At age 12, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid condition (Grave’s disease) and I now see it as a blessing in disguise. It was a catalyst for me to become the healthiest version of myself, because naturally we tend to give more attention to the areas of our lives that really need it. For me, health became my priority because I was struggling to function in my daily life.
My wellness journey has been a looong one, and it's not surprising since I have 5 placements in Scorpio (all about transformation) in my 6th house (all about health & routine) for my astrology nerds out there. That said, I will most likely be writing a whole book on this one day, so for now I'll try and keep it concise with a brief overview in this post!
A major theme in my life growing up was that I desperately wanted to fit in and be accepted by others. I was never part of the popular crowd in school, and I spent years feeling like I wasn’t good enough, like there was something fundamentally wrong with me. I was extremely shy. I hated speaking up and dodged conflicts. I didn’t feel like I was worthy of taking up space, so I would constantly shrink my presence. I felt like me speaking in a group setting would be wasting everyone else’s time. I didn’t share my opinions, because I thought it was easier to agree with others so they would like me.
When I was 12, I had already been playing soccer for a few years, and I was pretty good at it. There was a girl on my team who always seemed to want to compete, and not in a friendly way. When I became the target of her bullying behaviour, this caused me to become even more insecure and shut down.
I started falling asleep in class, despite getting a full night's sleep, and when my mom noticed that my throat seemed to be developing a goiter (enlarging of the thyroid gland) she took me to the doctor for blood testing immediately. Luckily, she noticed this symptom early on because it was something that she had dealt with in her early 30's. (I will share my perspective on the genetic predisposition here later.) My numbers were about double the "normal" range, and I was put on anti-thyroid medication. For the next year, I went for monthly bloodwork and endocrinologist appointments (falling asleep in the waiting room chairs) and my med dosage was increased until I was taking 6 pills per day with my breakfast.
Is it really any surprise that I ended up with thyroid issues, when the throat chakra is all about self-expression and communication?
"See you when you're 30! You'll probably have hypo-thyroid symptoms and will need to go back on medication." I'm actually REALLY glad my doctor told me this when I was 13, after my thyroid levels finally stabilized and I could come off of the medication. And my response? "Fuuuuck no!" Internally of course, because I was still super shy so I just smiled and nodded :)
These words stuck with me, and I was determined to take my health into my own hands. I wanted to know how I could PREVENT the need to ever go back to a doctor and be prescribed a pill as the "only solution" ever again.
I'm so proud of my teenage self, who began educating herself about nutrition, trying new vegetables, learning to cook, and prepping her own healthy lunches to bring to school. She was 1 of 3 girls in a class with 27 boys who took phys ed class in high-school when it was no longer mandatory because she was genuinely interested in learning about fitness and weight lifting. It wasn't easy though. I was the "healthy one" in my friend group, and I was embarrassed about it (because I just wanted to blend in and be like everyone else). While my friends ate poutine for lunch, I ate homemade chicken wraps with quinoa and chopped veggies.
The gym became my happy place, and I decided to pursue a career in personal training after graduating high-school. I enrolled in a 4-year Bachelor's degree program (Sport and Fitness Leadership) at my local college, and at age 18 (2 years into my degree) I was a certified personal trainer working at an all women's gym in my hometown.
My health was pretty good for a while. I was working out regularly, and even though I spent a few years drinking and partying throughout college, I prioritized healthy food. Then, when I was 20, the toxic relationship I was in ended and my energy plummeted.
This brings us to PART II of my health journey, which I'll save for another post ;)
Thank you so much for being here and for taking the time to read about my story!
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