‘FIGHT’ vs ‘Acceptance’ Mindset in Chronic Disease

In my clinic I see a lot of chronic disease. One of the main things I hear from them is, “I’m going to fight this” or “I’m a fighter”. And while I appreciate and respect the sentiment of this mindset and totally get where they are coming from, I believe there may be another mindset that may be more conducive to healing and that is, ‘Acceptance’.

Some of you may know that I became a naturopath following my own personal experiences with chronic disease – Grave’s Disease Thyrotoxicosis and Stage 3 Breast Cancer.

During my Cancer experience many well-meaning, caring and empathetic people kept telling me to FIGHT and I would nod my head and reassure them that I would. But for me the idea of fighting something I could not see just didn’t resonate. Instead I chose to ACCEPT the daunting reality I was facing and work with my body to in order to heal.

I appreciate that this is not an easy choice to make following a chronic disease diagnosis and that some may think it is just a word and what does it really matter? However, the thoughts we think and the words we use hold weight and have meaning. Our mind and body are in constant communication and the messages communicated are heard loud and clear.

Let’s take a closer look at the definitions of FIGHT and ACCEPTANCE and how our body may interpret these terms on a physiological level.

FIGHT…. “To take part in a war or battle against an enemy” (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries)

 ACCEPTANCE…. “The quality of being willing to accept an unpleasant or difficult situation” (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

The word FIGHT immediately rev’s us up, putting our physical and energetic body into a state of ‘fight or flight’, the bodies stress response where many of the tools necessary for healing cannot be accessed and our life force is drained. Whereas, the word ACCEPTANCE has the opposite effect and puts us in the more relaxed state of ‘rest and digest’, allowing our body the space and resources to support healing.  

Approaching our health challenges from the mindset of ACCEPTANCE provides the ideal foundation to work with our body, our medical team and naturopathic practitioner to support long-lasting holistic health and wellbeing and improve outcomes.