So, last week I got poisoned by something. I narrowed it down to the following:
Sidebar: did anyone ever stop to think that you are literally bathing in sh*t in SE Asian (and other) countries? Random ironic thought I had upon exiting the shower.
Anyway, the point of this post (I’m very good at getting off track) is that I got pretty sick. I had gotten sick for an hour or two in Myanmar a few times, but now I’m going to file that with my stomach couldn’t handle their oily food. This, THIS was something special. This was legit food poisoning / Saigon squirts.
Yep, they call it Saigon squirts - similar to Bali belly or Montezuma’s Revenge. I had some definite bacteria in my stomach that my body was trying to get rid of stat. So much that it created a fever doing so, and I had no appetite for a good four days. I finally had succumbed to legit travelers diarrhea/food poisoning.
Not eating for four days, let’s say I lost a bit of weight. I looked tired, withdrawn, I could barely move and just wanted to sleep. It was a ton of fun, having just arrived in Hoi An. Not only that though - my mood took a 180 degree nose dive to hell. I’m not kidding you, my mood was horrendous.
I wanted to go home. I wondered why the heck I was traveling in the first place. I lamented about things and made everything everyone else’s fault. I was sad. Shit I feel like I became borderline depressed! I was not my usual self, let’s just say. I felt lost (well, I still feel a little lost but my outlook has changed).
As soon as I was able to eat something, my mood suddenly improved. I finally had enough energy to go for a swim at the beach. I met up with some fellow digital nomads. I made an effort to be social and suddenly life was glorious! I was traveling! I have worked for this for so long! I’m here, I’m alive!
So why the sudden turn around in mood? Sure, I’m sure being sick alone in a foreign country dampened my outlook somewhat (shout out to the amazing Lantana Hotel who took excellent care of me though).
But really - I wonder if I suddenly had some energy because I ate something. It wasn’t much, but I think suddenly getting some calories improved my overall outlook on life. I know that food affects so many things in life, and I feel as though that this turnaround was a prime example of that.
Sure, I meditated a ton during this process. I’m sure that helped. I allowed my feelings to just be and definitely sat with them for some time. I did yoga. I’m sure all of that helped, so I can’t really pinpoint exactly what prompted the turn around.
But it was amazing that as soon as I was able to eat a small amount at breakfast, I suddenly felt like a new me. And man, it was glorious.
Luckily, I get to explore more of this food = mind/body connection in Bali in a couple of weeks. I am headed back to Bali for a yoga teacher training (YTT), but I think it’s more than just that. I don’t even want to be a yoga teacher. I want to explore more of this mind/body/food connection and that will be done at the YTT.
I was originally a bit bummed I had something scheduled on this six month jaunt around the world, but the closer I get to the YTT, the more pumped I get. All of the reviews say you come out of this thing a changed person. I can’t wait.
It’s good to be back, guys.
*Cover photo taken while chatting with Aussies at a bar overlooking the river during my first night in Hoi An old town, pre-illness