March is International Endometriosis Awareness Month. I have endometriosis. In fact, I usually like to say now that “I had endometriosis”, but officially, this disease does not have a cure. I am 40 years old in May, this year. My first endometriosis symptoms appeared when I was just 11 years old. I first heard about this disease at 27 years old. I got diagnosed at 32 and went through 3 surgeries. Therefore, I am entitled to answer this question: “What should I do if I Have Endometriosis?”
Endometriosis is not about the doctors, diet or pills
I thought a lot about whether I should or should not write this article. But then I decided I must write it. Besides doctors, diet, supplements, pills, endometriosis is also about the mindset. Furthermore, I don’t anyone to do the same mistakes I did.
A while ago, I had a website about endometriosis and a healthy lifestyle. You can read my articles here. And, although I thought that was a noble project, with great materials, people (and traffic) did not seem to see that.
During all these years, I was active in so many endometriosis groups, I read almost any news about endometriosis, any study or social media posts …as a patient, but also as an editor.
I thought I am right doing so. I thought I can advocate better this way. I thought I can control my disease better this way.
Well… I was wrong.
Now I can say for sure endometriosis is more about the mindset, and not the pills, diet or doctors.
Of course, if you have just began this journey it is essential to have a good doctor (specialized in endometriosis), to have a healthy lifestyle, including a proper diet. It might also help to read other women’s stories.
Yet, none of these things will cure you or will make you feel better. Perhaps even the contrary.
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Okay then, but still… “What should I do if I have endometriosis”?
Live your life!
Understand you are more than a disease!
And even when life continuously reduces you to this disease, even when it robs you time, skills, passion, neurons, nights etc., just fight back!
Fight back and say it out loud: “I am more than this disease!”
This is the number 1 mistake I did.
I put myself in the service of people. I thought I could change patterns, people, systems…and I was wrong.
Indeed, I did a lot of good, I know that, but, at the end of the day, this did not help ME with anything, on the contrary.
Constantly thinking about endometriosis will make things wrong
Remember those advertisers, or influencers, or coaches that preached “manifestation” or how “our thoughts create our reality?
I used to hate them. I used to hate them for blaming the victims, the sick ones. To a lower degree I still do, because many of them are not educated and discuss this topic in a wrong way.
STILL, now I’ve come to understand they are right at least in a way.
Where you put your attention, from there you will create your future.
At the end of the day, your assumptions about yourself, about health, about love, about money will become your reality
I used to think “everyone has a health problem, no matter the severity”, or that “I have this karma health thing”. I used to think endometriosis is going to live with me forever and I just have to deal with it. To make the best of it.
I will not detail here any more. You got the idea.
Please, don’t do that.
Besides the fact you shouldn’t give endometriosis this much power, pay attention to your thoughts and assumptions about health and disease.
If they are negative, please reverse them.
Endometriosis steals us so, so many. Among them, time is maybe the most important and the most valuable now.
Please, don’t let it steal from you even more time.
We are more than some symptoms, surgeries, doctors, pills, treatments.
Laugh more often, love more often, enjoy life more often
You might say “but how am I going to do that when I am in pain or when I am scheduled for surgery?”
I understand you perfectly and I will tell you the trick.
Laugh, love, enjoy life in and out those painful moments.
Take every happy moment and “squeeze” it, and remember the feeling you had then, and cling on it till the next “good moment”.
Be happy, visualize, write down beautiful scenarios, pray, cry then wipe down your tears and do it again.
Please, don’t do the same mistake as I did.
I understood all these late… very late… too late for certain things… I had to almost die to understand that…
Please, don’t waste so much time as I did.
Yes, March is indeed Endometriosis Awareness Month, but it is also the first month of spring. It is about rebirth and revival. Make it about that.
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