I do not hate myself.

At first glance, the title of this post may seem a little random and like it doesn’t have much to do with anything. But there is a point….

I read in the media this evening that a prominent media personality (who’s name I shall not mention) has declared that people suffering autoimmune illnesses must hate themselves and these illnesses can be cured with self-love. Yes, you read that right folks.

And before I go any further, yes I do recognise that there is a mind-body connection. If your mindset is in certain places, there will be physical consequences. I do accept that and believe it wholeheartedly.

But…this only goes so far.

This media personality has been quoted saying “self-hatred causes auto-immune disease, which, boiled down, is the body attacking itself.” I suffer from autoimmune diseases. These autoimmune diseases attack specific areas and tissues in the body, and for me, it’s my thyroid.

So going by this self-hatred logic, I must hate myself. Correct? Well, no. While I do not act like a self-absorbed person who thinks they are the be all and end all, I do have self-love.

Dictionary.com defines self love as “the instinct by which one’s actions are directed to the promotion of one’s own welfare or well-being, especially an excessive regard for one’s own advantage.”

I listen to my body and my actions are based purely on what I need at any given time. Tonight for instance, it’s been a very long week and tonight I have swollen ankles and feet (due to poor circulation because of thick blood) , so I am rather uncomfortable from the pressure of the swelling and I’m also tired. So, I’m laying low and playing on my iPad while in bed with my feet up on a pile of pillows. My body needs my feet elevated and for me to rest, so I am. This is my self-love. I give my body what it needs and I do things which will promote my well-being.

I am a prime example of someone who has self-love and has auto-immune illnesses to contend with. The mind-body connection is there, but saying that autoimmune illnesses are because of self hatred doesn’t sit well with me. Autoimmune illnesses include Type 1 Diabetes and MS. These rather serious conditions can not yet be cured by modern medicine, but can be managed. Saying sufferers can “cure” themselves with self-love is only leading to a sense of false hope which is unfair to sufferers, carers, family and friends.

The Hollywood-isation of life events

Hollywood movies are an interesting thing. Some movies are completely fictional and based on nothing aside from the imagination of the writer. These movies encompass various genres and, the majority of which, are entertaining.

Others, are based on a specific event that actually happened. These movies can be split into two categories. Those which the life event around which the movie is based should have been Hollywood-ised, and those which the life event should never have been turned into a Hollywood blockbuster.

Certain life events are acceptable to be made into a big movie to be aired for entertainment purposes…these movies are often happy, feel-good movies which have something to be shared with the world.

Others are based on life events that should never be turned into a blockbuster. Things that are raw and scary for people in reality shouldn’t be made into a movie that makes it seem like it’s not as serious as it is. In order to make the movie something that can be marketed and generate the required revenue, the harsh realities of the situation often fall into the shadows in order to bring through the (often exaggerated) slight positives in the situation to ensure the movie isn’t too harsh.

In the first instance, this may seem like a good option to create the “feel-good” effect the movie is trying to create. But upon further thinking, I believe that this is a negative because it creates a false sense of security in the way that it leads the viewers to believing the situation isn’t as real or serious as it actually is.

This is also concerning because it could potentially create a feeling in the mind of viewers who have really faced this situation in reality that it’s a. It of a joke or “not too bad”. This would only increase the angst in the mind of people already in these difficult situations.

It is these movies that Hollywood should avoid making a blockbuster from. Some life events (seriously ill health, for instance) should never be the basis for a movie which is otherwise filled with content which isn’t as realistic as it should be in order to create a movie which portrays the situation fully.

The Nat Diaries meets Facebook!

Over the last few months, I’ve had a discussion about Facebook pages and why my blog isn’t on Facebook with a few close people. These conversations have consisted of people being VERY encouraging and saying how great it would be to be able to follow The Nat Diaries on Facebook. The people were speaking and they wanted a Facebook page!

So last night I made a decision to go with it. Without further ado, I present The Nat Diaries Facebook page which you can find here .

So now it will be easier for all you lovely people to see my posts and everything writing because it will pop right up in your Facebook newsfeed..assuming you go and ‘like’ me! 😉