- BOLD & BEAUTIFUL WOMEN-
ning , etc . Would I ever get to be the energetic , goal-oriented individual I identified with ever again ?
I struggled for over 15 years to fully come to terms with living with Fibromyalgia , but never allowed myself to believe this was all there was now . In 2009 I found Hypnosis and began training in order to help myself . This was the best thing for me ! I was inspired by the results so I continued to investigate other ways of managing pain like Energy Healing , Emotional Freedom Technique , Mindfulness , Meditation , and oddly enough the power of conversations that I was having with myself . I also started eating healthy , taking supplements and other natural solutions that would foster real healing at the cellular level rather than simply masking the pain .
When I graduated from the Hypnosis training and began to work on myself I discovered that my mind had as much power over my well-being as my physical body . What I said to myself was paramount to where I could go in my life . Ultimately , I uncovered that I was in control of my thoughts . If I could train my mind to overcome my health issues and manage them to where I could return to a level of productivity that held meaning again , then that was the obvious direction to go .
I knew that I was not the only person who felt lost , alone , or appeared to just be someone wanting to lay around the house all day . I realized I could share what I learned , my personal experiences , my struggles , my challenges , what helped me , and what changed my direction in life with those people . As I learned more about Fibromyalgia and saw the diagnoses increase , I realized I had a calling , a responsibility to help others , even if only one or two were interested . I uncovered that I was in control of my thoughts and if I could train myself to overcome my health issues , manage them to where I could return to a level of productivity that held meaning again , then the direction I needed to investigate was obvious .
It ’ s been well over 24 years on this journey toward healing . It has not always been an easy one , but it has most definitely provided lessons for growth , which are worthwhile .
I ’ ve learned that my body is always in communication with me . I need to be mindful of what it ’ s saying in any given moment . Through hypnosis , I could easily eliminate certain symptoms . However , I prefer to manage my symptoms rather than eliminate them because provides me with an important gauge about how my body feels and what it needs .
It has always been far too easy for me to over-extend myself . When I do , I ’ ve learned that I crash . So I don ’ t wish to over-extend myself to the point where I am again knocked down and out physically , emotionally , and / or mentally . This is actually a gift ! As a result , I do a lot of self-pacing . I do not pace well by nature so it was extremely difficult to learn . I ’ m an all or nothing type of person . But I can say that finally , after 24 years of working at it , I have mastered it rather well now and it is invaluable .
Relaxation , visualization and journaling are ALL very important and so too are all the con-
WE ARE BEAUTIFUL MAGAZINE - 72 - JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018