I firmly believe that if we truly want to heal our body, we need to start with our mind.
I was about 16 years old the first time I experienced my first episode of auto-immune issues. I was put on various medications which temporarily relieved some of my symptoms but never actually addressed any of the root causes of my symptoms.
By the time I was in my late 20s even more unexplainable issues started to sprout up. And by the time I was in my 30s, there wasn’t a single part of my body (or my life) that wasn’t being affected. And I still had no explanation as to what was causing any of it.
I felt as if my own body had betrayed me. And on the worst days it almost felt like life itself had betrayed me.
It also didn’t help that most of the doctors I saw (especially back then) simply weren’t that familiar with auto-immune issues. Some were even dismissive of them and treated me as if I was an annoyance.
“There’s nothing wrong with you dammit and I have real patients to see” was the screaming response I got from one doctor after I called him for help after being fired from my job because I was no longer able to function at the level they needed.
The most common solution they all had involved some concoction of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication.
I won’t lie, I questioned my own sanity at times when going through all of these issues especially when everyone seemed to be repeatedly telling me “it was all in my head.” And I almost gave up on more than one occasion.
But something inside of me always kept fighting…and questioning…and looking for answers. I hated that part of me back then. Part of me wanted to just give in, take the meds and numb it all out.
But I didn’t.
I decided to become my own advocate instead. And I decided to take matters into my own hands. And that decision ended up being the best one I could have ever made.

It took me over a decade of constantly learning, researching, experimenting and being uncomfortable but I was soon able to see a faint light at the end of what seemed like an incredibly long and dark tunnel. Throughout it all, I had to constantly work on believing in myself, and believing that change was possible- even on the days that my body was telling me the exact opposite.

And in the process I learned just how important my thoughts were in creating the reality I was living. People tell me all the times that thoughts aren’t real - they’re just a thought. And while that may be true, the fact is that most of us base our actions on our feelings, and those feelings are usually the result of our thoughts. And if we keep thinking thoughts that create negative feelings and emotions, it’s only a matter of time before those feelings -and the actions we take because of them - adversely impact our body and our reality.

So in that sense, thoughts are far more than just things. But it’s up to us to determine how much power we give to those thoughts - and whether that power works for us or against us.

A huge part of my ability to keep going (and ultimately start to feel better both physically and emotionally) was the result of my thoughts. I actively chose to think that feeling better was an option.

I also actively chose to think that my past actions had somehow played a role in everything I was experiencing and that I could use my thoughts to change create a new experience for myself.

And if I could change how I was experiencing things - maybe I could change how my body was experiencing them too.

That led to more experimenting. And ultimately, a complete dismantling of everything I thought I was - and should be- followed by the emergence of the person I wanted to be instead.

And it all started with my thoughts. Thoughts that led to a change in what I was feeling which led to a change in how I was experiencing what I was feeling.

That’s not to say that I didn’t do any work on my body. I did tons. There was a lot of healing, releasing and energetics involved also. But in order to truly benefit from those things, the hard charging, type-A, “you will never will you see me cry” version of me had to first change my thoughts around them. And open up to receiving them. Without guilt. Without judgment. Without shame. And without making them mean something about me that wasn’t actually true.

Changing your reality starts with changing your experience. And you can change your experience by changing your thoughts. The mind and body are deeply connected. And while most coaches will hate me for saying this - I believe the mind is the true gateway to change.

The body will ultimately follow our mind. Use your mind carefully. Use it to improve your experience. Use it to create a reality you love.

That’s truly how powerful your mind is. And that’s truly how powerful you are.