When you are dealing with a stubborn frustrating health condition like Psoriasis, working only on the physical level is not enough. You need to re-establish the mind-body connection to get the things back in order.
I have read few real life stories of people (with psoriasis) who started to get relief only by accepting their psoriasis. Accepting their skin (and life as a whole) has brought remarkable improvement in their quality of life.
One such amazing real life story is here to be explored. Veronica Weston from Ontario, Canada, is a self employed business woman who has found the very much required balance back in her life by choosing the path of acceptance.
She doesn’t hide psoriasis anymore. Rather, she has accepted her problem and now, she does whatever she can to live a better life.
Let us have a glimpse of her wonderful story in her own words
At the sensitive age of 16, I discovered the first sign of psoriasis hiding in the hairline behind my right ear, however, I did not know what it was. All I knew was that I’d be sitting in class and I would catch the layer of flakes on my shoulder out of the corner of my eye and the anxiety would kick in. “Did anyone see that?” Then, when I was 20 and in college attempting to follow my dream of running a restaurant one day… My feet decided to swell and the pain escalated quickly to the point that I couldn’t walk. It took several months before someone was able to guess that it was Arthritis and referred me to a Rheumatologist. That’s when I got the diagnosis that changed my life and how I saw myself: Psoriatic Arthritis. Dropping out of school, moving back in with my parents, unable to work… It all took a toll on my self-esteem. I had already suffered from mild depression and anxiety as a teenager, but it went to a much deeper and darker level after the diagnosis and this awareness that the vision I had for my life would have to change. I was angry and wallowing in self-pity. The arthritis was treated and got under control, but my psoriasis wasn’t slowing down. It spread over 80% of my body in thick plaque and leaving the house became too stressful. Despite the fact that I met a man who saw passed all of it and loved me anyways, I did not love myself. I hated myself. I hated this curse. My relationship with this man suffered, my relationships with family and friends fell apart and I was going down a spiral of self-destruction. When I was turning 28, I decided that I couldn’t take this anymore. That I had wasted my 20s and I didn’t want my 30s to go down the same track. I found an amazing therapist that taught me great tools to better understand my unconscious and that awareness allows me to live mindfully. I did a 9 week Mindful Cognitive Behavior Therapy course, that was based on Meditation. I did an intense and emotional Weekend workshop for women that allowed me to release the anger and grief I was holding on to and taught me a new perspective so that I can find my power and be the woman I want to be in the world.
Now, I’m 32, married and despite the ups and downs of this condition, I am able to accept myself and do what is necessary to care for myself. For me, this includes getting massages and sun bathing which is something I could have never done had I not accepted myself 100% for who I am, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It was only once I was able to accept how my skin looks, that I was able to take the layers of clothing off, and let others see it, so that I can be healed. I healed my skin and my broken heart. My wish for all of you, suffering as I do, is to source out support and to practice Self-Acceptance any way that you can. It’s my experience and belief that this is the first step, and without it, the road to recovery will be much more difficult. Accepting my psoriasis allowed me to heal my life as a whole. Thank you.
Read more: Stop hiding your psoriasis
We all owe a big thanks to Veronica for being kind enough to share her story with all of us. Yeah, it is true that we all have tried enough to hide psoriasis. It haven’t helped us in any way. Rather, this state of denial has delayed the healing and made the problem more complex. The intelligent way is to accept the reality that we are dealing with a skin disorder and then making sincere efforts to overcome it.
Thank you very much Veronica and May God bless you with the very best of success in every domain of your life!!!
Read more: Sunlight, Vitamin D and Psoriasis
