Rant: Martyrdom won't get you well. Putting on your big girl panties will.

I've put my big girl panties on!



Martyrdom as defined by Merriam-Webster is:
1)  the suffering of death on account of adherence to a cause...
2)  affliction, torture

When it comes to people with adrenal insufficiency, both diagnosed and undiagnosed, there's more of a chance that we will die than someone without it if we don't have a consistently healthy lifestyle.  I run a forum for people with adrenal insufficiency who want to get diagnosed and who want to live a healthy life once diagnosed.  I believe in education of the person with the disease, sleeping and waking at consistent hours, taking the least possible amount of meds you need to be healthy,exercising if possible and acceptable and don't drink sugared or diet soda (that's another rant!).  I do not believe in suffering, affliction or torture.

The Addison's Support Forum has one rule:  "...don't ask for help if you're not interested in working with your doctor to find new solutions to your problems, no martyrs."

This is what I hear from martyrs:

"I can't go to bed and wake up at the same time every night."

"You are making me feel bad by telling me the same thing over and over."

"I can't...retain information, get help, go to the doctor or make time to walk for 10 minutes a day..."

"I'm not disciplined enough."

"I've always done it this way."

"The doctor said to do it X way but I'm scared and chose not to."

Do you hear yourself in there?  I hear me.  I'm changing.  I'm done with fear, I'm done with lack of discipline and I'm done feeding martyrs constant need for attention and those with Munchausen by Internet.  I spent the summer feeding the Munchausen Martyr, speaking to her via email, FaceBook, Runkeeper, my forum and Skype.  I dreaded my dinner time because that's when she was waking up.  I feel sick right now thinking about how badly I've violated my own principals by not standing up for my own rules!

Being a martyr, when it comes to your health, will kill you.  You will be ill all the time because you'd prefer the attention you get from being sick.  You can change if you want to.  It won't be easy but it will be worth it.  Take the bull by the horns and put on your big girl panties. Join me in stopping martyrdom in its tracks!  Stop saying you can't and start doing, you'll have a lot less time to suffer!  Yeah baby, I'm going to have a lot more time on my hands starting now.