Personal Update from Vivica

Buongiorno to you!

Back in the office from my Italian vacation, and my 50th bday celebration, I would like to share some thoughts with you as I face a turning point in my life.

50 is a big deal, half a century, maybe half down this path we call life…

They tell us this is where we reach the top of the hill, so we can expect only aging and getting worse from here….
Doctors tell you so, the media subliminally tells you so, and the general unspoken word is that a woman after 50 is “old” or “expired”. And we buy into it, covering our wrinkles with botox and laser treatments and our grey hair with color. We are sold “hormonal youth” by doctors who without no scruples load us on massive doses of artificial hormones to make us “30 years old again”…

As my birthday approached I had to face all those insecurities and their deep roots in my subconscious, and at the same time, very smart me decided to go home to visit my parents with my new partner! (Plus having to work almost full time while trying to be on vacation!)

Can you say “thrown into the fire”? I had not realized the amount of stress the situation was going to put on me.
So I started to get sick!

First, my eye started to swell up, followed by the rest of my face.
Then my hip started hurting to the point I could not even sleep for the pain.
Then the hot flashes started, then the night sweats….

I was baffled.
If you have followed me here you will know that I do take pretty good care of myself, and I practice and test my knowledge on myself first, before using it on my patients.
Funny enough I had been having an increasingly good result with even my most complicated cases and getting more and better feedback from patients,..
But I was falling apart!

A deep journey of introspection had to begin. Believe me, I am no stranger to personal work either! Throughout my life I have seen therapists, psychologists, counselors, always trying to be the best version of myself, sometimes, just trying to keep my head above water.

Now, being back home to my family, with a partner who sees me more clearly than I even see myself and does not let me get away with any denial, I had to face the deepest mirror.

Why was I making myself sick? Maybe if I discovered that I would be able to help others in a more effective way….

Next week I will share with you my discoveries and my decisions.

In the meantime thank you for being part of this community, and I would love to hear YOUR story, your challenges as a woman as you face menopause and as you try to navigate challenges like changing hormones, diseases and your own mind giving you no break!

You can email me directly or you can post in my private community group on FB and join the conversation!

(part 2 next week)