When Pain Becomes Wisdom
It’s bizarre how life works. The last thing on earth I’d ever think I’d be sharing about is the #1 thing I’m most inspired by and openly talking about more than ever these days! The same thing I’ve tried countless times to cover up, hide, ignore, run away from and reject about myself has turned into something I’m now in the position to support and guide others on.
This shift most definitely didn’t happen overnight. It took many tiny steps. Like facing fear gradually, placing myself in situations that triggered discomfort, consistently showing up scared instead of doing what I really wanted to do deep down (AVOID!). But most of all, despite unexpected and frustrating setbacks along the way, growth required maintaining a clear vision of where I hoped to be one day AND taking small steady actions to move forward. Intentionally feeding the mind nourishing positive reassuring thoughts instead of shrinking back into self-doubt or limiting beliefs.
Everything changed one day when I decided to speak out about my experiences with blushing/flushing and was connected with a whole community of Women who shared similar struggles. A main turning point was discovering that there’s a real term for my specific type of anxiety around turning red and it’s called “erythrophobia.” Even as a psychologist, with YEARS of extensive training, I’d never heard of this word until a few years ago.
Weirdly, I learned about this information via instagram! Just goes to show that our virtual social networks can truly bring us light if we look in the right places. And even our most difficult personal setbacks can twist into blessings.
It wasn’t until I dealt with rosacea for the first time in 2021, and connected with others who shared similar fears in the blushing/rosacea community, that I felt brave enough to speak of my own journey. It also wasn’t until then that I learned that although we easily focus on the problematic appearance of skin issues, they often have a deeper INTERNAL cause. This may require editing what we ingest (certain trigger foods/ substances) and may also call for exploring within ourselves emotionally/mentally/spiritually.
It’s evident that emotional stress is a main trigger for rosacea and blushing. How interesting that something so stressful to live with is actually triggered by stress in the first place! Since connecting the dots on how these personal skin concerns surfaced and worsened: an uncertain infertility process, experimenting with new skincare, a lack of routine and less social contact during the pandemic, poor eating habits, and an underlying vulnerability for anxiety— I now see that it was the perfect breeding ground for budding rosacea.
It’s blown my mind to realize how common these skin concerns are AND how often the emotional piece of the puzzle is missed altogether – though the impact is understandably significant.
The unexpected gift that came out of all this is that my struggle was the inspiration to finally create a comprehensive course on Emotional Healing for Rosacea + Chronic Blushing. This self-paced self-guided program is packed with insights and simple effective tools to empower you wherever you’re at right now.
This program is for you if: you’re tired of feeling consumed or held back by your skin concerns, you want to overcome fear, you’re eager to feel more comfortable and confident in your skin, and you’re ready to move forward in your life. This course includes specific skills to shift your energy, calm the nervous system and improve mindset, to help support skin health and overall wellbeing. I’d be honored to support you on your healing path. You can learn more about the course here
Sending you strength to turn old wounds into lived wisdom,
