Illness as a Blessing

Posted 2014-03-07 by Rachael Millsom ⇒ follow

So hands up if you are guilty of popping a pill and soldiering on. I know I have been.

I am generally a well person, so I was a bit knocked about when I got tonsillitis (especially never having had it before). So I went to the Doctor and got some drugs, and after a day of rest the antibiotics had kicked in, and it felt like it was just the antibiotics keeping me from feeling fantastic again.

I completed the course of antibiotics and felt amazing for about two days, before I was back at square one. You guessed it, I had tonsillitis again.

Right, this time I went to a Doctor who was going to give me more than five minutes; had some extra tests, and went on antibiotics again.

Second time round I have done some things differently. I have honoured my body's need for rest as well as my soul’s need for reflection. Yes it took some work – baby sitters etc. Fingers crossed it works out for me.

Personal Insights

This time round I have taken time out to reflect on what this tonsillitis was telling me. It is amazing to find that tonsils can talk :-)

I have had all sorts of ideas and thoughts that I will continue to sort through in relation to my work. I have also had other insights come strongly to mind which I believe relate to most of us at one time or another.

These were:

speak your truth

What is said is important, yet it is important to remember that what is not said is equally important.

I am not invincible, and it is OK to ask for help.

Ways to use illness as a reflective tool

Here are my ideas for gaining insight from discomfort and / or illness.

Ask for some time alone, or take yourself off to a beautiful place where you can be by yourself.

Sit or lie with your spine aligned.

Take a couple of deep breaths, breathing in relaxation and breathing out tension and stress. You might like to do this moving down your body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

Focus on your breath, without trying to change it in any way. When you notice a thought has come; notice it and without judgment let it go and return your awareness to your breath.

Continue to focus on your breathing for about five minutes. You can then move your breath to the area of discomfort in your body and imagine your breath moving in and out of this area.

Ask yourself the question what is ______(insert illness or area of discomfort) telling me. Ask the question and then let it go, trusting that an answer will come when it is ready.

Return your awareness to your breath moving in and out of the area of discomfort. Every now and then, you may like to repeat the above question to yourself.

Continue as long as you are enjoying it, and repeat this process as often as you like.

Enjoy, and may discomfort and illness be a blessing to you.

#illness
#blessing
#meditation
#reflection
#time_out
#insights
#intuition
#life_skills
#mindset

%selfavenue

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