The Gift of Knowing What is Possible
There are times in life when we can only see our shadows. Things may appear distorted and gray, and we lose sight of where we are going and what is really possible for us. Then something shifts, the light shines in a new way or we look in the mirror and we get a glimpse of who we really are and who we could be. What was once muffled and confusing can become bright and clear. There is hope, and my hope for you is that you will receive the gift of knowing what is possible.
I spent most of my life with anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive thoughts, and I had no idea that not everyone experienced this like I did. I thought that my agitated fearful mood, scary random thoughts that came out of nowhere, sadness and fatigue were a normal part of the everyday human experience.
About four years ago, I became so depressed and overwhelmed with life that I went to my doctor to see if I could take medicine to make it better. I felt so hopeful leaving her office with a prescription. Unfortunately, I immediately had an extreme adverse reaction.
Within an hour I felt so tired that I had to lay down and I couldn't keep my eyes open. My mouth was dry, I had a headache, felt dizzy and was sick to my stomach. I had the chills, my skin felt hot, but I didn't have a fever. I remember hoping that I would feel better in the morning, but I felt the same. When I got up, I was dizzy like the room was shifting to the left. I had severe stomach issues and threw up several times in one day, dry heaving.
Even if the side effects wore off, I was told that it could take months to weeks to experience the benefits. If the medicine worked for me, I probably would have kept taking it and kept moving forward with my life. Because it didn’t, this started me on my mission to find other more natural methods of healing.
I’ve learned so much over these years through reading, research, watching videos online, listening to podcasts and getting certified as a health coach. There are many things that have helped me on my journey. The biggest game changer for me is avoiding certain foods that are toxic to my system, eating mostly a whole food, plant-based diet, supplementing with vitamins and minerals that I’m deficient in and getting enough good quality sleep.
A couple of weeks ago, on Christmas Eve, I had a horrible headache. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, I was getting more tired every day and my brain began feeling fuzzy and inflamed. I knew I was slipping back into that depressed state. When I woke up each morning, I was so tired, but I picked myself up enough to get what I needed to get done. I was eating a lot of baked goods with gluten, dairy and eggs and the toxicity was overwhelming my system.
On New Year’s Day, I decided to do a modified version of a detox and avoid these foods that are most toxic to me. Within three days of not eating any gluten, dairy or eggs, I’m sleeping better, I feel clear headed and I have energy again. I’m drinking my morning smoothie, having a salad for lunch, enjoying chocolate and almonds for a snack and having meals like chicken, veggies and rice bowls for dinner.
It is truly amazing to me, the difference food can make to our mental well being. If you have been eating something every day that is toxic to you, removing those foods and adding new healthy and whole food options could literally transform your life. If all you have ever known is feeling cloudy, anxious, depressed and tired, you may not even realize that it is possible to feel focused, at peace, content and have energy too.
It is not just about food and supplementation. I have done a lot of work to increase my emotional freedom, improve my success mindset, connect deeper spiritually and strengthen my relationships. It isn’t like I arrived at optimal health and suddenly I’m at the top of the mountain and all is well.
I still get tempted to eat too many baked goods and other foods that are not good for me. I can work too hard, forget to relax or sleep enough and my life can get out of balance if I don’t pay attention. If I spend too much time watching the news, I can take on the pain of the world.
What is different now is that I know what is possible and I have ways to get back on the path that is best for my well being. The path toward better health is not easy and we may lose our way sometimes. Once you’ve experienced what energy and joy can feel like, you become more willing to make the short-term sacrifices and are more motivated to achieve what you really want in life.