What Do You Do When Inspiration Strikes?

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Do you jump for joy? Do you dive right in?

Or do you get nervous, overthink it, then move on because it’s too overwhelming?

Well friends, if you answered yes to the second question, you’re my kinda person! 

I have been so inspired to write about life recently, but when I come out of the academic, herbal rabbit hole to start typing or recording on the pod, nothing comes out.

I have brain constipation.

And what better way to unclog the information drain?

Just start writing.

So here we go...If you’ve been following the LDS story for a while now, you know I’ve been on the path of a great healing journey. It’s been filled with learning all things health, weight management, mindset shifts, and so much more.

In 2019, I discovered Dr. Amen’s Change Your Brain Change Your Body, Dr. Bob’s Guide to Stop ADHD in 18 Days, and The Gut Balance Revolution. Boyyyy oh boy lemme tell ya, these books blew my MIND! My whole world opened up to the microbiome, hyperactivity aka squirrel brain, sugar imbalances, and to me the most important nugget of all, Omega balances in our brains.

Check out pod episodes for each book here!

One thing led to another, my curiosity took over and I quickly discovered Ask Herbal Health Expert Susun Weed along with Herbalist and Naturopath Paul Bergner, and continued my studies at the Commonwealth Center for Holistic Herbalism. I began to not only look and reflect on my own journey, but also finally started to feel like I have clarity.

And so began the nourishing and vitalism journey.

The past two months (really, ever since 10/10/20) I have been obsessed with all things holistic and herbal. 

I’ve been introduced to two facets of herbal tradition: The Wise Woman Tradition and The Vitalist Tradition.

Today we will talk about The Wise Woman Tradition.

According to this article published on Pubmed, “The Wise Woman tradition seeks to heal the whole individual. The primary techniques involve nourishing the woman through storytelling, simple ceremony, and dietary herbs. The ‘mysteries’ of a woman's body--puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause--are seen as times of power and growth. Menopause is an opportunity for conscious change, not a disease to be treated.”

Through these traditions I’ve unlocked tons of amazing, insightful teachings ranging from multiple PMS pain management protocols to gut balancing foods and habits -- even great social commentary! (Don’t let the reviews fool you, this talk show has been by far one of the best and valuable shows I listen to weekly. Susun reminds me a lot of the women in my life and I have such high respect and regards for her. Plus, it’s just normal conversation with different people and backgrounds!)

Recently, I’ve started daily infusions of a few nourishing allies. We call these Nourishing Herbal Infusions.

Over the past two months I’ve been rotating Oatstraw, Nettle, Red Clover, and Linden with the occasional Hawthorne and Mullein infusion added. I get most herbs bulk at Mountain Rose Herbs. 

The results?

I FEEL ALIVE!

Haha but truly, this process of observation and awareness has been slow. Some days I would feel something, but other days I felt  n o r m a l.

But after weeks of moving through life, dancing and jiving, I’ve noticed a few things that have drastically changed.

#1: Waking up doesn’t feel like pure torture anymore.

I remember a few years ago when I worked that #corporatelife, waking up everyday was by far the worst part of my day -- aside from sitting 8.5 hours straight; my poor lymph!

The pure pain of leaving my warm bed was unbearable. Every move to get ready I would think “I can’t wait to get home and go back to sleep”. And the worst part was the morning routine: Wake up. Hate the process. Go to Dunkin and order a Medium Cold Brew (NOTHING ELSE). Drive in stress-inducing traffic. Get to work late. Pray to get through the day.

Friends, my heart--and intestines--cramp up just thinking about it! And it was even worse that one time I worked at a Juice Shop and started my shift at 6am.

Thankfully I have the opportunity now to spend time with my 4 amazing brothers by being their COVID babysitter! And that includes waking up at 6:30 to start my day at 7:15.

The prognosis?

Waking up every morning with a smile in my heart. (and I’m not joking!) 

Whether it’s a smile from the awesome dream adventures I’ve been having, waking up to a well rested night’s sleep with the help of my seatbelt, or sleeping 10+ hours 2x a week, I wake up with a sense of nourishment I haven’t felt in years.

The nourishing infusions are simply that -- nourishing to the kidneys for a restful cortisol-free sleep, soothing the nerves and nervous system, supportive of my gut and the good gut bugs, and stimulating better lymphatic and immune systems. This whole process allows my body to detox, flush, and remove toxins better than before along with stalking up my reserves, supporting my body’s natural functions, providing me with good hydration and optimal vitamin and nutrient absorption daily. A recipe for good z’s!

#2 Things don’t seem like an action movie anymore.

Have you ever felt like your life was an action movie? One drama after another after another after another. 

That’s how I felt every. single. day.

There was no time to rest, relax, reassess, and redirect my energy or attention. My mind was forcing me to be in constant fight or flight.

And it totally makes now! Our environments really support us constantly being in a state of flight or fight -- our sympathetic nervous system is always activated. Whether it’s from our cortisol-driving foods, our stress-inducing lifestyle, or simply being in the middle of a global pandemic and just trying to move on with life.

Daily nourishing infusions along with the help of mindfulness practices, talking with a professional friend, incorporating more daily movements, and fulfilling my hobbies and passions, things have really turned around! I don’t feel as “angsty”. My “short fuse” seems to get longer everyday, and I’m able to really take a step back and think before I react OR have the strength to walk away and not let things fester into negative, boggy energy.

And this is always a fun spot to remind ourselves that we are not perfect and we are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them :) We’re all humans living this human experience — flawed and all!

#3 Being consistent has nurtured my self trust.

We’ve all been there. 

New Year’s resolutions. Weight loss diets. Lent. Spring Break.

All of these are times when we may make promises or challenges for ourselves and a lot of the time, we fall short of these promises.

Over time if we start and don’t finish these goals, we can begin to lose trust in ourselves. We subconsciously question if we can finish the goal and with enough failure, totally lose self confidence in completing tasks that we know are good for us.

I’ve been in that place for a while. It’s tough and confusing. But it’s not forever! Easy enough (lol), my theory is that it’s usually a combination of squirrel brain, malnutrition, lack of sleep, and my personal spice of imposter syndrome!

Feeling like “who am I to have authority on anything in life? I can’t even complete x, y , and z!” 

See? It gets nasty.

And this is why self care and self love practices are so important. It’s not just about looking good, or putting a good face on. It’s about truly committing to something and taking the sacrifice for something that is for our higher good.

Thankfully with consistent daily nourishing herbal infusions (and sooo many other micro daily habits that is constantly being updated and practiced), I’ve begun to build trust again with myself. I can commit to something. It is helping and nourishing me in my day to day. I am loving myself, even on the hard days. This is self love. 

This is the path to inspiration.

For more information on The Wise Woman Tradition, Nourishing Herbal Infusions and Susun Weed, check out her website here!

Want more information on the Living Danimal Style Nourishing Journey? Book a call with me! We can talk about all things health, wealth, mindset, and herbs!