I know the process well. You read about something that might help you and your health, and before long you’re off on a whirlwind internet trail. Sometimes this can bring miraculous benefits to you (I’ve found some amazing books this way), and sometimes it can leave you feeling even more confused then when you set out.
Are You Sabotaging Your Healing?
I decided to put a few thoughts together for you in a little audio file after a good friend of mine made a comment recently about people with CFS who enquire about alternative treatments. She is an energy healer, and she says that often when people are very sick, they tend to cancel their appointments, often at the last minute, rather than committing to the session. She didn’t say this with any bitterness in her voice, but I resonated so much with what she was saying. I often cancelled appointments and made excuses for not being able to do things because, honestly, I just didn’t know if I could take anymore disappointment. I didn’t know if I could bear to try one more thing that probably wouldn’t work. Obviously, there are other reasons for not being able to make appointments as well, and sometimes, we’re just too exhausted to even get there in the first place, but I thought about what she said for a long time.
The concept of sabotaging our healing is such a funny one- why wouldn’t we want to get better or at least try things that might us feel better? I discovered a few years ago that I had been doing just that.
Just press play!
Let me know your comments below- have you been sabotaging your healing?
Love, Katie xxx
Click here for the article I mention in the audio.
Hello Katie. A really interesting post. Thanks for being brave enough to open a debate about this. I had to admit to myself fairly recently that I had been held back by thinking that ‘being healthy’ meant I had to go back to a full-time office job, which is simply something I’m not ‘meant’ to do or be. I’m beginning to envisage a healthy future that means doing something more creative…and that’s worth getting better for! Keep going with your lovely blogs. Sarah x
Hi Sarah- I once thought the definition of being healthy was being able to hold down a full-time job as well (I wrote about it here). I love that you’re listening to your body’s messages and expanding your vision- xx
Hey Katie,
I have just listened to your audio and agree with some of the points you make. As I was listening, it also struck me that one of the things that might also happen is that because we don’t know which treatment or therapy is going to help, and because there are so many out there, along with different types of practitioners, we get overwhelmed and either then do none of them, or just choose the one that feels best for the time, usually because funds (and energy) are restricted and we can’t afford to do too many at once… does that make sense?
I know that for me, I have been seeing a therapist on a weekly basis, seeing a kinesiologist every few weeks, whilst trying to do a weekly yoga and meditation classes and also doing the odd online programme. It can all get too much(mentally and physically). I know that I have gone down avenues, spoken to therapists, though, “oh wow, I would love to speak to them more”, but then the timing isn’t right or the energy/funds aren’t there. One thing I am still learning is that it is all well and good turning up to appointment, but equally important is the home work, which can sometimes be hard work.
I hope this doesn’t sound like I am making excuses, because I do think there is truth in what you are saying, I think sometimes it is just a little more complicated that it ‘should’ be:)
Erica, I completely agree with you. Going to see any kind of practitioner or therapist can be difficult, especially when funds and energy are in short supply. These are not excuses at all! x
I have to say that for me, it was a conscious decision in my healing journey to stop trying every new thing I came across. This was because every time I tried something, I would wonder whether it would help to cure me and then get very disappointed when it didn’t. I couldn’t cope with the emotional rollercoaster it was causing, and obviously since stress makes things worse, I had to stop.
It doesn’t mean that I’m not open to trying new things to help manage my condition, but I have to go into it with the idea that it’s a tool not a cure. Emotionally, I have found that being pragmatic about the prospect of recovery has been the most helpful approach for me. I believe I can thrive even if I remain as ill as I am now for the rest of my life.
I really love this Mel- thank you for commenting- xx
Wow! This was really on point and something that I just have started to think about this a little bit, but you just put the right words to it. Thank you! Another step in the right direction for me
My pleasure, Jennyfer! xx