How One Choice Can Change Everything: Embracing the Path of Healing

Life has a way of bringing us to our knees, sometimes. Recently, I found myself there again.

After years of navigating life with ME/CFS and MS, two diagnoses that have tested every part of my strength, I experienced a relapse that landed me in the hospital for around a week. It hit me hard.

My symptoms progressed and my energy, which I worked so diligently to protect and rebuild, was stripped down again—layer by layer—by the relentless grip of ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), a complex and often invisible “multi-system” disease that affects all major systems in the body, including the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems. At its worst, I experienced a profound worsening of symptoms after even the slightest physical or mental exertion. I couldn’t stand for long periods of time without feeling like I would collapse ( a condition known as orthostatic intolerance), and even simple daily tasks left me completely depleted. My mind would get clouded by “brain fog,” while my body was subjected to unpredictable muscle twitches, intense headaches, joint and muscle pain, and frequent dizziness. I lost my balance easily and often, and the entire right side of my body went numb. My nights were no escape either—sleep disturbances and unrefreshed sleep left me waking just as exhausted as when I went to bed. It was as if my body had become a stranger to me—unreliable, fragile, and disconnected. I felt like I was trapped in a body that no longer listened to me, and I was losing ground. It was as though my body had become a battleground—one I hadn’t agreed to fight... And honestly, for a moment… I did wonder if it was all just too much.

But here’s the thing: when life places you at a crossroads, you’re faced with a choice, where you can either surrender to the weight of your circumstances or rise with unwavering determination.

And what if, in that moment, when you feel broken, something inside of you says, “You’re not done yet?”

I could have given in. I could have curled up in the shadow of illness and let it define me. And, maybe, part of me wanted to. But, a bigger part of me, the woman I’ve fought hard to become, she knew better. She knew that this was a chapter, not the ending. That this wasn’t happening to me… it was happening for me. To grow, to rise, to nurture my well-being, and to remember that my true strength emanates from the unwavering resilience of my heart.

So, I made a decision.

A decision to take control. To reclaim my body. My mind. My story.

I dove into research, relentlessly. I explored healing diets, powerful supplements, and integrative strategies. I fine-tuned my self-care with intention. I leaned into NLP techniques I had once used to shift my mindset and use with my clients. I reached out to my NLP coach and mentor and we used NLP to rewire my focus, my identity, my future. Because, when you change your mind, you change your life. And even if you can’t control the circumstances… you can control how you face them.

I’ve learned that the darkest moments often bring the brightest light. And sometimes… healing doesn’t look like a cure. Sometimes, healing looks like courage. Like when you choose to believe there’s more for you. Like waking up and deciding, “This is not where my story ends.”

So if you’re in the thick of it right now, if your world feels heavy, if your body is screaming, if your heart is tired, I want you to hear me when I say this:

You are not alone.

And yes, it’s okay to feel it, to grieve, to cry, to lay in bed and say to yourself, “This is hard.” But, don’t stay there. Let that be a moment, not your identity.

What if you could turn this around?

What if your breakthrough is hiding inside this breakdown?

No matter how impossible it may feel right now, you don’t have to see the whole path. Just take one step. And then another.

Choose the thought that serves you. Choose the food that nourishes you. Choose the belief that reminds you, you are stronger than your struggles, greater than your setbacks, and your journey holds more promise than your current circumstances.

You were never meant to just survive—you were meant to thrive, even through the hardest seasons. So give yourself permission to rest, to rise, to rewrite the narrative. This moment doesn’t define you—your courage does. Keep showing up for yourself. Keep choosing healing, one breath, one thought, one step at a time. Because you are worthy of a life you love, no matter where you’re starting from. And I’m here, walking this path too, reminding you: your story isn’t over. In fact, it’s just beginning.

Sarah Eades

Women's Transformational Life Coach and NLP Practitioner