Despite the recent advances in diagnostic procedures and development of new techniques for removing or damping down the function of the thyroid gland, the enigma of thyroid disorders (Graves’ Disease, Hashimoto’s disease, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism) remains unsolved. Why the thyroid starts functioning abnormally, why anti-thyroid medication can succeed in decreasing the function of the thyroid gland in some people and not in others, cannot be explained by the so called science.
Living in the “thyroid world” for almost a decade I came across many heartbreaking stories from clients through the years convincing me that thyroid disorders are not due only to chemical imbalance, as the science is trying to assure us, but also due to many other factors sometimes invisible for us at a first glance. (click on the picture to enlarge).
I came to realize that our environment (social, family and work) has a tremendous role for the onset of thyroid disorders. Not only that: stress (chronic or single traumatic event) often acts as a trigger. Certainly, everyone has stress of all kind but how we handle it is another question. The reason why some people handle it and others cannot be explained with special personality traits and personal characteristics (so called the Five Big Personality traits). “Thyroid people” possess a unique combination of these personality traits, allowing them to accumulate stress and stay in highly stressful situations until they get literally physically or mentally sick. Additionally to that, their basic needs are not met on a constant basis (so speaking: belongingness, validation, nourishment, sensory and sexual need), all this generally due to lack of sufficient self-esteem. A person with adequate self-esteem (not self- confidence!) will protect his boundaries, will know what is good or bad for him or his body, will not exhaust his mind for the sake of others, will not overwork himself to the point of exhaustion, will be able to say “no” when necessary. The list is not exhaustive or complete. To examine the self-esteem specific domain (which I believe is one of the most important when talking about treating thyroid disorders) please, read and check below which of these you proudly possess (Be brave, I am not watching).
- Overworking yourself to the point of exhaustion.
- Not taking good care of yourself.
- Suffering and going above and beyond your limitations, physical or mental, so that others can feel good and happy.
- Not able to say “no” when you feel you need to do so.
- Tolerating and accepting assaulting behavior, unnecessary criticism and people causing you harm.
- Blaming yourself for all the things that went wrong.
- Trying to be responsible for everybody, for their actions and behavior.
- Doing things for people whom you don’t like.
- Being very critical to yourself and others.
- Difficulty knowing who to trust and when to trust.
- Thinking that other people are focuses on and critical about what you say or do.
- Tendency to let fear and anxiety control many of your decisions.
- Avoiding making changes in your life because you are fearful of making a mistake or failing.
- Being very fearful of criticism, disapproval, or rejection.
- Feeling guilty because you have your own needs and desires.
- Staying in and keeping relationships that are abusive, insulting, or offensive.
- Fulfilling unreasonable demands, because you are hungry for the approval of others (you can admit it to yourself, I am not judging you).
- Feeling like a victim of people and circumstances and as a result, becoming emotionally stuck and immobilized.
- Being unable to affirm or reinforce yourself positively even though, let’s face it, you are an overachiever.
- Being unable to make an honest assessment of your strengths, qualities, and good points, thus, you find it difficult to accept compliments or recognition from others.
- Making decisions based on what would please others, rather than on what you want or without even considering what you want.
- Feeling that others mistreat you, or take advantage of you.
- Being unable to speak up for yourself.
If you checked many of the above items, you, my friend, are in big trouble which is the cause of your sickness. You have to change your mind, right now. Because low self-esteem, besides the “action” side (things that we do as a result of this low self-esteem), also has an “emotional” side, unfortunately. As a result of all of the above “wrong doings”, people with low-self-esteem are very likely to accumulate a bouquet of negative emotions like (check again): anxiety, sadness, irritation, frustration, annoyance, emotional sensitivity and liability, hostility, shame, aggression, resentment, embarrassment, loneliness, lack of spontaneity, constant self-doubt, and insecurity, this is just unavoidable. At some point, that all will result in inability to handle stress and life challenges in general. Do you see now how it is all related? Then the disease (thyroid or not) is just a step away.
Working on your self-esteem is one of the most important factors in your healing process, believe it or not. I am not saying that it is an overnight cure, but it is an important starting point. Then everything will start to fall into place and your healing will begin!
How do you work on your self-esteem and is it possible to change that domain? Yes, it is. More resources are included in my new book “Mental, Emotional and Psychological Aspects of Thyroid Disorders”, now available on Amazon, Kindle and Nook (or check the links below). To further prove my point that your mind can indeed help the healing of your thyroid, I am giving away 30 free coaching sessions (1 hour each), first come first served basis. You’ll also need Skype installed on your computer (a free program) and a camera, these are real sessions. You’ll have to send me an email to mythyroid@gravesdiseasecure.com with: transaction # for the book purchase, your skype ID and your best preferable time for the session (please, convert your time zone in EST), so I can offer you a few options for the session. I am specifically interested in coaching people with their thyroid still intact (if possible), those who are highly motivated to reverse their disease or desperate people who think that “nothing helps” their condition. Looking forward to help you!
My Blog About Graves' Disease and Hyperthyroidism 
Recent Comments