How self care helped me unleash my potential
You are your most valuable resource.
That’s a lesson I learned the hard way. Armed with that important understanding, I can create the type of life that supports my goals, but that wasn’t always the case.
In 2018, I left a job I loved. The work was exciting, fulfilling, and fun, but the environment was toxic at best, and abusive at worst.
Shortly after, I got sick. So sick that I couldn’t work for 9 months.
The mental and emotional strain I had endured finally took its toll, and I was wiped out in a way I had never experienced. I spent that 9 months going from bed, to couch, to doctor’s appointments. I had no idea what was wrong, or why I was so sick, but I was desperate to figure it out.
I saw neurologists, ENTs, and general internal medicine practitioners, to no avail. Tests were ordered and requisitions made, with no conclusive results. I spent the better part of a year with no diagnosis, no answers, and not feeling any better.
I slowly mustered the energy and determination to get back to some form of normalcy and got back to work. I had accepted that I may never have the answers I wanted (and needed), but I decided to move on and move forward as best I could.
Three years later, I finally got the answers I needed, and my life changed again.
In February 2022 I got a call about a requisition that had been made about 2.5 years prior. My appointment was being processed, and I was being assessed. Here’s what I learned during that assessment:
The concussions I had sustained as a teenager had had a more significant impact than anyone ever knew.
Many of the mental health issues I’ve experienced since my late teens can be attributed to those injuries.
I’ve been in fight or flight for 10 years.
The workplace stress I had experienced triggered an extreme physical response in me, compounded by the long-term effects of my concussions. That’s why I was so sick for so long.
That’s a lot of information, but it was such a relief. That’s not where it ends though.
I made an assessment of my life, and this is what I’m doing now:
I am taking care of my body (especially my brain), in all of the ways I can. Exercise, nutrition, medications, utilizing my support systems, all of it.
I make time for rest. Sleep, yes, but also activities that recharge my battery.
I’ve started my own business that allows me the flexibility to live the kind of life that I want, surrounded by people that I love and who enrich my life.
Almost a year later, I feel more like myself than I have in over a decade. My life feels big and full of possibility. I am a better friend, partner, and person. I’m more grounded and connected to my purpose than ever before.
Ultimately, I’ve learned that it is within my control to build a life that supports my health, my goals, and my overall well-being. It was a roundabout way to learn that lesson, but I’m so glad I did.
