Quote:
Originally Posted by I.Am.The.End.
Part of the problem with food is that my diet is pretty strict so I hate inconveniencing other people because it's partly a choice on my part (mostly it has to do with allergies and avoiding any risk of contact with foods that I'm allergic to/have problems with). Luckily, people are very understanding where I live now and are accommodating if they're able to.
I guess I'm free to feel, but not to express it. Who do I express it to without the risk of not being made fun of, not being taken advantage of, etc.?
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Wow, I was thinking about something similar in the last week and I'm so glad I read your thread!
I often feel like my feelings are invalidated, but even more is my health is invalidated. Like you, there are foods I have to avoid or else I end up having a very bad day, and I have a health issue where I need to lose weight in order to be healthy and get pregnant...often people are not understanding of that and they don't want to understand.
One thing I had to personally learn is people will choose to be understanding, but they don't have to be accommodating. It sucks, but once you realize that people don't have to be accommodating because of their own reasons, it makes it easier for you to decide what kind of environments to place yourself in. After a while, I realized that eating fattening and sugary foods made me grouchy, sluggish, fat, and cranky so I reduced my intake. That means I cannot surround myself with certain people who cannot respect such a SIMPLE lifestyle choice that has to do with ME, and not them. Once I came to that understanding, setting boundaries became a lot easier.
As someone who has had to go through an immeasurable amount of suffering due to health issues, please don't tolerate being nauseas or sick again. You have the RIGHT to be attuned to your body and respond to it accordingly and take care of yourself. No one will take care of yourself but you! I learned this the hard way for my mental health and sanity and for my physical health. At the end of the day, it is your body and your mind and emotional well-being. If you feel nauseated and then feel emotionally compromised by it, don't wait until it gets so bad. If people don't take you seriously, I'm sorry but f#$@ them! You take care of yourself first and if it inconveniences people, that is too bad. I hope that one day they don't ever find themselves in a situation where they need to have their medical needs met but have to wait on it because of other's "conveniences." The more you try to please others, the more they will see it as the standard to expect from you. I would get "well you never said this was a problem
before" "you always seemed to handle things so well." Guess what, I can change my mind idiots.
Sorry for that rant, but this issue really sets me off. I spend too many years in my 20's thinking this way and suffered needlessly, and am now going to spend the rest of my life repairing the damage and maintaining what I have.