Are you living your best life? Are you proud of yourself? Do you live every day to the fullest? These are some of the questions I ask myself regularly. When you have a debilitating autoimmune disease and you aren’t sure what the next day will bring you should want every second to count in a positive way. I don’t want to spend my days reflecting on what I could have done differently. I want to live a life of no regrets.
I do my best to be a kind and nurturing person to everyone I make contact with on a daily basis. I always say hello and smile, even to strangers. I do my very best not to judge others behavior or situations they are in. Do not get me wrong, I am human so this one is tough. When I realize I am doing this I stop myself as quickly as I can. I realize I am not anyones judge or jury and it is not my place to insert myself into their business without their permission. Besides, how does someone else’s life affect me and why should I even have an opinion in the first place?
Most importantly is how I treat myself. I exercise as much as I can. I used to over exhaust myself at the gym hating every single second of working out. I needed to burn as many calories as I possibly could so I would be able to eat. This was actually my crazy way of thinking! I now plan my day based on my yoga class. I can not even imagine my life without it. I may not be burning the same 700-1000 calories but boy am I happy.
I eat a Ketogenic diet. No, I do not eat bacon and globs of butter every day, so please do not judge. I eat lean, organic, antibiotic free meats, tons of vegetables and healthy fats. I do not have anything processed or inflammatory. My blood pressure and cholesterol are healthy, I am at a very healthy weight and I feel great.
Every morning I meditate, pray and journal. This is how I make myself present and ready for my day. I use a mindfulness journal as a prompt of daily exercises. Eventually, I will move on to my thoughts and feelings in a more private journal.
When I go to sleep at night I roll onto my side and I begin to speak to God. I take an inventory of my day and express my gratitude for all I experienced. I ask for guidance with the things I can not control, behaviors that affected me in a negative way and ways for me to better myself. I ask for blessings and guidance for my family and friends as well.
For now, as I am perfectly imperfect I feel I am living my best life. I am proud of my good moments and even prouder of how I deal with not so good moments. Every day I am stronger, wiser, gentler, understanding, compassionate and so many more positive attributes. I am starting to become the change I want to see in the world.
Be Happy and Smile