Healing Habits Blog
Healing Habits -A Blueprint to Ease Chronic Pain
“The cruelest part of disease is not the pain it brings,
but the way it steals tomorrow’s promise.”
Anyone living with chronic pain knows the impact it has on our daily lives and our hopes and dreams for the future. It is a hard blow. There is never a good time to struggle with care for our loved ones or feel like you have lost control of your life.
Over the past three decades, I learned how to not only “survive but thrive” while managing the pain of chronic illness. Some days it seemed an impossible task, but I discovered that a few small, consistent choices made a big shift in my ability to control and heal my disease. That shift became a repeatable blueprint for a pain-reducing, purpose-filled life.
My 20 Healing Habits are practical, powerful principles rooted in personal responsibility, nourishing environments, and a healing identity that supports your body’s natural ability to heal itself. They’re not a quick fix—but a new foundation for a happier, hopeful life.
Begin with a Decision
At some point, you decide that the path you are on is NOT how you want to live your life. With that decision comes responsibility and trust in yourself. Develop trust in the fact that your body can heal and you have the ability to direct and support that healing. Responsibility takes shape to not blindly follow or succumb but create a healing protocol for yourself.
Begin saying, “I am someone who listens to my body. I am someone who supports my body to heal itself.” It takes faith, determination, and accepting you may need to shift direction, and make some unpopular choices to create a lifestyle that heals you.
Your Identity Matters
You may currently see yourself as someone who is unwell, dependent and struggling to manage both the physical and emotional aspects of disease. Or you may be doing your best to stay positive, but the continual battle is quietly breaking your spirit.
Embody the idea that “You decide how sick you want to be.”
That’s not blame—it’s power. You can create a new lifestyle that reduces stress and inflammation. It begins with a conscious decision and builds on the belief that “what has been done can often be undone”. You become the one in control.
Use Gratitude To Your Advantage
Your body is listening. Shift your self-talk from frustration to compassion. Feel gratitude for the good and challenging areas of life. This softens the pain and will provide emotional support, easing the symptoms even on hard days. Words like “I’m doing the best I can today” or “thank you” offer support for your healthy identity. Journal three things each morning and evening that you’re thankful for including some of the challenges of the day.
Removing Physical Stresses
The physical elements of your life are either feeding your symptoms or supporting your healing. The food and water you ingest, the air you breathe, the rest and movement you supply your body, all create an environment. The easiest and most sustainable solution to reduce symptoms is to change your physical environment.
· Eliminate processed foods including GMO’s. Reduce sugar and preservatives and listen to how your body responds to gluten, dairy, and additives. Eat more whole and organic foods. Eat to feed a healthy body – not to only satisfy your tastebuds.
· Water isn’t optional; it is the foundation to health. Make it as clean as possible; invest in a water purifier and drink out of glass or metal water bottles. Add lemon, trace minerals, or herbal infusions to supercharge your daily water intake.
· Many cleaners, lotions, hair, and personal care products contain chemicals and artificial hormones—endocrine disruptors that confuse the body’s natural signals and contribute to disease over time. Replace these products with natural alternatives.
· The lack of movement and exercise is a major contributor to a decline in the body. Gentle walking, especially with arm movement, can be just as powerful as intense workouts. Movement supports detox, organ function, and vitality.
· Healing requires deep rest—not just sleep but pausing. Schedule time to take care of you without distraction by turning off screens and letting your body recharge without guilt. Identify obligations that can be let go of and focus more on the aims and desires of your healthy, fun-filled life; things that make you smile!
Know Your WHY and Commit to the Lifestyle, Not the Shortcut
This isn’t a 30-day detox or temporary fix. This is your new normal—created slowly, intentionally and one decision at a time.
Use each decision as a defining moment to strive for what it is you truly want. Ask yourself: What am I healing for? Maybe it’s your children, your purpose or your joy. Whatever that game-changing answer is – let it ground you. Let it become your reason to keep showing up.
Our society raises us to hide our creativity and ‘do what is expected.’ Break out of the mindset and begin to support you – create your new normal. The reward? A body with less pain, and debilitating symptoms leading to a happier, freer, more embodied life.
Conclusion:
Chronic illness is complex—but healing doesn’t have to be. Healing Habits invites you to create a lifestyle that honors your body’s wisdom and your power to reclaim your health. It begins with a decision and daily commitment to a healthy identity. Let this be a blueprint to your new normal.
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"Healing Habits: How to Help Your Body Heal Itself"
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