Do You Feel Your Best?
There’s no escaping the universal law of rhythm
As originally published in Change Your Mind Change Your Life on Medium.com.
I haven’t lately.
For a couple of months, I’ve felt stiffness and pain in my lower back and hips. Turns out, it’s osteoarthritis — right where I had back surgery in 2017.
To make matters worse, my dog, Boris, has been seriously unwell. He went from nonstop vomiting to refusing food and water for days, followed by days of explosive diarrhoea. He lost 12% of his body weight.
And yes, there was a lot of cleaning and laundry involved!
After countless vet visits and tests, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease — an autoimmune condition that causes chronic inflammation of the large intestine.
A few years ago I would have been well on my way to another depression. But today, it’s different. Because I am different.
Our Body Reflects Our MindJames Allen once said:
“The body is the servant of the mind. It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed.”
Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I looked inward and understood that over the past while I have felt somewhat stuck.
My life is peaceful — no drama, nothing bad, lots to be grateful for. But also nothing has changed in a while. I don’t feel like I’m moving forward in any way. There’s no obvious progress and that has been weighing on me. And my body is now reflecting this.
Stiffness and pain mirror my thoughts of stagnation. The back symbolises support in life, so that aligns with my underlying fear of staying stuck.
And Boris? As animals are deeply in tune with energy, his illness is, to some extent, also trying to show me something. Colon issues often represent feeling stuck, fear of being seen, or a fear of letting go. The autoimmune aspect? That’s literally me fighting me.
Reframing the Story We Tell OurselvesLooking inward isn’t always easy. Reality bites. And I’m feeling it.
But I also decided to change the story I tell myself.
As I got on my knees to clean up Boris’ mess, my first instinct was frustration. Then, I shifted my mindset. Instead of complaining, I chose to feel very fortunate. Fortunate that I get to be the one to love Boris through this challenging time. Fortunate to be his keeper, his guardian. And just like that, my heart filled with love and, believe it or not, even the smell seemed less awful.
As for me, I’m working on changing my story about me too. I feel a lot more resistance there, but that’s the work. And I am committed to it.
The Universal Law of RhythmLife ebbs and flows, just like the seasons.
No matter how self-aware we become or how much good we manifest, we will always experience contrast. But the more we can change the story we tell to one that serves us, the easier it becomes to navigate the tough times.
Fortunately, Boris and I are both healing. With self-care, great nutrition, targeted exercise, vitamins, a little medicine, mind work, and energy healing, we’re getting back on track. We even went for our first run again yesterday.
Knowing Is the Key to ManifestingKnowing is to be free of doubt. And that is the key to manifesting what we want. Doubt, which leads to fear, is what so often stands in the way.
Changing our stories to ones that support us helps to get to the place of knowing.
Everyone says Crohn’s disease is incurable. But I don’t believe this. And I’m working on changing the stories I tell until I KNOW it is so.
Wherever you are on your journey, always remember that YOU ARE ENOUGH.