We live in a culture that is filled with “Hustle”, a grind that asks us everyday: “How much can you accomplish today?” alongside a pressure to constantly live up to standards that may not be ours. Today is my 6 month anniversary of walking out of a hospital where my hustle was paused, and in many ways, needed to pause. I wanted to experience life fast and do everything that I could as fast as possible, but my body reminded me that I am human and, yes, I have autoimmune health conditions. As I am reflecting back on the past 6 months, people have asked me what I have learned I thought I could share for others who may also be in the hustle mode of life:
Since my hospital stay I have been reading many books on Buddhist teachings, and one of the key take-aways is that everyone will live and everyone will die. This is the great equalizer of life. It is the two points of our life that we are the same, and everyone will have this moment. How death happens will be different but that point in time exists for all of us and we should not fear it. Instead, we should welcome this knowledge and live our life how we want to. (NO I WONT SAY YOLO OR LIVE TO THE FULLEST).
The second thing is to find things in life that bring you joy, and enjoy them! We are so focused on accomplishments, when we should be focused more on what brings us joy. I have spent the past 6 months watching ballets, musicals, and shows. I have spent time creating, focusing on art and running. Those are things that bring joy to me.
Spend time with the people you value, it matters. We focus way too much in life on
working and building what is “next”, but when life suddenly halts for something like I experienced, 13 days in the hospital, what matters is who is sitting next to you in the hospital, or who is with you at your lowest points. It is important to cherish those relationships and make time for them.
Meditation. While I am very bad at yoga and the silence it brings, I have found that it is good for you to meditate, that silence is healing. We need more silence in our lives. We constantly have noise, the noise of our phones, tv and the noises around us. Silence and meditation is good, sit outside and journal what you are feeling.
It is okay to be the last person across a finish line. Prior to getting this sick, I was running and training for a marathon. This year, I have completed two races, and honestly I was pretty close to dead last. Accepting being last has been better for me mentally, because I finished the race, and that is what matters here. When I started the first race none of my friends knew what I was doing because I was initially embarrassed about what my time would be, however at the end finishing was bigger for me than the time on the board.
Trust your body, and always fight for what you know is going on. Doctors do not know your body best, you do. Yes, it’s important to get information from doctors, but use that to focus on getting the help you need and the treatments that your body is telling you is best. Remember, if you do not trust the doctor, you have the right to pick a new one.
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