#(you wanna control your cats diet/interactions/health? KEEP THEM INSIDE)

[b-rainlet]

Cannot watch 'cute cat videos' on here anymore because they either a. Endanger the cat or B. Endanger a prey animal that is being forced to interact with the cat

[xlviico-blog]

My Personal Health Journey

My personal health journey started years ago when I found myself so uncomfortable in my own body that it prevented me from living my life. I was so insecure that I turned down invites to go hang out with my friends, I didn't wanna go out because I didn't feel good in my own skin and how I looked in my clothes. I had bad acne, I felt overweight, I was so insecure about myself that one day I decided to take matters into my own hands and find ways to help better my mental, physical, and emotional health.

I started looking to my diet and researching about how food has a direct correlation to health. I read books, articles, watched shows that could teach me anything about living a better and healthier life.

Over the following years I experimented with a lot of things. I was a pescatarian for about 7 years and found myself slowly reintroducing meat into my diet again years after. I took on Transcendental Meditation to learn how to still my mind and I have to be honest I’m still inconsistent with my practice, but it works for me. I also tried different workout routines and am still finding one that I enjoy.

 I yo-yo’d with my diet until I found that made me feel good about myself. And the best one I found was the one that I stopped putting pressure on myself. If I messed up a little by eating a piece of bread or going on a binge I felt like complete shit. I guilt tripped myself and felt like I had to start all over. When really everything is such a process. It wasn’t until years of trying out what food regimen worked for me and I let go of putting pressure

to eat perfectly everyday that I flowed with it. I gravitated to foods that made me feel good, I even craved foods that were healthy, and I stopped feeling the urge to reach for that bag of chips or that chocolate bar.

During that time, the biggest lesson I’ve learned was to not follow any rules and to just do what feels right for you. There’s an abundance of information out there that tell you what you should eat and not eat and everyday there’s new studies coming out that contradict what we’ve been told is healthy so it can definitely get confusing.

I started listening to my body - understanding what foods worked and what didn’t and assessed how I felt after eating them.

 But it wasn't until recently where I had to strictly take into consideration the foods I put into my body. A few months ago I was faced with my own health issues of chronic hives and psoriasis. Once my hives started to settle my psoriasis erupted and got worse which lasted for a few months after and I'm currently still healing it today.

It's definitely been a long journey with a lot of setbacks but every upset is an indication of what isn’t working and to try a different route.

I’ve been seeing a naturopathic doctor for the past few months and it’s been a much healthier option in helping me combat my illnesses. I first sought her out after being frustrated with being on the  initial steroids and antihistamine medication prescribed by my primary care doctor.

I felt ever negative side effect listed under the warning label. My heart beat faster, I went through my day with constant brain fog, my vision was a bit blurry, my hormones were going wild, my temper was on fire, I went to sleep having really dark thoughts, I literally thought I was going mad. At that point, I was a little over a month in taking those medicines which was a month too long.

 With my naturopath,  we tried to get to the root and understand what might be causing my hives and psoriasis. Through tests I found I was deficient in vitamin d, I was allergic to things such as dairy, eggs, tuna, dust, dogs, and cats. After eliminating those foods out of my diet, decreasing my interaction with cats and dogs, and working on bringing my vitamin d levels up I slowly started getting better.

The journey has for sure been frustrating. I've had countless sleepless nights due to the hive breakouts lasting for hours from 10pm to most nights 4am or just being plain uncomfortable because of the itching sensations caused by my psoriasis. It has affected my everyday life for sure but every day I get better and even with the little setbacks of finding that some things don’t work I keep pushing for a healthier me.

The biggest take away I’ve learned from this experience is that I have the power to be in control of every situation. Just because a doctor says you should take something it doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for you. I could have easily listened to my primary care doctor and have been miserable for months and continued to take steroids and antihistamine medications but because I was aware of the negative side effects I was feeling while on the steroid and antihistamine medication I chose to not continue that route and seek other help.

 This journey has taught me to listen to my body, be really conscious of the things you feed it your body, to slow down, and put my health first.

 Sometimes we get caught up in the daily hustle and our health is the first one to take a hit.

We forgo sleep and push through and work.

We reach for the quickest bite which usually isn't the healthiest so we can get back to our endless to do list. Then we plateau or get sick and our bodies suffer.

I started this blog because I wanted to share with people recipes and tips that have helped me heal from the inside out.

I hope I can inspire or help you in your own personal health journey. Every story is tailor made for each person. What may work for me might not work for your situation. But I hope my tips serve you in some way!