Today, I’d like to share something I came to feel was important in preventing my chemical sensitivity symptoms from getting worse.
There are two basic approaches that form the foundation of managing chemical sensitivity:
1. Keep chemicals from entering the body as much as possible.
2. Help the chemicals that have entered the body leave it.
And I came to feel that there is one more important thing:
“Don’t make connections.”
When symptoms appear, it’s very easy to start searching for the cause:
“Was it that?”
“Or maybe this was the problem…”
“Oh! Could it have been that!?”
Of course, identifying possible triggers and taking steps to avoid them can be important. But I think that when we take this too far, it may actually contribute to feeling worse.
The brain automatically starts looking for causes, and in doing so, it can create and strengthen more and more connections of “cause → symptoms.”
I got completely caught up in this myself for a while.
Eventually, I started feeling,
“There’s nowhere left in the world where I can live…!!”
I was in despair.
I had simply studied too much about chemical sensitivity😂
I certainly gained a lot of knowledge from all that studying. But apparently, having more knowledge and actually feeling better were two different things.
While avoiding obvious triggers of my symptoms, I realized that I also needed to find ways not to keep creating more “cause → symptoms” connections in my mind.
Instead of constantly looking for what was “bad” or what I needed to avoid, I gradually changed my approach to:
“Live as naturally as possible.”
To learn what a more natural way of living might look like, I started incorporating elements of traditional Japanese food into my diet. I read books about life during the Edo period, and researched the lifestyles of wild animals.
I’ve been rethinking the way I live while simply enjoying the process.
As I did this, my brain seemed to naturally start working in a more positive direction, and my symptoms gradually became milder.
I also started attending healthy cooking classes, where I made some new friends.
We would chat, and I was exposed to lifestyles and ways of thinking that were different from my own. I discovered all kinds of new things and sometimes tried incorporating them into my own life.
I enjoyed it so much that I felt healthier and more energetic.
I’m truly grateful for that.
Back when I was constantly studying in search of causes and running away from anything I thought might trigger my symptoms, my condition kept getting worse.
When I stopped trying so hard to study everything and allowed myself to be a little silly and just have fun, my symptoms gradually became milder.
It may sound strange, but my body taught me:
“Sometimes, that’s just how it works.”
“Don’t make the connection.”
Break the mental pathways that lead to feeling worse, and keep strengthening the pathways that lead to feeling better.
Find things that are fun. Increase the moments that make your heart light up with joy.
Then, one day, you may suddenly realize:
“Wait… maybe I don’t feel as bad as I used to.”
What I needed most wasn’t more studying. It was more joy.
And I don’t think this is something that applies only to illness.
For example, when you’re worried about something, it’s certainly good to think about possible solutions.
But if you shift your attention to something completely different and enjoyable, you might find that before you know it, you’ve completely forgotten what you were worrying about.
Thank you so much for reading today!
I hope this gives you even the smallest bit of inspiration. 😊