Hello dear reader.

This is a bit of a personal post, but I wanted to share a little bit about what’s been going on with me. As you may or may not know, I have endometriosis (don’t worry if you’ve never hear of it, I hadn’t until it came out of my doctor’s mouth). I haven’t shared much about it because it’s very new to me. I was diagnosed about 15 months ago and had to have surgery within a few weeks of finding out in order to save my right ovary. To keep it short, I’ll just say it sucked.

The conventional way people keep endometriosis in check is with birth control pills. But there are a lot of us who are trying to heal our endometriosis naturally. I haven’t had the best luck with Western medicine over the years, and I’m very sensitive to any type of medication (or food) I put in my system. So, I jumped on the natural bandwagon. I started exercising regularly, reduced stress, dechemicalized (yes, I made that word up) my beauty and cleaning products and modified by diet by cutting out soy and continuing to avoid sugar. Yesterday I had a sonogram and found out that I have a new cyst, but it’s only 1.5 inches (compared to 6 inches last year). I’m happy I don’t need surgery, but I also wish that I didn’t have another cyst.

So, why am I sharing this with you?

Last month I had a wonderful realization around my endometriosis and how I relate to pain. One of the symptoms of endometriosis is significant pain during your period. I’m very lucky that my pain is not so bad. But sometimes, it literally knocks me off my feet. One area where I usually experience pain is my lower back. This is also an area that is very tight for me and that I haven’t had a ton of awareness around. For those of you into chakras, this chakra is also closed for me.

Last month, I was able to use the pain as a way to focus in on this area and deepen my connection with it. What a shift! I was able to see my endometriosis as another “gift”, so to speak, to bring my awareness further into my body and into areas that I otherwise would neglect.

This area (gut, pelvic floor etc), which a friend recently called “organ town” (love it!) has historically been an area of pain and frustration for me as all of my health issues have been in this region. I’ve constantly tried to fix and control this area. What I’ve come to realize is that what this area needs is my love. What this area needs is compassion.

Our bodies are smart, and just like a child, when they want attention they will make a fuss. Now, when I experience pain, I try to see it as a sign from my body that something is out of whack. Instead of taking pain killers and moving on, I ask my body, “what are you trying to tell me?” or “what do you need”?

Is it always easy? Absolutely not. But is it a wonderful shift? Yes, absolutely.

What do you think? How do you relate to pain and disease in your body?

Thanks for reading.

With love,

Samantha

If you have endometriosis, there are tons of resources out there on healing naturally. One of my favorites is Aubree, from Peace with Endo. She wrote a wonderful book and is a wealth of information. She also runs a facebook support group. You’re not alone!