MY STORY
My Psoriasis story begins during my 20s. I first developed sores and flaking skin whilst dealing with the stress and trauma of being at university. This compounded my already low self-esteem and during my 2nd year I got very depressed.
By my late 20s and early 30s I was also dealing with chronic pain due to developing sciatica. I had ruptured a disk. So, in addition to the constant application of topical steroid creams I now had an addiction to painkillers. Ultimately, I was admitted to hospital and had spinal surgery.
The surgery worked; however, this left me with nerve damage in my right leg, withdrawal from the pain killers, and a mental and physical battle to regain confidence in my body.
Bad Lifestyle Choices
Fast forward to my late 30s and early 40s and I am in a difficult relationship, there are two small children in the mix, and I have started a challenging and energy consuming business.
Throughout this time, it’s vital for this story, to recognise that, I am a smoker, I drink, I have been known, on occasion, to take recreational drugs, I eat foods that are hi in Carbs, saturated fat, processed meat, salts, and sugars. I am also glugging copious quantities of tea and coffee. I don’t sleep properly; I am carrying a little too much weight and existing in an almost permanent state of stress and anxiety.
Rock Bottom
Then, I had a breakdown.
My skin, my business, and my homelife all got too much. I had the worst panic attacks I have ever had. I resorted to taking Valium just to get some sleep. My ability to cope with the stress and constant pressure evaporated.
Finally, by 2015 my tolerance for living with Psoriasis had worn out. I simply had to accept that I was Ill. My body and spirit felt broken.
When you hit rock bottom…. there is nowhere else to go right?
I did not know it at the time but, accepting I was Ill changed my mindset. I had made a paradigm shift.
Game Changer
I made a decision to research alternatives to the traditional medical treatments that had simply served as a sticking plaster for so many years.
I can honestly say this decision ‘Changed my Life’.
In fact,….it Saved my life!
Then I became aware of social media groups with 1000s of fellow Psoriasis sufferers.
Game Changer!
Suddenly I had a tool kit, and a community.
This was an epiphany. I changed my approach and many pre-existing assumptions about health and wellbeing.
I took back control of my Life!
I started to take action.
Core Pillars
There was a lot of work to be done. There were so many areas of lifestyle and habits that needed to change.
I concentrated on Diet, Hydration, and exercise. These became core pillars.
However, there were 3 more… sleep, breathing and mental health. This was the toughest challenge AND the most important.
We all need help right?
Mine came in the form of my colonic therapist. An holistic healer with a fundamental belief that wellness Is innate, and that all healing comes from the inside out. Throughout our many sessions and consequent discussions, it grew very apparent that what I needed most of all were reasons to be well.
Getting away from the discomfort is one driver..yes. Yet it takes more than that to push yourself forward, sometimes through very dark times. It takes commitment and consistency.
How does one get the drive to ‘just keep going’. I needed to have a vision and a value system in place. A clear understanding about what I wanted to achieve from being well. What I wanted from my life. I started to build a picture of what the future would look like. What it would feel like. A Visualisation of me, being happy, active, and Healthy.
Then I developed Faith
What kind of faith? Well as it transpired…...Faith in me.
Faith in my body’s ability to heal. Faith in the universe having my back. Faith that all this was meant to happen, AND not only that….Psoriasis was in fact the most amazing gift that I could possibly receive.
Acceptance, Faith, and finally Wisdom.
Within 3 Months of deciding to take control, I began to heal. By the end of Month 4 I was almost 100% clear of Psoriasis.
I was able to enjoy a fabulous holiday in France that summer. As a family we went to a water park. I have a photo of myself in some particularly embarrassing regulation budgie smugglers, posing in the sun. I look happy, relaxed, slim, healthy and there are no sores or lesions anywhere on my body. Bliss.
Parole & Control
I finally felt in control. Powerful even. No longer was I a prisoner of my skin. I had been granted parole from what I thought was going to be a life sentence. Freedom.
I would be lying to say this was it…the happy ending.
A lifetime of poor lifestyle choices is a hard habit to break. I did relapse, and my Psoriasis did come back.
But not nearly as severely as before.
Yet, things were different this time. I was different.
‘If I had done it before, I could do It again.’
I had control.
Taking Responsibility
You see, it’s all about accountability.
I had become Ill through certain habits and behaviours and lifestyle choices. They had been my choices though. I had to accept that no one else was responsible for those choices…only me.
Here I am now, writing this story that will hopefully Inspire more people to take control of their wellness.
It’s been quite a ride.
I am happy to say that I have now isolated most, if not all my triggers, and the root cause of my Psoriasis.
I get regular exercise, I am keeping hydrated, I eat a balanced diet (mostly), I am mindful of my emotional and spiritual wellbeing, and I have a much happier personal life.
I have all the tools I need
This is by no means the end of the journey. There will be more challenges ahead.
There is always work to be done.
You see, the toxins that build up over a lifetime get stored by fats in the liver. If it ever gets overwhelmed through bad diet, exposure to toxins or stress, there is always the possibility I will have a flare up.
And I have set myself fitness goals for the future to keep myself accountable.
But I am prepared.
Mentally and Physically Prepared.
I am now in a fantastic position to share my journey and coach others with Psoriasis to take positive action to achieve clear skin and the freedom they richly deserve.