The power of the mind and body is surpassed by their only competition, the spirit. We often hear ”mind over matter” or “as you think you become.”
“Physician, heal thyself” is not just a catchy phrase, but a call to people to have faith and lean into their spiritual beliefs to generate and promote self-healing. Now, I’m not saying that prayer and faith alone are enough to make yourself well. However, when holistic and western medical care are coupled with meditation and prayer, miraculous healing can occur.
The body is a powerful machine that can suddenly break down when the mind and spirit fall out of alignment with it. Our brains can dream the most beautiful creations, yet they can also drum up horrific nightmares. Stress, paranoia, and worry can cause the body to self-destruct and the spirit to lose its way.
Eventually, the spirit can, even temporarily, disconnect from its Source, Higher Being, God. The body follows suit and begins to shut down or crave things that cause it harm: addictions, sugar, and over-stimulation can all lead to physical illness.
Recently, I was diagnosed with a condition I’ve had my entire life. Unknowingly, I carried this hidden burden with me through five decades While it will not end my life, nor will it make it any harder, it is the reason, unknowingly, why many things are difficult for me. But once my diagnosis was confirmed, I was pleasantly relieved Suddenly, my whole life made perfect sense.
I’ll never forget my doctor explaining my results, helping me see the beauty and the purposefulness of the diagnosis. Instantly, I felt a sense of acceptance and self-forgiveness wash over me and literally heard my spirit sigh.
“What now?” I asked my doctor.
“Rest,” he said.
For nearly eight months, I powered down my body and my mind so that my spirit could revive them both. Overthinking and over-functioning forced them into a chaotic state of sleepless nights, ailments, brain fog, and muscle fatigue that I could not shake. These things did not happen overnight; it took decades for my physical form to finally snap; unable to snap back.
I gave permission to myself, grace, to slow down my life to rebuild healthy routines to support my new reality. Was I angry? Scared? No, not at all. In fact, once I could name my condition, I knew I was finally free to live my life. Differently perhaps. More organized. Far more strategically designed and orchestrated, indeed. But less chaos. New boundaries. More grace. More positive thoughts, less negative self-talk.
As I emerge from my self-induced hibernation, a time of imposed rest and deep reflective healing, I am realizing now there is nothing wrong with me. I am designed this way intentionally, and my personal design has a spiritual purpose. I am embracing my wholeness with a renewed passion for learning and living.
My voice, now elevated, is strong and articulate and not the quiet, stuck stutter it was for so long. I use words filled with passion, relevance, and conviction, no longer concerned whether I will make a fool of myself in front of others.
My spirit is at peace, happy to dwell in a rested, healthy body, managed by a quiet, organized, yet differently wired mind. I laugh more often and smile all the time now. I’m just so happy I can finally be me.
When all the moving parts of a machine begin working together again, healed from trauma, misunderstanding, misuse, and abuse, there is only one thing left to repair and together, they become a team focused on refilling the empty, broken vessel that kept them all going when they fell out of sync: the heart.
More to come as I share more about my journey in the coming weeks.
Peace, healing, and health,
-M