Endometriosis was first mentioned to me in a fertility specialist’s office. I had barely ever heard the word, much less knew anything about it. At home, like most of us do when we encounter something we don’t know much about, I spent some time on Dr. Google. I learned some about what the condition is, but what I didn’t learn was what to do. Where do I begin?
Since then I have spent years experimenting, taking nutrition courses, taking gut health and hormone courses, and have learned a whole lot about what to do that works best for my body. I have seen so many changes in my own body and have felt so empowered by being able to truly take my health into my own hands, something that has become a constant motto in my life.
Now, as a practitioner who has made it my life’s mission to help other women feel great in their bodies as well, I receive this question almost on a daily basis. I have endo–where do I begin?
Most would expect me to start giving out nutrition advice, suggesting supplements, or talk about connecting with a surgeon. Those are all things that I love to talk about and am very passionate about. Endo is a full body disease, so approaching it as such and healing and nourishing your body from the inside out is an incredible tool. I can talk until I’m blue in the face about the importance of gut health, nutrition, movement, stress relief, and blood sugar regulation, and I do!
But it’s not the first step. Are you ready to know what the first step is?
Believe in your body’s ability to heal.
That’s it.
So when someone comes to me and tells me, “I have endo—where do I begin?” I tell them to stop and take a breath. At least speaking for myself, my tendency is to want to do something. I want to find that one piece of information that will change my life, that one diet that will take my pain away, that one supplement that will help me to be able to get pregnant.
But you know what? Anything in life that we approach from a space of frustration and desperation is bound to get us nowhere, our health first and foremost.
You want to really get healthy? To really heal your body from the inside out? To get rid of the pain and plethora of other symptoms for good? Step one is to believe in your body’s ability to heal. The truth is that there is NOT one right way to heal. If anyone tells you otherwise, run the other direction and fast.
Sure, there are principles we all can live by. I certainly don’t start from scratch with every one of my clients. We all can benefit from focusing on a whole food diet, prioritizing stress reduction, movement, and breathing. Beyond that though everything is so individual. Even with the same disease, what works for one body won’t necessarily be the best for someone else. We all live in unique bodies!
That’s why believing in your body’s ability to heal must be step one. When you believe in your body’s ability to heal, you will be moving and making decisions from a place of healing and hope and that will make all the difference.
I’ll give you an example. When I am feeling in pain and frustrated and sorry for myself and depressed, I am going to reach for a big bag of chips or chocolate or cookies in hopes that I will find relief in the bottom of the bag or I can drown out my pain. I sit there and read stories of other women struggling and being in pain and feeling frustrated and depressed and I cry because I can relate so deeply. I sit there on the couch all day long and don’t move and don’t really want to move. My husband comes to comfort me and I push him away because I just want to be alone.
When I decide that day that I am going to believe in my body’s ability to heal, my day goes very differently. I snack on an apple and some cashew butter instead and I notice how it makes me feel nourished. In my mind, I can almost picture the nutrients flooding directly into my bloodstream and helping each and every one of my cells to function as they should. I sit down and I read uplifting stories from women who have tried something that has really helped them to feel better. I get up and go outside and take a walk or I do some gentle yoga in my living room. My dogs or my husband come to snuggle with me and comfort me and I let them.
Maybe from that place I run into information about a practitioner who works with women just like me and decide to make a connection. She helps me with strategies to help me to feel even better. And so the cycle continues.
Now I know that when you are right smack in the middle of a pain flare and are having the worst day you have had in a very long time just deciding to believe in your body’s ability to heal and feel hopeful and positive can feel really hard. From that place maybe just reach for something that feels a little bit better. One thing I like to do in that situation is listen to soothing and healing music. There are hours and hours of music for free on YouTube that are healing vibrations. Sometimes I just put that one for hours and focus on breathing deeply and allowing those vibrations to do their work.
And then on a day or moment that you are feeling a bit better, ride that wave. Grab a journal and write down all of the ways that your life is amazing right now. Write about how incredible your body is at healing and all the evidence you already have of that. When you cut your thumb or burn yourself while cooking in the kitchen, can you see that tissue heal over time? The inside of your body is no different. Sometimes we just need to find the right tools to help our bodies to do what they already know how to do.
So to my friend who is thinking, “I have endo–where do I begin?” Here is your pathway forward. Believe in your body’s ability to heal, consciously look for evidence of that, and from that space find ways to help your body in its healing journey.
Much love!
Are you ready to leave behind your pain and frustration and look forward to a future full of hope, positivity, energy galore, and anything else your heart desires? Stop struggling and start accepting and receiving help and guidance. Click here to learn more about my Thrive With Endo program and apply today.
