Your Magenta Monday Magic.
This week we are continuing along our health journey and looking at how having a daily routine can be a HUGE support for us indirectly.
Especially when sh*t hits the fan.
So, this just happened to me…
I recently had a really bad health scare.
About 9 years ago I had DCIS (Stage 0 breast cancer that was removed with an excisional biopsy). They cleared the margins and I went on Tamoxifen just as a precaution.
Well, about 18 months ago, at the peak of menopause, I started thinking about how to best regulate my ‘flashing’ hormones.
The problem was that hormone therapy and my prior history of DCIS put me at a greater risk of recurrence.
But, after doing my own research I decided I wanted to try it anyway, and my primary care doctor at that time supported my decision.
She wrote a prescription for the lowest dose and I was on my way.
Almost immediately I started sleeping better, my hot flashes almost went away, and my mood improved.
Just ask my husband!
Fast forward to today…
Over the past few months, I’d been considering stopping hormone therapy. Despite the fact that I felt better, I had this nagging voice in the back of my head that kept asking if maybe I was tempting fate.
I went to my annual ‘well woman’ exam a few weeks ago and shared with my Gynecologist that I’d chosen to go on hormones. Needless to say, she was not at all thrilled with my decision.
During my breast exam, her fears were realized.
She discovered a suspicious lump in my left breast.
Instantly, this overwhelming tidal wave of shame washed over me.
Oh my God.
The voice in my head said, “If it’s the C-word it’s your fault, Bridget!”
Decision made!
I went home and ripped off that hormone patch and threw it in the garbage.
After making an appointment for my diagnostic mammogram - which I couldn’t get done for another 2 weeks - I started to slide into a downward hell spiral.
So many conflicting emotions churned inside of me.
Foreboding joy.
How could this happen NOW when everything is going so great?
Cold, clammy fear.
And the terror in visions of being seriously ill began bubbling up to the surface.
Hello, hysteria.
After 2 hours of ‘panic mode,’ I thought, “Enough of this sh*t!”
I have a choice.
There’s a better way to respond and this isn’t it!
I listened to a healing meditation and my solfeggio tones, and my anxiety started to lift.
Then I did a visualization I had learned from my coach in which I turned my gaze inward, imagining that I could see my healthy cells surrounding any unhealthy cells and healing them.
“Remain calm, because peace equals power.”- Joyce Meyer
As I sat with my feet firmly planted on the ground, I told myself, ‘In this moment you are fine. There is nothing wrong.’ These steps allowed me to center, regroup and take control back in the moment.
Self-arrest.
It was as if I recalibrated myself again and was able to stand in a place of strength - the eye of the storm.
I told myself,
‘Bridget, if this is ‘something serious,’ you possess the tools to deal with it. Just like so many women have before you. But you’re not going to sit around ruminating about the worst-case scenarios for the next two weeks until you have an answer.’
From that place, I could feel deep down that it was nothing.
I pictured the radiologist saying that they didn’t find anything.
There was a time, not so long ago, when I would have stayed in that dark, sh*tty place.
Worrying about what the future might bring, panicking about what might happen, and missing out on anything that was happening right in front of me because I was stuck in that place inside my head.
Can you relate?
My own spiritual and mental health routine allowed me to reframe, self-arrest, and pull myself out of that uncontrolled spin so that I could think and respond rather than react.
It allowed me to recenter.
Two weeks later, I had my mammogram.
I’m not gonna lie, I had moments of fear, but overall I felt confident that they wouldn’t find anything.
And thankfully they didn’t!
As the radiologist said ‘I can’t see anything abnormal at all. You look fine.’ I took a deep breath, grateful that I didn’t spend the previous 2 weeks in my doom spiral, and chalked another notch in the ‘win’ column for a strong physical and mental routine along with a healthy dose of positive thinking!
Monday Mindshift
It’s the 1° shift that makes the biggest difference over time.
This week’s mind shift is all about how to recalibrate yourself and use your routine as a tool to stay calm and carry on. I use this a lot when I’m in a worry spiral about my kids - particularly at 3:30 in the morning. I picture them healthy and happy (and most likely sleeping).
3 Steps to Self-Arrest:
Take a breath and plant both your feet firmly on the ground.
Say to yourself - out loud - ‘I am fine. At this moment there is nothing wrong. Everything is ok.’
Repeat whenever you notice you start the doom spiral.
How do you cope when faced with challenging health situations?
Do you have any spiritual practices that help to recenter you?
I’d love to hear about how your daily routine is or isn’t working for you. Feel free to drop your comments in the Thriving Mom’s Collective FB Group.
Love Xoxo,
PS. Need accountability? Ask a friend to be an accountability buddy and to check in on you to see how you’re doing with your routine. Find out who’s in the same accountability boat as you in our Thriving Mom’s Collective FB Group!
P.P.S. Want to explore a bit more? Click below to Download your FREE Live BRIGHTer Blueprint and dive in a little deeper for a healthier, stronger YOU.
Living BRIGHTer is...
B - Be Brave
R - Cultivate Relationships
I - Live with Intention
G - Practice Gratitude
H - Prioritize Health
T - Live your Truth
What is Magenta?
The color magenta is one of universal harmony and emotional balance. It is spiritual yet practical, encouraging common sense and a balanced outlook on life. Magenta helps to create harmony and balance in every aspect of life; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
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