Never have I been more convinced about the mind-body connection than I am right now. As I mentioned last week, I was recently diagnosed with Meniere’s disease… but what I didn’t share is what was going on with me right before the diagnosis..
I’ve been super stressed out for much of the three years we’ve been here on Maui, and having a lot of anxiety since the beginning of this year. In March, the anxiety was at an all-time high and crescendoed into a full-blown panic attack one night. The next day was when my vertigo and dizziness symptoms started.
I found out that sure enough, stress and anxiety can be triggers of a Meniere’s disease episode. My body was screaming at me to take better care of it. Message received loud and clear.
I’ve known about the link between our mental health and physical health, and talk about it quite a bit here. I thought I was doing a good job taking care of myself, but in hindsight, I was so overwhelmed with stress that I let things slip.
What I’ve learned from all this is that I need to be more intentional in managing my stress. I need to stay on top of it before I get hit with something so intense again. There is no cure for Meniere’s disease, so it’s likely I will have episodes going forward. I just need to do what’s in my control to make sure they’re less severe..
Mental illness and chronic conditions often go hand-in-hand, and my health has always played a big role in my depression. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing tools from my partner, Mental Health America, that can help improve both your mental and physical health if you live with a chronic illness or care for someone who does. It’s the focus of this year’s Mental Health Month which begins this Wednesday, May 1. The timing couldn’t be better. ️