When I was seeing a doctor at a hospital specializing in chemical sensitivity, I once asked the doctor a question:
“Are there any characteristics of people who tend to recover more easily from chemical sensitivity?”
The doctor replied:
“Rather than saying they recover more easily, I’d say that people who are bright and cheerful tend to adapt to society more easily.”
In other words, I came to think that being able to live in harmony with the people around us and maintaining a positive, open-hearted attitude might be important.
Once you develop chemical sensitivity, living in harmony with the people around you can suddenly become much more difficult.
In my case, I’m truly grateful that the people around me are understanding and supportive.
I think one of the hardest things about chemical sensitivity is not being understood by the people around you.
Because the condition is invisible, many people probably experience the pain of not being understood, being told that they are “being too sensitive,” or even being mistakenly accused of simply being lazy or avoiding things.
Children, in particular, may have difficulty explaining how they feel. If their parents don’t understand what they are going through, they may continue to suffer without ever discovering what is actually causing their symptoms.
Adults, on the other hand, may have more knowledge and awareness, but that can sometimes make them more inclined to reject society and withdraw into themselves.
I went through a period like that, too.
But at one point, I thought:
“Well, if things have come to this, go ahead, society. Beat me up as much as you want…!! Whatever happens, happens!!”
And strangely enough, I suddenly felt a little lighter.
My symptoms were still there, but somehow, it felt as though my heart had opened up.
Later, I learned that this kind of attitude can be described as “surrender.”
In other words, you voluntarily wave the white flag first.
And somehow, that makes things easier…
Of course, if you can avoid exposure to chemicals, it makes sense to do so.
But realistically, it is difficult to eliminate exposure completely.
When we try too hard to protect ourselves, our bodies tense up and our minds can become closed off as well.
When that happens, I feel that our natural ability to recover may not be able to work as well, making it harder to regain our balance.
When living with an illness or chronic condition, I feel that it is very important to learn how to relax our grip and how to keep our hearts light and open.
I’m still practicing this myself, but with the help of the people around me, I hope to keep moving forward one step at a time.
And to anyone who is struggling right now, I want to say this:
There will always be someone who understands you.
There are people who will walk alongside you.
You are never truly alone.
Let’s keep moving forward, one step at a time, together!!
Thank you so much for reading to the end. 😊