Spotlight Skin Story: Anna
Caralyn and I live an ocean apart, but we were able to immediately connect, thanks to similar past experiences and common passions. The work that she is doing in the world is incredibly important and powerful, and I resonate so much with her story, teachings, and wisdom. My acne journey has taught me and is still teaching me a lot, and I am so glad to have the opportunity to share part of it with you through her beautiful blog. When I was an adolescent, and acne was really at my worst, I wish I were told all the words that you are reading today.
I believe that healing must happen first inside each one of us, as a shift in our subconscious beliefs, before manifesting in the physical realm. We can access true healing only if we consciously decide to embrace a new belief system about ourselves and about the world, and to let go of all those limiting ideas that are holding us back and keeping us small. In my opinion, this is the starting point which makes physical healing not only possible, but also lasting in time.
Here below you can find the main three beliefs (which you can use as affirmations) that have greatly helped me in my healing journey. I also encourage you to meditate or to journal on the long-held beliefs that are no longer serving you, and on the new ones that you would like to introduce in your life.
· I love everything about myself. I love and accept my skin exactly as it is.
I think that the energies of love and radical acceptance are the most powerful catalyzers of healing. Being constantly caught in a spiral of criticism, desire to change your skin as fast as possible, or rejection towards a part of yourself, is what is keeping you stuck. Learning to love yourself a bit more every day, and to be grateful for everything you are, is the real game-changer.
· Even if I have acne, I can be happy and thrive in all areas of my life.
Do not wait to have a perfect skin (who has?) to live your best life. Enjoy every moment of this wonderful gift of being alive, you owe it to yourself. You are much stronger and much more powerful than this temporary issue that you are experiencing. Also, I can guarantee you that other people do not really care whether you have acne or not, most probably have no idea that you are struggling with it on a personal level and appreciate you for all the amazing qualities that you have.
· My body is not broken, my body is sending me a message. And healing is possible.
I used to think that there was something to be fixed about my body, which was somehow behaving in a crazy manner. I have so much compassion for that version of myself, and I am so sad that conventional doctors and society in general very often promote this kind of thinking. I promise you that your body is not betraying you, and it is doing its very best every day to keep you healthy, and to allow you to do all the things that you love (traveling, eating delicious foods, moving). Your body is working perfectly, and acne is a sign that there is an imbalance, and that you need to look at your life and see how you can restore it. Lastly, healing is absolutely possible; it might be a slow journey, but you are making a bit of progress every day, even when it does not seem like it.
The other element that has helped me in my healing journey has been deep self-care, in the form of balanced nutrition, daily meditation and movement (I love yoga and running!), lots of rest and sleep whenever my body asks for it, and the right skincare products - if I had to give only one advice in this sense, I would say: use a high sun protection factor every day! Acne has taught me to put my needs and desires first, and to build sustainable and grounding self-care practices that make my life more fun, balanced, and sweet. This is a wonderful gift, for which I am forever grateful.
However, I have also learned that life happens, and it is not always possible to stick to our practices. The good news is that the goal never was and never will be to be perfect, but rather to show ourselves love every day, and to take care of our bodies and our minds as best as we can, always forgiving ourselves if sometimes we are not able to do it all.
I would like to conclude by saying that I wish that more girls were taught how their bodies work, instead of given medications to try and “fix” it. I wish that more women rediscovered the beauty and magic of their bodies. I wish that more women loved their bodies exactly as they are and sought healing from a place of love and grace. I believe that things are already changing, and we are waking up more and more to the truth of who we are, and to the incredible healing capacities of our bodies.
Caralyn is part of this worldwide movement, one that is showing that holistic and natural forms of healing work, and that every woman is capable of tapping into her own intuition to heal herself. Acne is a strict teacher, I know. But I promise you, this is a beautiful journey of self-discovery and self-love, and it is all worth it. Be sure to surround yourself with people that know how to guide you and support you on this path: Caralyn is one of them.
Love, Anna