So what happened in December 2022?

For years now I have been struggling with stomach issues and anxiety. For years I had gone to doctors telling them I do have stomach aches from anxiety but there is also something else going on. I knew it. I was told again and again and again, it was just my anxiety. I was telling a coworker about my issues and she suggested her naturopath. Unfortunately, her first new patient appointment was 8 months in the future (this was June/July 2021). I booked the appointment knowing she had fantastic reviews and really listened to her patients…shoutout here to Dr. Kiera Lane. 

While waiting on this appointment, my stomach issues were worsening and my energy levels were going down. I was struggling with work, running, eating, EVERYTHING. I saw a picture of me recently from around the time I started getting help and I looked oddly skinny. I ended up getting COVID in December 2021 and those issues accelerated. 

I’m going to speed this up here as the point of this is not in the details. I ended up meeting with Dr. Lane in February 2022 and we ran so many tests. These test results were not instantaneous so I waited for 3 weeks to get them all. What were my results? I had bad gut bacteria and missing good bacteria. My adrenal gland was not functioning properly. I was B12 deficient. I was borderline anemic. Actually, a lot of my lab results were borderline which was a huge part of the issue. Think of it like a car, you almost need an oil change and new tires, you now have 4 cracks in your windshield, you have less than a quarter tank of gas, your battery only has about a month left (but you don’t know that), one of your headlamps is dim, your windshield wiper fluid just ran out and you have a loose spark plug (you also don’t know that). Is your car functioning at its best? Well, I don’t know much about cars but the answer is no. That’s what my results were showing. A few things completely empty like the wiper fluid and a lot of things on the border which led to a rundown body that had to fight to just get out of bed and function. So not much running which keeps me happy, hiking took a lot out of me (we’re talking puking and running to bushes for relief) and everything was just hard.

What happened? We started a medical protocol. Things got a bit better but not entirely. So we started a different protocol. Things got even better. But I still wasn’t back to normal. And Dr. Lane listened!! Pause here…I cannot express enough how important it is to have a doctor (coach, partner, friend, etc) in your life who will listen to you. It is not always easy to find especially in the general practice world. It is typically costly to go to a specialist but in our current healthcare system (which sucks), it is what has to be done. It is less about being proactively healthy but about being reactive and seeking treatment (with the potential of not being able to get back to your ‘normal’. Sound messed up? It is. Back to the story.

Dr. Lane and I met several times (and actually I need to set a follow-up with her). Think about it. It took me years to get someone to listen so ‘getting better’ wasn’t going to happen overnight. There are still a few things I am working through. 

What does this have to do with December 2022? I started seriously running (and not so seriously strength training) again at the end of July 2022. I also went to my physical therapist (Dr. Meghan Slavin - HIGHLY recommend) to make sure I increased mileage appropriately and had a good mobility and strength plan in mind. The miles started going up and I was getting stronger. We switched up the medical protocol a couple of times in those months due to gut issues but it was on the upward trend. Then December hit. I got sick a couple of times and was starting to feel run down again. So I’m running in the gorgeous White Tanks and really just having a pity party in my head (one without streamers and fun party hats). I finally just stopped in the middle of the trail. I’m angry. I’m frustrated. I’m unhappy. The thing I love to do most in the world and those are my feelings. 

Then it hit me. I’m focusing on the things I cannot control and am not focusing on what I can…my reactions and my attitude. I was doing fine from August - November because I was feeling ok. It’s way easier to focus on what you can control when things are good. Not so much when it feels like everything is going wrong which is where I was. So I said aloud, “Good effort. Positive attitude.” And I repeated it throughout the rest of the run. Was it my fastest or strongest? No. Did I leave the trail feeling some peace and happiness? Hell yeah! 

So Brittany, what does this have to do about health and life coaching? Because focusing on what you can control is one of the best (and most healing) things you can do for yourself. I had missed out on things in life. I was skipping runs and strength training. I was barely reading, which is something I love. I wasn’t planning my life at all, I was just letting it play out. Remember this, if you don’t plan your days/life, someone else will. Some things I did have to miss out on because I felt so bad and was exhausted. But there were times I missed, for example,  my Wednesday night beer group (sorry guys 😣) because I was angry and frustrated and unhappy. Not at anyone in particular. But in life. So I made changes, small changes (yep, I will continuously bring up the book Atomic Habits). I wrote down the things I valued most. If you do not know the things that you value, you cannot build sustainable habits and you will be so confused in who YOU are. Identity is important (oh maybe another blog post). 

Here’s a few things I did: I built a weekly schedule which I altered several times so I could be around the people I loved and to be able to do the things I loved. FYI…it’s normal to have to make changes to your schedule especially when it is new but also when life changes. The point is planning your days so no one else is planning your life. I wrote down when, where and what time I would run and strength train. You must be specific especially when starting new habits. Saying I will run (or write, practice, ready, ANYTHING you want to do) 3 days per week is not enough. Be specific and be specific about why you want to build that new habit. I wrote down who I thought I was and who I wanted to be. When I have a negative thought or feeling, I know that’s ok..that’s real. But with that negative thought, I have a positive thought to go with. Last example: I was on a 24 mile run last weekend and 3 miles in, I was flat out tired And I couldn’t figure it out at first, I should not be this tired this early in a run. I felt frustrated. What was my positive thought? I am going to be in a race where I am going to feel this tired, so this is perfect training for that moment in the race when I just want to stop but I know in my training I pushed through. There is an opportunity in every negative thought. It doesn’t mean to not feel those emotions. It’s important to not ignore those. But it’s just as important to know in that moment you can focus on what you can control…your reaction and your attitude to the negative.

Good effort. Positive attitude.