Joy Is Medicine: A Mindset Guide To Chronic Epstein-Barr (EBV) Recovery

Something that I think doesn’t get talked about enough is the power of your mind and outlook when it comes to healing. We focus so much on nutrients, supplements, and treatment plans that we forget about the power of the mind. 

Your mind is such a powerful tool in your healing process. What you think will guide your actions, but they don’t just affect your outer life.

Your thoughts have an impact on how your body functions on the inside. Feeling good can reduce stress (a huge trigger for EBV!), increase endorphins, suppress stress hormones and increase the EBV-fighting activity of your immune cells. 

Joy is medicine.  

Those that have hope, confidence, inner strength, support and a reason to get better are the ones who are successful in overcoming EBV or any illness. 

These people believe it’s possible to get better, are confident in their capability to heal, draw on their inner strength, lean on their support network and have a strong “why” for healing. They don’t let the illness keep them down. 

But how can you get there? How can you cultivate a positive outlook when you’re dealing with something as debilitating as EBV?

You have to choose it. You have to take responsibility.  

You can start feeling joy no matter where you’re at now. Make it a part of your healing plan. 

If you’re not used to feeling joy, it might feel strange and unnatural at first. You might feel like you’re faking it, but keep going. The more you practice, the more natural it’ll feel. It’s something that needs to be worked on everyday until it becomes a habit. 

Be aware that you may feel stuck and like you don’t know how to feel more positive. Based on what you’ve been through, you have a happiness set point where you feel comfortable. As you start feeling more happiness your mind might see this as scary and uncomfortable and you’ll self-sabotage in order to get back to your comfort zone. 

Notice if you don’t trust your happy feelings or feel like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. Your comfort zone can be changed but you have to be aware that it’s there. 

How You’re Holding Yourself Back 

Other people aren’t responsible for your joy. You are the only one responsible for your joy. Sure, people may do things that you don’t think are right and these things may affect you, but it’s up to you to decide how you’ll feel about this. When you rely on others to make you happy, you’re giving them power over your emotions. You’ll never learn to control your own emotions. You won’t be able to stay steady in different situations with people if you let them influence you so much. Take your emotional power back from anyone that you’ve given it to.

Just like people aren’t responsible for your happiness, your outer circumstances are also not responsible for your joy. It’s up to you how you choose to feel in a certain situation. If your feelings of happiness change depending on how your day is going or how well you think things are working out for you, then consider working on this one. Pause and ask yourself if you’re letting the outside world get to you. How can you shift your perspective right now?  

Your past experiences don’t prevent you from experiencing joy today. No matter what you’ve gone through, you can and do deserve to feel joy now. There is a part of you in there that wants to be happy, but is afraid of getting hurt. Don’t postpone joy till later. Give yourself permission to feel it now. 

You believe something is working against you. You might think “I’ll never get what I want”, “Something is blocking me from getting what I want”, “Other people get what they want, but I don’t.” You might think that you have no reason to feel happy because nothing is working out for you. But this puts you into victim mode where you feel helpless, scared, worried and depressed. You can’t change anything from this place. Focus on what’s working well for you right now and get into a place where you feel powerful and deserving. 

Getting stuck in a rut. It’s easy to fall into a routine because it simplifies our lives. We can get through our day without much thought. Doing things like this closes you off from openness, creativity and expansion. Look for ways you can shake up your routine, even doing something simple like eating something new for lunch is a good start. 

Not letting yourself dream big enough. That part of you that says “that’ll never happen” is not telling you the truth. It’s protecting you from getting out of your comfort zone where you might get hurt, but getting out of our comfort zone is how we grow. You deserve your big dreams! Letting your imagination run wild gets you into the feelings of hope and joy. 

9 Ways To Boost Your Joy

Practice Gratitude

This is a simple, effective way to shift your perspective to one of more optimism. When you look around and realize what you have, rather than what you lack, you reframe your situation and feel more hopeful and supported. Gratitude is a practice so the more you do it, the more benefit you’ll get. It becomes easier for you to see all you have. Nothing is too big or small to feel grateful for. 

Actively Look For The Good

We tend to focus so much more on the bad that we forget about the good. The bad seems more important, realistic and relevant. The good is just as relevant and real, though. You’re not denying the existence of the bad, you’re just also giving attention to what’s good. Which do you want to focus on? Which feels better in your body when you think about them? 

Negativity Detox

How often are you letting negative talk take over your life? If you find yourself complaining a lot, focus on the solution instead. If you find yourself worrying, realize that this does nothing for you but stress you out. It doesn’t solve your problem. If you find yourself criticizing, remember that we’re all going through something and give the benefit of the doubt. Have compassion for others and what they might be dealing with. 

Be a Source Of Joy

You can be a source of joy! Bring light into someone’s day today. Make someone’s day better, give a genuine compliment, give a hug, make someone laugh. People remember how we made them feel. 

Move Your Body

Exercise can move energy through your body and release mood elevating endorphins. If you’re on your EBV healing journey, choose gentle exercise and don’t overdo it. Try stretching, walking, tai chi, or dancing. 

Curate a Joy Journal

Collect pictures of people, pets or experiences that make you happy. Print them out and hang them up or go through your memories in your phone. Keep a journal and write down happy memories so you get to relive them and feel the happiness you felt back then. 

Create a Playlist

Music is a very effective way to get you into the feelings of hope, joy and happiness. Make a playlist of songs that uplift you or bring you back to a happy time in your life. You can make your own playlist or look up ready made lists on Spotify or Youtube. Listen to your songs daily or whenever you feel down. Bonus points if they make you dance!

Laugh and Play

As adults we get conditioned out of playing and take life very seriously. You may have forgotten how to play. Let your inner child out for a while through laughter and play. This will open your mind and let you see things in a new way.

Do Nothing

We have so many distractions today that it can be hard to connect to ourselves. Take 10-15 minutes per day and be still, connect with your body, and see how you feel and what you really want. You may even tap into inner guidance that can be hard for us to hear unless we’re quiet. 

You can do this with: 

Meditation

Repetitive motion like walking or swimming

Mindless activity like cleaning

Repetitive, soothing noise like waves, rain, or wind

Consider turning this time into a ritual and setting up a space to do this where you won’t be disturbed. Get comfortable, light a candle and tune into yourself. 

In Summary…

The often-overlooked role of mindset and emotional well-being plays a powerful part in healing, especially from illnesses like Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). Cultivating joy, hope, and a positive outlook can directly support the immune system and reduce stress, a major trigger for EBV. Common ways that people hold themselves back include not taking personal responsibility for their happiness, relying on external circumstances, staying in victim mentality, and getting stuck in rigid routines. Practical tips to boost joy include practicing gratitude, reducing negative talk, looking for the good, moving your body, laughing, making a music playlist, and spending quiet time reconnecting with yourself.

If you liked this post and found it helpful I'd love to know! Feel free to share this post with anyone who might like to read it. 

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Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time!

-Dr. Jamie 

Resources

Kines, K. (2018). The Epstein-Barr virus solution: The hidden undiagnosed epidemic of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune disease - how to heal and regain your life. Holistic Nutrition Press

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