The Do’s & Don’ts of Autoimmune Healing
Managing autoimmune health can be hard and if you’re autoimmune compromised you know that there’s really no way around it. No matter how you look at it, managing your autoimmune issues can be much simpler than you may think.
When diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is likely something along the lines of “Oh shit! What am I going to do now?”. And truthfully, that’s a great question.
What are you supposed to do when it comes to taking care of your autoimmune health? How do you find people to help you get through it? What are the protocols? What are you supposed to do if your doctor doesn’t diagnose you and you’re left to fend for yourself?
Seeking out a diagnosis and beginning to heal may feel nerve wracking and confusing. But here’s the truth: healing is within your power but you've gotta be willing to receive it, to get help when it's necessary and to stop thinking that one protocol will turn everything around.
You won’t heal just by doing one thing - i.e. going on a dietary protocol. You’ll heal when you’re able to manage all of these things together. Remember, your body is not made up of isolated parts. It works as a whole.
Here are a few Do’s & Dont’s of Autoimmune Healing
The DO’s of Autoimmune Healing:
DO: Ask for help when you need it
DO: Explore other forms of non food related healing
DO: Develop a spiritual and mindfulness practice.
DO: Accept that grief and trauma may have contributed to the development of your autoimmune condition
DO: Hire people who will help you make sense of both your inner and outer worlds
The DON’Ts of Autoimmune Healing:
DON’T: Blame yourself if you’re not able to stick to your protocol
DON’T: Think you’ll find the cure with diet alone
DON’T: Believe that in order to heal you must have strong will power
DON’T: Ignore or underplay the impact of grief and trauma on the development of your autoimmune disease
Many of us spend years thinking that healing autoimmune health is an outer job and that it will happen when we find the right diet and start taking medicine and while diet and medication are often necessary in healing, they’re not the only thing you’ll need to implement. It’s only a small fraction!!
Think of it this way. You didn't develop an autoimmune disease overnight and your diet wasn’t the only factor contributing to it. Remember, it’s ok to heal slowly and it’s ok to do the best that you can in each moment.
You won’t get nearly as far if you continue to blame yourself every time you have a set back or only focus on your diet. You don’t need strong will power and you’re not bad if you weren’t able to stick to that protocol long term. What that means is that you just need more help - which is what working with a coach privately can help you with.
Not being able to do those things on your own simply means one thing. You’re not asking for help. And you’re ignoring the impact of trauma on your autoimmune disease by not not focusing on bettering your relationships and looking at your inner world for answers rather than googling and scrolling Instagram.
The one thing no one will tell you about developing an autoimmune condition is that it’s more of an inner job than an outer one and the more I’ve focused on hiring people who can help me make sense of my inner world, the more easily my outer world has been able find the people an the resources I need.
If you’re ready to go deep & do the inner work necessary to heal those autoimmune issues, disordered eating habits, or gut health issues such as leaky gut and IBS, I invite you to take a look at my services and set up a consultation with me if you’re feeling the pull.