Photo from my trip to Northern California last November
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to share first in my series, but as I started thinking over all the possibilities I realized that I could share some insights that everyone can relate to… and a topic that has come up frequently in my conversations: our instincts, those physical impulses we have including that “gut feeling”. I believe there are cues that we, as civilized and modern people, have learned to subdue. They’re still there, but our rational thinking tunes them out. I find that as the demands of the modern day increase, people are building up more and more pressure, more and more rules… to survive. People are told that if they can’t handle it, then they must live in the misery of non-stop stress. Yes, there are moments when we thrive off stress, like when we take a risk. That’s when our adrenaline kicks in. However, if adrenaline is constantly being surged through your body, eventually this chemical becomes depleted. Some people can take it longer than others, but we are all human and no one is invincible. Eventually the price of long-term stress is payed.
That’s when immune boosting foods and habits come to the rescue!
It’s funny though… people living in modern societies are constantly in an effort to prolong life, lose weight, be super healthy! The information is very interesting, but I think many wisdoms can be learned if we just slow down and reconnect. Reconnect to the rhythms and cycles of life that echo through everything in the world around us. The more pressure we build up, the more complicated our situation becomes to get out of. Personally, I’m a “respond to warning signs/flashing sirens” kind of person because deep inside I don’t want to explode. I’ve heard some say “well, I’m so far gone and I simply can’t step out of the life I’m living.” Try taking a step back into reality and living it. That is… to be present. That’s why I decided to become a holistic health coach: so that I can support people to feel whole again, to reignite their human potential by making changes that benefit them in a profound way. Having battled my personal demons through adopting sound behaviors and thoughts, eventually growing to a point where I got back in touch with my essential self, I believe that every person has the ability to do this.
I often feel like I was given a map when I was born, and I’m–for the most part–following it. My mother would tell me that I was born with a star… whatever it is, I know that I’m making my way towards something–like a monarch butterfly migrating back to where it came from. Sometimes I want to take a shortcut, and there have been times when I didn’t want to go on with the journey. Sometimes I wanted to call it quits and say “game over.” That’s what I find so interesting about the human experience: most of us have some guiding force–something that moves us to keep living. I just hope that people don’t get so overwhelmed with the modern world, that they shut off and become the living dead.
Lately I ‘ve been reflecting on various things in my life, almost as if I’m finally realizing everything that’s been going on over the past half year. That could also be because the calendar year is ending. Either way, I’ll be going to Florida this week for a bit (but not disappearing) and I’m taking it as time to work on balancing myself as I decided to go off the pill again, and to spend the holidays with my family of course! This time, however, I’m going to incorporate holistic medicine into my life. After all, I am studying to be a holistic health coach! Last time I went off the pill I just went off without doing anything about my hormone levels. I think even just getting them tested would help guide me towards how I should approach my health. So far I’ve been incorporating gentle hatha yoga into my nightly routine to help lower my stress. Since I stopped the pill I’ve been feeling physical anxiety. I remember that happening last time, so I’m trying to manage that and think positive. Think positive.
