It’s My Birthday + What Pain Has Taught Me!
I’m 39 today and my goodness do I feel
BLESSED to be PAIN-FREE!!
If there’s one lesson this past year has solidified for me, it’s that pain is not necessarily something to fear and avoid. Many times, pain is simply a signal that your attention is needed, so you can return peace to your body, mind, relationships, and even to your spirit. I’ll give an example.
For the majority of last year, I suffered from CHRONIC mid-lower back pain plus sciatica nerve issues. It felt very spontaneous and each morning I woke up unsure if I would be in pain or not. If I researched it and you suggested it, I pretty much tried it. Supplements, pain meds, creams, ointments, Chiropractor visits, stretches, and even a personal TENS machine. It wasn’t until I started paying attention to what I was feeding my body that I learned how to manage the pain. Long story short, the root issue was inflammation. I noticed that when I had too much-processed sugar and greasy foods then I’d have more intense pain within a day or two. These two (along with other foods) go hand in hand in producing more inflammation in the body!
I also learned that leading up to and during that “time of the month”, ladies our bodies release a hormone called Relaxin that loosens the ligaments and joints in our body. This in turn can cause the sciatica nerve to shift and be pinched. This is also one of the reasons why sciatica pain is experienced more during pregnancy. Even with knowing all of this I would from time to time cheat, fall off the bandwagon, and then suffer the consequence of great pain. It was an ongoing pitiful cycle for about 3 months.
The last straw was when I had food poisoning at the end of June. I didn’t know until then that this could also trigger or exacerbate underlying pain in your body besides your stomach! Every part of my body was in excruciating pain. I could barely move.
Eventually, I fully recovered from food poisoning and pain and then got back on track with my food and drink goals from January. My initial no-sweets and water-only decision were just a lead from God, with no explanation as to why. But now I know, and I don’t doubt what I feel God leading me to do! I’m now on a journey to incorporating an anti-inflammatory diet. Not only have I been able to lose that chronic sciatica pain, but I’m 20 lbs. lighter than I was last year, and feel like I’m regaining my overall health! All these physical changes also reflect the improvement in the health of my home life, mental stability, relationships, and best of all my spiritual life.
If it wasn’t for the pain – I wouldn’t have made the changes. Pain has been a great motivation for me to stay on track!
So my encouragement for you is that the next time you’re experiencing pain…
Don’t just look for the obvious reasons and easy fixes. Sometimes you must look deeper within or from a different perspective. And other times you must put in a little more effort, commitment, and perseverance until you see the change. All in all, it’s worth it!
Now back to my birthday, I’d love to celebrate with you this week by giving you 40% off on ALL original artwork on DeKelisArtStudio.com! Just use code JULY40 from July 18 to July 22nd. You can snag your favorite to gift yourself or choose a painting as a unique gift for someone you admire and love!
P.S. All my original paintings now come with a “Certificate of Authenticity” to further validate that the artwork was hand-painted by me. So, if you have one of my paintings and would like a certificate, simply reply to this email with the name of your painting and your mailing address and I'll send one to you!
STAY SAFE AND WELL,
Desiraé
P.S.S. If you’d love to get these blog posts, email family-only discounts, and “first to know” updates, join our email family at bit.ly/dekelisfam
