32. Today is mental health day.

I can tell you, as someone living with a rare type of cancer for a dozen or so years, a strong mental fortitude has been something I've struggled with from time to time - as would anyone!

It's not easy, wondering if the next call from my doctor will be the bad one; the next surgery will be sooner than I hoped; or even the next test will go well, or will I have a panic attack or allergic reaction again?

That doesn't even touch on the thoughts that go my mind about my family and friends and how this will affect them...

I've come up with my own formula for my mental health:

God:

It seems that nowadays the world is anti-God, which I find to be so sad. Wonder why suicide rates and depression are at an all time high? Because without God, there is no hope. There's something about hope that gives us the drive to keep going. People that are depressed have no hope left. The day I invited God into my life was the day I no longer felt like a small ship navigating a huge ocean alone. I was able to give my problems over to God. It was a huge weight off my shoulders knowing that God was in control. I can do anything with He who strengthens me. I don't have to go through anything alone cause He's got my back. There is nothing more comforting in all the world then knowing that I'm not alone and that when my time comes, I'm going to live in heaven with Him!

Diet:

Diet is one of the biggest things that has helped me, but the most overlooked by far: Did you know that gluten is not properly digested by ANYONE and it damages the microbiome? Your microbiome is DIRECTLY linked to your brain through the vagus nerve!

If you eat wheat (especially), rye, or barley (malted anything), then you have a compromised microbiome and inflammation that is getting to your brain! You need to give up gluten completely (and dairy) to help your gut heal and have better mental clarity and less systematic inflammation.

if you have a chronic illness, chances are, you feel helpless against it. I've often felt that my body was betraying me. Diet is one thing that we can control and by eating a clean diet, I'm helping to support my body :) win,win!

Friends and Family:

Just one person can make a world of difference. One person that isn't afraid to ask how I'm doing (and not try to "positive talk" me by telling me how I need to look at what's good, without acknowledging my struggles).

One person that truly takes the time to listen, and acknowledge that my circumstances might suck at the moment. I know that we want the people we love to just be ok, all the time, and we struggle with how to respond when they're not ok. But it's ok to not feel positive 100% of the time. It's ok to tell them that you just don't know what to say. It's ok to just sit and listen. We all struggle and we all want to feel like we're not the only ones who struggle.

Exercise:

I don't have to talk about why exercise is good for mental health, we've all heard it before. How good does just going for a walk make you feel? It also reduces cortisol, the stress hormone.

But did you know that exercise is the only thing proven to lengthen your telomeres.

This study shows that people with mental disorders all have one thing in common- shortened telomeres!!

Telomere length is directly proportional to how healthy you are :)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5778888/

A therapist:

Yes, everyone. A good therapist allows you to see yourself in a different way, like holding up a mirror, and gives you the tools to cope and thrive in your circumstances. They can help you become the best version of yourself.

Don't be a victim:

This was the hardest to learn because when you're told you have cancer or a lifelong illness, you actually mourn the life you used to have. You actually do through the 5 steps of grief!

Grief has no time limit either. It doesn't take "x" amount of weeks to go through each stage and then you're done. Some times you get stuck in one stage and sometimes you go back into stages you thought you dealt with. And there are so many random things that can elicit these feelings too.

It's important to acknowledge what is happening but also not to get stuck in a victim role (for too long).

I know it's not easy, but there comes a time when you need to decide if you're going to continue to feel sorry for yourself, or decide to turn it around and use your new found experience to help others or at least empower yourself to try to improve your circumstances.

The most empathetic people are those who have struggled the most!