Illness or symptoms often develop over time. Be kind to yourself as you seek health and wellness, and remember, healing too takes time.
Riding a bike isn’t incredibly difficult once you know how to do it. For most of us, however, we did, in fact have to learn how to do it. And we learned because someone taught us. Maybe they taught us intentionally by spending time with us. Or maybe we observed a sibling or friend zipping around the block and thought “man, I want to do that!” We may have had careful coaching, started with training wheels, practiced every day. Or we may have jumped on a bike, fallen off several times, then just got the hang of it.
Regardless of how we learned to ride a bike, or do anything else, for the majority of people, time was an important part of the process. Our brains needed time to master that skill. Our bodies had to learn how to naturally follow that rhythm. It had to become something habitual to our minds/bodies. It may have been difficult or overwhelming at first, but once our minds and bodies knew how to respond to that challenge, riding a bike was no longer scary or impossible. No, it was new mode of transportation to our friend’s house. It was the wind in our hair, it was a smile on our face — it was freedom. It took time, it took effort to get there.
And the funny thing is, the day before you knew you wanted to learn to ride a bike, you had no idea you could or would or even wanted to. The potential for that skill and that joy was there all along, you just had to discover it.
Healing: Changes in Our Body Over Time
Often as we grow, we become aware of things changing in our bodies. It could be subtle shifts that are not necessarily painful but not necessarily normal either. Maybe it is symptoms we didn’t have or didn’t notice before. Our bodies know how to tell us something is amiss, but we don’t always hear what they’re saying right away. Once we hear the message, we want to heed it. In turn, we may find ourselves buried in articles and books on what seems to be bothering us. We may find ourselves at the doctor seeking answers or looking into natural and alternative ways to help ourselves heal/feel better. That doesn’t always look the exact same for every single person, but there is always some sort of effort involved. And healing always takes time.
As we learn and grow knowledge, and as our bodies respond to the efforts we are making in them, what once seemed scary or impossible may now seem empowering and full of freedom.
This is a story so many of us can tell; one that so many of us can relate to. Whether you’re just starting out, or have been working towards health for some time, you aren’t alone in that journey. Not only do you have a “neighborhood” who can relate to you, but you also have people ready to coach you when you need it and cheer you on to that feeling of freedom. Be encouraged by the stories of others — like this story of Madison’s journey towards improved and continued health:
Madison’s Thermography Journey
Madison has long known Erin at Insight Thermography of Oklahoma. In the spring of 2018, Madison began seeing Erin as a naturopath. Madison was looking for help addressing symptoms like lack of weight loss and poor sleep. Erin helped to identify some underlying issues that were likely contributing to these symptoms. Over time, together, they were able to formulate a plan of action for Madison. While Madison wasn’t new to making changes in her lifestyle in the name of feeling better/living healthier, as a mom of two young boys, it just flat out isn’t easy to add a new thing or two (or ten) into your daily regimen!
To help combat that stress (and potential to just quit/forget), Madison created a spreadsheet type of checklist for herself. Every day as she lived out the plan of action she and Erin had put together for her, she would put a check mark next to whatever item in that plan she accomplished. Some of the practices she was implementing on a daily basis at that point included the use of some supplements and an increased intake of distilled water as well as lemon water.
This checklist was a physical visual reminder of what she needed to do and what she had accomplished throughout the day. For Madison, this has been very important to her success in daily implementing these things. Little things that add up to big things.
Just as healing takes time, keep in mind it also takes time for something to become a habit. In fact, depending on the research you come across, habit formation takes 21-254 days! It also takes time to heal something that took time to become in need of repair. Quick fixes are nothing more than band-aids that don’t address the underlying problem. While we sometimes need a bandaid for a bit, we always need to make sure we are healing–not just covering an injury.
Getting to the root is always worth the time and effort. Why? Because in the healing we begin to feel that freedom.
This is just the beginning of Madison’s journey to healing. As with riding a bike, there are stages of progression–training wheels on, training wheels off, a bigger bike, followed by an even bigger or fancier bike if we’re really enthusiastic about our biking. As Madison began to work towards healing, she stepped a little out of her comfort zone to learn more about what was going on with her body. Healing does take time, and there is room to pace yourself on the journey. More on that next time.
