I call Candida the, "Yeast Beast" for a reason. Sometimes continuing to choose the right food, the right supplements, the right advice can be a challenge. Sometimes the journey emotional, sometimes it is inspiring. Read on to see my tips for putting up a good fight every day.
Battle Armor
One of the biggest motivators for continuing on my journey is how much better I am feeling. I am approaching the one year mark of when I found answers and decided to turn my life around. The changes have been mind blowing -less pain, better digestion, clearer thinking, better skin, more energy, weight loss, less anxiety…. the list goes on. I would be lying, however, if I said it wasn't hard some days; This is especially true when I get tired, or run down, or overwhelmed with other things in life.
Today is actually one of those days for me. It is tempting to put my needs aside when I am tired, however, I need to constantly remind myself that doing so is what contributed to the severity of my condition in the first place. So what do I do to stay strong? How do I, "Suit up" for battle every day? I surround myself with what inspires me -this is my Battle Armor - so that the difficult days become victories. You can do the same.
Find your Tribe
In the history of all battles ever fought, there is not a single one that was ever won single-handedly. As humans we are designed for community and were never meant to be alone. It means simply, that we need to seek out people who are going through the same thing and stick together. We do this so that as a group we become even stronger, more knowledgeable and can hold each other up when one of us falls down. Find your tribe.
I heard a wonderful illustration at church today about the importance of community, which I will share here. When wolves hunt for food they do it together. The strategy is to isolate their prey so that it becomes weak and vulnerable, quickly tired, and alone without support. It is in this position that the prey is easily defeated and succumbs to its captor. We need each other friends! Doing anything alone can leave us vulnerable and easily defeated. Let us be like the wolves, a strong pack, a strong tribe, and work together, share our resources, to reach our goal.
Practice Balance
Another incredibly important piece of maintaining a healthy lifestyle change is to practice balance. Last year I had the privilege of attending a learning session at my workplace with Dr. Joey Lynn Wabie, Ph.D, on "Self-Care: Using the Sacred Circle." In this session, Dr. Wabie went through reminders and tips on living a whole and balanced lifestyle, using an adaptation of the Medicine Wheel. She illustrated the point in this way:
Imagine your body is a vehicle. Imagine each of the sections in this image is a wheel for your vehicle. If one wheel is bigger than another, or one wheel is more deflated than another, the drive will be rough and you will not get very far. Each tire needs to be equal for the journey forward to the best it can be. Much like my suggestion above, to use what inspires you as body armor/protection against rough days, Dr. Wabie poses the question: What is the air that fills your tires? What do you or can you do daily to take care of each of these parts of you?
Below are examples from my life of what inspires me, what I use as armor, what fills the air in my tires.
Spiritual
-daily inspirational reading
-meditation
-prayer
Inspirational reading includes many sources for me. I like to spend time reading biographies, magazine articles, blogs, reflective readings, poetry, scripture, and on occasion even watch positive speeches and presentations on YouTube. Constantly engaging with positive content encourages my soul's sense of purpose which is to make a difference in the world, to spread love, share knowledge and positivity; To be the best version of myself I can be.
Meditation simple means taking time to be mindful of myself and my surroundings. I have an app on my phone called, Simple Habit. It provides a series of short, 5 min guided meditations, for a wide range of topics: relaxation, healing, calming, motivation, relationships etc. These five min focus times help me keep perspective.
Prayer. I take time daily to ask God to strengthen me and guide me. I spend time in thankfulness for the things I have, and I let go of concerns I carry with me every day.
Emotional
-listening to or playing music
-writing
I listen to music all the time and I have a play list for every mood. For me, listening or playing music is a perfect outlet no matter how I am feeling.
Writing helps me sort out my thoughts. The best example would be this blog! What a better day to write about what keeps me strong, than one where I am feeling tired. The more I type, the greater my confidence grows to keep up the fight.
Mental
-30 min uninterrupted quiet time each day
-taking on new challenges on occasion
-learning more about a topic of interest
As a busy working wife and mom, uninterrupted time is a luxury. Although it is not in abundance, I make a point of finding at last 30 min each day to spend in solitude. Usually this comes in the form of early morning drive to work with a coffee in hand, or 15 extra minutes in my car after work enjoying some silence before I head home. No matter what it looks like for you, remember your time is important and you deserve some too!
I have the type of job that provides me with daily challenges and the constant opportunity for learning and growth. I consider this a privilege and I enjoy taking on challenges that spur me on and keep my brain engaged.
This journey especially has been a huge mental exercise for me! I am always learning more about my health and applying it gives me a challenge worth accepting.
Physical
-purposeful walking
-yoga
-drinking water eating well
I make time to walk every day. Whether it is taking the long way to the parking lot where I work, using the treadmill at home, walking my dog or taking the kids to the park. I make sure to keep my body moving and walking is one of the easiest ways!
I have recently taken on the joys of yoga. I find it extremely challenging but relaxing and rewarding at the same time. I started with an app on my phone called, DOYOUYOGA where I engaged in a free 30 day challenge for beginners. This taught me a lot about my body and has given me a way to recharge.
Drinking water and eating well is what the Candida diet focuses on . When I do this, I feel good, and when I feel good, I live better.
Reflections
This last year I have found myself part of a tribe I could not do without. My family, friends, doctors, health professionals, work-out partners, co-workers, and new friends like you. I have people I can lean on when I need to and I am able to offer my shoulder to others too. I encourage you to surround yourself with people who are going to support you and not sabotage your efforts. Doing so will help you say focused and ready to fight the yeast beast when he rears his ugly head of temptation.
Finally, strive for balance. Taking care of your whole person will make it easier to focus on priorities. Make some time to reflect on the areas of your life that need attention and create a list of what you can do to be purposeful in self care. If you are getting enough sleep, at peace mentally and spiritually, it will be easier to care for yourself physically and not let your emotions get the better of you.
Are you ready to fight the yeast beast? If you need to but haven't yet, join the tribe. We can do this together and make it fun along the way. It's as I say: Live Laugh Lemons. Life may be sour sometimes, but we can live it up, laugh together, and be stronger for it.