My 10 Years with Eczema: 6 Things You Can Learn

 

By Harrison (Bio below)

I’m really happy to be featured on Jennifer’s blog today. I would like to share with you the lessons I learned about life when I had eczema. Let me introduce myself. I’m Harrison and I have had eczema since the age of 6. I developed this horrible skin disease and never grew out of it even when I got to high school. I prayed to God every night and hoped that he would help me grow out of it too. But I guess I wasn’t lucky enough. Until in the 10th grade of high school, the social consequences of having terribly scratchy, bleeding wounds had greatly reduced my self-esteem to the lowest point possible. I was very embarrassing when asked “jeez, what happened to your skin?” And, as you know, sweating can cause an itching frenzy, so having eczema also cut out any physical activities. It felt unfair when all I could do was sit back and watch my friends shoot hoops on the court. I hated my restricted life. I realized it was time, I had to get serious about getting rid of this skin problem.  It had to go. So I began hours of internet research on possible permanent treatments that were not steroid-related or overnight fixes.

I combined multiple resources together and developed my method. After a little over 6 months, I was free of eczema! After the past 10 years of struggling with this annoying, ugly, humiliating skin disease, I was finally free.

During those 10 years, I learned some lessons along the way. I’d like to share them with you.

1. I Learned to “Find a Way Around”  

Life Lessons from Eczema

Life Lessons from Eczema

  • When I was  younger, my eczema never really bothered me emotionally or made me self-conscious. I just accepted it as fate and thought it was normal, but a little unlucky.
  • This acceptance of fate forced me to find a way around my eczema. Eczema was a boulder in my way. I couldn’tt walk straight into it. I had to go around it.
  • Eczema forced me to change my passions and hobbies too. I used to love playing capture the flag in the summer wearing long track pants, but now I love sitting at home in air conditioning while wearing shorts and blogging away on my laptop.
  • Having eczema all these years made me realize you can’t really get “stuck” with a problem because every problem has a solution. What matters most is how hard you try to find a way around it.

2. It Helps Me Stay Calm

  • Stress, anger, anxiety and depression – all these emotional factors directly contribute to an increase in itching.
  • That meant the best option for my eczema was to stay calm at all times.
  • No matter how tense a situation could be, how infuriated or frustrated something made me, I learned to take deep breaths to relax my body and mind.
  • Eczema trained me to be calm.
  • If someone tries to quarrel with me or be provocative in any way, I can control my emotions. I learned to forgive others for not being able to do the same.
  • This ability to stay calm has given me a reputation for being kind and nice in social situations. It also helps me stay clear and alert at all times, as I must remember to stay calm.

3. I Developed Good Habits

  • Eczema has made me become accustomed to habits.
  • There are many habits I must follow because of eczema, such as putting on lotion and moisturizers after every shower and drinking my morning dose of apple cider vinegar (it has strong antimicrobial properties).
  • These habits helped me establish other habits that are useful in life such as; setting time schedules for my homework and entertainment.

4. I Learned to Compare and Contrast

  • Eczema really helped me measure how much a person can really do and achieve in life.
  • I envy people who have no life-restricting diseases, like I have. They can do a lot more things than I can because of my eczema.
  • I don’t understand people who are lazy, non-productive and time-wasting. I always thought if I were them, I could be more constructive and achieve a lot more than they could. But, unfortunately my skin disease disallows me from doing so.
  • I’m plagued with the thought: “Why can’t I be normal like them?”
  • This question has bothered me my entire life. It just isn’t fair. Why can others be so sloppy and sluggish and have no eczema but I work hard and still have this horrible skin disease?
  • I also learned to compare myself with people are who less fortunate than me, for example people who have cancer or disabilities. What if I was one of them? What if I was the one being disliked for procrastination? (I sometimes procrastinate too)

5. I Learned Patience, Hope and Persistence

  • Yes, I learned to have all three of these characteristics during my suffering from eczema.
  • In the first three months of my initial eczema recovery, I experienced what is called a healing crisis. It was a period of time where my body began to detoxify. A healing crisis is known to worsen eczema symptoms and it did.
  • My skin got so dry it hurt to move around. I could literally feel my crocodile-like skin being ripped apart as if I had stretched my body too far or fast.
  • I would have never passed through these 3 months, the worst in my life, without patience, hope and persistence.

6.  I Learned You are The One

  • No one knows me better than myself.
  • Doctors or medical professionals are certainly more knowledgeable than me in terms of medicine. But do they really care if I heal?
  • Sure, some doctors are in for healing patients – some even do charity.
  • But is there any one person in the world who will have the same burning desire to cure you, as an adult, as much as you do? No one.
  • Not even your family. (excluding babies who need parental care)
  • I’m not saying my family doesn’t care about me, but they have known about my eczema for 10 years and guess who found the solution in the end? Me.
  • You are the one who has to solve the mystery of your own eczema. No one else is responsible for it. There is no one to blame.
  • Cure your own eczema. Do your work. Just like I did.

Read here what Harrison learned from having eczema for 10 years! @eczemacompany

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What You Should Learn From My 10 Years

Let me simplify what I learned during my 10 years of suffering through eczema.

1.     Learn to find a way around problems. Being stuck isn’t an option. All problems come with a solution.
2.     Learn to have constant awareness and be able to stay calm at all times. Deep breaths.
3.     Learn to develop and follow habits.
4.     Learn to make comparisons to your advantage. If someone doesn’t deserve something, work hard to surpass them. If you don’t deserve something, work hard to prove that you do.
5.     Have patience, hope and persistence. Don’t give up on anything unless you know for sure it’s going in the wrong direction. There’s a line between belief and being stubborn.
6.     You are the one. Everything happening with you and around you, depends on you. Make your own decisions and changes.
After these 10 years, I may have missed out on lots of fun activities and games I could have enjoyed if I didn’t have eczema, but in return I learned a great many things about life. Overall, if I could choose to live those 10 years again with or without eczema…
I would choose my itchy little world. 😉

Without those 10 years, I would never have become what I am today.

Harrison

Harrison

Bio: Harrison Li suffered from eczema for 10 years but he cured it in 2013. He started Cure Eczema Slowly to help eczema sufferers around the world eliminate this skin disease. His upcoming book will teach people to heal eczema slowly and naturally. You can see him on YouTube or  follow him on Twitter.

11 Comments

  1. Courtney on March 18, 2014 at 4:59 pm

    You said it perfectly– WISE BEYOND HIS YEARS!! Had I had his mentality at age 16, I would have suffered a lot less. I almost didn’t pass 9th grade b/c of missing so much school due to eczema flares, and I know my stressing about it was only making it worse. What an incredible, inspiring young man! I applaud you, Harrison!!

    • Harrison on March 28, 2014 at 10:27 am

      Thanks for your kind words Courtney 🙂

  2. The Allergista on March 20, 2014 at 10:30 am

    Love it 🙂

  3. Aunna on March 22, 2014 at 3:49 pm

    This is very helpful! I have had Eczema since I was an infant, and I’m always looking for useful tools and suggestions from fellow sufferers. Good luck with everything!!

    • Jennifer on March 25, 2014 at 8:47 am

      Thank you Aunna! I wish you the best with your eczema.

  4. Selina on April 4, 2014 at 7:03 am

    Wise words, glad Harrison is in control 🙂 . It really is true, you know your own body more than anyone and we can’t take a back seat with eczema unfortunately!

    • Harrison on April 9, 2014 at 10:55 am

      Thanks, yeah exactly 🙂

  5. Mi on September 15, 2015 at 5:18 am

    Hi i just want to thank you harrison li for giving such effort for this wonderful research of yours. i want to share my story before i had found your site.

    I had nummular eczema, that’s what my doctor said, and i guess you’re right about the genes thingy coz in my dad’s side, they kinda have these skin diseases and I’m the unfortunate one to have it in my fam out of my four siblings. It was devastating to have this kind of disease, It started when i was 17 til i got 21, i suffered insecurities, had low self esteem coz i can’t wear short shorts and skirts. and people asking me what had happened to me. We went in diff hospitals, dermatologist, allergologist etc. and same happens, they prescribe steroids but eventually the itchiness and swollen scars always came back when i started to stop using steroids. My mom almost gave up on me until i found your book. I followed the steps and everything it says, i did have the eczema outbreak after not using steroids about a week and i had steroid withdrawal . after a month my scars were not swollen anymore and the itchiness were gone, so now i’m still following your advice, i’m still recovering.

    So i would like to thank you for everything and I pray for many people who are eczema sufferer that they may find this wonderful site.

    Godbless!

  6. Rayhana on November 19, 2017 at 6:27 am

    I have also had eczema for 10 years now and it still has not gone away.i am still young though because I’m not even 13 yet.lately I have been going through depression because my eczema is really severe and it hasn’t gone away.usually I don’t do PE because sometimes I can’t move a lot and whenever my classmates ask why I just say I don’t want to because I don’t like talking about it.i always wear long sleeves because I don’t like people seeing my arms.thank you Harrison for sharing these tips with me.im sure I can come to except myself soon

    • Jennifer Roberge on November 22, 2017 at 8:05 am

      Hi Rayhana – Thank you for your comment. I’m very sorry to hear how difficult your skin is for you. I encourage you to reach out to local or online support groups to connect with other people going through more severe eczema. You are not alone!

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