When I first discovered I had Endometriosis my initial reaction was mostly just shock. Shock that such a condition existed, shock that there was no apparent reason or logic to it and shock that it was something I would just have to live with. It took me a few years to just adapt to living with Endometriosis but over the years I began to get to a place of loathing.

See, I believed that my body was “dirty”, like it was infested with something. Like cancer or some dirty alien thing which I couldn’t understand or control. I felt …..yuck whenever I thought of Endometriosis. Living in there, growing, sitting on body parts it should not be on! I hated Endo. I hated it so much and yet I had to put up with it’s unrelenting voice of pain and inflammation. I began to hate my body too. It was weak and pathetic and couldn’t do anything everyone else could do!

I am sure many of you can probably relate to this feeling and it can actually make you feel quite ugly. Imperfect and negative.

What I realised more recently is that the body is never imperfect. It is never ugly or yucky. It is just doing what it needs to do to survive. If that means creating inflammation to draw blood to the toxins in an area, it will do that. If that means getting diarrhea to flush out toxins, it will do that. It will do whatever it needs to, with whatever means it has available. The biggest thing I have come to realise is that my Endometriosis is not an infestation at all. It is not some ugly thing that has taken over my body. It is merely a response by my body due to something that I have or have not done for it. I simply need to give it what it needs and it will gain back its natural balance.

So, how do you get to a place where you can move forward and not hate your body or the Endometriosis?

Many women ask me, if they should just accept that they have Endometriosis for the rest of their lives. I always struggle with this one because to me, we shouldn’t accept Endometriosis as a permanent part of our lives as mentally we will allow it to stay. It is like we have given up on ever getting rid of it. However, we do need to accept that, Endometriosis will affect our lives and we will be restricted on things we can do. It is somewhere in the middle really.

Here are some simple tips I used to move past hating my body and learning to accept and respect Endometriosis:

1. Start Yoga

I know this sounds like a simple solution but it was one of the biggest turning points for me. Yoga creates a oneness with your spirit and body. I know it sounds kinda strange but it really does. You no longer feel like your body and “you” are two separate things. With Yoga, you feel like they are all one being and you feel happy in that knowing.

Here is a challenge to get you started.

2. Eating “clean”

We often feel that “yuck” feeling because of the food that we eat. I know I always feel “yuck” when I eat “yuck”. You know what I mean. That clean feeling comes from eating crisp salads and drinking clean water. I always feel “yuck” after eating junk foods, things which are bulky and heavy in my tummy. Grab my Eat Endo Happy Recipe book to get into some tasty and yet nutritionally beneficial foods.

3. Believe it is coming out and clearing up

The mind is so powerful and we can create so much with it. Every day believe that you are flushing out the Endometriosis. You are literally running water through the body and cleaning it out. This visual helps you feel cleaner somehow. I actually do this after my Yoga in a meditate state and it makes me feel so beautiful afterwards. Try it! I know it sounds strange but it works wonders!

4. Clean out

I don’t know about you but I have made this weird connection with Endometriosis and clutter. It is like Endometriosis is a clutter of my mind. What is reflecting as cells “cluttering” my abdominal area is like the clutter in my mind of past emotions and hurts. It is all this negative energy, that we carry with us is directly reflected in those cells sitting in areas they shouldn’t be. Do you feel such a sense of calm when you clean out a cupboard or have things in nicely organised systems? – maybe that is just me…. I feel calmer and more in control just by doing that. The real feeling of “weight being lifted” really happens when you get rid of those strong emotions you hold in your body. Definitely try Emotional Freedom Technique. It will “clean out” all that stuff just sitting in your head, reflecting in your Endometriosis cells 🙂

5. Learn to love your body and treasure it

I know this sounds hard when you wish you could just go to a shop and buy some new body parts – well most of the abdominal ones please 🙂 The thing is, you can learn to love and enjoy your body with just what you have right now, pain and endo and all of it. I never used to do any of these things but now it is a ritual I wouldn’t live without. Give yourself body massages or better yet get someone else to give you one! Get into natural facials, masks and hair treatments. Most of them can be made from things you can mix up yourself using fruits and products from your supermarket! You can find fabulous recipe’s on www.highonhealth.org.

You only have one body. Yes, it is a delicate one and it does need special care but it is your body and you have it all for you! You are perfect just the way you are, with everything you have been given. Recognise your own strengths in your mind and body and you will feel so much happier with your Endometriosis. It doesn’t need to control you or how you feel about your body. You can give your body so much more healing by what you think, so start right now and think about how you feel healed and healthy 🙂