What Disease Actually Teaches

Assuming you accept the concept that your disease, or illness, can teach you something; you are probably wondering what exactly it can teach you. Sitting down with your disease and listening carefully to what you hear when you ask the question “Why” is a start.

Maté is firm in his belief that disease is a teacher when it makes you question your identity and your habits, your lifestyle. Accepting the disease is key but so is accepting your role in the creation of your disease. For example, if you live to work and you are constantly overworked and on the verge of burning out or your stress level is chronically high, you are more susceptible to the onset of disease. Or, you could have been susceptible to disease for entirely different reasons. What are they?

Sitting down with it, getting to know your disease, accepting that you played a role in its creation is a tough pill to swallow, but a necessary one. Now how are you going to move forward? What changes are you willing to make in your life to accommodate a) your disease and b) authentic you?