Gaining Control Over My Unpredictable Eczema

As human beings, I believe we all have some level of fear of losing control in our lives. This comes right along with fear of the unknown and uncertainty. While it’s a thread that connects us all, for those like me who suffer with eczema and/or TSW (topical steroid withdrawal), or another health condition, this is magnified even more.

How do I gain control over the unpredictability?

It’s hard to feel like we have any sense of control when our bodies are abruptly flaring up at any given time. More often than not, the truth is that we DON'T have much control. We feel itchy, pained, uncomfortable, anxious, frustrated, and so much more. It’s understandable to NOT want to go through that – it is unpleasant, to say the least.

While there are some things we can do to gain more control and deal with the unpredictability of it all (a few of which I intend to touch on throughout the rest of this article), much of it is still largely out of our control. This isn’t only the case with eczema, TSW, or health conditions, but much of life in general. And when it comes to that – I truly believe that’s when surrender and acceptance comes into play, more than ever.

How do I manage my eczema triggers?

With conditions like eczema, it’s important to identify and be mindful of our triggers. When we do know them, we can do our best to avoid them, and avoid making our skin more angry - potentially avoiding more flare-ups. For me personally, some of those triggers are food allergies, seasonal changes, and probably the biggest one – stress. But even when we do know our triggers, many of them are hard to avoid, such as in my case, seasonal changes and stress. While I can do some things to lower the triggers a bit, it’s impossible avoid them altogether.

How do I manage stress?

This brings me to the most important one for me, and one tied to the concept of control in the first place – stress. For me, working on my mental and emotional health, and even spiritual, has been just as important, if not more so, than the physical. To be completely honest, it was only when I began to release my grip on it and trying to control it so much, that more healing began happening, and I began to cultivate more peace within. The more I have made eczema into something to “fight” and get rid of, rather than treating is a friend and doing my best to embrace is as much as possible, the longer and more persistent my flare ups would be.

What perspective have I adopted?

I truly believe this shift in perspective is such a powerful one, and can help us feel more freedom and ease on our journey with eczema, TSW, or other skin conditions. When we realize our bodies are always working for us, and not against us, and when we stop seeing eczema as something separate from us, something to fight, rather than just our bodies sending us a signal and message, we create more space for healing and acceptance.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do what we need to for our bodies – like identify triggers, have medical help, use treatment options if/when necessary, etc. What I am saying is that I truly believe, and have found to be true on my personal journey, is that the more we try to fight against skin flare ups and our bodies, the more it seems to nag at us and amplify even more.

Compassion and love are truly powerful, and I believe loving our eczema, skin, and our bodies as a whole brings more healing to us than we can even imagine. By surrendering the NEED to control and learning the art of surrender, we allow more space for self love, even with eczema and our skin flaring. And to me - that is the very definition of healing.