I started this blog while teaching English in South Korea. I had just been diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis and I was learning to navigate my own dietary restrictions and developing my own toolkit of lifestyle interventions. It made my day to share my recipes and experiment in my tiny apartment kitchen. Nutrition and functional medicine approaches gave me an opportunity to take accountability and interest in my own health. It was no longer just listening to a doctor but collaborating with them, to ensure my story was heard and that I left every visit more empowered.
But I took a step back from blogging – I felt like I wasn’t the perfect voice for this information. That I wasn’t practicing what I was preaching or that I, at least, wasn’t very successful. I felt inauthentic. But I’ve realized that this was really just a hesitation to share my full story – no health journey is perfect. It has its peaks and valleys – but these rolling hills are actually quite beautiful. I’m not the biggest fan of flat land 😉 It might be the Seattleite in me.
So, despite building my toolkit and working in this space daily as a functional medicine nutritionist, my own health journey has not been perfect. I still flare up on occasion. I have excruciating pain in my back, I lay down to try to stretch and tear up. I feel like a failure. But I always remember: “I know what to do”. Give my body kindness and grace. Move as much as I can. Finally do my stretches recommended by my chiropractor… Fuel my body with all of the colorful food and fiber. Rest. Take an Epsom salt bath. Cry (I mean, it’s just another way to detox). Take any medication needed (because there is absolutely a place for conventional and functional medicine to co-exist). And see how you feel tomorrow 🙂
There are times when it makes sense and other times where it comes out of nowhere. It can be a frustrating process, but it’s given me a lens into what my patients experience and the appreciation for all that I do know. I’ve also learned that while my body may be more sensitive and a little temperamental, it’s more communicative too. Just like any relationship, listening and compromise is key. We have to give our bodies grace and attention and then the occasional late night out or lack of exercise isn’t so bad. See…compromise 😂
It’s important to understand that with any health journey, there will be some set-backs, some times where you may find it hard to trust the process. But remember that your body aims to restore balance, it has an innate ability and desire to heal. So give it some kindness and grace in these moments.
I’ll be posting more of these personal reflections in this blog series!
