Don't beat yourself down!

Easier said than done, living with a chronic illness, I often ask myself what did I do wrong?
Is it because I was smoking 7 years ago? Is it because I sometimes eat bread? What did I do to deserve to be in that much pain? I am not drinking or smoking anymore, I do not eat processed food or sugars and I drink a green juice every day! So when I see some of my friends being able to eat take-away and drink alcohol without even feeling bad the day after, life does not seems very fair to me.

I am all about embracing my illness cause it made me a better person. I have a lot more empathy for others, I do take care physically and mentally a lot more than before and it helped me discovered my self-worth and my passion for wellness.  It is all great but I have now reached a point where I would like to say this horrible pain running through my body : " It's OK, I got it now, I have changed, I have learned the lesson, you can leave!".
Obviously, I might not be ready since I am in the middle of a very long flare-up and it does not look like this pain is about to go away soon. So the question is, is there an other lesson for me to learn?

I have started looking everywhere, should I do a juice cleanse? Should I start a high fat diet? Maybe it's mental, should start a psychotherapy? Is life worth living if never eat bread again? What do I need to do to make this pain stop?

Firstly, it is not anyone's fault to get diagnosed with a chronic illness. Life is not fair and we already know that, we just have to make the best of it. Like one of my favorite author, Louise Hay, will say : "You are doing the best you can with what you have got at that time of your life" So stop beating yourself down for that cigarette you had a month ago or the take away food you ate last night, it is not going to help, it only causes more stress and as we know stress is bad! You have made a decision, damage was done then move on! That's how we keep learning.

Secondly, there might be a lesson or there might not be but one thing is sure : you have to listen to your body and keep experimenting and find what works for you. To be honest, a juice cleanse has got great benefits for some people short term but it is no viable long term. You have to a balance the things you enjoy with the pain you've got. For example, I eat a pretty healthy diet but if one day I decide to eat a massive slice of sticky date pudding, it is no big deal. I am sick but I also got only one life, and cake makes life even more amazing! I will just make sure I am back on track the day after.

In a world where everybody wants to give you their two cents and force-feed you turmeric to cure your pain, you have to take a step back and listen to your gut. You are the best expert for your health so do what feels right for you!

xxx

The Wellness Lover