I’ve done a great deal of volunteer work for an organization that helps the families of those who have died by suicide. In their newsletter, there’s a column called “The Gift.” At first, I thought, “how crazy, how obscene, how downright blasphemous – there’s nothing connected to suicide to be grateful for!” But as I read the column for a while, I began to see that even in the darkest acts, there are many unexpected things to be grateful for.
And so it is with PCOS. When I suggest to my clients that there might be something about PCOS that they can be grateful about, I usually get a similar response to the one I described above – or at least a look of disbelief and wonder. Then I explain that there’s always something to appreciate in a medical condition, a job loss, a car accident, or anything else you find unpleasant or undesirable. Sometimes, though, you have to look hard – but if you try hard enough, you can start to name the gratitude items. And when you’re feeling grateful, you’re feeling more positive, and less mired in the depressive, negative thoughts.
I’m going to start the list for you, with some of my personal gratitude items, and then you can continue from there with your own list:
*Some men like curvier women more than skinny women – score one for the plus-size women of the world!
*PCOS isn’t exactly a hot topic yet for the rest of the world, but there’s vastly more research interest in 2011 than there ever was, and that means HOPE.
*There are so many delicious, healthy, PCOS-friendly foods to eat, shop for, explore, and experiment with – today, I made an awesome salad plate out of Italian olive-oil packed tuna, heirloom tomatoes, farmers’ market fruits, and half an avocado with a lemon vinaigrette. That’s not suffering, by any measure. Quite the contrary.
*We have this amazing support system called the internet (and I’m old enough to be able to compare that to a time when I was stuck going to the local library and searching the card file and the dusty biology books to try to figure out what was wrong with me).
*There ARE some people out there who really do get it – especially inCYST’s very own Monika Woolsey, and her team of supportive, interested, and educated psychologists, dieticians, dermatologists, and exercise physiologists who comprise the balance of the inCYST crew.
*We have allies in the most surprising, unexpected, and, dare I say FUN places – how about that hottie Hollywood trainer Craig Ramsay who’s doing the fundraiser for us in August?
*PCOS has made me assert my health as a priority. If I didn’t have PCOS, it’s unlikely that I would be practicing this level of self-care – and I know that what I do is only going to benefit my PCOS in the long run.
I hope my list has given you a couple of laughs, a little inspiration, and a shift of perspective. I encourage you to start your own PCOS gratitude list or journal, and see how it shifts you into a more positive mindset.
Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D. is a Health Psychologist in private practice in West Los Angeles, California. She specializes in counseling women and couples who are coping with infertility, PCOS, and related endocrine disorders and chronic illnesses.
If you would like to learn more about Dr. HOUSE or her practice, or obtain referrals in the Los Angeles area, please visit her website at www.drhousemd.com, or e-mail her at Gretchen@drhousemd.com