Over the past few weeks I’ve had eczema cover my hands and face and on numerous mornings I’ve woken up with a swollen face. I’ve been itchy and uncomfortable and only anti-histamines seem to provide any relief. It’s not something I’ve had before, although my skin is usually the place where my body shows stress or unhappiness with something!
As a result I’ve changed my moisturizer, made sure I’m drinking plenty of water, slathered myself in moisturizer as soon as I feel any slight bit of dryness on my skin, started drinking kefir to increase my gut bacteria and tried to up my fruit and veggie intake.
And this morning I woke up without a puffy face, and my body seemed a whole lot less itchy. It’s the first day in a while I haven’t felt the need to take an anti-histamine.
Now do I know which ONE of the things I did that worked? Nope!
Does it matter – not one iota!
Because what worked this time might not work next time. And all those small changes I’ve made are probably good for me – so which one actually helped with that change doesn’t matter. And it actually may have been something else entirely – my body is feeling less stressed or my body is just ready to stop fighting the eczema and start healing it instead.
It’s been a nice reminder that we are not static human beings. What worked once may not work again. What was once important may become less so. How I react today may be different to how I react tomorrow.
There isn’t ONE THING that will change me or my thoughts or my actions. We are multi-faceted humans and we change in a matter of minutes and hours let alone over months, years and decades. We are on a journey through life and we grow and learn and forget and remember and change and grow again.
What is important is to keep listening and observing, changing and altering as needed, but doing it all with lightness and love.
Although so many seem to be seeking that “one thing” that will help, I’m aware now more than ever that our journey is one of a lifetime of small moments, that together may add up to lasting change. Keep experimenting and playing, listening and observing, trying and enacting – and enjoy the journey as it unfolds.