Had Enough of Feeling Bad?
I know a great first step that worked best for me was to get really fed up, really angry. I knew that I was not going to live this way one more day! I was not going to let this define me & I was not going to miss out on all of life’s experiences. Life is too short and this is my one shot.
I knew that no one could change my mind. I wanted to get my body in the best shape so my mind could heal & that is exactly what happened. I worked on fueling my body with food, hydrating with good clean water, supporting with supplements, strengthen with exercise, and change my thinking with positive thoughts, gratitude & focus.
I focused on little else. I was completely focused on my healing. I used & still do a visualization chart. I have it posted on my closet door with images from magazines that represented what I wanted to become. I have a large smile, a toned body, happy family, and a stream for peace. Every morning I look at the images before I crawl out of bed and give thanks for each one. During the time that was darkest for me I would say thank you for each one as if I already had it. It focused my mind ahead of where I was. I would no longer wallow in what was wrong but focus on what would become. Every time my mind would shift to the negative I would replace it with stories of what was to become. It is all a mind game.
It’s not easy & doesn’t change overnight, but the rewards are huge! It starts coming quick when you put the effort in & Rattle Your Egg.
Good Nutrition
- Are you healing and supporting your body with what you feed it? After I began my journey I realized that my body has been through a war. Loss of sleep, stress hormones, dehydration, and junky food have torn me apart physically. What could I do to begin to repair the damage? I slowly began to change my dietary habits. I began looking at the food as a way to heal my body. Why would I want to feed it package of cookies when all it’s going to do is cause me to feel worse than I started. Eating small meals thoughout the day approximately every 2-3 hours kept my blood sugar level and supported my body & mind. No more anxious feeling from my body stuggling to process the sugar, caffeine & junk. Once my body was supported I could start to focus on my mind. How could I heal my mind if my body was still in a state of turmoil?
- Everyone has to find the health plan that works best for them. You may lean toward low fat, low calorie, etc. I lean towards clean eating. Small protein portion, lots of vegetables, fruit & complex carbohydrates (whole grain). I stay away from the pasta, rice, potatoes – it all just converts to sugar.
- My biggest trick was to find 31 meals my family loved. I put them in sleeve protectors in a binder to keep them nice and neat. Every month I fill in the days on my calendar – and POW! – we all know what is for dinner. This has saved a lot of stress at dinner time. I can even carry my Dinner Planner to the grocery store. You can download the Meal Planner in the Egg Printables and find freedom from stress at dinner time.
- *Studies show that people who are held accountable are 85% more likely to succeed. A great tool to keep you accountable is our Daily Healing Journal. It helps you track what your eating and how your body is responding. You can also track your water, supplements & exercise too. You can find it in the Egg Printables.
- My family has become my biggest cheerleader through this process. We all began to pack our lunches everyday. This saves a lot of money & keeps you from cheating. There is nothing good that comes out of a panic run into the gas station for snacks.
You can do it! One step at a time. You don’t have to change everything overnight.
It’s a new way of life!
Are you drinking enough water?
Did you know the benefits of drinking water are:
Healthy skin · Flushes the Toxins · Keeps you Regular · Regulate Body Temperature · Speed up Metabolism · Reduce Cancer Risk · Lube Joins and Muscles · Improves Energy · Increase Mental and Physical Performance · Keeps you more Alkaline
Studies show that each person should have about half of their body weight in ounces. If you are working out, add more to rehydrate. Therefore, if you weigh 200 lbs. – you should be drinking 100 oz. per day. Don’t forget to add this to your Daily Healing Journal to keep track through the day.Try to limit coffee, tea & soda to one to two glasses a day. Rest of the day hydrate yourself with good clean water.
Today take a look at your water consumption and see where changes might be necessary. Put it into full gear tomorrow. In a few days it will seem like no big deal. If you need some flavor add a little orange, lime or lemon juice to your water for variety.
Here is something to keep in mind….Dehydration has a lot of the same anxiety symptoms. Make sure that you are floating with all of that water. Recommended amount is your weight divided by 2 and that is your ounces per day. Working out? Add a little more.
Symptoms of dehydration are:
with 2% loss of fluid the following effects of dehydration are normally experienced:
Thirst
Loss of Appetite
Dry Skin
Skin Flushing
Dark Colored Urine
Dry Mouth
Fatigue or Weakness
Chills
Head Rushes
with a 5% fluid loss the following effects of dehydration are normally experienced:
Increased heart rate
Increased respiration
Decreased sweating
Decreased urination
Increased body temperature
Extreme fatigue
Muscle cramps
Headaches
Nausea
Tingling of the limbs
Carry those water bottles with you all the time, make it your new bestfriend. Just sip on them throughout the day & your body will stay nice and hydrated.
Drink Up!
Breathing
One big contributor to my panic attacks was my breathing. Sounds kind of silly that that can cause a panic attack, but it is true.
Let’s look at how we breathe. Do you take nice long deep breaths, or are they very shallow to get the job done. I find that the majority of the time mine are very shallow short breaths. Sometimes when I am nervous I tend to hold my breath. Sit for just one minute and breathe normally, close your eyes so you can focus on your breathing style.
Many days I would find that my breathing pattern would cause something to go awry in my body, an whoosh the panic would begin. It took me a few years to realize that this was one of my triggers. Along with the anxiety I developed chronic congestion, this caused me to breathe through my mouth and also caused me to alter my breathing.
So how did you do? Let’s try a simple breathing exercise, doesn’t take long. I use this during the day when I am feeling anxious. Close your eyes, deep breath in for 10 seconds, breathe out for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times. This breath should fill your whole diaphragm.
This week try this when you are feeling stressed, anxious or panicked. Don’t think about anything else for 1 minute. The road to recovery is all about changing your patterns.
Take your Vitamins
I remember a time when I thought vitamins were a waste of money. I eat semi-healthy, I should be getting everything I need.
The truth is that many of our foods have been processed and chemically treated and that we are not getting the same nutrients that we use to. Also, we now slather ourselves in sunscreen before going outside that Vitamin D Deficiency is becoming a real problem.
Did you know that being deficient in some vitamins and minerals can give you anxiety & depression symptoms? Think about this…what if you are simply deficient in a vitamin and you are taking medication everyday for a symptom of not having enough of a vitamin or mineral? Shocking thought isn’t it. I asked my doctors many times to run blood work to see if I had a vitamin deficiency, they laughed at me and handed me a Zoloft prescription. I was so afraid of medication at the time I could not bring myself to try it. Therefore that’s what pushed me into finding a way out.
Just start with the basic vitamins Multi, fish oil, B-complex, Mag/Cal. I truly believe that my supplements really pushed me ahead. Funny coincidence is that my panic attacks went down tremendously after 2 months on a vitamin regimen. Remember that it does take a little time for a nutrient to kick in – won’t always be overnight.
Want to feel better? Commit to healing your body. Download the Daily Healing Journal in the Egg Printables to help you keep you on track.
My Daily Nutrient Schedule is:
Breakfast – with food:
Multi
Vitamin C
Fish Oil
Vitamin D3
Calcium
Magnesium
Vitamin B
Probiotics
Morning before snack
Gaba (as needed now)
Afternoon
Gaba (as needed)
Dinner
Multi
Vitamin C
Fish Oil
Vitamin D3
Calcium
Magnesium
Before Bed
Jigsaw Health 5-HTP w/SRT – As Needed Now (Talk to your Dr. about Gaba and 5-HTP if on medication)
***Please check with your doctor before starting a vitamin regimine.
Magnesium has a natural calming effect.
Vitamin C is known to help your body fight stress.
Vitamin B helps to increase energy.
Fish Oil is high in Omega Fatty Acids which is great brain support.
Multi – Vitamins are wonderful for making sure your body is balanced.
Vitamin D3 has many health benefits such as possibly preventing cancer and other illnesses.
Learn more about how supplements can help in our Supplement Section. Complete with great information and videos. Click here to jump.
Magnesium deficiency seems to be a big issue with many of us suffering from Panic and Anxiety.
Learn more about it from Dr. Carolyn Dean in “The Coop”
Exercise
Exercise can really make a big difference in how you feel and handle stress.
It’s true that most of us do not like to put exercise first. Truth be told it is most likely last. Did you know that researchers at Duke University found that people suffering from depression for four months – 60% of their participants who exercised for 30 minutes 3 times a week over came their depression without using antidepressants medication? Another study found that eight minute workouts can lower sadness, stress, tension and anger. Not to mention the benefits to the rest of your body. Exercise can also release Serotonin that aids in the mental well being & lowers anxiety and depression. We can all use that.
With a prescription from my doctor to join a gym within 5 days to ease the stress I quickly realized that I needed more than simply walking on a treadmill. Learning the benefits of Burst Training and adding weights made a big change in how I felt. Our friend JJ Virgin has helped me do just that.
JJ Virgin from our Coop explains how to do Burst Training.
With a strong mind & a strong body I knew I could accomplish anything. It was just getting there. I choose to workout 6 days a week at least 30 minutes a day. This keeps me feeling my best. You have to want the freedom, you have to want to do whatever it takes! Your stronger than you think you are, push yourself!
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