Repeat after me.....
“I feel safe in the rhythm and flow of ever-changing life.” ~Louise Hay
One more time….
“I feel safe in the rhythm and flow of ever-changing life.”
Or perhaps this one resonates with you more…..
“I am at home in my body. All is well.” ~Louise Hay
Happy Friday everyone! Over the past few weeks I’ve been juggling. I’m back at work full-time (Yay! Can I just say how great it feels to be back working again!), shuffling my son all over the place due to no school, camp or daycare options (but i’m happy to say I’ve locked up a great babysitter…which is a huge stressor eliminated from my list), attempting to keep up with homeschooling and still trying to maintain all my regular duties of home life: cooking, cleaning and maintaining the house. Parents, can we all take a moment to acknowledge the weight of everything that’s fallen on our shoulders?!?! It’s A LOT!
These past two weeks being back in the office, seeing patients again, getting my hands on spines and connecting with my patients I’ve noticed an underlying theme. FEAR. There are still a lot of unknown’s when it comes to our current situation. We really are just uncovering the true facts about the virus, how the virus is spread, who’s at risk and how to properly protect ourselves. Now add to that the world slowly opening up again, which means getting back to some normalcies like leaving the house, small social gatherings (from a distance of course) and visits to your chiropractor. :) And that can be a lot for the mind to process.
When we live in a state of fear it has a big impact on our body, how it feels and how it functions. Fear activates our stress response in the body. Our whole body adapts and changes all the way down to the individual cellular level when we are stressed. Toxins can’t get out, nutrients can’t get in, it sets our body into a cytokine storm….. our immune system goes awry and the inflammatory response in the body elevates. All things that break down the body instead of building it up.
It’s totally normal to have times when you feel unsure and scared about what is going on. We are human after all. But the amazing thing is there are lot of things we can do to help our body cope, calm down and reduce the negative effects stress can have on our body. Here are a few things that top my list:
Positive Affirmations
I started this blog post with some positive affirmations from one of my favourite authors. Louise Hay. She has some amazing books, “You Can Heal Your Life” is one of my favourites. Our mind and in turn, our thoughts are powerful. Find a positive affirmation that feels right for you. Repeat it over and over and over again.
“We become what we think about.”~Earl Nightengale
Get Outside
Nature is healing. I’ve been doing a lot of gardening durning my time away from the office. I have a pretty amazing garden growing this year, a combination of veggies (kale, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, yellow beans, raspberries, cucumbers, herbs) and flowers. There’s something grounding about getting outside, breathing the fresh air, soaking up the sunshine, boosting your Vitamin D levels and getting your hands in the dirt ( I garden without gloves on purpose!).
Get Adjusted
Your spine function affects your brain function. Read that again. Your spine function affects your brain function. Your brain health depends on a healthy spine, the two are interconnected. A few years ago a really exciting chiropractic research study was published. Researchers found that a chiropractic adjustment had the ability to stimulate brain activity by 20%. The area that was stimulated is called the Prefrontal Cortex which contributes to a wide variety of executive functions-impulse control, emotional control, flexible thinking, working memory, self-monitoring, planning & prioritizing, task inhibition and organization. When the prefrontal cortex is activated it dampens another area in the brain called the Limbic System. Why is that important? The limbic system is involved in our inflammatory response in the body. Inflammation can be tied to almost every disease process in the body. Getting adjusted has the ability to dampen your inflammatory response….think about how powerful that can be for the whole body!
When you’re feeling a little overwhelmed or stressed out, try and incorporate one of these strategies into your routine. I think you will be pleasantly surprised on how powerful they can be!