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There is often ONE ingredient that is missing from our life. And that is having a sense of meaning in our life.

Having a sense of meaning in our life is really important for our health, wellbeing, and overall happiness.

This impact is often more pronounced for those dealing with chronic health problems. This is because when we are dealing with severe chronic disease, it can take over a huge chunk of our life. As a result, we can forget that our lives are significant and worthwhile.

We can overlook opportunities where we can be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We can also isolate ourselves in order to deal with the pain and the struggles because we are we feel that no one can truly help us.

All this can prevent us from having experiences that make our life meaningful and give us the strength to face our challenges head on. This is yet another reason why having a sense of meaning is important.

What makes your life meaningful?

Social sciences show us that there are 4 main pillars for meaning- belonging, purpose, storytelling and transcendence. 

In fact, I have written a book review earlier on the amazing work done on this subject. Emily Esfahani Smith has written the book called “The power of meaning”– you can read the review here.

We know now that meaning can be found in the most unexpected of places and are accessible to everyone

In my own life, being my daughter’s primary caregiver when she was very ill gave my life meaning like never before. It was in the midst of all the challenges that we faced as a family that I came to know my purpose.

Now it is coaching women with chronic disease and empowering them by giving them hope, clarity, and showing them a way forward brings meaning and purpose to my life.

Have you found your tribe yet?

People who are struggling with chronic health issues can often feel isolated from their friends and family. The reason being that other people may not truly be able to understand what they are going through and give them the support that they need.

As human beings, we have an innate need to feel understood, heard, and seen by other people so that we can live full and healthy lives.

However, this can be quite hard if other people are not able to understand and relate to the pain and the challenges we are going through no fault of theirs.

Being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition can often make people confused and overwhelmed by all things that they need to do next. There is plenty of information (mostly too much!) of what needs to be done. But there may not be anyone to provide the comfort, support, and direction that they need at a pace and level that they are comfortable with.

In times like this, having a network of people around you and getting some kind of guidance and support can help you recover a sense of belonging and connection beyond your family and friends.

Healing happens in community

High quality connections with friends, family, online communities, and even with strangers can have a profound positive effect by unlocking meaning in your life. Close relationships and high quality connections require you to focus away from your own aches and pains and onto others- this is where the magic lies.

Living a meaningful is important

Living a meaningful and purpose driven life requires us to be honest with ourselves.

It also requires us to ask ourselves questions like-

Who do I want to be 2, 5 or 10 years from now?

What do I want from my life?

How do I become the best version of myself?

These kinds of questions help us find purpose in our day-to-day life within the current circumstances. This can help us be more resilient and motivated and deal with the challenges in our life.

Raising children is a classic example of a difficult, stressful yet at the same time, meaningful and most rewarding job a parent can ever have. However and more importantly, it also gives us a sense of purpose and direction and helps us move towards a larger purpose of raising a responsible adult.

By learning how to make sense of your struggles, surrounding yourself with a supporting community, and engaging in activities that go beyond your needs and desires can help you deal with your health issues. Again, this is why having a sense of meaning is important for your health.

As Joshua Marine had said

Challenges are what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful

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SCHEDULE AN APPLICATION CALL FOR “HEALING FROM WITHIN”

This is a 6 month health coaching programme for women with autoimmune conditions.

If you are waiting for an exact diagnosis or have recently been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition and are unsure of what you can do to support your body’s healing process, then this is for you.

Find out more about the coaching programme and schedule a free 30 min APPLICATION CALL today by clicking on the link.