Honoring Your Story Throughout September

This is my 6th September since being diagnosed in 2017, my 6th Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Here's what I want you to know if you're ending the month, wondering if you did enough: Yes, you did what you wanted/needed to do and that is always enough!

Our differences make us stronger

There are those in the ovarian survivor community who meet September head-on, with gusto, saying 'yes' to every opportunity to share their story.  They do this because this is what they choose to do for our awareness month, it doesn't mean that it is what YOU should be doing.  Each of us is different, each of us has our own sweet spot that we thrive in, and some of us choose not to share at all - whatever your choice is, it's more than okay.

In society in general we tend to get caught up in the comparison cycle.  Just because another survivor went all out, doesn't mean you need to OR that you didn't do enough.  And guess what, they're not for one second thinking that you didn't do enough.  All that each of us wants is for all of our teal sisters to find themselves honoring what it is that they may need at any given point in time.

Don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself

I find myself this year not feeling all of the pressure that I may have in the past - sharing what I wanted to share when I wanted to share and realizing that in my '30 Days of Teal' posts that if I missed one day, it wasn't going to be the end of the world.  I didn't beat myself up about it because life happens and sometimes we forget.  I've also noticed I'm not as exhausted as I have been in the past - it's because I honored what I needed vs. wondering if they noticed I didn't share any other survivor's story on my feed this year, did they wonder why I wasn't on-air as much as I have been in the past or why I didn't come to the Survivor's Teaching Students session that I've always made work with my schedule prior.  It wasn't because I cared any less, it was because I acknowledged early on that however things played out for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, it was going to be enough.

Remember, you are enough as you are

So, YOU reading this did enough.  You survived.  You thrived.  You honored what was best for YOU.  And not one of your other ovarian cancer survivors second guess the capacity to which you chose to show up in September, even if it was in a way that only you were able to see.  From one teal sister to another, you are enough and the ways you show up post-diagnosis is always enough.