Celiac Disease – Crash Course in Adapting to Change
- Betty always spends two weeks at the home of her aging parents in the summer. Now that Betty has celiac disease, she suffers anxiety, hunger, sadness, and resentment on these holidays because her parents can’t/won’t make their home safe for her.
Celiac Counsellor’s Corner* is a place where Sherry Scheideman, M.A., Registered Clinical Counsellor, responds to your questions about the emotional and social issues that celiacs face. Diagnosed with celiac disease herself in 2001 in Victoria, BC, Sherry draws upon personal experiences and a Master’s Degree in Counseling to support you in transcending this ‘life transition’ and turning it into an opportunity to live your best life – ever.
Do you have a comment or question for Sherry?
When celiac disease makes your old ways of life impossible, how can you develop a satisfying new life?
Having celiac disease makes it impossible to keep doing some things you always used to do. This can make you feel like your world is falling apart, like you’re losing what’s important to you. But don’t despair! You can find new ways to do what’s important to you. Here’s how.
- Identify your needs — list the reasons WHY you want to do the thing.
- Brainstorm new ways to meet your needs. These new ways must respect your health as a celiac.
- Select the most workable and attractive new way and give it a try.
- Notice with gratitude how this new way is satisfying your needs and expanding your life.
EXAMPLE: Betty always spends two weeks at the home of her aging parents in the summer. Now that Betty has celiac disease, she suffers anxiety, hunger, sadness, and resentment on these holidays because her parents can’t/won’t make their home safe for her. She realizes that spending two weeks at her parents’ home is no longer an option, and she feels terrible about it.
SOLUTION:
- IDENTIFY NEEDS
- Betty’s main reason to holiday at her parents’ home is to spend time with her parents.
- BRAINSTORM
- New ways to spend time with her parents:
- stay in a nearby hotel with a kitchenette, or a campground, or a rented RV;
- invite her parents to her place instead;
- meet her parents somewhere for a vacation get-away where she has her own kitchenette;
- go for a much shorter visit but more often.
- go for a much shorter visit but phone, Skype, write letters etc. more often throughout the year
- GIVE IT A TRY
- Betty chooses an option, sets it up, and follows through with it.
- NOTICE WITH GRATITUDE
- It’s hard for Betty to change her life like this – she misses the old way, she resents that the old way is no longer possible, she’s pressured by her parents, who don’t understand why she’s doing this, and so on. But…
THINGS HAVE CHANGED. Fact.
What is beautiful about the new way? Plenty. Look for the beauty. Find it.
Allow gratitude for what IS to soothe the pain over what is no more.
Thank you, celiac disease, for giving us a crash course in adapting to change.
This will be helpful in every area of life.
Sherry
- If you have a celiac-related emotional or social issue you’d like Sherry to address, please leave a comment in the Facebook field below or click here.
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“Life happens! Why not love it?”
“Being diagnosed with celiac disease and going gluten-free has challenged me to develop inner resources that I never knew I had, and I’m grateful for that. As a counsellor, I love to help other celiacs find their own gifts within the challenges of the disease, and to facilitate healing. Why not let your celiac disease motivate you to be your best self?”
- About Sherry Scheideman
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- *Information and perspectives provided in Celiac Counsellor’s Corner are intended to provide general information, without independent verification on the part of The Celiac Scene for the accuracy of the information provided to it. The information is specifically not intended to be a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by your physician or other health care professional. You should always consult your own physician or other health care professionals about any medical questions, diagnosis, or treatment, especially before trying any diet. The Celiac Counsellor’s Corner does not accept any liability for any injury, loss or damage incurred by use of or reliance on any content contained herein.
