You Are Not Alone
~~~My Mom used to say “Deal with your demons or they will deal with you.” She was giving me good advice when she was alive and I still hear her words today. I’ve worked on my demons. Thanks to my Mom, I found the courage to say to myself it was ok to seek help. It is a process. I still have triggers. I take my meds. I still see a counselor at the VA. These maybe just casual words to some but that fact I just put that out there for the world to see is huge! Back in the day, there was a huge stigma on mental health and I dare to say that there still is today.
~~~Autoimmune diseases and stress do not get along. I think for me, the slow isolation that Lupus brought made my depression and anxiety worse. I could no longer run which was my main stress reliever. I could no longer work. Pretty soon, the phone calls slow down or end when people were tired of me not showing up to their events. Of course, I tried to explain. But, to most it doesn’t matter. So, in the end, I was stuck with the corners of my mind.
~~~Maybe God wanted me to slow down so I would have to deal with these issues. If I never got Lupus or Fibro I would still be running around like the wind. I would have never slowed down long enough to look back. I’m thinking God had a different plan. He needed me to look back, however painful it was going to be, so that I could truly move forward. I love the saying from the Lion King “The past can hurt. But, we can either learn from it, or run from it”
~~~For me, healing begins from the inside out. If I am striving for harmony mind and soul, then whether my Lupus heals itself or not I’m still in a better place. I did not always think this way. I used to ask why? Why Lupus? Why Fibro? I couldn’t learn to slow down any other way? I trust God. And God’s answer was obviously no. I’m not leaning on my understanding anymore. I’m leaning on His. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all the ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” #SeekHelp #URNotAlone #GodsLoveIsReal #KeepTheFaith #LupusMariposa®
