Over the last 6 months I have been taking care of myself holistically like I have never done before. Some shock news from the medical team looking after me, made me seriously think. I have to do something!
I wanted to make a committed change and take complete control of my health and wellbeing, because I knew that there was more to the condition I was presented with, than just physical symptoms.
I always thought I was so in tune with my mind and body but only now do I realises that over the last 10 years (naturally) I have fallen in and out of alignment continuously. My relief during my 20s used to be alcohol, dancing, a take away, eating what I wanted when I wanted and living quite recklessly, suppressing all emotions and fear. Unfortunately that is no longer a sustainable solution or a longevity plan for me. Of course I still want to do some of those things (like the dancing and one day enjoy a few cocktails again) but right now I need to find new releases that serve me better and one of my main focuses is to alleviate stress.
The stress hormone corticosteroid can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system (e.g. lowers the number of lymphocytes).Stress can also have an indirect effect on the immune system as a person may use unhealthy behavioural coping strategies to reduce their stress, such as drinking and smoking
McLeod, S. A. (2010). Stress, illness and the immune system. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-immune.html
If we change the way the think, we can change the way we heal…
Through my research I now fully understanding how entwined our minds and body are, I strongly believe that illness can be triggered by the emotional connection we have to life events. The type of events I’m talking about are the ones that can cause deep stress, anxiety, trauma, depression, the list goes on. Imagine packing all those feelings away in our minds and never processing how we actually feel, subconsciously we are packing them all away in our body somewhere too, creating dis-ease which can quite literally lead to disease.
We have three basic stresses. We have physical stress, like accidents, injuries, falls or traumas. We have chemical stress, like bacteria, viruses, hormones in food, heavy metals, hangovers and blood sugar levels. And then we have emotional stress, like family tradegies, loss, job or finances. All of those things knock our brain and body out of balance.
Dr. Joe Dispenza.
Wanting to deep dive into my my healing I guess I needed to start somewhere so I started at what I could only mark as the beginning. I’m going to share part of that journey with you, with the intention and hope that this can help other people to heal and perhaps consider making a holistic lifestyle change.
Something which has stuck with me and been a key focus throughout this journey is that our bodies are not machines. Often physical symptoms with a chronic condition are only one part of the problem. I’ve learnt to adapt my thinking beyond the idea that the body is simply a physical device. Which isn’t always easy when you’re confronted with medics telling you, this is what you have, this is the prognosis and you have no choice. When hearing this I would first of all think, but what does that even mean? Surely I have a choice, life isn’t black and white there are 1000s of shades all in between.
“Inflammation is partly regulated by the hormone cortisol and when cortisol is not allowed to serve this function, inflammation can get out of control,” said Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology within CMU’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.Cohen argued that prolonged stress alters the effectiveness of cortisol to regulate the inflammatory response because it decreases tissue sensitivity to the hormone. Specifically, immune cells become insensitive to cortisol’s regulatory effect. In turn, runaway inflammation is thought to promote the development and progression of many diseases.
Carnegie Mellon University. “How stress influences disease: Study reveals inflammation as the culprit.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 April 2012.
After a year of researching my diagnosis, It was my mission to understand the root cause of exactly what could be triggering the chronic illness I was diagnosed with last year. I wanted to do everything to improve myself, in mind and body, and to be the best version of myself I could be. Because that’s what all we all want right? To be the best versions of ourselves physically and mentally.
I wanted to share this post as an introduction to the slightly new direction my blog will be taking. My main intention is to share with you all the information I have learnt and loved along the way, through my own holistic personal development and study. Even if I can help just one person feel better, then that’s good enough for me. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing with you my holistic approach to life and how I built up the confidence to keep my faith and look at things differently.
I hope you enjoy coming on this holistic journey with me! I would love you hear from you. Get in touch nicole@soundssustainable.com X
