In this article:
My entire life, I have struggled with my weight and waves of depression. I would be my happy, chipper self one day, and the next feel like I was alone. I always struggled with joint pain, headaches, and fatigue, and I just didn't understand why. Why did I feel this way, and how do I fix it?
It wasn't until 2010 when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and in 2016 finally diagnosed with Hashimotos that I truly began my journey to healing.
Am I done yet? Nope. Will I ever be? Who knows.
The truth is, are we ever really done prioritizing our health? Although the last ten years have had plenty of ups and downs, I am happy to say that I am finally starting to feel better, really able to understand my body and learn what works for me.
Here's the reality: throughout your journey, you will make mistakes, at times you'll feel worse before you begin to feel better, and you won't eat perfectly all the time, and that is all okay! Healing doesn't happen overnight. It's an everyday process from which you will continually learn and grow.
Of course, it can feel frustrating and unfair. Just know that someone out there has been where you are, and has found healing. Wherever you are in your journey, here are the top 5 things I'm learning on my road to healing:
What you eat, matters. How you feel, matters. And how you feel stems from what you eat. We all know that choosing what to eat or how to read labels can feel overwhelming and complicated.
Alex's advice -
Keep the ingredient list simple. Your food should be real food! Trust me; your favorite foods are still out there. They're just a whole lot cleaner and so much better for you!
I have been through at least five different doctors. In the beginning, I would just listen to what they said and take my medicine. I would get intimidated to ask questions, wouldn't share how I was feeling emotionally or physically, and just felt like this journey was a never-ending cycle of taking medicine but not understanding what it did for me.
Alex's advice -
Advocate for yourself. You know how you feel. If the medicine is giving you headaches or making your hair fall out, say something. If you're feeling even more depressed, say something! Ask about new medications or treatments you've been researching. Heard something interesting in a Facebook group? Ask your doctor about their opinion. If you don't get a good feeling from your doctor, have the hard and necessary conversation with your doctor. If the problem of not feeling heard persists after an honest conversation, find another doctor.
It wasn't until I started following people on Instagram and Facebook or joining awesome communities like Paloma Health that I started to learn about new medications, supplements, and integrative approaches I can take to better myself. Now, my community has become my support team.
Alex's advice -
Be open to sharing tips and reaching out to people who have been in your shoes. Be also willing to share your story; you never know who you might inspire.
My whole life, I've compared myself to others success stories. I figured if I did exactly what they did, I would get the same results too. This way of thinking took a long time to undo. Of course, there are still times when I catch myself comparing to others. I'm human, and it happens. But the thing I didn't realize is that everyone is unique. What works for someone else may not work for you. You are your unique makeup of specially designed genetics, so go off of how you feel!
Alex's advice -
The only way that I've found to find what works for me is through good ol' trial and error. Thomas Edison says, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." You can work with a Paloma specialist to guide this journey.
Healing is a marathon, not a sprint
Healing is a lifelong journey. It took a long time to figure out what is off with your body, so you can't expect it to reverse immediately. If you keep your sights focused on the short-term, you'll find yourself defeated, stressed, and anxious waiting for the day you will finally feel good.
Alex's advice -
Set long term goals. Healing really is a journey, not a destination. Find out what works and doesn't work and work toward your goals, day by day.
There are so many of us who are in this together and who want to help!
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