can continue my trajectory toward healing from the inside out. The work may not be completely over, but I can feel the plot changing. Instead of needing synthetic meds, I am able to successfully support my thyroid in other ways.
Here are specific products i use to support my Thyroid/endocrine system:
It’s been a long journey filled with celebrations and frustrations, but one of my greatest victories lies in the knowledge that I have control over my health journey. I don't have to sit back and let things happen to me. Neither do you. The decisions you make day to day are writing the next chapter of your story. I encourage you to take some time today to change the narrative.
-jen
