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Jocelyn Bystrom
I struggle with prioritizing my health. It's a struggle, plain and simple.
Slowly, I'm learning to spark transparent conversations about my emotional, spiritual, relationship, physical and mental health.
Everyone one of us is on the mental health continuum. Some days all is well and other days, the wheels are falling of the bus. Most days we're somewhere in between.
I consider myself a passionate, driven, career-oriented, workaholic, who when a career was unexpectedly swept away buried my grief rather than seeking support to help me discharge pent up emotion.
In time, childhood strategies, which had served me well, were no longer functional and my body kept score of traumatic incidents and unresolved grief.
For seven years, I experienced severe, complex physical trauma that a team of neurologists had a difficult time figuring out. Only, when I was completely incapacitated with daily seizures lasting between10-30 minutes in length, and up to eight in a single day, did I finally end up in a seizures investigation unit.
Diagnosed with Functional Neurologic Disorder (FND) in February 2021, it was time to face exploring my past and to seek support. I needed to reflect on the baggage I was carrying and strategies that no longer served me well.
This confident, perfectionist was brought to her knees by unresolved loss and grief. Finally, with the clarity of a diagnosis, I'd known, it was time. I reached out, called out and prayed asking for help. I finally chose to prioritize my health, knowing I was worthy, enough, and deserved the support I required. I've surrendered to my imperfection and am getting comfortable in my own skin.
Now, on the road to wellness, I've had my story published by Stone Tiger Books, New York. FiNDing Hope is available on Amazon, and I'm preparing to write a second books in 2024, which will tell the unfolding saga of navigating life, work and health with after an FND diagnosis. I've successfully learned to prioritize my health and wellbeing, returned to a career that I'm passionate about and living a joyful life with gratitude.
FiNDing Hope:
The Mind-Body Connection & Importance of Being Seen and Heard, Stone Tiger Books, New York, October 2023. Available Now on Amazon
FiNDing Hope, sits nicely on the bookstore shelf next to Bessel Van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score, or Megan Devine's, It's Okay that You're Not Okay. Both great books, that I'd recommend anyone check out.
I write to process my own health journey, as well as to support others who may be struggling in silence. Might you be walking in similar footwear: alone, struggling at work or looking in the mirror wondering:
"Who's going to speak for the girl in the mirror?
I am.
My name is Jocelyn Bystrom and I choose to speak up, reduce stigma and prioritize health & wellness.
Updated: September, 2024
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