our bodies are so fragile aren't there?! we are often very unaware of how stress & food & just this crazy life affects our bodies. we don't take care of ourselves well enough. we eat fatty, sugary, processed food. we don't get enough sleep. we don't take time to slow down & be still. we don't drink enough water. etc, etc etc. there are so many ways that we're failing at caring for our bodies & therefore all these things will catch up with us at some point. many people may say... "well who cares what i eat or how much sleep i get... i want to have fun during this life." our God is sovereign over everything, even our poor choices, but ultimately it will catch up with us & then we won't be able to serve the Lord as well as we could if we were being faithful with the bodies He entrusted to us... FOR HIS GLORY! this life is not about just having fun or eating junk or staying up late.
stress definitely has SO much to do with our well being. & there's not much we can do to avoid stress in our lives... it's just gonna happen. but we need to balance it out with being still before the Lord & in His word, & pumping our bodies full of good nutrition & supplements that will replace what our lives deplete us of. so over the past couple months my hormones have been way off. i've felt moody & so tired & achy & like i'm dragging all day. i've heard that it can take years for the effects of stress to catch up with us. about 5 years ago michael & i went through so much... with the loss of our daughter, my mom passing away, & many many other things. i think it's all caching up to me now. i've heard that when you are in the midst of all that stress that many times you just "pull yourself up by your bootstraps & get through it"... then later your body "shuts down". so i've started researching hypothyroidism & gluten intolerance (VERY similar symptoms). i'm praying for wisdom on all of this, because i miss feeling "normal" & like i'm not "falling apart". all of this has definitely reminded me of how fragile my body is & how i need to be more faithful with caring for it. it's also made me so so aware of how human & sinful i am & how much i'm in need of my Savior! it's hard enough to fight sin when you feel great... but MAN it's hard to fight it when you feel really crappy!
have any of you gone through something like this??
any resources you can share would be sooo appreciated!
al
5 comments:
I've never gone through the emotional turmoil of losing a child or many of the things you've mentioned, but we have had quite the struggle the past year and a half financially. All I can say is I can definitely relate to what stress and those pent up emotions do to our bodies. I too researched hypothyroidism and gluten intolerance, and a doctor this past summer said it was definitely hypothyroid. But instead of accepting what the doctor told me, I chose to pray and rebuke any disease in my body. It's hard, because like you said it's SO HARD to fight when you feel so crappy. But God will give you strength. God made you a fighter, a very strong woman. Keep taking the baby steps.
I can relate totally. I lost both of my grandparents in the span of 1 year...both of whom I was very close with. I had a baby during that time and we moved to another state...I felt "ok" for about a year, but this year I have felt much the same way...sluggish, like I weigh a million pounds...tired all the time... sad a lot...many of the things you mentioned and I often wonder too, if I am finally (or my body is rather) coming into my emotions that I hadn't dealt with. Prayer has been my greatest help...God, just help me today...right now...or in this situation or task. Exercise has helped too...but I can't say I have been consistent. Having people in my life that I am close enough with to share my thoughts, emotions with is also huge...and I thank God for placing those people near me when I needed it. My heart is with you...I know the struggle especially having little ones around makes it difficult...the guilt I know I feel having them see me this way is beyond words... I know we don't really know each other but I feel for you sweet lady. I am here if you ever need an ear :)
al, you don't know me but I have been following you for a few months. I felt like I totally connected to you when I found your blog. I read about your daughter and mom, adopting your new little boy ect... I attended HA also in 2001... 3 mo after I graduated I got a horrible disease. Rhuematiod Arthritis. I live in about a 7-8 pain level every day for the last three years...and I have two girls the age of your first two boys. Life can be really tough but I trust in the Lord. I also do have hyperthyroidism. The medication is definatly worth taking! (if that is the problem) Even though I am on MANY medications I truly believe God is able to heal me any time he wants to. I'm saying all of this to let you know I feel with you the burden of Being tired, run down chasi g kids, the stress of the things you mentioned plus traveling and also moviing to kentucky plus selling your house! You have a lot going on. And the Lord does see it all. You are right, we do need to take. Are of our bodies. For me I must get enough sleep and eat healthy like you mentioned or I fall apart. It is easy to neglect ourselves when we are caring for young children like we are.... I'm just finding out that a lot of my symptoms are caused bY food allergies or sensitivities. You may look into the ALCAT test. It is a more intense test and a little expensive but well worth the info it gives. And if it is only a gluten allergy you are very lucky. Just trust me on that.. I just found out I'm sensitive to soy wheat corn and gluten.... :) another thing is I went vegan last year I followed the Joel furhmen diet very carefully after watching some documentaries and I felt very very VERY tired and lethargic like you are discribing. If you are totally vegan or vegetarian you could try getting tested to make sure you are getting all of the nutrients and protein your body needs. You could be deficient of something. It's very tiring and difficult to figure out.... I've been on this "health" journey for a long time now. Hang in there. The Lord will lead you to the right things to try. I will be praying for you. I'm normally not this open with all of this info but I felt it may help you. I will be praying for you. I truly love your blog. It captures my heart. Sometimes I cry and most of all it makes my heart hungry for more of Jesus and to be like him. So keep it up. Praying for your strength and that you figure out what is going on. Also, thank you for being real and transparent.
THANK YOU FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it's sooooo good to know i'm not alone. :)
Hi Al,
I just stumbled on your blog from Cakies and was very touched by your story here. I have been through something similar in the last couple of years and, though I'm still figuring things out, I may have some helpful info for you on hypothyroidism, gluten intolerance, and their link (you're definitely on to something here!). Adrenal fatigue (the bootstraps metaphor) can also be a big player here. Feel free to email me anytime: jessi@cleanprogram.com I'd be happy to share what I've found, and offer any support I can. :)
Best,
Jessi
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