The Journey Back to Health
My journey back to health didn’t start with this whirlwind romance of me wanting to do the right thing or having this angel in the sky experience of an epiphany with my place in the worlds and/or a moral dilemma. It started with a stomach pain I had never had before that instead of fading away into a memory, became more intense as the days went on. It came with the realisation that stress is much more than an annoying worry or a quick burst of panic and adrenaline that comes with putting an important thing off for too long. That stress is actually a very destructive state for your body to be in and that it can wear on your body, like rust wears on iron. It came with me thinking the stomach pain was coffee, then it going away when I stopped drinking coffee at work but persisted when I drank my bougie coffee at home. It came with me panicking and going on a liquid fast which worked, by the way, only for me to later on realize I couldn’t tolerate dairy for the first time in my, at the time, 42 years of life.
As time went on, I realized the amount of stress I had been under from moving back to The States after a divorce, to joining the work force as a Licensed Massage Therapist, to going through the 4 years of nursing school, only for it to turn into 5 when I failed one class. This stress continued with the start of my career as a nurse when I lost both my parents within the span of about two years and my body finally said ENOUGH!
In my life, I have come across people who were vegetarians, pescatarians, vegans, but veganism has always stuck out to me as something that was not only impossible to do, but very isolating. “How could anyone NOT eat meat, cheese, butter, fish, well ANYTHING?”, I would wonder. I envisioned vegans eating lemongrass and basically barley. It never occurred to me that there are whole cultures and populations of people who are vegan and that essentially a vegan diet has tons more variety than one that relies on meat, chicken, seafood and dairy. It’s a matter of creativity, thinking outside the meat-diet box, some nutrition know-how and not making it overly complicated. There also are different types of vegan diets and many people are unaware of this fact. Maybe I’ll make a post about it. I am one of the vegans that really isn’t a fan of packaged vegan meats, soy dense meals, or a lot of snacking, but I do like hot home-cooked meals. I am leaning more toward everything made at home. For example, instead of making spaghetti with meatless meat, I will use vegetables or instead of using packaged vegan cheese, which I do use on occasion, I would prefer a cashew cheese made at home. My body has told me too many times in the form of stomach pain, that it really isn’t a fan of processed vegan foods.
What I do know for sure is that my road to and navigating through veganism and that my body is communicating that I am on the right path. I am doing the right things to help my body heal from the chronic stress that has affected my body. Another thing is that I am learning that exercise is not to look good but to maintain my body’s physical health to take the everyday wear and tear in stride. To beat back backpain, knee pain and exhaustion is the true purpose of exercise and whatever I look like is what I should and will unconditionally love.
I am also learning that selfcare is equivalent to selflove and that it can come in the form of spending time doing things that not only make you feel good in the moment, but also bring you joy and contentment. Selfcare can be anything from cooking yourself a good meal, to reading a good book, to taking a hike, to calling a friend or family member, to volunteering or just resting in the bed after a long day. It is whatever your spirit and body have asked for and you graciously gave.
There are so many facets to a getting back to health journey and I am super excited to be sharing mine and helping you through yours. Remember, you’re never alone in a struggle and real life has so much more seasoning and good taste than what you find on TV, in magazines or in polished social media stories. So get out in the world, build community and find your health!