Wanna turn back time? Do you wish you could rewind the clock to a time before your fibromyalgia (or chronic illness) diagnosis? I challenge you to take a look at this topic today and consider it from a new angle.

That was then ….

Life before fibromyalgia and chronic illness may seem like a faraway dream. Perhaps is seems more like a book you once read than your actual life. For some, living a life without pain may not even seem like it was ever a reality.

I often hear people say, “I want to rewind the clock. I want to go back to who I used to be.”

Notice the emphasis.

They want to go back to being the person they were before they became sick.

I always respond, “I don’t think you do.”

Once they blink a few times, they passionately explain to me why they want to go back to living pain-free. That part I get. But being WHO they were then won’t achieve that.

Here’s what I’d like you to consider:

Before you became sick — even though you didn’t know it — you were a person on the path to becoming sick.

You were possibly …

• Overworked, overtired, stressed, and/or dealing with a trying situation.
• Grossly sleep deprived.
• Unlikely to set boundaries and say no to being overcommitted.
• Compromised with nutritional deficiencies and/or toxic exposures.
• Getting over a prolonged infection.
• Trying to heal from an injury or recover from surgery.
• Unhealthy at the root level – dealing with chronic gut inflammation.

Maybe you identify with one of these things. Or, if like me, all of them.

In any scenario, going back in time wouldn’t solve any of these. Unless we choose to change WHO we want to be, re-setting the clock is irrelevant.  

I hope the following describes who you want to be today, tomorrow, and into the future:

• Someone who makes a spiritual connection a priority.
• Someone who makes natural, whole, nutrient-dense nutrition a priority.
• Someone who makes fitness and body movement a priority.
• Someone who respects his or her own personal boundaries of time commitments and expectations.
• Someone who respects his or her body’s need to sleep, rest, and restore.
• Someone who understands lifestyle balance and does what’s needed to make it a priority.
• Someone who is surrounded by like-minded people, enjoying the accountability and support of being lifted up.

Of course, this is just a short list. But, you get the picture. The next time you find yourself saying you’d like to rewind the clock, be sure to add that you’d like to do so not to be who you were, but to become who you want to be. 

When it comes to time and
making lifestyle changes,
there’s no time like right now.

What would you do differently if you could? Or, what change do you think would help you the most today? Leave a comment below!