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When the guilt becomes crippling. |
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Hi Friend,
Guilt is one of the biggest issues you can face when you have chronic illness.
You feel like you are letting everyone down.
You feel like you have become a burden.
You worry about what seeing you sick all the time is doing to your children.
In short Friend, guilt can become crippling.
Which is why I wanted to share Rebecca's story with you.
Rebecca is 43 with two children and chronic fibromyalgia. She suspects that she also has Hashimoto’s, but was having difficulty finding a Doctor who will do more than test her TSH.
We all know those Doctors, right?
She had been feeling unwell for over a decade but after her youngest daughter was born 6 years ago, she just never felt the same. Rebecca felt exhausted all of the time, achy, emotional and her hair was falling out by the handful.
But of course, her Doctor told her it was the stress of recovering from childbirth and having a new baby.
Rebecca was working 2 days a week as a book keeper, but the brain fog made her feel increasingly anxious of making mistakes and disappointing her clients.
She was second guessing herself all of the time, checking to make sure she had the books balanced and was taking way more time than she used to because of the constant double checking.
The stress continued to grow and create more and more anxiety until she began to dread her working days.
However, what finally drove Rebecca to reach out and contact me was her guilt.
She felt guilty because her husband worked a full time job and came home to cook and clean.
She felt guilty because she was unable to coach her daughters basketball team because of her fatigue and pain.
She felt guilty that her daughters were growing up and that all they would remember was Mom being sick all the time.
Worst of all, she felt guilty because her husband seemed to now be her carer and they were both so tired and overwhelmed that she felt like all the love and intimacy had drained away.
Rebecca felt that they were now more like co-parents and room mates than husband and wife and she couldn't remember the last time she felt well enough for intimacy.
She felt guilty that she was no longer the active, healthy woman that her husband met and married and that he deserved so much better.
Worst of all, all they seemed to do lately was argue and deep down inside, Rebecca was terrified that he was going to walk away and she didn't know how she would bear it.
I met up with Rebecca and her husband at one of my free Discovery Sessions and they decided to commit to working with me using my 12 session Supported program.
I had individual sessions with them each separately, giving them space to both feel heard and supported and face their fears and doubts. When I work with couples or family members, what is said to me, stays with me and I never share information between them.
That helped them both feel that they could confide all of the worries, fears and resentments that had been building up and getting in the way of their relationship.
After that, I had a few sessions with them together so that they could really open up to each other, have the courage to be vulnerable and start to connect again.
Because they were both being given the same set of skills and emotional framework and learning how to actually communicate openly and honestly, it didn’t take long for Rebecca and her husband to finally feel that love and commitment again.
It really was beautiful for me to witness how much they truly loved each other and once the fears were gone, we could really start to shift into practical strategies on how their whole family could all adapt to living with Rebecca's chronic illness.
I got a message from Rebecca recently with a picture of them all on vacation at Disneyland, something they had always wanted to do.
Rebecca was using some mobility aids and a wheelchair for when she needed some rest.
This is what she said:
“Hi Kerry, I wanted to share this with you because we finally did it! The girls are in heaven and David and I are having a great time. I don’t feel any guilt at all which is amazing. I don’t think I ever could have done this without your help and we are so grateful for you. David said to tell you that he is staying in his business and feels so much better for it. Thank you so much, Rebecca.”
When you are stuck in crippling guilt, it creates so much anxiety, depression and hopelessness.
I have space for 3 clients to start their therapy programs in late July and early August.
The year is over half way though and before you know it, it will be 2020.
Friend, are you willing to stay the way you are right now or are you ready to change your life and let go of the guilt, anxiety and overwhelm?
I would love to meet you online for your FREE 25 Minute Discovery Session so book your session now!
Also, because you are one of the special people on my list and I always tell you everything first, read on below for my new online course that will be launching in mid August this year.
warm wishes
Kerry
P.S.
Episode 17 of the EA podcast with my special guest from London, Jameisha Prescod is out now where she shares all about her experience of Lupus.
Listen here on the blog or find it on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
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| | | | | Coming soon! Mindshift Strategy Secrets.
Friend I honestly think that one of my saving graces that got me though that first horrendous year of Hashimoto's when I was physically and cognitively disabled was my all of my mindshift skills.
Because our subconscious mind literally believes everything we think, knowing how to manage your mind and thoughts is a crucial part of living well with chronic illness.
The thoughts that we think and the stories that we tell ourselves have tremendous power to change how we feel and how we cope.
You also know how this works if you have ever laid awake at night, worrying about your illness getting worse and imagining all of those horrible, terrifying "worst case" scenarios. It creates so much stress, loss of sleep and makes all of your symptoms so much worse. So, I am going to be sharing all of my mindshift strategy secrets with you including: - How to stop guilting yourself.
- How to step out of those scary "what if" stories.
- How to create thoughts that help you feel better.
- How to overcome self-sabotage and stick to your health goals.
- How to bring more of the things you want to feel into your life.
- How to make peace with your body and find acceptance of the disease.
Every thought you think is either an affirmation for something that you want or something that you don't want so knowing these secrets is so vitally important.
So if you are interested in changing how you think to change how you feel, stay tuned!
You will be the first to hear when Mindshift Strategy Secrets launches!
Let me know if this is something you would love by hitting reply to this email. |
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| Looking for some FREE support?
Then here are some options for you:
Visit my blog at: http://www.emotionalautoimmunity.com/ to find interviews, strategies and inspiration about living well with chronic illness.
Join my FREE Facebook Support group: E.A.Support: https://www.facebook.com/groups/earec/, a safe space to talk about the real life issues of chronic illness with supportive and understanding people who really "get it." We would love to have you join us!
Listen to the Podcast There is a new episode out every 2nd Wednesday. Subscribe to make sure that you don't miss an episode.
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