The old saying goes, “don’t let your situation define you”. To be honest, I really reject that statement, but rather I say, “Yes, let your situation define you, and define you for the best!”.
The first few months and even years after my difficult diagnosis with type 1 diabetes, I didn’t want to accept my autoimmune disease. I was afraid people would view me as different. I was embarrassed that I would be viewed as weird or even weak, and that attitude really hindered me.
It wasn’t until I fully embraced the situation that life had given me that I learned to thrive, find contentment in my situation and eventually passion for helping others in similar situations!
Give yourself grace.
Are there good days and bad days in dealing with an auto-immune disease? Why, absolutely! Society tells us we always have to be bubbly and happy, but I think that it is important to let yourself have a bad day, to rest and to let your body heal.
The health struggle is real some days – no matter how healthy we eat, sometimes our body just does its own thing! Giving yourself the grace to grieve and work through those difficult days truly opens you up to long term success.
Find a passion.
Dealing with sickness or an auto-immune disease can quite often consume all our attention and energy. I have found that finding a passion or activity that truly allows you to find contentment in the moment is one of the best things for your overall health.
It could be taking up a new hobby, creating healthy, delicious recipes in the kitchen, learning to photograph or simply taking your dog for a long walk in the sunshine! Sometimes we just have to live and let be.
Create and spread positivity.
If you had asked me a few years before my diagnosis if I would have ever become a nutritionist or written a cookbook, I would have said absolutely no! Well, I have learned never to say never!
Looking back, I can now say my type 1 diabetes diagnosis has given me a heart to help others through similar circumstances, allowed me to create delicious recipes and share them with the people I love. It also truly humbled me that I am in no way perfect.
Rather than giving up or getting angry at my body and my condition, I am thankful so many encouraged me to use this disease to define me for the best—to create, to influence, to choose joy and hopefully make a difference in someone else’s life!
I encourage you today to look for opportunities in which you can allow your situation, no matter how painful or difficult in the moment, to define your life for the best!
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