Just the Beginning
This is something CRAZY for me to think about now. I know so much more about myself than I did 5 years ago…
I was eating “healthy” foods and exercising frequently, I was “doing everything right” to be healthy. I avoided white bread, I ate brown rice, I barely drank alcohol, I cut down on my sugar intake, I cut down on my processed food intake, I drank A LOT of water throughout the day, I was eating macronutrient balanced meals. I got the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep a night.. All the cookie cutter methods you hear to get/be “fit” or “healthy.”
BUT
I was drained. I had low energy throughout the day, especially when waking. I kept getting sick and I was ALWAYS tired. I stopped doing anything “extra.” My life became a bubble of trying to avoid catching another cold (from the gym and the preschool I worked at + just life in general) and harnesses my sacred energy. So I stopped doing things. I felt like a grandma trapped in a 22 year old’s body. Joy was there, but in minor amounts. I was just so damn tired, I stopped caring about finding joy and just tried to get through the day.
BUT
I didn’t want that. When did this all change? I wanted to be happy. I wanted to BE fun. I used to be fun. I also wanted to build muscle and so I wanted to lift weights, I wanted to travel, I wanted to have strong/healthy relationships, I wanted so much more in life than being tired all the time. “I am young. I shouldn’t be this tired all the time”
SO
I started drinking more coffee, it become a daily routine. One coffee in the AM going to work, and most days, another coffee during my lunch break. Hmm that seems to help. But I am still exhausted at the end of the day. I would tell myself “tt’s your job.” Preschool teachers are saints. “You need more sleep”. etc……
BUT
then I would have enough energy to go to the gym and workout… so my red flag would go down, until I woke up SO exhausted the next day, or I would catch yet another cold, and I would be concerned again. Grab 2 coffees the next day, pop some cold medicine, eat “healthy.”
*Cycle repeats*
UNTIL
I had enough, I finally listened to my inner voice, the muffled inner voice that was in the nosebleed section throughout my entire (now) 24 years of life. She was saying: “THIS IS NOT OUR NORMAL, WAKE UP GIRL.” I thought that this was my normal because I had put up with it for so long and missed/ignored the red flags that I forgot how I used to be.
*cue the WedMD searches*
Didn’t take me long to realize I needed to go to get blood work taken ASAP. I thought I knew what I had, but I was scared about it. I didn’t know anything about it. But according to multiple websites I was a textbook case, I had all the symptoms. I just needed confirmation from my doctor. I needed to know what to do about it so I could feel better. I need someone to tell me it will all be okay. That I can get back to being me.
So I FINALLY went to the doctor, on a mission to figure it out.
Story continued tomorrow….
LESSON:
☏ALWAYS listen to the signals your body sends you. It is telling you what it needs. Trust your gut. And get help when you need help. I know this now and I want YOU to know how important this is for YOU. Don’t ignore what your body is telling you. Lean in and listen. You will thank yourself in the long run.
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