How can we share the awareness of what those tiny Lyme critters can do to a person’s life??? There are so many people who have chronic Lyme that had their lives turned upside down by it. The suffering can be intense from the physical, emotional, loss of family, friends, loss of finances, and the spiritual upheaval. It all gets pretty nutty but it is the reality of far too many and the numbers keep rising. For them, helping others become more aware of the disease cannot be described in a way that anyone can truly understand unless they have experienced it.
I had Lyme since early childhood. Neurological Lyme was well established when I was 10 years old. Lived with it for decades, suffering on many levels. From the experience, I have learned many valuable insights.
For one, I would never wish the disease on anyone, not even my worse enemy. Not just a saying. I have had many years to ponder the thought and my heart. Not even my worse enemy would I wish Lyme disease on.
Secondly, no one can even begin to understand unless they have had the unique experience of the depth of suffering that may come with Lyme. Life comes with many trials and tribulations so I am not saying this is the worse, just saying it can be up there at the top.
Thirdly, chronic Lyme not only turns lives upside down and inside out, but it can be transforming. Lyme can be a catalyst for a level of healing that could otherwise not be found. Lyme also requires so much from us, to be able to truly heal, that we reach for healing modalities that we would never otherwise consider. Our minds and bodies have to do a lot of bending, adjusting and adapting to move through it.
On and on the list goes. YOUR list of how you have grown from the Lyme experience is much more interesting. There are never two stories exactly the same. There will always be many similarities but this disease provides an incredibly unique experience for every victim.
If I could express one single wish for anyone with Lyme, it would be my desire for them to get the focus of Lyme off of the KILLING and off of the WAR and on to the healing journey.
I did it too. When I got the Lyme diagnosis, I wanted to know how to kill them, get them out of my body. Let’s go to war and be done with it!!!
War and killing depict, well, war and killing. And we are talking about inside our own bodies. That usually gets all twisted up and we end up at war with ourselves. The violence of war and killing does not set the stage for healing and wellness.
When we go to war, we have innocent casualties. When we go to war with Lyme, we don’t only kill the bad critters, we usually wipe out the good ones that we need for healing and wellness.
When we are in the killing mode, we focus on the “what if’s.” I cannot go outside because what if there is a looming tick. I have to keep everything hyper-clean because what if there are bacteria or unwanted critters stalking my living space. You get the picture. We shift our focus too much on the what if’s and live in a war zone instead of living life.
This war zone creates a heightened response from us. We live in the sympathetic state and our body never knows deep rest, what is required for healing. We become edgier than we need to be. We also can become defensive… about everything. The war turns from strategic to chaos.
It is not a healing atmosphere. We end up in a vicious cycle just looping around wondering what hit us.
If I could rewrite my Lyme story, when I received my Lyme diagnosis, I would have STOPPED. Stopped in my tracks and took a breath. Then prayed. Then got educated about Lyme, the different viewpoints from different directions and science. I would have wanted to hear from people who overcame Lyme, what worked and what didn’t. Then, after breathing deeply some more, make the best decision for MY life as to how to proceed. THEN figured out that it is such a long road to health, with so many twists and turns, I would have relaxed into it to allow my body to heal faster.
Yeaaahhhhhhh right. No one can know all that stuff in the beginning of a journey like a Lyme diagnosis.
When we are living in wretching Lyme pain that has not stopped for a couple of years, war and killing seem like the best idea and fast. I know. Yet, I still maintain there is a better way to go about it.
Of course, I have my favorite way of dealing with Lyme that I wholeheartedly believe in and
Whether you received your Lyme diagnosis today or a decade ago, you have the ability to stop the war on your own body. Healing comes faster when we slow down to love on ourselves. There are ways to overcome Lyme while loving on your body.
HEALTH COACH DISCLAIMER: Health/Wellness coaching is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. It is not intended to substitute for the advice, treatment and/or diagnosis of a qualified licensed professional. Trained and certified Health Coaches may not make any medical diagnoses, claims and/or substitute for your personal physician’s care. As your health/wellness coach I do not provide a second opinion or in any way attempt to alter the treatment plans or therapeutic goals/recommendations of your personal physician. It is my role to partner with you to provide ongoing support and accountability as you create an action plan to meet and maintain your health goals.
