Eczema is difficult. Whether it’s your condition, your child’s or a friend’s, it is trying and wearisome and requires constant vigilance and care. It often can’t be hidden, like other illnesses. It can be unsightly, extremely uncomfortable, annoying, and often is followed with a serious lack of understanding from those who do not deal with it. It is also a relatively “new” illness, whereas 30-40 years ago there just were not very many people with it. New information is rapidly emerging, some helpful and some not. What is certain is that eczema can be debilitating and discouraging.
Is there anything positive about having eczema?
Go body!
The body expresses a strong vitality. Why? There is a blessing in having a body that expresses illness very quickly. When you take in foods that aggravate you or you come in contact with an irritant your body reacts immediately through the skin. Your body communicates very quickly its reaction, and thus you can act. The symptoms of eczema in simple terms can be explained as your body’s efforts to eliminate toxicity and heal your skin. While that may seem counterintuitive as you suffer through severe itch and desperate emotional responses, there is a gratitude that can be expressed towards your body’s effort to mend and heal.
A deeper awareness for others, developing empathy
The world needs a lot less indifference and a lot more empathy. It is easy to hate your eczema and anything related to what aggravates it; bathing, clothing, foods, dry air, soaps, perfumes and the list continues. However, this conditions shapes you, it strengthens you, and helps you develop empathy and understanding for others in ways you never could have without the challenges of eczema. In turn, you can be of great help to others in the search for answers, solutions, and just simply some comfort.
Strike a passion
Living with a condition such as eczema can actually strike parts of your life mission you never would have found. You may be led to a passion to help others in the form of a profession. You may write a blog to serve as a support and encouragement to others. You will have met people through your condition you never would have without it.
The power of enduring and overcoming challenges
The notable speaker and author Wayne Dyer said, “With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.”Through the downs and ups of such a condition as eczema, not every day feels like an accomplishment. But we are molded and taught by our challenges, and eczema is no exception.
It is inevitable that through challenge, strength occurs. A new you emerges through the tests and trials of eczema and you can choose to embrace the path to greater understanding and insight to your mission to learn about yourself and in turn help others.
