You need to stand up for what your body needs when dealing with any chronic illness, here’s why
“What would it take to live a life your body would love?“
Rachel Carlton Abrams
A lack of awareness about the importance of standing up for what our body needs seems to be very common among many of us.
This becomes even more important when we are dealing with any kind of chronic illness. At the same time, we really don’t need to have an existing disease for this to be true.
By not tuning into our body’s needs and supporting it on a consistent basis, we move further and further away from a place of harmony, balance and consequently, wellness
There was this one time I remember a few years ago, when I was unwell. We had an invitation for a dinner that very night. I couldn’t say no and went to the friend’s birthday bash and knew that there was going to be wine there. I also knew that it was for best me to avoid having any alcohol.
However, I gave into peer pressure and ended up having more than one glass. I paid for it the next day with a headache and an increase in a general feeling of uneasiness. In short, this was easily avoidable had I stood up for my own body’s needs.
Standing up for your body
The point is not that we will never make this mistake, but to realise that we have the power to change our own health outcomes.
And it starts by standing up for what your body needs from you at this moment.
You see, if we are only focused on external inputs and validation then we give away this tremendous power to others. And when we are dealing with a chronic illness it can often leave us feeling both helpless and hopeless.
We become completely dependent on “experts”- medical professionals and others to give us all the answers on how to get well.
Don’t get me wrong.
There are times when we must have complete faith and trust in our doctors to take care of our health. But this is most applicable in cases of acute health conditions like accidents, infectious and rare genetic diseases and other conditions which need immediate surgery.
In the case of chronic conditions, there are other factors which have to be taken into account.
Your environment matters. A lot.
Factors like your diet, your sleep habits, gut health, movement and exercise all play very important roles in disease progression. And all of this is connected to your physical presence in this world- your body.
Your body, your “home”
You see, your body is the only “home” that you will ever have.
We are so focused on what others believe to be true for us that we don’t often pay attention to what our body needs.
We forget that we are the “true experts” on our own body because we have been living in it since the day we were born. No amount of lab testing or medical expertise can take anything away from this.
However, that’s not what many of us believe.
We may believe that we don’t have any role to play in our body’s healing process. We may even lack confidence in our body’s innate healing capabilities. Indeed, we have become hugely dependent on medications and treatments for all kinds of health issues completely overlooking our body’s inner wisdom.
I have written more about how accepting your body with love is the starting point of your healing journey and you can read it here.
Chronic diseases- a modern day “plague”?
In a way, chonic diseases have become our “modern day plague”.
Also, chronic illnesses never really go away on their own.
Diseases like
heart disease
inflammatory conditions like arthritis
digestive diseases like reflux
allergies, asthma and eczema
kidney and liver conditions
cancer
diabetes and insulin resistance
neurological disorders like depression, attention deficit disorders and autism
and many more!
With no single origin, chronic illnesses requires you to uncover the root causes of the disease progression. This means that learning how to focus on the underlying causes on your health problems is the key to managing and even reversing it.
If you want to read more about the chronic disease “delusion”, I highly recommend reading this book.
This is where you start
You start by standing up for what your body needs from you at this moment.
and you focus on creating an environment where your body can come back into balance once again.
This might mean
- taking an unexpected afternoon nap
- making changes in your diet
- going off alcohol
- going to bed an hour hourly on most days
- moving from high intensity exercises to restorative practices like yoga, tai chi
If you want to learn more, you can also watch the recent Facebook live that I shared 3 signs that would let you know that you needed to stand up for what your body needs when you are dealing with any chronic illness.