My journey with healing Eczema hasn’t been linear but then again no healing journey is. Healing from the root of any physical manifestation, in my opinion, is a life-long, daily commitment. Because even when the physical sensation and inflammation dissolves, the way you choose to alchemise and take the lessons forward into a new way of being will determine whether the symptoms stay at bay.
You will see I have mainly shared photos here and on my Instagram of my eyes. Whilst this was where the pain, inflammation and discomfort were hardest to manage (and where eczema first started to show), eczema went on to cover my whole body in patches.
So when did it begin for me?
I had eczema for a couple of years, mildly as a baby.
Over the 3/4 years, prior to this flare-up, I’d notice a tiny dot of eczema on my right eyelid whenever I was run down or my immune system was struggling. This become a sure sign I needed to slow down and I usually would, reducing eczema to nothing on the surface with a thin layer of Hydrocortisone from the Doctor. It was never really an issue.
In October 2021, shortly after I lost my four-legged best friend (which I believe there was an emotional link to), I had my first real flare-up of eczema. I had a remote appointment with the GP and they prescribed the same mild steroid cream that I already had and so I continued with a bit of that which kept it at bay. I did do a liver cleanse and started researching protocols to assist the liver and kidneys in detoxification and I implemented a lot more easy-to-digest nutrition. From this point, I would say I began managing my eczema, mainly on my right eye but now it was showing on both eyelids. I clearly had no motivation or interest in diving any deeper into the healing as I continued about my life and it wasn’t taking the reigns.
We only ever really stop when we are forced to, right?
Fast forward to, after 4 months of wildly magical travels through Guatemala, Hawaii, Mexico and LA, April and I found myself stepping into a pretty big new chapter of my life. I’d spent the previous 2 years healing heartbreak, taking a courageous step away from my identity and career as Where’s Mollie and retraining in Breathwork, Tantra-Kundalini Yoga and Sound facilitation. This had been a real emotional rollercoaster, a break from earning financially but really, a beautiful opportunity to reassess, realign and put a new foot forward.
As I stepped into 2022 I was ready to launch a brand new well-being platform, Adventuring Within, and I had just purchased my first home in Newquay Cornwall. I guess you could say the stress (albeit exciting too) of conversing with both solicitors and the tech team behind the Adventuring Within platform, was taking its toll. It was definitely all happening at once. True to my perfectionist tendencies, the launch was all hands on deck and I poured everything I had into the content and offerings.
In June 2022, not long after launching the business and stepping into my new home, the eczema I was previously managing well, stepped up and started to get worse.
This was when the momentum and inflammation began to ramp up and over the course of the next 5 months, eczema took over my body and with it, my emotions and mental health. I had 4 or 5 very bad flare ups and each forced me into total surrender and new lessons. It was like, everytime I thought I was getting on top of it my body would go ‘nope, nope you haven’t learnt all you need to yet, stay here a little longer’.
The 5 months that followed the first flare-up were the toughest 5 months of my life, asking me to call upon ALL of my resources, my practices, and my strength. At times I was completely numb, lifeless and done. Completely done.
After pouring endless amounts of time, money and patience into healing my eczema (and going around in many circles in the process) I finally feel like I am out of the darkness and I do feel I understand what it came here to teach me and show me.
At the time of writing this, November 2022, I would say the inflammation is down to < 5% across my whole body and my skin is regenerating very well. I am still seeing little areas become inflamed every now and them but I can see the direct link of the flare to emotional or physical stress and I can pretty quickly bring the inflammation right back down by not freaking out, stressing about it or continuing to overdo it emotionally or physically.
Easier said than done, I know. Every time I feel a sensation of eczema (tightness, itching or dryness), my mind gets drawn right back to the darkness, to the fear of it returning and it takes a lot of conscious work to rewrite those narratives and to bring trust and hope back in to lead the way.
In the next sections, I will share the things I tried (I’ll probably keep adding to this post as I remember) and I will share the things that worked best for me.
As I’m sure you already know, the root of Ezcema from one person to the next is so very different. My suggestions here are intended to be alternative suggestions and ways to approach your healing should you be feeling lost and unsure of where to turn to next…
