Leading an anti-inflammatory lifestyle is about more that just the foods we eat. There are of course the environmental toxin aspects which I will explore further in another post.
But what about things like our immediate environment, our community and our thoughts and feelings?
Here are a few suggestions that could help to lighten your inflammatory load.
Your support system
You’re smart, capable and used to achieving your goals. This does not mean you can’t ask for some support when you need it. Building your support system to help you during difficult times is key to managing a chronic condition. Allow the people in your life to support you. You’d do the same for them after all!
So who is on your team? Who can be there for you on your most difficult days? Build your team at home - friends, family, your partner. What things can you release from your to do list, what’s really necessary and what can others do instead. Think about shopping, cooking, the appointments you need to keep and the emotional support you need.
Also consider whether it’s possible to get a support team (or person) at work. If not, who could help you? What’s not essential to your work and can you delegate more of this? Are you able to work more flexibly? Think broadly about the possibilities and seek the advice of your HR team if possible.
What are your triggers?
“DIMS” - ‘Danger in Me Signals’ - are things that the brain sees as evidence that we are in danger. These might be physiological things that are happening in our body such as endometriosis lesions and the foods we eat. They can also be our thoughts, situations we experience, people we spend time with and places we go.
What’s going on for you when your pain flares up? Keeping a symptom diary - or a DIM tracker - can help to identify if there are any common themes that might worsen symptoms. Note details such as where you are, what’s been happening for you that day, who you’ve been with, what you’ve eaten and how you’re feeling to help you build up a full picture.
What makes you feel safe?
Perhaps more importantly, SIMS - ‘Safety in Me Signals’ - are things that the brain sees as signs of safety. Our brains are hard wired to spot danger signals - it’s how we’ve evolved and survived as a species. So the trick is to bathe yourself in safety signals to outweigh the danger signals you’ve identified above.
A steady source of nourishment is part of this, eating an anti-inflammatory diet and making sure your blood sugar is balanced. See Part 1 of this post for more on this.
Other physical aspects include movement that’s appropriate for your body and your sleep patterns. Remember that super high intensity exercise might not be what your body needs right now. Exactly how much sleep you need is an individual thing, but it’s generally accepted that between 7 and 9 hours each night is about right. Sometimes your symptoms will affect your sleep so give yourself the best chance of a good night’s sleep by turning off your devices early and going to bed at a consistent time each night.
Then there’s the emotional and spiritual aspects. Practices such as meditation, mindfulness and prayer are great signals of safety, bringing us into the present moment and calming the nervous system. Also interpersonal connections, for example spending time with our pets, connections with good friends and nurturing supportive relationships.
Think about what brings you joy in life, what makes you laugh. Spend time in nature, even if it’s just a short stroll around the local park. And bring nature indoors - bring plants and flowers into your home!
Ask yourself, what else would a safe, happy being do?
In the same way that you keep a symptom diary to identify patterns in your pain and other symptoms, try noticing what’s going on for you when you’re feeling good. What have you been doing that day? Who have you been with? How are you feeling? Notice what might be contributing to this and bring more of it into your life.
I challenge you to identify three SIMS you can incorporate into your life daily!
Stress management
Living with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain is a huge stressor in itself. You don’t know exactly when your symptoms are going to flare up, and you work harder in the meantime in all areas of your life to make up for the times when you might not be able to perform at your best. This chronic stress only serves to increase the inflammation in the body.
Start to develop strategies to help minimise exposure to other stressors in your life and mitigate the inflammatory effects of the stress that’s unavoidable.
The SIMS you identified above will all help to build resilience to stress and reduce the inflammation in the body.
Also check out my free resource - Ways to Manage Stress During Pain Flare-Ups - for some more ideas to try.
Get in touch and let me know how you get on with these suggestions to help reduce your inflammatory load.