How It All Started…

Hello, my name is Okema Chevoneese Shields (OCS). OCS: Wellbeing was born in February 2020 when I decided to fully immerse myself in my personal wellbeing journey. I started by submitting a resignation letter for a new role I had only been in for 3 weeks, because I knew it was going to affect me in some way. I wasn’t in a good place mentally and It was the peak of winter (seasonal affective disorder is real!), so my chronic pain was flaring up. I was born in Jamaica with a condition on my left hand called Macrodactyly. This includes two enlarged fingers, one of which was removed in my childhood when I migrated to England. This defect also includes a trapped nerve that lead to sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome. I also have excess scar tissue in the palm of my hand which contributes towards my pain levels.

I know there is a lot going on for one hand but I consider myself blessed. My Mother didn’t treat me any differently growing up, so I was able to lead a ‘normal’ life and adapt around it. I combed my younger siblings hair, learnt to drive a manual car, I have studied up to MSc Level, I can cook, clean, be creative and grip life with both hands (kind of, ha!) so it hasn’t affected me much. This condition does also present on the feet. Therefore, I consider myself fortunate, because I can still wear cute sandals and my small feet grants me access to child sized (less expensive) shoes :).

As well as Macrodactyly, I am under investigation for endometriosis. Over the last 5 years I have been experiencing excruciating pelvic pain. The doctors identified two tiny fibroids, but still no explanation for the dreadful periods and random shooting pains I experience. I don’t know which pain is worse; when I have a flare-up with my hand I am unable to do anything for up to two weeks. The pain is so unbearable I can’t concentrate. Pain medication doesn’t work, so I sleep or distract myself with music and games on my tablet. The pelvic pain is debilitating, because I literally cannot move. I take ibuprofen and co-dydramol and it provides some relief, but I am still left feeling sore and uncomfortable. Believe it or not, I don’t like the idea of pills. I’ve always thought it masks the problem and I don’t know what long term effects they are creating in my body… combined with the fact that I struggle to physically swallow them.

This is the reason why I focus on holistic treatments. I was previously employed as a wellbeing practitioner, teaching people how to take care of their wellbeing by incorporating preventative mental health measures. It wasn’t until I left that role, that I realised I wasn’t effectively practicing what I preached. So I resigned from my ‘new role’ and embarked on my own wellbeing journey. I told myself I wouldn’t go back to employment until the next tax year, so I had two to three months to focus on me.

It was the best thing I ever did! I started to practice mindfulness daily. I exercised and practiced writing in my gratitude journal daily. I changed my relationship with food and gradually only ate plant based food whilst intermittently fasting. I also set routine goals and targets to keep myself busy and my brain ticking. I bumped up the amount of self-care I included in my daily schedule and readjusted the information I fed my brain.

My loved ones couldn’t believe I was the same person. I was glowing; my stress levels had decreased, almost eliminating my pain levels! I lost weight and felt so much more positive and focused on myself. This changed my approach to relationships, boundaries and embarking on a new role. Of course life does still happen (i.e. COVID-19) but I’m a lot happier. My mental and physical health is at the best they have ever been. I am managing my conditions a lot better with daily life. I can genuinely say despite the current circumstances of 2020, my quality of life has improved and this is one of my best years yet.

This is why I’ve decided to use my personal experience combined with my skills and expertise to help others feel the way I have been feeling lately. My vision is to influence people, so that they embark on their own wellbeing journey with support from my wellbeing platform. Thank you for reading! <3

“Sometimes bad things have to happen, before good things can be discovered”

~ Okema