January, what a month it's been and its flying by! So many exciting things have happened. I booked my wedding venue, hosted a New Year's Kick Off Party with my dance company Aries In Flight, and celebrated a very special 30th birthday with my sister in law/BFF from high school/mom to be. I've also been blessed to have a lot of work coming in this month. I feel so grateful to have all of these wonderful things going on in my life!
With all of this good, I've had a few struggles as well. For me the big one has been food. Knowing how sick gluten and wheat make me, I always carry my own snacks and meals where ever I go. And I honestly don't care that I have to; I'd rather enjoy the people around me than starve or feel sick and miserable. I know what I have to do to stay at optimal health so when people started questioning my intentions or how sick I actually get recently I started feeling really self-conscious for the first time in a long time. I started not wanting to go out or be in social situations because I felt embarrassed for having to eat differently and have people question my intentions. Even worse I was beginning to feel the pressure that I was being rude for not eating what people provide at these events. People began making me feel that I had this all in my head and that I'm overreacting since gluten and wheat do nothing to them. My social anxiety was beginning to swell and I needed a good reset to get back on focus and get myself back to a good place.
The first person I need to thank for help is my fiancee Anthony. I feel so lucky to have someone in my life who not only understands me but can help dig me out when I'm feeling low. Reaching out to someone when you're feeling afraid is hard but I know that when I need help Anthony will be there judgement free to listen and help me clarify what is going on. So after a long email and good chat Anthony helped me see that people's ignorance about my situation was causing their sometimes brutal reaction. When people are ignorant they can feel self-conscious because they have no idea how to relate or talk about it or they can't wrap their head around the information and act out in ways that can make other uncomfortable. At the end of the day it can be a situation where everyone involved feels uncomfortable and no one is intentionally trying to make anyone feel that way.
So what do I do about that? PATIENCE is definitely the answer for me. I'm always willing to answer questions about why I eat the way I do and what happens if I eat it. Some people don't want to hear it and that's ok. I'm not here to preach that the world should be gluten-free and wheat free but if asked I have no problem talking about it. To the people who think I'm being difficult or rude the only thing I can say is that I'm sorry you don't understand but I'm not willing to get sick to make you feel better. And if that means you don't want to hang out anymore or eat around me, that's ok. I'm not judging you or your reaction and honestly I would rather hang out and have fun than have a debate about my health and food. So my new motto is lets have fun, forget about the food, and just do what we need to be healthy. I know that my intentions are good and that my health is important. I can't let others reactions affect me to the point of major social anxiety, because that's not healthy either.
Remember to always take care of yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Surround yourself with people who support you and make them your go-to team in times of crisis. You deserve to be happy and enjoy life and do not have to face the world alone. Have a peaceful week!
Have you had a similar situation arise in your life? How have you dealt with it? Comment below :-)
With all of this good, I've had a few struggles as well. For me the big one has been food. Knowing how sick gluten and wheat make me, I always carry my own snacks and meals where ever I go. And I honestly don't care that I have to; I'd rather enjoy the people around me than starve or feel sick and miserable. I know what I have to do to stay at optimal health so when people started questioning my intentions or how sick I actually get recently I started feeling really self-conscious for the first time in a long time. I started not wanting to go out or be in social situations because I felt embarrassed for having to eat differently and have people question my intentions. Even worse I was beginning to feel the pressure that I was being rude for not eating what people provide at these events. People began making me feel that I had this all in my head and that I'm overreacting since gluten and wheat do nothing to them. My social anxiety was beginning to swell and I needed a good reset to get back on focus and get myself back to a good place.
The first person I need to thank for help is my fiancee Anthony. I feel so lucky to have someone in my life who not only understands me but can help dig me out when I'm feeling low. Reaching out to someone when you're feeling afraid is hard but I know that when I need help Anthony will be there judgement free to listen and help me clarify what is going on. So after a long email and good chat Anthony helped me see that people's ignorance about my situation was causing their sometimes brutal reaction. When people are ignorant they can feel self-conscious because they have no idea how to relate or talk about it or they can't wrap their head around the information and act out in ways that can make other uncomfortable. At the end of the day it can be a situation where everyone involved feels uncomfortable and no one is intentionally trying to make anyone feel that way.
So what do I do about that? PATIENCE is definitely the answer for me. I'm always willing to answer questions about why I eat the way I do and what happens if I eat it. Some people don't want to hear it and that's ok. I'm not here to preach that the world should be gluten-free and wheat free but if asked I have no problem talking about it. To the people who think I'm being difficult or rude the only thing I can say is that I'm sorry you don't understand but I'm not willing to get sick to make you feel better. And if that means you don't want to hang out anymore or eat around me, that's ok. I'm not judging you or your reaction and honestly I would rather hang out and have fun than have a debate about my health and food. So my new motto is lets have fun, forget about the food, and just do what we need to be healthy. I know that my intentions are good and that my health is important. I can't let others reactions affect me to the point of major social anxiety, because that's not healthy either.
Remember to always take care of yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Surround yourself with people who support you and make them your go-to team in times of crisis. You deserve to be happy and enjoy life and do not have to face the world alone. Have a peaceful week!
Have you had a similar situation arise in your life? How have you dealt with it? Comment below :-)
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