Even When You’re Not Feeling Great!
It’s hard to believe it, but even when you feel like crap or are in the middle of a flare, you can still flourish with autoimmune disease. Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? (My hand is raised high!) Adjusting your mindset and incorporating these 5 things can help you thrive in your daily life!
Take a Break
This is probably mentioned in every, single article about trying to heal. But, it is so important when trying to flourish. When you’re emptying your tank everyday, you need to refuel or you won’t thrive. You simply cannot pour from an empty cup, nor can you borrow spoons from the next day. That doesn’t equal thriving!
I struggle with this all the time. I tend to always be on the thruster, trying to get things done and then I completely fall apart. Taking breaks and slowing down is a good thing. It is in the science that stress amplifies inflammation, and inflammation is a no-go for any autoimmune condition. Make it a point to slow down everyday. Find people who support you in wanted to achieve healing and will help take the load off everyday.
Incorporate Healing Foods to Flourish
To help minimize the stress on our immune systems, provide the means to heal. In the end, you’ll feel so much better. All autoimmune disease has some link to the gut, simply because that’s where majority of our immune defenses are. Gut healing foods will strengthen your immunity which equals flourishing!
Completely changing your diet and lifestyle may be too much for you right now and that is perfectly fine! But maybe you can swap out some of those quick meal bars for anti-inflammatory snacks to provide a boost of energy and healing. Another great way to do this is to start your day off with a quick and easy gut healing smoothie!
I personally took the plunge and completely changed my lifestyle to flourish. But, that isn’t always necessary! You’ll notice changes right away if you just begin to incorporate gut healing foods and spices to your everyday life. Sometimes, doing a little reset can help too. I find that if I need to take a break (see what I did there) and have been making poor food choices, a week of fully healing foods helps me thrive again!
Embrace Low Impact Exercise
Even when you feel your worst, low impact exercise can help lower stress and inflammation levels. The simplest of all things we can do is go for a walk. And if you can do it outside, that heightens the positive effects for flourishing!
Another low impact exercise to embrace is yoga which also brings in the mindfulness aspect. This can be a great way to clear your mind. A cluttered mind doesn’t allow the capacity to heal which in turn means you simply cannot flourish! Even a quick 10 minute stroll or breath work can really make a difference in your day and can be done with minimal effort especially when flaring! When I’m feeling my worst, I put lavender in my diffuser, put on the “Stress Relief” playlist on Spotify, and do some yogi breath work and stretching.
A Flourishing Mindset Shift
Negativity isn’t going to help you flourish with autoimmune disease. You need to adjust that mindset to really thrive! I know for me, I am always feeling 3 types of things when it relates to my autoimmune disease: guilt, stress, and anger. Those things make it difficult to live a great life, autoimmune disease or not. Make a conscious effort to shift your mindset. Positivity can promote healing. Some things I remind myself about in order to change from the 3 feelings in my negative space:
- My autoimmune disease is not my fault (guilt).
- It’s amazing all the things I am still able to get done with my autoimmune disease (stress).
- My body is super strong and amazing to be fighting and healing from this autoimmune disease (anger).
Another way to embrace a mindset shift is to educate yourself!
Educate Yourself on Your Autoimmune Disease(s) to Really Thrive
I’ll be the first to say that I am a broken record when it comes to this, but to really, and I mean REALLY flourish with autoimmune disease you must first understand your autoimmune disease. And not just the basics! It can seem mundane and boring, but truly understanding what is going on in your body can be extremely uplifting. And with all those positive vibes…you thrive!
If you are feeling bad and flaring, having a better understanding of what your body is going through make help you adjust your plan to heal! For instance, with Crohn’s disease (what I have), you can have disease in your entire digestive tract. Depending on where that inflammation/disease is, you may not be capable of absorbing certain nutrients and those lack in nutrients could be holding you back from thriving. A big culprit in Crohn’s disease patient’s is vitamin B-12 which is a great source of energy! Therefore, many get B-12 injections or supplement with B-12 vitamins.
So, knowing how your disease works, you may be able to make slight adjustments which can have huge impacts on your day to day life. Sacrifices may need to be made too, BUT if it means you will feel great, it won’t feel like your making a sacrifice after a while, but rather a really great, positivity-boosting choice to a better flourishing you with autoimmune disease!
I hope you all consider these five things to flourish. I write them for you as I am currently struggling to flourish but want to embrace change. This is holding me accountable to follow my own advice! You are capable of thriving even when you feel like crap. I know because I have been there before, and plan to be there again soon!
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