When You Feel Like Giving Up (On Living Healthy)

Have you ever been there?  Those times when you feel like giving up?

Totally overwhelmed by everything and feeling like you just. can't. go on?

Like you are the ONLY one doing this healthy living thing and that you don't have the energy to do it anymore?

Just this week, I got a comment on my blog from a reader who summed it all up.

She said that she just feels so overwhelmed with all of the things she is trying to do in order to live a healthier lifestyle, but that it's hard to know WHAT to do, and that it's hard to feel so alone in the struggle.  Like me, she finds it hard to find other women to share her concerns. And it feels as though she's alone in the battle.

Does this sound like you, too?

I struggle with this sometimes, and have over the years.

Maybe some of this sounds familiar to you:

It's Hard to Make Healthy Choices in Today's World

– You have Health issues (maybe multiple ones under one roof) that you need real answers for, but don't know where to turn.
– Friends wonder why you think you need to stick to a special diet (“come on, are you just trying to lost weight, or what? Is it really that big of a deal?!”)
– You're tired of trying so hard to DIY things, or find non-toxic alternatives, instead of just buying the toxic-laden stuff at the store.
– Your kids challenge you about why they can't eat all of the junk food that their friends are eating
– Others mock you for your healthy ways: “Oh yeah, so I'm going to get CANCER from eating this?!?!” or “Well, you eat healthy so why are you still not feeling well?!”
– You wonder why, even though you've been making all of these healthy choices, that you are STILL dealing with health issues?
–  You need easier and more affordable ways to get healthy food on the table
– You're struggling to afford healthy living when it would be easier to eat the free food at the church dinner
– You're so tired. Of it all.

It's a never-ending battle, isn't it?

Truth is, we live in a world that isn't always friendly to living a healthy life.

I've been there.
Many times.
And in fact, this past week, I've found myself there again.

You know, one of those days where you think “I'm just going to buy some Ben and Jerry's and Snickers Bars. I'm just done with this healthy living stuff.”

Thankfully I didn't. But it was tempting. And there's an uneaten Tootsie Roll (we got it at a church gathering. No I didn't buy it) in the garbage to prove it.

I really want to encourage you to NOT give up. And I'm offering some help.

What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up

Know That the Battle is Worth Fighting

It's easy to think “Oh, it won't matter if I eat this.  Who cares?!”

But really, it's worth it.

Without good health, so much of life just doesn't work.  Everything is harder.

And really, if you can change one person, you never know what the ripple effect will be.  We can, with our focus on living healthier, truly change the world.

Refocus

I need to get alone with God. To get my grounding again.  To remember what life is all about and why I am here.

If you're not a praying person, then you can meditate or ground yourself somehow.

Part of why I fight the good fight is for my kids, but also for others I love and for those whom I haven't even met.

I fight to be healthy so I can serve and I fight to share these things so that others can be released from their prisons of sickness, fatigue, and despair.

Reflect on your progress

Think back to where you have come from. You have come a long way.

When I start to get overwhelmed and don't feel like I can keep working on getting our family healthier, it helps so much to look back and see how far we've come.

We've battled, and done quite well in dealing with:

– eczema and food allergies
– thyroid disease
– adrenal issues
– facial redness
– candida

We still are working on things, but I was basically not functioning about 7 years ago.  And now I lead a pretty normal life with fairly normal amounts of energy. In all of the areas above, we have seen HUGE improvements.

Know that There. Is. Hope.

You CAN do this. I can do this. We can do this.

Yes, there are more toxins than ever before and yes, GMOs are everywhere.

But the natural-living movement is gaining ground.  As more and more people become aware of how our health is affected by toxins and more, they are turning to healthier ways.

And when you see how others have healed from many issues, you can see how there is hope for you too.

Connect with Others

Search out a local healthy living group or join a healthy living group on Facebook. Start your own group if there isn't anything in your area, and don't be shy about your healthy living journey.

I'm often tempted not to share things with others that I am doing for fear that I will be thought of as “the freak”.  And yes, that does happen sometimes (more often than I would like), but there are always times when I share regardless and someone “gets it.”  It might not be right then and there, but at some point someone tells me “if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have known this and now I am so much better.  Thank you!”

When that happens, it's pure joy.

Be Good to Yourself

Recently, I've been given the advice (and I'm trying to take it) to do something nice for myself every day.

It's easy to get oh so busy with life's responsibilities that I forget to sit down and enjoy something

It might be:

• a cup of tea or healthy hot chocolate after dinner
• a walk outside alone or with someone you love
• time alone with God
• a phone call to a loved one
• a manicure or facial (I would highly recommend my favorite skincare products for this.  What a treat and you'll look better too!)
• trying out a new healthy recipe
• playing a game with your family
• renting a fun movie with some yummy popcorn

Get Perspective on Setbacks

One thing that has really helped me over the years is to realize that setbacks aren't always setbacks.

Sometimes they are the very thing you needed to catapult you towards healing, or something that leads you to discover something crucial about your own health, or the means to learning something that will help you to later help others.

Here's an example from my own life.

Just recently I had constipation. And I had it bad. It was really frustrating to me–you know how it goes. Bloating, anxiety, feeling just totally “ick”. Well, I tried everything and nothing worked.  I kept wondering what was wrong and got scared thinking that I was hitting another wall in my healing, or possibly taking a major step back.

Finally, I asked for advice in a small group of bloggers / health practitioners that I belong to. Well, by opening up and asking there, I got 2 new remedies in my arsenal, Triphala and Smooth Move Tea, two things that I have never tried before. And yes, the Smooth Move Tea worked!

Do the Next Thing

When you feel like giving up, sometimes the best thing to do is to just do the next thing.

Some of you might be familiar with Elizabeth Elliot, but whether or not you are, or whether or not you are a fan, she said something very interesting.  After her missionary husband was gunned down by natives in Ecuador.

Her world had been shaken to pieces.  She had a young daughter, was living in Ecuador and the people whom she had come to serve had just butchered her husband.

In her despair, of course it was hard to know what to do, so often she had to remember to…..

Just do the next thing.

Whatever that is.  Clean the dishes, do the laundry, play, love your kids, cook dinner, or serve someone else.

Just do it.

How about you? 
What is something that has helped you to “keep on keeping on?”