What brought me to Functional Medicine?
Vulnerability alert!
How do you jump back on the wagon when there is no wagon?
Honestly, I never thought my life was off-track until I kept getting sick for what were unknown reasons at the time. Oddly enough, I was always tired, I was unhealthy, I was significantly unhappy, and I was EXTREMELY stressed out. I wasn’t paying any attention to the signs. I wasn’t listening to my body screaming for help. I would try and fix those things but nothing ever stuck, there was no consistency. I’d fall down and couldn’t get back up. It was a cyclical pattern that led to sickness and other physical ailments. Not only was I vomiting, but I also had headaches, I had back pain, and I couldn’t sleep. That wasn’t even the worst part, the worst part was what happened to my mind and how my life began spiraling out of control even more.
I was diagnosed with severe stress which created a lot anxiety. I worried about everything, literally EVERYTHING. That awareness and taking on the mental haul of everything going on in my life at the time led me into a deep depression. I was lost, I was lonely, I was at an ALL-TIME LOW. I had two panic attacks that both felt like an eternity. I began secluding myself because my confidence was so low. I ate horrible things to comfort myself, only for it to backfire with guilt. I said I was going to work out later that day and didn’t for the remainder of the month. My thoughts were taking me dark places. I cried, A LOT.
I have always been known to be a happy and positive person. I was called “Smiley” at work and I felt the pressure to keep it that way. No one ever thought to ask me if anything was wrong because I didn’t share that side of me. I kept smiling even when I didn’t want to. I was fighting a battle that I refused to let anyone in on so I was more alone than ever.
There is so much sadness, hate, and negative energy in the world today and if I could just help one person to let them know they aren’t alone, then sharing my story is worth it. I still work hard every single day to battle anxiety. There have been times in my life where that so-called “wagon” was not there for me. It was not until I visited the Cleveland Clinic Functional Medicine Department that my life actually began to change.
As I continue on my health journey, I am going to share more of my story and the information about this life-changing approach. Functional Medicine has become a huge part of my life I am excited to share more updates with my health, my career, and my life as they come. Stay tuned!
“Without continual growth and progress,
such words as improvement, achievement,
and success have no meaning.”
-Benjamin Franklin