AIP Didn't work for me

What do I do if AIP didn't work for me?
What if diet and exercise only helped me feel better -- to an extent?
What if my symptoms are still present even after cutting out all the foods?

​For the handful of us who are left saying "AIP didn't work for me"...
For those of us who, even after eating all the right foods, still aren't healing...

Here's something to consider.

While it's helpful to eat foods that leave us feeling physically well...
And we should consider diet and exercise important pieces of the healing puzzle...

These two variables alone don't automatically account for all the stress in our lives.
They don't account for every reason inflammation may be running rampant in our bodies.

In other words, eating "anti-inlammatory foods" may help reduce one source of stress and inflammation.

What about all the other sources? 

What about our emotional well-being? And mental health? Our relationships? And career?

If you've hit a healing plateua...
If you've made all the foods changes and STILL aren't feeling 100% better...
If you find yourself saying "AIP didn't work for me" and you're not sure why...

Have you considered any emotional distress you're experiencing? Any anger or bitterness towards your condition? Any dislike with yourself? 

Have you looked at your relationships and how they leave you feeling? At your work -- and how it does (or doesn't) light you up?

Have you observed your thoughts? And the things you're speaking to yourself every day? Are you falling apart or declaring health and wellness over your body?⠀

In other words, which situations do you charge? The things that are happening that you want to be happening? Or the things that are happening that you don’t want to be happening?⠀

I’m asking these questions with a lot of love. Because I used to be falling apart. ALL day, everyday. I was falling apart. It was the only story that ran in between my ears. So, it ran on repeat.

My skin is dry. 
My eyes are watering. 
That mole looks bigger. 
Is my back hurting again? 
My left arm feels weaker. 
My nose is stuffy. 
Why does my big toe feel funny? 
I’m bloated.⠀

This was all I saw. Even after looking at food. Even after looking at exercise. Even after looking at the doctors I was seeing, the medications I was taking, the products I was using... 

I simply never thought to take inventory of the words I was speaking, specifically around my own healing. I never thought to take inventory of the beliefs I held, especially around my capacity to heal (and what exactly it would mean for me to heal).

Which meant that I could be eating all the right foods, doing all the right amounts of exercise... and still not be seeing results I wanted to see. Still not feeling fully 'healed' or symptom-free. 

Because instead of recognizing that I could be healing, and deciding I would continue to heal more and more each and every day, I only saw all the ways in which I might be breaking down.⠀

Instead of recognizing that my job was causing anxiety, that my relationships were an underlying sense of stress, that the pressure I put on myself might be breaking my system down further, I thought only food held the key.

So, this is why I ask. 

If you've hit a standstill in your healing...
If you've cut out foods and still aren't feeling how you want to feel...
If you find yourself saying "AIP didn't work for me" and don't know why...

Ask yourself: Do your believe you're falling apart... or getting healthier every day? What do you put your power behind? (Your very powerful, and persuasive, energetic power.) What do you choose to focus on — to see — no matter what? (That “no matter what” is the hard part.)⠀

While we deserve care from great doctors — and people who take what’s going on in our bodies seriously.... 

And while we're certainly NOT making up what we're experiencing...⠀

We can choose what we charge. 

We can choose whether we put our focus on the dozens of potential problems we might notice... or we put our faith behind the one thing that’s going alright. 

And if you've done all the right things physically -- making changes to your diet and exercise -- it might be time to consider making a few changes emotionally-speaking. 

I'd love to hear from you: Does this resonate with you? Do you ever find yourself saying "AIP didn't work for me"? Have you had to consider aspects of healing outside food and exercise? If so, what HAS worked well for you?

If this is resonating, but you're just not sure where to start, then consider The Wellness Boulevard! We've got resources to support your emotional and mental healing... resources like meditation, Yoga, training classes, guest experts, and much more!