Namaste Jessica,

What a beautiful soul and smile! Thank you for submitting your question and sharing a personal/vulnerable part of your journey with lupus. This runs deep and affects your daily life. Before I go any further, I want to make sure you are working with your primary care physician, or rheumatologist. Feel free to share these ideas with them, and any you have.

When I share advice, or coach clients, I like to share a holistic approach: focusing on a mind, body, spirit connection. So let’s look at each part to help you create ways to better care for your lupus.

Mind - The mind has so much power, more than we realize. Our mind can change how we perceive the world around us, change how we show up, and even help heal the body. Some call this the placebo effect, but more and more research is coming out on how the mind can a positive impact on depression, pain, resilience, and coping skills. Research indicates that it also reduces the risk of many physical ailments, such as cardiovascular disease.  For more on this, check out the following resources:

The 2017 Documentary HEAL

"Use Your Mind To HEAL THE BODY & Boost Your IMMUNE SYSTEM!" | Joe Dispenza & Mark Hyman

Use Your Mind To Heal Your Body - The Doctor’s Farmacy 

The following mindfulness practices can be used to help with connecting to/healing your body, and also change how you perceive the world around you (feelings of being judged).

• Confront your feelings head on, going deep and figuring out the causes, triggers, thoughts behind your scare can best be done in partnership with a therapist. They can help you go deeper on the why.

• Mirroring/Positive self talk (for insecurities/self-doubt) - Stand or sit in front of a mirror, and talk to yourself with love and care. Tell yourself what you love and like, compliment yourself. Talk about your scars, their history, how they make you feel, and how they are a sign of courage, overcoming illness, your body doing it’s best to protect/heal you. Over time, you will begin to see and believe the truth that is right in front of you. P.S. having moments where you are puzzled or down is also ok, make room for that too and let yourself know it’s ok to feel this way while finding the beauty in it.

• EFT Tapping For Chronic Illness and Autoimmune Disease

• Meditation/Deep Breath Techniques - Calm the mind, connect to the body, raise your energy, regulate the nervous system, stimulate air flow and blood circulation with Pranayama, Box Breathing, Belly Breathing. 

Body - What can you do to take care of your body to promote overall wellbeing and improve immune health. I suggest looking at a nutrient rich diet full of healthy fats, protein, fiber, movement/exercise, sleep 7-8 hours, getting outdoors in nature (while being mindful of sun protection when it comes to scars). 

Skincare - I advise working closely with a dermatologist. There are lots of new treatments for lupus and scarring such as fillers, lasers, and light therapy. For at home treatment you could explore Azelaic acid, kojic acid, niacinamide for discoloration. Also look for soothing products with green tea, colloidal oatmeal, Centella Asiatica/tiger grass, or chamomile.

These are just a few suggestions that are part of your healing journey. I invite you to look at working with a therapist, or even myself, to help guide you and create the solutions and answers you want to see in this area of your life. I’m currently looking to fulfill coaching hours for my Holistic Coach Training Certification and International Coaching Federation Accreditation. With that said, I would love to work with you one-on-one. This offer would be free of charge and help with my coaching hours, while helping you. Feel free to email me if interested and we can talk details: Crystal.Garcia@dailyritualboutique.com 

Xoxo, Crystal