Having Weight Loss Surgery and Mental Health!
Something that I feel like is never talked about among weight loss surgery patients, is the whole mental health aspect of it all. I mean, before I had my surgery I had a mental health evaluation done by a behaviorist at my bariatric office. And I was given tips on how to succeed after my surgery and was told that, mentally, I was very much ready for the surgery and could handle it. But no one really prepared me for the mental changes that would occur once I lost all the weight.
First things first, you learn things about yourself that you never knew before. When you go from being a very over weight person, who can't hardly do anything and sometimes can't even do things for yourself, to being a normal healthy person that can do anything you want without any help, it's a huge mental change. Suddenly you find yourself not ever wanting to sit or take it easy, you want to be busy and doing things and being active. You also find yourself never wanting to ask for help because now that you can do things for yourself, you want to do them for yourself. For me, I had to learn that sometimes you do have to take it easy in life and relax a little. And I also had to learn that it is still ok to ask for help and for people to help you in times of need. You don't need to do everything alone and on your own.
Now, in my case, in the middle of my crazy weight loss journey, I lost my Mom to Ovarian Cancer. My Mom was my best friend, my strength, my rock, my comforter, my guide, and my security. My Mom was the one who kept me going and she was always there for me in times of need, and she always knew how to help me through the toughest of situations. And then when I went through a crazy and tough situation, and didn't have her to immediately turn to in that situation. I felt lost, insecure, scared, and just unsure of what to do. I felt alone. And I fell to telling the people I was around most of the time to help me, my coworkers. Now, the ones I turned to were the ones I loved and trusted the most and felt could help me the most. But now, I kind of regret it, I feel like I dragged them into a mess they didn't deserve to be dragged into. And I feel awful about it. I did turn to my family as well, as they are always so loving and supportive, and they have been amazing. But I still struggled because it wasn't the same as having my Mom who was always readily available to me. And I feel that is where my anxiety kind of ended up coming into play. I was so insecure that it just made me anxious. And have I come to realize that maybe I didn't quite deal with everything I should have dealt with mentally when my Mom passed away, and now I am learning this things and dealing with them and figuring them out.
Lastly, because I went through such a big change and things were going so good for me, when things started to fall apart around me, I didn't know how to handle it. Before, as an overweight person, I was pretty much invisible and I felt it was easier for me to hide struggles because I could just mask it with the fact I was overweight. But now being a normal person who people notice, I felt like I had a harder time with dealing with struggles. I desperately tried to put on a mask and hide it, but couldn't. I lost control of myself not sure how to handle a tough situation as "normal" person and also without my Mom to help me and guide me. I have come to learn that I have become so insecure and I am having to learn how to be a "normal" sized person and not a "fat" person. And I never realized any of it until life got crazy and I was dealing with tough stuff. Now I am learning how to process all this and work through all this a little at a time, and it isn't easy, but I am doing it and getting through it. And right now, I am feeling so much better about myself. Better than I have in a couple of months.
So, overall, as you go through your own weight loss journey, be sure to work not only your physical health along the way in your journey, but on your mental health, too. It is a huge change going from being an obese person to being a healthy person. And when you go through such a huge change in life, it messes with your brain and your mental health. So, be sure to work through things, and process things. See a counselor or pastor or something along those lines. For me, personally, I have been also diving deeper in God's word and working on bettering my faith and relying more on God and rededicating myself, so to speak. Because, for me, my faith is what helps me the most in processing and handling these different aspects of my mental health. I also have been getting counseling and attending my bariatric support group, as well, which helps a lot. In this last month alone, I have been feeling so much better about myself moving forward, mentally. I am by no means perfect yet, but I am getting there, a little at a time. So to all of you who may be going through a crazy weight loss journey, don't forget about your mental health while on the journey. You certainly don't want to lose sight of yourself and who you are. Because that is what was kind of happening with me. And I am now working to get myself back. Work hard not just physically, but also mentally! God Bless you on your own journey to better health!
First things first, you learn things about yourself that you never knew before. When you go from being a very over weight person, who can't hardly do anything and sometimes can't even do things for yourself, to being a normal healthy person that can do anything you want without any help, it's a huge mental change. Suddenly you find yourself not ever wanting to sit or take it easy, you want to be busy and doing things and being active. You also find yourself never wanting to ask for help because now that you can do things for yourself, you want to do them for yourself. For me, I had to learn that sometimes you do have to take it easy in life and relax a little. And I also had to learn that it is still ok to ask for help and for people to help you in times of need. You don't need to do everything alone and on your own.
Now, in my case, in the middle of my crazy weight loss journey, I lost my Mom to Ovarian Cancer. My Mom was my best friend, my strength, my rock, my comforter, my guide, and my security. My Mom was the one who kept me going and she was always there for me in times of need, and she always knew how to help me through the toughest of situations. And then when I went through a crazy and tough situation, and didn't have her to immediately turn to in that situation. I felt lost, insecure, scared, and just unsure of what to do. I felt alone. And I fell to telling the people I was around most of the time to help me, my coworkers. Now, the ones I turned to were the ones I loved and trusted the most and felt could help me the most. But now, I kind of regret it, I feel like I dragged them into a mess they didn't deserve to be dragged into. And I feel awful about it. I did turn to my family as well, as they are always so loving and supportive, and they have been amazing. But I still struggled because it wasn't the same as having my Mom who was always readily available to me. And I feel that is where my anxiety kind of ended up coming into play. I was so insecure that it just made me anxious. And have I come to realize that maybe I didn't quite deal with everything I should have dealt with mentally when my Mom passed away, and now I am learning this things and dealing with them and figuring them out.
Lastly, because I went through such a big change and things were going so good for me, when things started to fall apart around me, I didn't know how to handle it. Before, as an overweight person, I was pretty much invisible and I felt it was easier for me to hide struggles because I could just mask it with the fact I was overweight. But now being a normal person who people notice, I felt like I had a harder time with dealing with struggles. I desperately tried to put on a mask and hide it, but couldn't. I lost control of myself not sure how to handle a tough situation as "normal" person and also without my Mom to help me and guide me. I have come to learn that I have become so insecure and I am having to learn how to be a "normal" sized person and not a "fat" person. And I never realized any of it until life got crazy and I was dealing with tough stuff. Now I am learning how to process all this and work through all this a little at a time, and it isn't easy, but I am doing it and getting through it. And right now, I am feeling so much better about myself. Better than I have in a couple of months.
So, overall, as you go through your own weight loss journey, be sure to work not only your physical health along the way in your journey, but on your mental health, too. It is a huge change going from being an obese person to being a healthy person. And when you go through such a huge change in life, it messes with your brain and your mental health. So, be sure to work through things, and process things. See a counselor or pastor or something along those lines. For me, personally, I have been also diving deeper in God's word and working on bettering my faith and relying more on God and rededicating myself, so to speak. Because, for me, my faith is what helps me the most in processing and handling these different aspects of my mental health. I also have been getting counseling and attending my bariatric support group, as well, which helps a lot. In this last month alone, I have been feeling so much better about myself moving forward, mentally. I am by no means perfect yet, but I am getting there, a little at a time. So to all of you who may be going through a crazy weight loss journey, don't forget about your mental health while on the journey. You certainly don't want to lose sight of yourself and who you are. Because that is what was kind of happening with me. And I am now working to get myself back. Work hard not just physically, but also mentally! God Bless you on your own journey to better health!
Comments
Post a Comment