Get calm with this flower

Albizia Flower is a Chinese herb that is used to help anxiety and promote calmness without drowsiness.  The way I take this is as a tincture and it is in an alcohol base.  I find it to work fairly instant and has been a wonderful thing to keep in my purse for any moment of uneasiness I may have.  

This flower is actually found on a tree that belongs in the Magnolia family and is known as the tree of happiness. 

Albizia is thought to enhance all aspects of neurotransmitter secretion and regulation. However, because of its blood-moving properties, it is contraindicated for use during pregnancy. I love and trust the Dragon Herbs brand and have included the link below.   

As the month of May nears the end, I still want to draw awareness to mental health and its various forms.  

Getting to the root of your Anxiety

Last week I began talking about Anxiety as a part of Mental Health Awareness month, I am continueing that with a more personal insight into how if affected me. 

I know when I started to get anxiety really bad I could trace back how it first began, kinda like stair steps up up up to the peak of a couple panic attacks. 

We had gone through some extreme financial loss right after having Addi and we picked up some but it got bad again once I was pregnant with charlie. My sense of security and stability was really rocked and I was in full on survival mode.  Figuring out how I could save what we still had (a house I wanted to have this second child in) grow my business to make more money, and of course continue to raise my almost 2 year old.   Charlie came out perfect but chose not to sleep at night.   two year old, business, not sleeping, my body began wearing down.  It started with headaches that I made into more than headaches (what if something is wrong with my brain). Which led me to feeling tired as I drove.  So then it popped into my head that I could fall asleep while driving with the kids, and that totally freaked me out.  Now, that had not come close to happening, but once I planted that thought....... it grew.  So in the car with the kids I would yawn all the time and be super anxious. We would stop somewhere and I would be fine.  If I was driving without the kids i was still tried but the worry of falling asleep wasn't there

                                            **I didn't care if I got hurt........ yes! :( *****

So as you can see, it started with stress and lack of sleeping and i allowed it to manifest to a brain issue and the possibility of wrecking my car with the kids in it.  I really just needed a nap.  I could have taken things to repair my adrenals but I was breastfeeding and many were not good for my milk production.  I did notice as he got older and did not solely depend on me for food that my body was able to have a little more recovery time.  I also began trying to talk about what was on my mind. All the things I was worried about in our home, how I felt I was failing as a mother, how I wish my business would have been growing faster.  As I got them out I released that tension and energy from my body.  I also began to look at my successes rather than my short comings.  

I began to understand what was happening, accept it not as me being weird but as something that was going on for me in this period of time and it would pass.   And it did.  I was able to do things to help my adrenals recover. When I chose to stop nursing he instantly slept through the night and so did I.   I also got better at asking for help.  

Anxiety does suck, panic attacks are the worst, BUT when you begin to understand the root you can begin to get yourself to a place where it/they do not control your life.  

Hang in there, it really does get better,

Mental Health Awareness Month

The month of may is mental health awareness month.  Since the beginning of my practice I have had many clients on anti depressants, anti anxiety and mental health medications.   I will not make light of mental illness but I do want to offer an alternative to the traditional model of counseling and prescriptions.  Counseling being a must if it is an aware therapist that does not want to just medicate. You have to be willing to get to the source and dark part of you that is causing this extreme uneasiness. 

There is a direct correlation between mood and the gut.  90% of our serotonin is housed around the gut and when the gut is compromised then so is our mood and ability to regulate it.  Once this begins to happen then we also find our adrenals being overworked. Once adrenal fatigue sets in then it really is kinda downhill from there. BUT there are ways of eating, food based supplements and herbs along with coping techniques that can aid in relief and also help to get your off of any prescription medication when the time is right. 

I have a personal story I will be sharing through out this education that has prompted me to create a program centered around anxiety relief.  I know it can be embarrassing to have anxiety or panic attacks and sometimes you have no clue they will come up.   I can assure you there are options and ways of coping that will get you down the right path. I have only had small amounts of anxiety creep up on me.  It has been 8 years since my last panic attack.  

I look forward to sharing with you this week and I would love for you to share, as you feel comfortable how anxiety has effected you and how you have chose to manage it (no judgement here) .

Eating for Pleasure

How often do you grab something to eat only for the purpose of satisfying a bad emotion?  Do you eat crap food after a crap day?  Pleasurable eating can be both healthy and enjoyable.  

We have to stop the cycle of rewarding our day negatively with negative food. Bad day at work, go home and have a drink or some wine.   Break up with your boyfriend/girlfriend eat ice cream.  We all have done it. But why?   because at the time it brought us some sort of emotional pleasure that took us away from the pain we were feeling.  If this is a one time thing, that is ok, if it continues daily it leads to being overweight and having health issues. 

We have to start understanding the root cause of our issues and not remedy them with food.  Stop for a moment when reaching for destructive food and say how will this serve my body. Will it help with what is bothering me?   If I do still want to have my favorite things in my life, how could I make them healthier for me.  

Be mindful and take care of your body,