FROM ILLNESS TO WELLNESS
“Don’t confuse the truth with the opinion of the majority.” — Jean Cocteau
Probably many of you that know me think that I am obsessed with a healthy diet. I refuse to eat delicious doughnuts, chocolates and I don’t drink fizzy drinks or alcohol. I don’t even drink fruit juices.
However, that wasn’t always a case. 🙂 I used to drink hectolitres of pop, wines, vodkas and beer. I used to love Żubrówka with Red Bull or Apple juice. Gin and tonic was on top of my list as well. 20 cigarettes a day wasn’t a problem for me. I enjoyed every single of them. I started smoking and drinking when I was 15 and permanently quit when I was 29.
When I was a kid I used to eat tones of sweets. My teeth were black. As a teenager I was skipping my breakfasts and eating cakes for lunch. Sometimes for dinners and suppers too. I was following this model until I got pregnant. I was more careful then, but still my lifestyle and diet weren’t best quality.
As a kid and a teenager I was never obese. My weight were never an issue either as an factual matter or in terms of my body image.
However, I was constantly ill. Since a very young age, until about my mid or late twenties I was regularly on antibiotics, steroid inhalers, antihistamines, painkillers and nasal sprays. I was asthmatic and had allergies. I started antidepressants when I was 19 (I actually needed someone to talk to instead). I had flu jabs almost every year. My immune system was a disaster. Later on, after my second pregnancy, I became iron deficient. I had anaemia and barely had a strength to get out of bed in the morning. Some days I was too exhausted to look after my new born baby. However, I thought that being a tired mum was absolutely normal, so I was ignoring all my symptoms for a few months.
Furthermore, I believed that modern medicine was there to fix me with every course of antibiotics. I believed that flu jabs were there to help me get a stronger immune system. I was ignoring all the possible side effects and never valued natural methods or never considered real causes of my problems. Moreover, I thought that the way I was feeling was normal. I believed that my health issues were minor and not serious, so there was nothing to panic about, because I didn’t have a serious diagnosis. I believed I had to live with them and take medicines forever. I also believed that all the products on the market have to be safe. Otherwise they wouldn’t be there. How unaware and naive I was!
Luckily, I started realising that the quality of food and a lifestyle in general were crucial for my well being. I met open minded people who helped me to see the world and a human’s health from totally different perspectives. It took me years to understand and accept that, because I was so sceptical and didn’t really want to listen weird and unpopular in my opinion theories.
I began cooking home- made meals instead of buying take- aways. Slowly, I became more passionate about the quality of food I was putting on mine and my family’s plates. I was gaining knowledge and awareness about the importance of nutrients for a human body. I started fixing what medicine and my crazy lifestyle damaged. My gut flora didn’t exist. I didn’t have to make special tests (I will write about it in another post). Feeling tired, anxious, depressed and constantly catching infections was enough to indicate that my body did not absorb all the nutrients and vitamins.
I am only half way of a total recovery from such disastrous states. I take loads of supplements, buy organic food, drink plenty of water and healthy herbal teas. I don’t take any medication and I will do everything I can to remain like that as long as it’s possible. I look after my sleep patterns, I respect my body’s needs and trust my intuition. I find time for meditation and relaxation. I am in the process of re-building my health and my “health- obsession” is a matter of conscious choices with an aim to improve the quality of my own and my family’s life. I abandoned bad habits and created the new ones. I am not orthorexic, I don’t have an eating disorder or OCD. I am strong, happy and healthy human being that wants to share my health journey with you. My most recent blood tests still indicate inflammation, but for my doctor everything is great! I am aware that I have to put much more effort into gaining that dream health back! I won’t re-build my 36 years life in a month, or not even a year. Creating new habits, gaining knowledge, experience, but also finding and testing out new solutions can take a long time. This journey requires patience, consistency and faith.
And on a final note, I enjoy and I still have (occasionally!) fast foods, take aways, crisps, etc., but I avoid sugar, additives, preservatives and other substances at all costs on regular basis. I am careful with my skin care, cosmetics and fragrances around my home. My bathroom cabinet is going through a detox as well, because in a world like now, where we are filled in with plastic and toxins in almost every product, we need to start reducing so called safe ingredients in our food and toiletries and replace them with real, natural and pure ones that are truly safe for our bodies and environment.
Not everything what we are told about safety of medicines or other products is true. Just use your common sense, listen to your gut feeling and trust your body, educate yourself and your kids, read good books, articles and critically evaluate all the information you are given.
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2 Comments on “FROM ILLNESS TO WELLNESS”
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Happi
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Great post. We all need to reflect on how to improve quality of our lives so we can live longer and happier. ?
Dziękuję 🙂