MY HAPPY LIFE UPDATE: MY AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE IS IN REMISSION
I’ve never been good at timing.
Wow. Me starting a blog on having an autoimmune disease and finding out that my autoimmune disease is in remission a month later. I would say “This would be my luck,” but this was not luck.
I had my 3-month follow-up with my rheumatologist last week. We did some blood work and I asked some questions. To be completely transparent, we stopped my hydroxychloroquine because I was getting migraines. But ANA profile and inflammation were not drastically high, so I continued making lifestyle modifications and working closely with my team of physicians (I love them).
So what was my trick to this happy life update?
I worked on my mindset and found joy in living a healthy life and incorporating healthy practices. The timeline was not all rainbows and butterflies. Some days I felt so bad I couldn’t keep my eyes open or went into a panic attack for some unknown reason.
People should do what they want to do. I don’t want to be that person who asks for an explanation. Nor do I feel the need to provide one if I tell someone why I don’t eat pizza or why I don’t drink. Although, this blog is definitely a different story (take what you resonate with, leave what you don’t).
I wanted to look at things I can do as a way to add things into my life rather than take them away. For example, instead of taking out sugar, I replaced food with healthy, tasty options like fruits or bowls of savory salads. Instead of sitting and moping, I found more joy in reading or doing stretches to raise my mood.
A lot can change in a year.
To think that this time last year I was working a job that was zapping my energy. I was stressed out, running around constantly, and always thinking about the next thing to do. It was as if I was running myself into a brick wall. My previous job had aspects I enjoyed, like working with kids, but this does not take away how I felt like I was fighting for my life each day.
This had me stop and reevaluate what mattered to me.
Not to get, too, deep. But why am I on this earth? What matters to me? I found that putting my own health and happiness first allowed me to be more present in my relationships. Switching jobs to a virtual setting allowed me to attend to things I wanted to do to take care of myself. This helped me excel at work.
It’s challenging to completely list all the things I started incorporating into my daily life. Cold showers, daily bone broth with turmeric, no alcohol, limiting screentime, limiting sugars and carbs, sleeping at least 8 hours, switching companies, low-impact exercises, meditating, journaling, and yoga. Each practice has its own benefits that I can get into for their own individual post. (This is a good idea, maybe I’ll do this next).
What do you want to make yourself better?
What I want to focus on here is just how much your mindset matters when you’re building your toolbox. If meditating is not your thing, there’s no point in forcing yourself. But if you start liking it after a few sessions, then it’s worth keeping!
It is an admirable quality to put yourself out there and try different things to incorporate into your everyday life. It is difficult to stray from the norm sometimes. Again, see what you can add to your life to make things better instead of restricting or taking others away. This helps shift into a positive mindset when confronting areas that aren’t so happy.
Where am I now?
I feel a lot better than I did upon my diagnosis, but I still have chronic symptoms. It could be hypermobile ehlers-danlos syndrome (butchered that spelling the first time) or maybe some deep-rooted trauma.
I am happy to say that I am technically in remission! I think it’s powerful and I am very grateful for the support systems I built during this journey. I know it’s not yet over, and I feel like I’m not as excited as I should be because of this.
What I am proud of is how every practice and routine I listed is something that sticks with me now. It is muscle memory. I hope this serves as inspiration so that you can change your circumstances!
