Medications + the Gut: How to Heal and Love Yourself

I believe that one of the most powerful things that you can do to change your life is to learn to shift your perspective. The thoughts that we think and the words that we say are so powerful and help create the world that we see. Today, I’m sharing all about how this applies to healing your gut and loving yourself while on medications.

My Experience with Medications

I was on prescription medications for over two decades and I spent many of those years hating them for the side effects that I experienced. Some of them took a massive toll on my health and caused issues that took me years to heal.

One of the things that has completely changed my life was learning to be so grateful for the medications that I once needed.

I’ve been prescribed everything from immunosuppressants, to biologics, antidepressants, anxiety medications, and more. I eventually came to realize that these same medications are also what kept me alive and are what helped to bring me HERE.

While I’m grateful that I don’t need medications at this point in my life, I also know that I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. They’re a big part of my story.

What if Diet isn’t Enough?

Diet and lifestyle changes might be enough for you to stay healthy. Or, you might also need medications to feel your best. Whatever you need is unique to YOU. Medications serve a purpose and they have a time and a place, which is for you to decide.

It’s absolutely okay to be in a place where you need medications and if you do, it’s my hope that reading this brings awareness to the energy that you put behind them. This energy is everything, and I know from experience that this fresh perspective can also lead to so much healing.

Creating a Balanced Approach + Learning to be Grateful

We live in a world of so many extremes, which often comes with the belief that it has to be one way or the other. I’ve never bought into it. I also believe that this is why I’ve created the balanced approach and the health that I have today.

The bottle shown in the image above contained one of my old medications and I’ve kept it as a reminder for where I’ve been. I wrote “thank you” on the outside so that every time I went to take it, I would remember how these little pills were helping me.

This alone changed SO MUCH.

Before this, I was subconsciously telling these pills how much I hated them and was then putting that same energy into my body as I took them.

While I could have solely focused on all the ways that these pills “hurt” me, I chose to focus on the good instead. Writing “thank you” gave me the reminder of all that I could choose to be grateful for. This shift led to so much healing.

It took time and a lot of inner work, but now I’m so grateful for the countless meds that I was once on.

Beating yourself up? Read this!

If you’re thinking that you shouldn’t need medications, that diet should be enough, or that your journey needs to look like mine, I hope that you really take some time to reflect on what I’ve shared. It’s a balance, which is unique to each person.

I’ve shared my life changing experience with forgiveness, and while it’s easy to think that forgiveness only applies to humans, it absolutely applies to things like this as well. I could never have fully healed if I didn’t also learn to forgive the medications.

Life can be hard enough, and you deserve to give yourself so much grace and so much love. There is no shame in doing whatever it is that you need to thrive. If you’re currently on medications (or even if you’re not!) and want to give your gut some extra support, be sure to read our post on Gut Problems? How to Jumpstart Your Journey!