6 life lessons my Hashimoto's has taught me
One reason that I enjoy working with thyroid conditions as a naturopath is because I have had my own thyroid journey. It was my diagnosis of Hashimoto’s that not only changed the direction of my business, but also my approach to life.
It took some time, but my Hashimoto’s is now in remission. So I thought I would share the 6 big lessons that having a thyroid disease has taught me, in the hopes that it can help you on your own journey to thyroid health.
What having Hashimoto’s has taught me about life
Lesson 1: It is ok to slow down
Honestly, I feel as if this lesson applies to everyone with a health concern - not just those of us with thyroid disease! But the biggest message that my Hashis’s brought me was that I needed to slow down.
When my Hashimoto’s first started to creep in, I had just had my 3rd child in 4 years - all of them C-sections. I had spent a total of 40 months of my life breastfeeding, and then I threw myself into raising my kids while running a full-time naturopathic practice.
Have you ever felt like you are just jumping from one to-do to the next, without pausing to take a break, celebrate what you’ve achieved, or just being? That is how most people live their adult lives, but it’s not how our bodies are designed to function.
You need deep rest alongside deep work and productivity. You need time to be present to balance out the time that you’re focused and taking action.
In terms of the body, this is the two arms of the nervous system - the sympathetic (the action taking, fight-or-flight side) and the parasympathetic (the calm, rest-and-digest side). For you to be truly healthy and balanced, these sides need to take turns.
So have a bit of a think - where in your life can you slow down? How can you be less ‘busy’ all the time?
Can you outsource something, say no more often (this is a big one for us mums!), or simply give yourself more time to get it done?
Lesson 2: Caring about your hair isn’t superficial - it’s an important part of self-esteem!
People often feel like people will judge them for caring about their appearance. But it can be a big part of your self-care to take care of what’s on the outside.
Firstly, it’s not shallow to be concerned if your hair (or skin and nails) is not as healthy and luscious as you would like. Hair that is shedding, thinning, breaking easily or is just not quite right can be one of the first signs of health issues such as thyroid disease.
Secondly, specific areas of your appearance may feel important to you, and that is absolutely fine. For me, it was my hair. When my hair was falling out, I started wearing hair extensions to feel better about myself. But as I started to support my thyroid and my hair improved, I started to get compliments on it, which would make my day!
For some people, it’s having eyebrows that are full and well-groomed. For others, it’s clear skin that looks amazing even with just a hint of tinted moisturiser. If it makes you feel good to take care of your appearance, go for it.
Just remember that for our outsides to look good, we need to take care of our insides too. All the hair care, skin care and nail care products in the world won’t fix the issue if the imbalance is internal.
Lesson 3: You need to go strictly gluten-free to see results with autoimmune thyroid issues
This is something that I saw not only in my own experience, but also in countless clients over the years. The people who would slip up with a cookie here, a slice of cake there, some breadcrumbs on a meal at the pub - they were the ones who would still be struggling with flare-ups and fatigue for months afterwards.
When I fully eliminated gluten from my diet, I started to see real improvements across all areas of my health. It can feel tough, especially if bread, pasta and flour are a big part of your everyday diet right now. But within a couple of months, it becomes part of your routine to opt for gluten-free - plus you get to enjoy a variety of new foods!
The good news is that it is easier than ever to go strictly gluten-free than it was when I first removed gluten! Of course, you don’t want to go crazy on the GF options that are processed and full of sugar. But you can enjoy the occasional treat without worrying that your symptoms will flare up.
Lesson 4: Express yourself fully
When I found out about my Hashimoto’s, I learned a lot about the pathophysiology and chemistry behind the disease. But I also started to learn more about the energetic and metaphysical side of thyroid disease.
The big thing with the throat area is speaking up and expressing yourself fully. The metaphysical view of thyroid disease is that you have not been vocal about yourself, your needs, your beliefs.
It may be that you have been too shy or fearful of judgement, or it could be that another person has silenced you.
You may have felt that your creativity is blocked because you are too busy serving other people’s needs - your family, your boss, your friends.
If this is something that resonates with you, you could do a few minutes of journaling around where you feel stifled or silenced, and small steps you can take to express yourself on a daily basis.
Lesson 5: Disease is there to teach us about ourselves
When you are first diagnosed with a health condition, you’re likely to sit there thinking ‘why me, what did I do to deserve this?’
Your condition is not there to punish you for doing anything wrong, but I do believe part of its role is to teach you something about yourself.
It could be a lesson around a trait or tendency that has negative effects, such as overachieving or taking pride in being busy all the time. It could also be deeper traits that serve you, such as resilience or a desire to share your experience with others. The most likely scenario is a combination!
So ask yourself: what have I learned about myself since this diagnosis?
How has it highlighted the best qualities or uncovered unhelpful ones? Are there any beliefs that have changed because of my experience?
Lesson 6: You create your own reality, so use that to your advantage
You are in charge of the life you live - yes, even with thyroid disease. I might not be able to control the actions of people around me or events that occur, but I can choose what I do to respond to those things.
If people are being negative, nasty, or draining my time and energy, I can choose to have boundaries that limit their interaction with me.
If something happens, I get to choose how I handle it - whether I see it as the world conspiring against me or if it’s an opportunity to see it from a different perspective.
Having Hashimoto’s changed my life forever. It showed me my values, my boundaries, my passion for helping others and my need to prioritise rest and recuperation every single day. I hope that sharing these lessons will help you discover your own on your thyroid journey.
Are you looking for more tips on how to live well with a thyroid condition?
Make sure you grab a copy of one of my ebooks for plenty of actionable content and helpful advice! If you have hyperthyroidism or Graves’, check out this ebook here. If you have hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s, this is the ebook for you.