Heal Naturally with These Simple Steps
In late 2018 I wrote down what would be the most important piece of information I could receive and acknowledge, it was that of healing one self. This practice has been sacred and one I take seriously because it has everything to do with not only how I show up in the world but most eminently to my loved ones that have to deal with me on a daily basis.
There are 9 things that one can do to heal physically, mentally, and spiritually. I'll list them and talk about my personal take on the matter.
(Now I'm beating myself up for writing this note down and not crediting the person I actually got it from, I listen to a lot of podcasts so I know this is out in the audio world somewhere. If anyone knows please let me know so I can credit the person).
For me the 9 bullets mean this: If I have the ability to tend to my mind, body and soul then I can show up as the best version of myself to my support system. Naturally this would trickle down to my endeavors like career, passions and money. This is what I have personally seen manifest from tuning into this practice.
Why is it important to take care of the mind, body, and soul first and foremost you might ask?
Well its simple. Lets take the mind for instance:
You can't give yourself to your friends and family if your mind is off in lala land because you’re thinking about the conversation you had with Tommy that pissed you off at work, or the business meeting that you haven't prepared for, or the fact that you haven't called your grandmother in over a month.
Our minds are so distracted with bullshit, we don't realize the heavy energy that we are carrying when we are around our loved ones, which makes us unpleasant to be around and ultimately unable to live in the present moment with those that are around us.
Letting go is crucial so that we can live a mentally happier and more satisfying life. I've learned that I have to make a concentrated effort to take a step back and identify if where i am focusing my energy deserves all of me.
Think about the consequences that we might face due to being in our head all day long:
We drain our energy giving little efforts to our friends, family, or physical health.
becoming short tempered and agitated around others.
consuming too much of our favorite comfort foods or beverages.
beating ourselves up about all of the things that we "should" be doing. Doesn't reading the above feel shitty?!
PRO TIP: STOP SHOULD-ING YOURSELF
If we train our brains to be less reactive and breathe through an issue it might not be as catastrophic as we are used to making them seem. The saying is true, "if it's not going to matter in 5 years, don't spend more than 5 minutes being upset about it."
Of the nine Healings powers two are physical things we need to do, radically changing our diet and using Herbs and supplements.
I'll start by saying that I am by no means a dietitian, herbalist or expert when it comes to diet and herbal medicine so please do your research. My purpose here is to acknowledge and give awareness to how these powers can help us radically change our lives.
If you live in California like I do we are in a constant state of GO! GO! GO! every minute counts. We eat in our cars, eat at our desks while we're working, we'll completely skip meals all together and the probability that were eating processed foods is high.
Something else that I never considered until recently is packaged foods. Perfect example is health bars, plant based bars and those labeled vegan and organic . I am the first to say that packages with these "healthy labels" are very attractive, but i recently started considering that packaged nutrition bars or meals must certainly require a certain chemical(s) so that the food would remain fresh. So are those the healthier options?! Just a thought.
Anyway, my point here is, pay attention to the foods that you are consuming. Be intentional with your diet, our body is literally a temple that keeps us moving and shaking, let's nurture it with more whole foods.
Take control and enjoy your time in the kitchen, this is the only way to really know what is being put in your food and how it is cooked. And if not at all possible, choose more nutritious options when eating out 🥲
You may also consider having a vegetable garden! It is the most rewarding thing you can do for yourself and your family; it is healing and gives purpose when you can watch your herbs and veggies grow. If you have kids this would be a perfect bonding experience. Your heart and your wallet will be happy! (you're welcome 😘)
Side note: We are human and there are yummy foods out there that we all crave... Im picking up In-N-Out in a bit for my podcasting team. SOooo Everything in moderation? Hmm...
"Taking control of your health"
Why does our health become our last priority? Do you ever find that you are pushing out your doctors appointments? or that shoulder ache that you have had for the last 5 years has become a part of your identity? (currently me) or that you're still bitter about the comment that Aunt Betty made about your physical appearance when you were 12 😬
Humans are really good at carrying around heavy baggage that we can do without, we've carried it so well we've been able to build it like a muscle. Im willing to bet that we would be much more pleasant to be around if we dealt with our physical and mental health.
Pay attention to those aches and pains physically and mentally so that you can start healing and building a happier life for yourself.
Story time! Childhood trauma... We all have it and it will look different for all individuals. For me it manifested into being over controlling, closed minded, defensive, victim mentality etc. etc. etc. which also lead to anxiety, insomnia among other things.
It wasn't until my mom was tired of my shit, she called me out, cried and apologized for anything she had done to turn me into an emotionless bitch ( she didn't actually say bitch, but she may as well have), and that I needed to start processing and letting go of my negative childhood experiences. It was then that I was able to take accountability for my awful character. This took a lot of awareness and looking inward to begin to unravel all of the years of trauma I had tucked away. Headaches became less and less, improved sleep, less anxiety, just felt clearer overall.
Taking control of your health and becoming this superstar healthy human doesn't happen overnight of course. You go the doctor, you seek treatment, and hopefully your body responds positively if not you keep going until you find something that works for you.
Life happens and there may be low points that set us back. Nonetheless, consistency and effort is key.
"Follow your intuition"
You may be one of those people that are well connected with your gut, so when you are in any environment you may immediately know whether you should be there or not. This may be even true about the risks you take, you follow your intuition and you're certain it will all work itself out.
Personally this has been the most unnatural process for me to channel. I have lived a life of strict planning, overachieving, and never coloring outside of the lines. This might be due to being the first born, societal expectations, and pleasing my parents.
Never tuning into my intuition, no free flowing, no creativity, little curiosity. It's been rough to accept and have had to do a lot of work for me to live in a sort of flow and explore state, but I've very much lived with blinders on. I talk about this a lot on my podcast On This Frequency and you may be able to relate, the Covid Pandemic really opened my eyes to a creative world that I so desperately needed. I started a podcast, this blog, a small business, practicing more yoga and studying to become a certified yoga instructor. Honestly, I wouldn't have done any of this had the fast life paused for a moment.
All of my creative endeavors seem like a lot and may have little to do with Intuition, but these activities have lead me to be an active listener of my mind and soul. Something that i did intuitively recently was quitting my job. I was so mentally thirsty for stimulation I couldn't bare going in another second. So when the opportunity presented itself, I decided to follow my intuition and leave the daily grind. I was scared, I had no plan, government benefits weren't going to cover me, but I knew I had to do it in order to change my path. I feel lucky and fortunate to have the support that allowed me to do this. I realize that not all have such opportunity, but if you work at it change can happen.
Don't waste another second and start listening to your intuition, you might find that you are not on the path or with the people you should be surrounding yourself with.
The first four that I've discussed above are absolutely screaming self love and care! I am extremely unapologetic about my self care routine, those boundaries are rooted very deeply at this point, but has been a process without a doubt. If I'm not in a good place physically and mentally I'm going to give my loved ones the crappiest version of myself. Take your priorities seriously, learn who or what is a safe space so you can show up when you are vulnerable.
RELEASING SUPPRESSED EMOTIONS AND INCREASING POSITIVE ONES
This is by no means easy, it takes a lot of vulnerability, awareness and intention. By far the scariest and hardest process for me to endure and let me start by saying this, its worth it, it gets easier and you'll feel better.
Releasing Suppressed Emotions
I sound like a broken record but ill say it again, the human experience is unique to all; the way we release our suppressed emotions is not going to look the same. When releasing be gentle with yourself, know that you are not alone, and know that you are strong and are worthy of positive feelings.
Now you must be thinking, "Where do I start?" ... Start where you are. Take a look inward by pretending you are looking at what has happened in the last few days, then the last few weeks and months. Who or what are you struggling with? why? is there blame? from who? is it valid? is it worth it? Can you take accountability for it?
A lot of releasing for me meant that I had to forgive. I forgave myself, my parents, everyone who hurt me whether it was intentional or not.
DISCLAIMER: this will likely bring in all of the waterworks... that's okay, cry it out... congrats you're releasing!
Increasing positive emotions
Have you ever heard yourself talk? what is your general outlook? Spend a few days listening to the conversations you have with people daily and notice how much of it was negative self talk, judgement, gossip, whining, complaining... straight up negative nancy narratives.
Don't judge yourself here, we all do it.
I had a friend that I had to stop hanging out with because anytime we would get together she was judging another friend, talking poorly about other people, questioning the intelligence of others, I use to join her in these conversations or giggle with her at the ridiculousness of it all, but I realized that wasn't the type of friend I needed around, and asked myself if she would say mean things about me when I wasn't around. I've removed myself a lot from this friendship, she's still around, i still care but from a distance.
We have the ability to turn the shallow conversations around with our friends and family. Its okay to challenge them I know I did. Overall, stay calm and have no expectations at the end of the day the only person you are trying to grow and evolve is yourself, but positivity is pretty contagious people will follow your lead on this, or not.. thats okay :)
A WORD ON POSITIVE MINDSETS
For whatever wild reason being negative comes so much easier, a positive outlook will take time and you will experience negative emotions and thoughts 😬
it doesn't make you a bad person it makes you human.
"Its just a bad day, not a bad life."
EMBRACING SOCIAL SUPPORT
I don't know if its the scorpio in me, my experiences, my stubbornness, the fact that im a woman or all of these. I do not let people in easy. But (note to self) it is important that we ALLOW people to support us. We need to be loved on and we shouldn't feel unworthy of it. Share your journey with those you trust, and believe that the universe is setting you up with people that have your best interest at heart.
With a baby coming into my life really soon this will truly be a test of how much I allow my friends and family to help me out... wish me luck!
DEEPENING YOUR SPIRITUAL CONNECTION
According to Psychology Today, "Spirituality means different things to different people. For some, it's primarily about a belief in God and active participation in organized religion. For others, it's about non-religious experiences that help them get in touch with their spiritual selves through quiet reflection, time in nature, private prayer, yoga, or meditation."
So with that I'll say, if you are not currently engaged with your spirituality... get in there! Whether its a bible passage a day, daily prayer, reflection etc. take time for your spirituality. I believe our soul craves this and it will help guide us through our life's purpose
The last of the 9 healing powers...
HAVE A STRONG REASON FOR LIVING
What is your why?
This can be exciting, if you are looking for your "why" its important to keep that positive mindset that i mentioned earlier because the "why" can become overwhelming. Society and culture tells us that we should follow a certain path and that will lead to happiness. Those expectations can be stressful and we might begin to question them or you may be enduring them with great excitement. If you know your "why" great! Tell that story and inspire others that are on the path to their "why"
If you are searching for your "why" get excited, don't ask for permission and give yourself grace whenever needed and know that you are evolving.
REMEMBER:
Just show up, obtaining these healing powers are not a walk in the park- don't devalue your abilities or your worthiness
TRUST THE PROCESS.
