What if thyroid antibodies become elevated as we hold stress for others? It’s one of the many questions I explore in my soon-to-release new book Helpers with Hashimotos. My inspiration was my clients and colleagues over the years. And of course my own journey to find answers. Clients were coming to my office with thyroid problems, anxiety, and depression, in some ways paralleling my own personal journey with Hashimoto’s. Then a fellow helper shared that her antibodies climbed dramatically while she was doing her own trauma healing work and a lightbulb went off.
Is it possible that our vicarious trauma and holding of space for others as professional helpers is adding to our risks for developing a thyroid condition? Is one of the ways this shows up in our body increased inflammation and antibodies? Is this adding to why 1 in 8 people have a thyroid condition, including 1 in every 5 women?
So many questions and not enough answers! Yet it all starts to make sense when we think about caregivers, called to helping professions, who put on the superhero cape daily at the risk of their own compassion fatigue and burnout. Becoming an Emotional Valet for others. What’s the cost? An increase in thyroid antibodies and resulting thyroid diagnoses in helping professionals, I suspect.
Intrigued? I’m excited to share more later this year in Helpers with Hashimotos: The Rise of Thyroid Conditions in Professional Helpers and What We Can Do About It. Exploring a relationship between helpers and thyroid conditions, it’s time to embrace strategies to get us back to wellness so we can continue to do what we love!