New Year ~ New You

I started the New Year with a migraine. I knew it was coming; I had spent the whole week with shadow headaches and a stiff neck, but I desperately wanted to get everything done so that I could rest on my birthday. I did – for the most part. I went and got a mani-pedi and a 10-minute massage – pure luxury. I spent the rest of the day reminding people what to do. I sipped tea, I read, we played a game, I opened presents, and we watched a movie. My one wish was no stress.

Unfortunately, like everything in 2020, stress seeped in, and the following morning, the migraine hit. I spent the entire day between the bedroom and the bathroom in utter agony. Ice packs, garbage next to the bed, eye cover, lights out & miserable. It’s ok though, it’s just a day, and today, the migraine has given way to a headache, and I can manage. Part of the reason this happened was my own doing. I decided that I take entirely too much ibuprofen. I can’t take pain medication, acetaminophen doesn’t work, and neither do the many varieties of migraine medications I’ve tried, and I’m afraid to do botox. So, I pop ibuprofen like candy to quell the pain, and my gut is not happy.

Just Say No To New Year’s Resolutions

So, I went cold-turkey on Monday and haven’t had a single one since. I decided to fast also because what good is just stopping the pain medication if your stomach is still a mess? I’m doing a gut rest fast to give my stomach and intestines time to heal from all the abuse. I’ve been drinking lots of herbal tea and Himalayan pink salt water once a day to keep my electrolytes up. I didn’t wait until January first to do it. I just started when I realized I needed a change. The psychological game of claiming, starting, and failing at New Year’s Resolutions has become a joke. I didn’t want it to be a challenge that I undertook for a day and by the afternoon have already decided to wait for Monday. I wanted to New Year to actually produce a New Me.

I decided to set goals differently, as well. I wouldn’t set a time limit on them; I’d write down what I wanted to accomplish. One of the first things I noticed was that I began to think more clearly (when I wasn’t in pain.) I realized that I ignored the amount of pain I was in by putting a bandaid on it. Every time I felt a migraine coming on, I’d take my four ibuprofen – since that was the only thing that would touch it – and muscle through. I don’t know how long I’ve been doing this, nor had I kept count of how many days a week I spent warding them off. I knew only that my stomach always hurt, was bloated and I finally got fed up. So I decided to do something.

The Way To Freedom Takes Work

I got to work. I knew the migraines would come – I knew I’d have no choice but to muscle through. I also knew that I had a daughter who had learned some acupuncture lines specifically to help me with those migraines, so I had hope that it would be enough. It was. The headache lasted through half of today and hasn’t been back. Has it been worth it? ABSOLUTELY!! I am happy to report that I am beginning to feel better already.

Hope For The Future

God said, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to proser and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:13 I know that when I take care of what God has blessed me with (my body), He will provide me with all I need to use it for HIm. So, here’s to a new me in the new year.