Hack #1: The Power of Journaling 

You’ve all heard the cliché “you are what you eat,” and in some ways it’s true! Here is a short example…A farmer sprinkled paprika on his chickens’ feed, and the yolks came out red. This was not a problem for the farm-to-table chef; in fact, they did it on purpose. But it clearly demonstrates how frequently and grossly we overlook the impact our diets (often highly processed) have on our health since the effects may sometimes be less obvious. 

It is for this reason I have kept two types of food journals. One is a retrospective journal, meaning a record of adverse reactions or symptoms to something I ate. Usually the cause ended up being a poor food choice, but sometimes it was what I thought was a good choice at the time. Symptoms, such as increased fatigue or sluggishness, typically occurred up to 24 hours later, maybe a bit longer. Other times it could be a matter of months before an intolerance was noticed. 

Tip: This type of journaling I did by sending a quick email to myself that I could easily reference later. It helped me to make better decisions the next time about what to eat. 

The second type of journal is a proactive journal, inspired by The Wahl’s Protocol, which you can find in bookstores. Here I logged systematically what I ate every day and went in-depth on how I felt each day, quickly noticing higher levels of positive changes and more easily picking out the negative reactions to certain foods. This could include physical manifestations, mental clarity, or even moods and cravings. This was majorly helpful in reducing unwanted symptoms and the need for intervention. 

Over a lifetime, your body will require varying degrees of specific vitamins, minerals and so forth. And because of these changes, you can develop an intolerance to certain foods and even spices or ingredients in processed or boxed foods as an adult. The symptoms may be apparent right away, like GI issues, or you could experience an accumulation effect where the occurrence or worsening of symptoms of an existing physical or mental health condition present. So, it’s worth gaining clarity around what your current needs are and checking in with those needs regularly to better manage your quality of life.

Tip: Some notes are better than none, so don’t be discouraged if you forget to log. The more you do it, the more likely you are to see patterns and the easier it will become! 

Hack #2: The Whole-Person Approach

With a new sense of clarity, you can begin to customize a whole-person approach to your specific needs, both genetically and lifestyle based. Nutrition absolutely has to be semi-customized. Blanket recommendations are meant to be guidelines, but mainly are marketing tactics and, as you’ve probably recognized, a moving target. These are recommendations that the government and food or supplement companies can’t make for you because they don’t know you! 

This is very empowering because you get to own the trajectory of your health and how you feel each day! The more you practice this approach, the less you’ll fall victim to those marketing tactics designed to get you to buy a product. 

The foods you thought were healthy may disagree with you, like when I learned that I am mildly sensitive to the protein casein. Here I thought “protein is good,” but it goes deeper than that, as with most subjects in life. So, I encourage you to keep leveling-up your knowledge base as it relates to understanding how your body functions optimally when you put certain foods in it; kind of like your car requiring a certain type of fuel.

Tip: There are now at-home test kits where you can gain insight into your food sensitivities. Also consider consulting, even just annually, with a holistic nutritionist or an acupuncture specialist who is trained to take into account your whole person, major past and recent factors (that you may have overlooked), as well as lifestyle and goals. 

Hack #3: Awareness & Connections

Honing your awareness to the cues of your body is a practice and a process, and one that you will get better at over time. But I guarantee that you will unlock optimal living if you do this well. 

Recognizing bio feedback and changes in your body, mental state and emotional balance will require intentional focus, and the journaling can prompt you to tune in to these shifts. As you chart the patterns, you will make connections that you didn’t know where there. 

Inflammation is the source of many of the problems in the body, but it’s often hard to recognize. However, once you do, you can easily see how eating problematic foods can lead to discomfort or disease. You can also reverse discomfort and disease by overhauling your nutrition habits. 

I myself have been able to mitigate restless legs and neuropathy symptoms by tuning into my body and foods that aggravate my nerves. I also eat to support my nervous system and brain health since I am prone to symptoms like anxiety and depression. 

If you take away one thing, I want it to be this: Have the mindset to challenge the norm, the popular, the convenient or the easy. Pick just one of these and do it for seven days, and then 30, and so on. If you do, you’ll find your tribe and new habits that make it just as easy to eat and experience the extraordinary life you deserve! +

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From a young age I felt lonely. And I realized that if I was going to be with myself all the time, I would have to work to be as interesting as possible. It wasn’t until later that I would discover that I needed to work to not just intellectually or even comically enjoy my own character, but that I had to learn how to love myself.  This would open me up to being able to receive the love of others. 

Spoiler alert; it is a work in progress.

People talk a lot about building relationships as humans who are, in fact, pack animals. While this is true, and when you consciously accept this and actively work to adapt, you may feel less lonely—especially if you stop living by the “lone-wolf” mentality. However, something more powerful and less talked about is the love and the relationship we nurture within ourselves. 

Yes, our external relationships matter, but only if you view yourself as worthy to start with. 

You can only accept a compliment to the extent of which you believe it yourself. Otherwise you’re trying to fill a tank that has a hole in the bottom. People may shower you with compliments, praise you and even offer deep gratitude, but if you aren’t open to receiving, it will not register. 

Lack of self-love also blocks people from fully loving us—we ultimately want to love and be loved. Yet many people do feel as though they give more than they receive. The tricky thing is when partners are asked about it, each feels they are going above and beyond to show their affections towards their mates. Even when the mate doesn’t agree. 

I’ve had many deep conversations with people over the years, and have philosophically returned to the same point when analyzing our perceptions of love, both giving and receiving. It boils down to self-love and our sense of self. 

Allow me to share a story…I spent the better part of my life avoiding pregnancy for many reasons, but to keep a long story short, it wasn’t until I felt like I was “enough” did I welcome into the world a son that I birthed. I dodged the age-old question for any young female: “When are you going to have kids?” And often I replied with, “I’m not sure that I will.” I was on the fence, but it boiled down to my worthiness. 

Not only in these motherly roles does this show up in our lives, but also in our careers, being the “man of the house” or the caregiver to your aging parents, who we are as friends (especially as significant others) and any place we seek external validation, love and admiration—even from our pets. It all has to do with how we view ourselves throughout the different stages of our lives; the hats we wear. 

I will tell you that our body image is under this umbrella, but it’s a practice of its own. I spent 30+ years learning to love my body, and post-pregnancy, I sometimes feel like I’m back at square one. In reality, I’m not, but it certainly is a relearning and it’s a part of the whole. We have to view ourselves as whole beings and not fragments. 

We are actively merging these “selves” into a cohesive identity that we love; that others may love, and so that when we are so full of love, we can give but we cannot give what we do not have.

I was at a point in my personal journey of healing and conscious development where I finally reached a place that got to the root of my postponement in having a child. I finally felt worthy. I felt like I was enough and truly believed that all my fears were actually less likely to happen. I was “ready-ish.”  I say ready-ish because it was a “come-to-me” sort of situation, as in, I wasn’t forcing my way there. Sure enough, within a short period of time, baby Gavin made his presence known. 

Why do I share this intimate story with you? To show that even despite past experiences and worries weighing on you, we do have ownership over the choices we make and the beliefs we form. And that through (not around, or half way there but the whole way through) the process of loving ourselves comes the most unmeasurable amounts of sheer joy that one can ever experience—even if they had no idea they would enjoy it so much. 

My story about Gavin is just one of many reflections that the love we have for ourselves is manifested in our reality. The love and the relationship we have with ourselves is expressed through the ways our partners are taught to love us, the ways our colleagues treat us and how complete strangers interact with us. People learn what acceptable behavior is by not just what we choose to accept from them, but rather, what we choose to accept from ourselves.

Think about this: Studies show that our thoughts are 98% repetitive and 50% negative. So I ask you, what if your internal monolog (the way you speak to your yourself) is the same as how you speak to your friends? How close do you think you’d be with that friend? Using this premise and recognizing that many times we can be our own worst enemy, we may not have the greatest relationship with ourselves, if this is the case. 

It behooves us to begin becoming more mindful about our thoughts, feelings and the relationship we have with ourselves, monitoring our egos at first to simply become aware of what thoughts and beliefs are present. Then, gently shifting even just the slightest into a more positive, loving energy just as we would with any other friend we offer understanding and compassion to. We should be gifting ourselves as much grace and praise as we do others. 

For ages, wisdom has taught us that the way we treat others is often a reflection of how we view ourselves, and what is showing up in our reality time and time again is a reflection of our internal environment. Perhaps you’ve heard this before, so let this serve as a reminder. Or if this is the first time you are hearing it and you are as shocked as I was when I first learned of this principle, let this be your wake-up call.  

This is my challenge to you as we turn the page in the new year: Begin a practice, set your intentions, provide yourself reminders and revisit the practice with the simple goal being “more often than not.” 

Ponder, meditate and journal on these concepts that I have shared with you. Take inventory of where you are now, what your current beliefs are and recognize the relationship you have with yourself. Begin closing the small gap of who you are and who you want to be, acknowledging the depth of your love, worthiness and wellbeing. 

What are the conversations being had? Explore how your views of yourself affect you. Determine whether your beliefs and depths of love serve you or disempower you. When fear arises, challenge your thoughts to shift into “love over fear.” When you uncover a disempowering pattern of thoughts, rewrite the story. 

Simply become aware of the many areas of your life, thoughts, behaviors and emotions where this relationship with yourself impacts your reality that you create for yourself. Sink into the ownership and empowerment that comes with that belief. Live from that space.

Is your self-love allowing you to be open and receive? Or is it blocking more love? Is it potentially fueling conflicts? Or, even worse, perpetuating cycles of pain in yourself or others? 

Remember, loving ourselves opens up the channels to receive more love from others. Learning to love ourselves is a process and may require some healing from past experiences. Changes can occur and we may have to relearn the practice to love the person we are.  

I recall a moment during my training as a life coach, when one of my instructors asked me, “Do you have enough proof yet?” I was taken off guard. She could see something I wasn’t outwardly expressing but she intuitively picked up on it.  

What proof was she talking about?  That I could help people and that I possessed the exceptional abilities that life-coaching required. 

That question stuck with me ever since. I apply it in moments when my sense of “enough” is called into question. I even wrote it on the dry erase board in my office as a reminder when I am doubting myself. The question may have been posed by her, but it’s for me to answer. We all have our answers, sometimes they are just hidden. 

I choose not to stay in that darkened space for too long and to have tactics, like the ones I shared with you, to get back on track. I invite you to do the same. +

The post Learning to Love Most Important Person: You appeared first on PetVet Magazine.

Feng shui is the practice of using energy to harmonize an individual with their environment. Your energy and the energy in your home is either positive or negative. You’ve likely felt this before; a stuffy, stagnant energy or tension in the air. And you’ve also probably felt the opposite; light, abundant, flowing, welcoming vibes. You don’t have to be an expert to bring a little light and love into your space this spring. 

Feng shui can increase the quality of energy—and I’m all about increasing the quality of our lives in any way I can. Veterinary professionals have the “quality of life” conversations with patients day in and day out; it’s okay to take the same approach in your own life.  

For many, decluttering during spring cleaning can be a difficult project to undertake. Hopefully these tips will help you set new intentions and give you the motivation to make some lasting changes. Who wouldn’t want to activate more balance? 

Let’s start by removing clutter from corners in your home. Clutter, especially in corners, can drain energy from you, and can even block the flow of energy in multiple areas of your life. Bring awareness to where you tend to pile up clothes, bags, newly–purchased or unused items.  

Create new systems that will support your natural habits but that will free the clutter. If you drop your items in a pile, this is where a coat rack, key holder, jewelry dish or quality hamper can come in handy. Consider changing your habits in a feasible way so that you stick with it for the long haul and keep the energy flowing in the right direction. After removing what you can by putting it in its appropriate home, taking it to the trash or donating it to your choice charity, you then create the space for your new system. 

Pay special attention to closets that harbor large amounts of clothing, coats, bags, hats, etc. Closets are the best places to start. 

Here are three key points to keep in mind that align with the feng shui method and will keep indecision at bay: 

1. If it is broken it should go. The message a broken item conveys negatively influences your energy just as the stagnant energy a cluttered mess can bring about. 
2. If there are certain things that you have been holding onto for sentimental reasons, consider “cutting the cord.” If you are holding onto things from a past relationship, it may hinder a new one from beginning. 
   I spent a year and a half grieving my mastiff’s passing. It was only once I decided to allow his orthopedic beds to find a new home that I created the space for a pup in my life, my home and my heart. One could argue the logic of saving the beds to reduce costs of bringing a new pet into the home, but by holding onto them, it’s possible the new pet hadn’t come into my life at all. This could be a metaphor for a new opportunity, job, relationship and so on. Create the space.
3. Under furniture is not a storage space. That space should be left open for the flow to continue rather than be blocked. You could incorporate more wall organization (shelving) that would free up floor space or go back to the main principle and remove excess stuff. 

Next let’s move onto the living room, focusing on the entryway and moving through the room as you would if you entered through the main door. Walk through your home with the intention to remove obstacles in your path, inviting abundance into your space rather than impeding the flow. Over time, you can become gradually unaware of the many things that are in your natural pathway.

For your office or clinic, ensure your desk/counter space is clear. 

In your bedroom, remove what EMF’s (electromagnetic fields) you can live without. Plug your phone in a nearby bathroom or leave it in the living room and replace it with an analog alarm clock (not the kind with red numbers.) Hi-tech equipment can be a cumulative drain on energy.  

After removing the clutter, consider adding elements that will enhance your wellbeing in certain areas that you desire to rebalance. Natural elements create a natural support system and work together. There can be an excess caused by certain elements and there can also be weakness. Once again, we are reminded it’s all about balance. 

The five natural elements and what they represent:

• Water: wealth & prosperity
• Wood: growth & vitality
• Fire: enthusiasm & creativity (excess can bring about restlessness and aggression)
• Earth: grounding & balance
• Metal: business & strength 

You can choose to add colors and objects that help balance the energy in the room, as well as your individual energy, ultimately increasing your vitality or your life force. If you choose to add items, choose ones to intentionally enhance the feng shui within the room and throughout the house. You can add a wooden jewelry bowl, a stone table that is wavy to add a water element or a metallic round mirror. Live green plants can bring ample amounts of positive energy into the space as well.

Of course, there are many more ways that you can bring feng shui into your routine cleaning and home or work environment. One of the most important things to embrace when incorporating feng shui into your lifestyle is keeping an open mind and heart. +

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Sleep regulates so many of the functions your body needs to maintain optimal health and wellbeing, which translates to your day-to-day patient care, emotional balance, nurturing relationships and managing all the “things” in life. Sleep-related errors cost organizations billions of dollars yearly, and hundreds of thousands of deaths.  

Insomnia is reported to be the most common sleep disorder, with 30% of adults struggling and 10% living with chronic insomnia. Nearly 40% of adults fall into the “short sleep duration” category by the standards set by the American Sleep Association. 

But, there’s something more that you hear about less often, and that’s sleep quality. Falling asleep with ease, infrequently waking up during the night and the ability to fall back asleep within 20 minutes when you do wake throughout the night are all examples of good sleep quality. Just like in veterinary medicine, quality can be more important than quantity.  

What does all this mean for you? Adopting sleep hygiene habits can transform not just your nights, but also your days. Our biological clock helps regulate sleep patterns, feeding behavior, hormone release, blood pressure and body temperature. Therefore, mastering the formula for your sleep can translate to success in other areas of your life. 

After I had my son in April, my friends reminded me about the importance of sleep and that sleep deprivation is actually used as a means of interrogation, and it is debated to be a form of torture. I needed no reminder, as I battled insomnia in my 20’s and it is the utmost priority for my wellbeing routines.

Common misconceptions fuel poor sleep habits, such as having an alcoholic beverage at the end of a hard day. It may bring the sandman earlier in the evening, but the quality of sleep is the price you pay, as it reduces REM sleep. And, scrolling through social media before bed confuses your brain, making it difficult to “shutdown.”

You may be aware of what poor sleep looks like in your life. If not, now is a great time to start connecting those dots. So, let’s do something about it so that you can operate at your optimum level. Here are some practical tips I’ve distilled from years of experience and study. 

Structure Your Evening Routine with the 3, 2, 1 Wind-down

No food three hours before bed. Give the GI tract time to digest before bed—the term “meat sweats” is a real term for a reason. You can and should test this. Keep notes on how well you sleep as you move up dinner time. I send myself emails as a reminder of habit changes, whether the following day I am feeling better or worse by what I ate, or when I ate it. 

Baby steps are crucial in creating lasting habit change. Limit food to minimal intake; better yet, choose fruit or foods that have melatonin content such as cherries and take very little energy to digest. 

Two hours before bed, limit (baby step), and then completely eliminate, all work. That may mean no emails, no social media, no charting, and no discussing the family budget or other topics that will excite the brain and confuse the hormones needed to switch from being “on” and performing to “off” and resting. 

One hour before bed, align your body and mind to rest and prepare for sleep. 

Meditation is a perfect way to do this to reconnect the mind and body while physically allowing your muscles to be at ease. Simply relaxing on the couch can be sufficient as well. If you must exercise in the evenings, aim for pre-dinner workouts. 

Utilize “do not disturb” on your phone, as well as the phones of others in the house, starting a few hours before bedtime. Success is more likely when surrounded by positive support and like-minded individuals. Exercising gratitude when people support you in this is huge! 

You have to find out what works for you. Start tracking how long it takes for your mind and body to begin relaxing. For example, I take longer than my significant other. 

Sample routine; shower, eat dinner, shut down the house/prepare for the next day, relax, meditate, lay down.

Schedule “Mentally Taxing” Conversations 

This means anything that will make you start processing with your brain or elicit strong emotions, which can be draining yet invigorating. These conversations may take place with someone you live with, or even your self-talk. If you are going to reflect on a recent scenario for whatever reason, save it. Actually plan a time in your schedule to address it and stick to it, building trust with your own brain. 

Pillow talk is not the time and place for problem solving. You will be far more effective at solving these issues with a good night of sleep. Having what starts as an innocent conversation at the end of a day when you and your spouse’s batteries are drained can quickly turn sideways. The same conversation the next morning can be far more fruitful and connect the two of you.

Establish a Bedtime

Yep, I said it. We all thought as adults we were free from the dreaded “bedtime.” You can think you’re cool without one, but some of the most successful people in the world have a bedtime. You’ll notice a pattern of carving out specific times dedicated to specific activities along the road to being well. You don’t have to do the work of determining what should be done, suffering from decision fatigue day in and day out, you already know each day what the flow will be. Of course, there can be exceptions! 

Choose Your Spectacles Wisely

During your evening hours when you are looking at screens, put on a pair of blue light glasses, which can be found on Amazon. And don’t wear sunglasses during the day at lunch. Your eyes are the gateway for sunlight to trigger your hormones which regulate the proper production for sleep and wake periods. So, if you go for a walk outside at lunch, you are less likely to have a crash in the afternoon and more likely to get sleepy once the sun goes down—which can prevent you from reaching for the caffeine after lunch and further delaying your bedtime. 

Turn the Temp Down

Add this step to your nightly routine of shutting down the house (if you don’t have a programmable thermostat). Optimal temp for sleeping is 68 degrees. I know what it is like to live with another human who is not of the “flame on” variety, and instead looks for the thickest pair of sweatpants. So be reasonable with your thermostat, but aim for cool temps. 

Support Your Physical Body

Invest in a quality mattress that will support your aging body and help you recover physically. Allow yourself multiple lumbar-sized pillows to support the space between your body and bed. Popular spots are between the knees, under the knees and ankles, behind your lumbar area or between your arms (one that your hand and wrist can lay over if your arm is under your head). This helps to promote circulation to joints. Pillows can hold in dust mites and trigger respiratory issues, also leading to disruptions of sleep, so make sure to wash and dry routinely. 

Appeal to the Senses

White noise, sleep music or binaural beats can help light sleepers drift off or stay asleep. Certain sounds can promote healing on a cellular level. Diffusing relaxing oils and opening the window to allow fresh air in can both aide in what our brains find conducive for relaxation. Having clean, soft bedding help both touch and smell.

Contrary to popular belief, blackout curtains do not work in your favor. A dark room is necessary, but when the sun rises, the light cues hormone production to gently and gradually wake up your system. An abrupt alarm interrupts the current cycle that you are in, often resulting in a groggy feeling and being unprepared for work/school mode. 

Mindful breathing and a performing a body scan are my number one recommendations for helping the sleep process along. That is accomplished simply by bringing your awareness to the breath and the sensations of breathing; being aware of where you feel the breath—at your nose or in your chest—and the rise and fall of your abdomen. Beginning at the crown of your head, do a scan, releasing muscle tension throughout the body, allowing the tongue to fall away from the roof of the mouth, your furrowed brow to rest and your shoulders to melt, and then notice the sensation of the blanket against your skin.

Do what you can in incremental steps to integrate these new habits into your daily life, peacefully. Forcing your way into relaxing by trying to implement new habits without being mindful of the benefits along the way can cause people to misunderstand cause and effect, get down on themselves for not being perfect and, therefore, give up. 

By following these tips and starting from where you are, you will be well on your way to unlocking your greatest potential in restful and restorative sleep—not just for the new year—but for years to come. +

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