Your Physical + Mental Health Matter
When battling dysautonomia or chronic illness we forget how important our mental health really is. The pain we feel, flares we have and shame we put on ourselves can make our illness feel that much more daunting. This feeling can be overwhelming and make us feel as if we are not enough or doing enough.
When we are experiencing medical conditions (specially those that are not apparent) we can be fighting a very lonely battle. Our friends or family members may doubt our symptoms and blame it on “anxiety.” Others may question how we are so sick, why we can not get out of bed? They can question why we look so healthy and make us feel as if we are making things up in our heads.
Conditions such as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Mast Cell Activation Disorder (MCAS), Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Long Covid, Lupus, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Vasculitis, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Mold Toxicity and Lyme Disease all cause us to suffer in silence. This can lead to further medical complications and poorly impact our mental outlook. Being alone with our already painful or unwell body can make living much harder.
Medical gaslighting can also cause you to feel separated, isolated and lonely. Doctors, nurses and staff may treat you as if everything you are feeling is not real. This can further add to your medical stress, distrust in providers and inability to work on making any progress. It is important to know that they are not correct and you are not alone.
The scientific research on the connection between our physical health and the connection to our mental health is fascinating. By empowering yourself and gaining knowledge to overcome negative thinking, you can make incredible changes. A shift in thinking can change the entire way we view our own body. It is important to note the choice words we use to describe ourselves and if we limit ourselves through our own symptoms or thinking.
You are Validated
Your illness is not in your head. It is real, you feel it and you know it. However, ruminating, getting stuck in body scans and looking for the next flare up, is only going to further keep you stuck in a “flight or fight” mindset. This mindset causes us to further become stuck and turns on more inflammation in our body. This is the same inflammation that caused you to become sick in the first place.
Grieving is also a natural process when diagnosed with dysautonomia, autoimmune disorders, Mold Illness or Lyme Disease. We can feel sad and angry about the life we lost and the body we once knew. It is a surreal experience to feel lost in your own body. You may also experience guilt for not doing things that would have been easy for you in the past. It is important to note that emotions can cause certain organs in our body to work less efficiently or to become stressed and overworked.
Therapy Can Help Empower You
Therapy can benefit your dysautonomia and chronic illness recovery. Healing can only happen by creating a safe and unbiased space for you to speak freely about you and your body. Our therapists are here to listen, provide a safe space for you to share your medical journey.
You can process stuck emotions, things you have not yet said aloud and learn to love your body for the life it does bring you. Your environment can help shape and transform your own outlook. Therapy can provide you healing and peace of mind.
Having a positive mindset is only the beginning of what you will learn in therapy, this new found mindset can help you in you regain the life you want. By transforming your perspective through therapy, you will start to see yourself and others in a different light.
Our therapists would love to support you.
