Having long-term health issues can be emotionally draining.

We don’t have the energy we once had to do the things we love. Our body changes in ways we don’t plan. Our mood and overall outlook on life can take a hit.

And it can really be taxing on our relationship with ourselves.

I know there were many times when I got frustrated with myself. I blamed myself for my thyroid problems, and that negative mindset really hurt my progress.

Whether you’re managing hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s or another long-term health challenge, if you find yourself having some negative self-talk, feeling frustrated with yourself, or think you just need to shift your mindset to something more positive, here’s what I want you to do.

Breathe

Stop what you're doing and take long, slow breaths. Breath in for a count of four, breath out for a count of four. Repeat.

Slowing down your breathing helps calm your nervous system. It can help move your body from a fight-or-flight response, to a rest-and-digest state.

Really focusing on your breathing can help clear your mind so you can re-focus on the positives.

Reflect

Think about everything you have accomplished health-wise so far.

First, you recognized that you had a health-related problem that needed solving. Simply recognizing that is a huge step in the right direction, and not something everyone is willing to do.

Next, you’re here. Which means you’re actively looking for resources to support your health. That takes time and effort. Even just by making it here, to the halfway mark of this blog post, shows that you’e already started your healing journey.

Remind yourself of anything else you’ve done to help your overall health.

Acknowledge

There’s rarely (if ever) a quick fix to improving our health. So acknowledging that it’s something we’re going to have to work on long-term is important to improving the relationship with ourselves.

Even so, acknowledging your body for giving you the gift of life, acknowledging your mind for giving you the strength and courage to improve your health, and acknowledging yourself for the work you’ve done so far can really help us love ourselves a lot more.

Our relationship with ourselves is the same as with anyone else. We may get frustrated, we may fight, but those relationships can be repaired and come back to a place of love.

No matter where you’re at in your journey to thyroid health, always try to find little and big ways to love yourself along the way.