Living with autoimmune disease and hormonal syndrome takes a lot of work, and I am thankful for a mostly positive outlook. And as a helper type person, I look to help others while leaving my oxygen mask dangling. So, with each entry, I try to move the needle of thinking of how to care for myself better a little more without seeing it as selfish. But unfortunately, my spirit was parched, so I signed up for a women’s retreat in Florida.
My spiritual cup is full after attending the Faith at 8 (@faithat8) weekend. While there, I got a beautiful, personalized cup with Luke 1:45 on it. “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.’” I like to personalize verses with my name to internalize them. Blessed is Shawn, who believed there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. One step further, I like to simplify it to remember it more easily. Shawn is blessed for believing the Lord’s words to her will be fulfilled. It’s essential to know the context of the verses we read. This is the last sentence in the blessing Elizabeth shouted to Mary as the spirit filled after hearing Mary’s greeting, and John leaped in her womb.
I believe God uses us to fulfill the work he has built us to do. While we are not mothers to Jesus, we are spiritual mothers to those we serve, invest in, and spend time teaching.
There is a physical and an emotional toll of living with Celiac disease and PCOS. I have to manage my gluten intake, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, depression and anxiety, and thyroid levels. Before my trip, I had an excellent lab report, and my functional doctor weaned me off my thyroid meds. As a result, I am now more diligent in rolling my Endoflex essential oil on my throat. As you may know, I prefer to use holistic support when I can.
May I be honest? Since I swallow over 30 pills a day, I get constipated because it takes a lot of liquid to dissolve and activate many medications and supplements! Thankfully, there is an easy solution for me, more supplements! LOL! I take three magnesium pills before bed. It works like a charm and helps me sleep too! Another struggle has been my tiny bladder. I visit the bathroom many times a day and am grateful to work from home!
Being obese and over 50 has physical drawbacks. The natural remedies were not healing my constant heel pain, so I started physical therapy for my Achilles tendon before leaving on my trip. All the limping around was wearing on my overall balance. I’ve recently started using my BioMat on my heel, which helps reduce the inflammation of repetitive use. My physical therapist has given me targeted exercises to help realign my gate, so now I can think about getting back into my biking routine.
Let’s talk about sugar. Dr. Minke reminded me that sugar contributes to cancer on Monday night’s Young Living educational zoom. I had just learned this from my friend going through chemo. Ouch! That is a hard pill to swallow. Since I wrote last, I confess that I have not taken three days to cleanse my system of my sugar. Unfortunately, knowing these facts does not make it easier to kick the sugar addiction. So, I try and try and try some more. How do you kick the sugar habit?
On a good note, I am coming to the end of courting corn and dairy products. Greg and I watched Mike Rowe talk about the American production of corn, and it wasn’t pretty. So I’ve rested from cooking and eating premade meals and am back to cooking more veggies and lean meats. My Tex-Mex addiction has been another hard habit to break! I take premium enzymes to deal with the backlash of less than optimal food choices at home and eating out. I never eat gluten on purpose, but corn and dairy are still in my diet, and I know they contribute to my high inflammation marker. Maybe one day, I will be able to give them up completely.
One of the things I have talked about is practicing self-grace. I know when I am stubborn and cannot pour energy into changing a 30-year habit. It’s a dance, and I’m in charge of the music.
Another thing I’m doing for myself is a two-week lymphatic challenge with about 30,000 other people online. It helps with many issues from bloating, swelling, brain fog, digestive problems, depression, chronic fatigue, stiffness, food sensitivities, etc. In addition, I dry brush and take detox baths with essential oil, use a DIY Cel-Lit Magic massage oil (gluten-free), drink paleo detox smoothies with added superfruits, and more. If you are curious about this, reach out, and I’ll share what I am learning.
Many people don’t realize their bodies cannot detox. My beloved Dr. Shippy prescribed a glutathione supplement a year ago because my labs showed my body could not detox well. She prescribed four detox baths a week with minerals and essential oils. She explained that soaking for 20-40 minutes in the treated water was a detox my body could do. Using my essential oils, I recreated her bath salt recipe with a DIY recipe.
I’m feeling much better than I did a year ago. Of course, I still have a lot of changes to make, but I understand to make them sustainable, I cannot do them overnight. It’s a journey, and I’m glad you are on it with me!
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