Living with chronic illness can be a rollercoaster, and when you end up in a flare, you can feel lost, scared, helpless, vulnerable, pissed off, angry, and out of control, like your freedom and independence have been snatched from you.
It’s awful to feel that way.
Since 2017, I have been re-evaluating how I get to feel like I am in control and empowered to do what I can to help my body heal. For too long, I was in a fight with myself, always punishing myself because I couldn’t see myself in a positive light. I over-exercised and under-ate, and until 2014, I partied hard. I didn’t think I was good enough and felt I had something to prove (although I don’t know to whom I was trying to prove anything).
It’s what I teach inside The Healing Rebel Mastery. These are the first 5 pillars I circle back to when things slip off in the wrong direction to help reset my body and mind. They create a mind-body connection that helps to reduce chronic inflammation (which is a driver of chronic illness).
- Values – Understand what your core values are and what your moral compass is. Ask yourself what’s most important in life. Who are you when you show up as your best self? How do you want others to treat you? Get a list of around 5 values, and then make sure you write a definition. For example, Freedom is one of my top values. To me, that means low overheads, being able to get to the shop by myself, and being self-employed. THEN you need to ask yourself, are you living up to your values? Not living up to your values makes you feel lost, disjointed, and unsettled. Living by your values makes you feel light and happy, and decisions are easy to make.
- Hydrate – a dehydrated body is a stressed body. Whenever I talk to people about this, so many times I hear, ‘I need to drink more’. So, it’s not that it’s unknown, for some reason it’s not prioritised. Dehydration impacts everything, from energy levels and thought processes to bowel movements. Your lymphatic system will be sluggish, meaning your body will be holding on to more toxins, and if you get unwell, it will take even longer for you to get better.
- Breathe – The first thing you do when you come into the world is inhale. The last thing you do when you leave is exhale. Connect to your breath. Check right now. Are you holding your breath? Let that exhale out. Inhale through your nose and soften your breath. When we breathe smoothly, we have a beautiful dance between our sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, action) and parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, inaction). For most of us, we have dysregulated breathing patterns. If you talk a lot, your breathing is shallow and fast, and unless you go slow and deep when you are not talking, shallow and fast will be your normal. If you are stressed, you will be tense and be a chest breather.
- Move your body – Your body is built for movement. Movement is medicine. All the joints you have are there for a reason, and it’s not to sit on a sofa scrolling on your phone! When you move, you breathe better. When you move, you oil your joints and activate your muscles. When you move, you burn energy and stimulate your nervous system. It’s now recognised that inactivity has contributed to the rise in anxiety and depression. Movement helps diversify your gut microbiome (the bacteria that live inside your body). When you are unable to move, you appreciate the importance of movement. Start with what you can do and build from there.
- Love your lymph – Lymphatic drainage is vital to your health and healing routine. The lymphatic system is your internal drainage system. If you are dehydrated, a dysfunctional breather and don’t move, you will have a stagnant lymph system. Congested lymph = inflammation. Acute inflammation is where the body heals; chronic inflammation is where the body gets sick. Learning my lymphatic drainage self-care routine will help you on your healing journey (Note, there are some health conditions where lymphatic drainage work is potentially harmful, so please check before you embark on this step).
Do you want to learn more? Do you want support on your healing journey? Join my The Healing Rebel Mastery Membership and start today »> https://iamjenwilson.thrivecart.com/thehealingrebel/
