My health was ALWAYS taking the back seat while I was busy building a career and taking care of everyone else.
Up until I had my second child, I was the typical working mum, who said yes to everything. I was busy being busy, until my health took a hit.
During my second pregnancy, I was finishing my nutrition degree, working full time, volunteering, and taking care of my toddler. I began to experience extreme weight loss and severe digestive issues, among other things. After about 6 months of tests and medications, my doctor said I had IBS. I needed a colonoscopy to confirm it. I asked for a week to think about it and everything changed.
The fear of getting a colonoscopy forced me to slow down. I made simple changes to my health and wellness habits, then started saying no to commitments. Through the process, I realized how much I had stopped enjoying my foods. I had been eating based on food rules – eating only “good” foods, watching my weight so that I didn’t gain too much while pregnant, no food after 6 PM even when I was starving. This impacted how I let my daughter engage with food too. I had an all-or-nothing mentality and I was miserable. I decided to change things.
I started tuning in to my body’s internal wisdom to guide my eating, reintroduced the foods I considered off-limits, and focused on getting better. The little changes made a big difference in how I felt. Soon enough, all my symptoms went away, and I no longer needed the colonoscopy. It was as if my body wanted me to LISTEN all along.
It was a difficult and scary process but I learned a valuable lesson – true health comes from nurturing behaviors that enhance your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.