Comparing yourself to others…

Comparing yourself to others…

Many clients I work with compare themselves to others a lot of the time, saying things like…

Why do they get to be healthy?

I have changed so much, why am I struggling and they are not?

How come they eat and drink what they want and still have a normal life?

Why do I feel so crappy and they do not?

Why do they get to have a normal life and I do not?

The thing is, in my experience hardly anyone you meet is feeling happy and healthy all the time.

In fact, most people you meet are not happy and healthy at all!

We assume they are because they appear to be living a full life.  BUT, that’s just a story we make up in our own heads.

Most people are self-medicating (food, Netflix, Facebook, booze, smoking, shopping, over-exercising or p@rn) or doctor-medicating.  They are also using MANY coping mechanisms to get through the day/week and spend their whole life wishing for the weekend/holiday/break.  Most people are using coffee/stimulants/meds to get themselves going in the mornings and wine/downers/food to help themselves ‘sleep’ at night.

Comparing ourselves to others is dangerous as it’s just not real and not achievable if we do what everyone else is doing daily, because let’s be honest that was part of the reason, we got sick in the first place.

Chronic illness actually teaches us how to unlearn all those coping mechanisms (as we realise not only do they not work but they make us ill long term) and instead we find healthier ways to interact with our body, each other and life in general.

So, instead of spending a life slowly collecting more coping mechanisms and meds we spend life connecting with our nervous system, community and nature.  ‘Them’ in charge want us to be unhappy little robots feeding the economy and easy to manipulate, but instead chronic illness teaches us how to return to our true nature again and really thrive, how we human beings are meant to.

I know it does not feel like it right now, but chronic illness can and will give you your life back.