“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or
falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you.”

― C.S. Lewis

Autoimmune disease and beliefs.  What comes up for you when reading that?

I used to believe that once I was on thyroid meds, all would return to normal despite my having Hashimoto’s.

I also believed that what I needed to do was to work as hard as I could to get “my life back” – to return to the way I was prior to my diagnosis – and only then could I move forward with my life.

The more I learned, however, the more I questioned these beliefs.

I realized that life constantly shifts and changes every single day, autoimmune disease or not.  To hold on to some notion that life should be a certain way (with or without chronic illness) was actually pretty silly.

I shifted my belief around this notion that life had to be a certain way – and it opened unending possibilities for me as a result.

Common beliefs about autoimmune disease.

Below are some examples of beliefs we may have about our health:

• When it comes to autoimmune disease, many may hold fast to the belief that we have to eat a certain way to feel good.
• We might believe that our loved ones will love us less or be angry if we don’t eat what they’ve cooked for us.
• We believe that one must exercise a certain amount to lose weight.
• We believe that one shouldn’t do anything strenuous if we have autoimmune disease.
• We have beliefs that our doctors must always be right because of their vast knowledge and training and working with them is the only way to fully heal.
• We believe that we don’t need doctors to heal.
• We have beliefs about taking medication – or not.
• We believe that because our parents have a disease, we are destined to get it as well.
• We believe it’s our fate to be sick, so there’s nothing we can do.
• We believe that because there’s no cure for autoimmune disease, so there’s no point in trying to make things better.

Which of these resonate with you, if any? Anything you would add?

How to deal with these beliefs?

So what to do when everything we read about how to live with autoimmune disease is so very different than how we were raised? Or different than what we wanted or imagined for ourselves? Or when the information out there is so new that our doctors, steeped in old methods and procedures, do not even offer it to us?

Changing belief systems is HARD work. For doctors too.

It’s especially hard in our culture and society where so much focus is put on food, on exercise, on body image, on the types of doctors we see. We see confirmation of these old beliefs daily in the news and on social media. We leave no room for options. We believe there is no other way.  We assume that things are the way they are and that’s that.

Five things to help change your beliefs.

It’s up to us to do the hard work of shifting what we believe to be true when it comes to our health.  Some thoughts here on how to gently start teasing apart those beliefs:

• Awareness.  What are you avoiding? Awareness is ALWAYS the first step to shifting a belief. For those of you who took my Reimagining Hashimoto’s course this spring, we spent a bit of time on this concept (I’ll be offering this course again in the fall for those interested in joining me then).
• Emotions – especially fear or anger.  What emotions are coming up for you as you work on your health? Often times we get angry or defensive when our beliefs are challenged. Be gentle and be curious and ask yourself: what is that about? is there an underlying fear beneath that anger that may need teasing apart before you can move forward?
• Your mindset.  What about your beliefs are helpful in your healing process?  What are harmful?  Awareness of how our thoughts can help or hurt us can be helpful in uncovering how our beliefs are holding us back – or moving us forward – when it comes to our health. If one is stuck in a mire of negativity, consider how this is helpful to you. It usually is, in some small, seemingly insignificant way. And that way, no matter how small, usually indicates the path forward.
• Curiosity.  Question everything, especially when information contradicts your current beliefs.  The more information we have that contradicts us, the more open we become to shifting our beliefs. Be curious, be open to new information. That said, also be aware of confirmation bias or arguing or becoming defensive. Are you just looking for something to satisfy what you want to hear? Is there fear underlying this refusal to be open to other information? Is there a need to be right? If so, what’s that about…?
• Intuition. What is your gut telling you about your current beliefs and other beliefs when it comes to your health?  I invite you to play around with sensing past what the mind is thinking. Our brains often get in the way of our intuition by providing lots of judgments and perceptions that muck up the clear waters of our intuition. What does it look like to separate the mind and the gut?
• Perspective. Is there another perspective you’re missing? For example, we might think we are “broken” due to our health issues, and putting the pieces back together to create a new life will seem less than ideal. That we failed.
  But: like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where pottery is mended with gold as in the photo above, we can choose to look at our brokenness as a thing of renewed strength and beauty, not sadness or frailty.  Our health may allow us to eat better than we’ve ever eaten, to listen, really listen to our bodies, to care for ourselves in a way that most people do not.  This may take a lot of work and usually results in us being more resilient than your average person.

Do you believe in life after autoimmune disease?

Stepping outside of our beliefs can be scary. It’s uncomfortable. Being challenged for what we perceive as the truth is hard.

Rewriting beliefs is a great first step towards changing your diet, your exercise plan, your daily routine.  It makes things easier. It restores the flow to your life.

Understanding that our life may never be the same because of autoimmune disease can be devastating.  And it can also be freeing.  It can open up possibilities that may never have been thought of before.

I now believe that my life is richer than it ever would have been without Hashimoto’s.  But of course, I will never know that for sure. Sometimes certain beliefs are not a bad thing to have. 🙂

I would love to be a support if you are looking to make either big or little shifts in your life and what beliefs you currently hold surrounding your health and autoimmune disease.  To book your Complimentary Session and Assessment, click here.

Sandy Swanson is a Certified Functional Health Coach (A-CFHC) and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).  You can learn more about her here and more about what coaching is here.

Photo by Motoki Tonn on Unsplash