Because of the Kirby Wellness Program, I Stopped Feeling So Alone and Found a New Way to Move Forward

Kirby Wellness Services

After 10 months of joining our Wellness Service at Kirby Medical Center, her health and happiness has shifted for the better. Take a look at her journey with us.

"When I started this program, I was as heavy as I had ever been. Covid and Isolation had not done me any favors. I had reached out to my physician as the last few months my health had begun to decline. I was on multiple medications now and I had real issues. Problems that felt like they were starting to take on a large presence in my life. I reached out at that moment because I had depression in the past and I knew I was slipping in to a dark place. I was overwhelmed with life’s daily tasks which even at the time that felt pretty ridiculous. I mean who struggles to make a grocery list or getting out of bed on time. Either way I knew I needed help. I was aware I was in a prison of my own making, but I had no idea what I needed to do or where to start. What I expressed to my physician was “I am unhealthy, I feel bad most days and I want to get this weight off”. I was looking for the magic pill to set my path straight, to make things easier. I needed energy to change. Losing the weight seemed like the most logic place to put blame. What I could not say to the doctor, to my friends, or to myself was that I have trauma, I don’t process well under stress, I am consumed with thoughts of food and overwhelmed every time I eat. I hate my body and I feel anxiety daily. I feel lost. I have nowhere to go to get the answers. I can’t articulate what all this feels like when I am asked what is wrong. My mind swims with all the things I could do and I feel incapable of taking action. I feel shame for how I look. I hide my feeling under these layers of pounds. I blame myself for every bite. It still hard to write a bit of that, and it will be always I think, but my daily life is easier. To be clear, this program was not a quick fix to weight loss. Instead, it was skill building, cheerleading, and information about myself. It was a slow reveal of my truest concerns and issues revealed in a way that felt manageable. I began to connect the dots of what I was actually experiencing and how that was affecting me physically. I stopped feeling so alone. I stopped blaming myself long enough to see a new way forward. I started changing behaviors slowly and setting up a framework for my life that feels measured and actionable. I can self-correct my path. I know what makes me binge and why. I ask the right questions now. I understand the connection I have with my body and I have learned to be kind. My self-talk is positive and empowering. To be honest, it still feels new and slightly unpracticed and I am still a little nervous to share my new freedom... but I feel it. I am no longer trapped because I am no longer disconnected to the pain of my past or the presence of my body at what ever size it needs to be."

The wellness service shifts the focus from weight loss to health promoting behaviors. You can be healthier today at any weight through nourishing food choices, daily activity, quality sleep, stress management, supportive social relationships, and more!

The KMC Wellness Service is open to communities served at no cost. For more information, please talk to your primary care provider and call 217-762-1570.