Posted on

Discovering The Hidden Gift of Change

“The one constant in life is change”. It is an inevitable part of our experience. No-one is immune. Sometimes the changes are something that we have chosen, and sometimes life throws us some curveballs. The interesting thing about that is, regardless of wether we have instigated the change or not, our brains register anything unfamiliar as stress. Knowing that and understanding why this happens, can help us to be gentler on ourselves (and others).

The amygdala is a cluster of brain cells that determines whether a sound, image or body sensation is perceived as a threat. It is a primal part of our brain that exists to keep us safe. I like to think of it as my Meerkat friend, always on the lookout for anything that might cause me harm. The trouble is, that if we are experiencing something that is new for us, whether we are in physical danger or not, our brain perceives it as a potential problem and puts us on high alert (aka stressed!). The assumption it makes is that if you have experienced something before and survived, then it must be safe. In the absence of a similar enough experience for you to compare it with, it defaults to DANGER DANGER! This engages our central nervous system, which signals hormones preparing us to fight, take off at high speed or freeze. The process has the intention of prolonging our survival but there is a price to pay. If we are stressed over something that is not life threatening and is prolonged then, the consequences for us physically and emotionally are profound. Of course if our life is in danger there are parts of our bodies that become suddenly less important. Our energy is diverted to our arms and legs and away from body processes that are not considered necessary for our survival (eg: our digestive and reproductive systems!) You may feel always switched on and so have difficulty sleeping, have heart palpitations and difficulty digesting food. Over time these all conspire against your body, but you can take steps to reset this process. The key is to recognise it for what it is and prioritise your needs: relaxation, good quality nutrition, hydration and sleep.

How heightened our stress response is can depend on the area of our life that is affected. If the Big Five areas of life are altered – Health / Money / Career / Relationships / Spirituality, chances are we are really feeling it! And often changes can affect us on several of these fronts at once. Consider having a baby for a moment, no doubting that it affects the mother physically (changes in hormones, energy, body image and maybe even recovery from surgery), but also the areas of money, career and relationships may take a hit. No matter how wanted and loved the new baby is and how prepared and well set up the family are for the new addition – it is a lot to deal with.

The other thing to consider is, if your bucket is pretty full already (you have a lot going on, especially if you are processing grief), then it doesn’t take much to have you feeling overwhelmed. Things that you used to take in your stride may suddenly become a major issue for you. This is a time to be particularly gentle with yourself. Give yourself both the permission and time to process your feelings.

Another amazing way to help you to reset is to acknowledge the source of the stress. Name it. Ponder it. Is it possible that there is an opportunity to look at it from a different perspective? Can you identify an opportunity amidst the difficulty? Some great questions to ask yourself are “what would I like to be experiencing?”, “what is important about that for me?” and “what good things might happen as a result?” Answering these questions can help you to decide on an action to take. Taking action helps you to feel more in control and less at the mercy of the situation.

There is a silver lining to us feeling the pressures of life. Sometimes it can be the catalyst to make some much needed amendments to the way that we live life our life. An unexpected diagnosis could be just the prompt we needed to make our health a priority in our lives. If everything were to stay the same (stagnant) then we are not pushed to make changes. Can you consider that your circumstances are happening for you, rather than to you? Can you find a way to embrace change and even thank it for the lesson? Is t possible to find and focus on the blessings?

Don’t forget to reach out to others. You are not alone. Connect with somebody that you trust. Speak your truth. Allow yourself to feel vulnerable. Open yourself up to the possibility of new perspectives, new ways to solve problems, new ways to becoming more empowered and even transformed.

Posted on

In The Pursuit of Great Health – how small changes transformed my reality

I didn’t have the best start to life. Born a few weeks early with a whole in my heart and with compromised lung function, the medical team that surrounded me at birth din’t expect me to live. I was baptised on day one (just in case they were right). My mother was able to go home to the rest of my family while I was kept under the watchful eye of the hospital staff for a few more weeks.

A chest x-ray at age 5 confirmed that my heart had healed, however my lungs, although improved, were still a weakness. Simply catching a cold would usually develop into another bout of Bronchitis – with a persistant barking cough and wheezing often lasting all winter. Mum encouraged me into tap dancing which helped to keep me fit and improved my lung capacity, but forget joining a netball team with my friends. I simply couldn’t commit to a team – too many sick days and winters were always a challenge.

Fast forward to high school days and add a good measure of pre exam stress and hay fever started to become an issue for me. Severe symptoms now persisted throughout the spring and summer -swollen itchy eyes, sneezing and of course the familiar wheezing. During this era I was also struggling with my weight and an eating disorder. I felt held hostage by my physical limitations – often missing out on activities with my sporty friends. My GP at the time prescribed steroid injections – and as I was needle phobic, this became a great catalyst for me to search out alternatives to this treatment. It was during this time that I started reading books on healthy living – my first being Ultrahealth by Lesley Kenton. What a revelation! An American author, she wrote about water quality, the nutritional values of different foods (rather than simply calories), importance of exercise and other practises like skin brushing and detoxifying . A whole unfamiliar world opened up for me – starting my insatiable hunger for learning more about health and how my choices would affect my energy and wellbeing. I made small adjustments to my lifestyle and it made a small difference.

A few years later, as a young mother, newly divorced, my parents gave me a membership voucher for a local gym. This is undoubtedly the best gift I have ever received as this became another turning point in my life/health journey. Inspired by the energy and joy that my instructors oozed, I started learning to become a fitness trainer myself. I had found my passion! On a very limited budget at the time, our diet mostly consisted of home grown vegetables and affordable meat. No lemonade, sweets or cakes for us and very little dairy. These things were, out of necessity, only for special occasions. Although not exactly intentional, this did increase my vitality and stabilise my metabolism (which had been seriously compromised by previous dieting and self abuse). I started to look a lot healthier. However, my inhaler was constantly with me – ready to open those reluctant airways and it was needed often.

A move to the country to enter a new phase of my life with my new husband to be and a few more babies later, a busy life on the farm, still taking weekly fitness classes – my eating habits slipped. Now what I had considered “treats” were readily available. I also allowed the hustle and bustle of my life tempt me into sneaking more convenience foods into my pantry and my life (and the stomachs of our children!). Chicken nuggets were on the menu at least weekly, takeaways became common and few rides to town were completed without an icecream on the way home. My body started to let me know that something was amiss. I became more and more intolerant to cleaning chemicals, some foods (especially icecream) and I found out I was allergic to paracetamol. I started looking at greener cleaning products and reignited my interest in natural alternatives to drugs (I had been using essential oils since my 20s but had only a limited knowledge and supply).

Now in my late 30s, I started taking BandFit classes for Better Bods and the founder, Rachel, taught me an incredible amount about healthy eating and how to read ingredient labels on both food and skincare products. Thanks to her dietary advise and support I am now able to live symptom free from both Hayfever and Bronchitis, which I had previously considered a life sentence! And do you know what…the adjustments I made to the way I ate were not difficult at all. The biggest change I made was preparing and cooking our meals from scratch – using food as close to its natural state as possible. No more packet pasta meals or meals in a jar for us. I swapped margarine for butter and cooked in dripping rather than cooking oil (which I still can’t tolerate). We still had baking and pasta and bread – but these changes were enough to make an incredible difference. Interestingly, if we went away for a few days and I started eating out and grabbing convenience foods, the old familiar gasping for oxygen returned. Away at an airshow one year my symptoms got so severe that I had to borrow someone’s inhaler to get through the weekend.

The best part about making these adjustments to our diet…I had control and it was also improving the health of my family. One of our daughters had an allergy to strawberries and can now eat them again! I have become really good at making mental notes on which foods have a negative affect on my body – a skill that I think it is important for us to all develop. Everyone’s body and chemical makeup is unique – so there is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution for everyone.

Now, I am no saint when it comes to my nutrition. I still occasionally drink alcohol and if potato chips or chocolate enter our house, then I will partake (and often uncharacteristically will take more than my share!). My body keeps me in check – if I care enough to listen. As I have aged more symptoms (warning signs) have crept into my reality. In addition to the respiratory evidence, gout, candida/thrush, athletes foot and mouth ulcers are early indicators for me that I need to take stock of my choices.

I am still hungry for knowledge on how I can improve my physical reality. And now after so many years of “practise” and together with my study and learning of essential oils and emotional wellbeing that I use to help my friends and family, I am qualified to help anyone who feels ready to make positive change. If you are ready for positive transformation, then I would love to guide you towards a healthier, happier life – one baby step at a time.