Category Archives: hope

    Categories Advice, autoimmune, autoimmune crisis, Biohacking, Chronic Pain, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Emotional pain, Fibromyalgia, flare up, Health, hope, Inflammation, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, pain, Physical Pain

    Manifest Wellness

    What is wellness? How do you know you have achieved wellness? Is it the same for everyone?

    Can I go from feeling crappy to happy? Can I stop the cycle of feeling sick and tired all the time?

    Does my medical history have to be my fate?

    Wellness is a state of wellbeing and good health.  Wellness is achieved progressively as we develop our own supportive routine and lifestyle.  Wellness includes a variety of activities, choices and lifestyle shifts throughout our life span.  We can each experience our own unique wellness regardless of life’s challenges and obstacles.  Your medical history doesn’t have to be your fate.  It took me 7 years to find my Wellness because I lacked the understanding of the importance of tackling life’s challenges with a synergistic approach.  My journey was difficult and traitorous because when my health crisis happened I was stuck in the scientific and conventional world of medicine.  Conventional medicine is amazing for life saving approaches but it is lacking insight in health promotion and prevention.  Prescriptions are designed to cover up one problem and new symptoms emerge.  Going outside the box of conventional medicine is the way to truly tackle to root of your illness, disease and symptoms to heal the body.  It took me years of suffering through meltdowns, rock bottom moments and illness because I was unaware of the importance of tackling the emotional and physical root of illness and disease simultaneously. The gift I learned in the process is that the journey doesn’t have to be so difficult or torturous.  You deserve to find your unique wellness.  Everyone deserves to feel better.

    My name is Diane and I have a genetic condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome type III (EDS III).  This condition impacts the entire body requiring many prescriptions, treatments and surgeries to deal with the overwhelming symptoms. I went to see a geneticist because I knew as a nurse that something wasn’t right.  It wasn’t normal for a 35 years old to be taking more than 13 prescriptions and spend most of her life in doctor’s offices.  By the time I was diagnosed I had more than 6 surgeries and more to come.  I also spent months in physical therapy for frequent injuries.  The health issues caused me to spend my life at neurologist, allergists, endocrinologists, gynecologist, pain clinics, rheumatologists and gastroenterologist’s offices to deal with the expanse list of symptoms.  Trust me that is not a happy or healthy way to live.  But after suffering for so long, I realized prescriptions, surgeries, injections and physical therapy were not my answer.  I was in search of a true solution and desperate to feel healthy and free inside my body.  I had felt trapped and helpless for so long that I was desperate for a solution.  And I chose my health and myself for the first time in my life.

    I began my journey outside the box of conventional medicine to truly tackle my illness once and for all.  In the beginning I had tunnel vision that blinded me of the full picture.  I started with nutrition, fitness and supplementation to heal and repair the severe damage my body had undergone since childhood.  By the age of 35, I was taking 13 prescriptions and injections for pain were a monthly must.  I was diagnosed with EDS III after several years of focusing on nutrition, fitness and supplementation.  I went to the genetics simply to prove that my hypothesis was correct and the doctor’s that had treated me were clueless.  My hypothesis was “Nutrient malabsorption, poor diet, lack of exercise and genetics was causing my expanse list of symptoms.”  My visit to genetics was proof for myself that I was on the right track.  When I was diagnoses I was already 60% better but there was a missing element I hadn’t realized yet.  Nonetheless the geneticist and my specialists were all astonished at the transformation I had already achieved.  I was on only two prn prescriptions (as needed), pain was under control without prescriptions and I was living a healthier lifestyle.

    Nutrition, fitness and supplementation worked on the physical root of my illness and disease.  This is the physical stress we experience when life stress and diet create inflammation, toxins and damage in the body.  I had that under control with supplementation, nutrition and fitness but injuries, pain flare ups and irritable bowel symptoms still occurred frequently.  My worst symptoms to control were indigestion, heart burn, bloating, fatigue and chronic pain.  My digestive flare ups would trigger the muscle pain and fatigue to return.  And my gastroenterologist decided a psychiatrist was the answer to calm my anxiety and reduce stress with a prescription.  I started on Celexa to help control my symptoms and finally had to face the fact that my symptoms had an emotional component.  I didn’t want to accept that my emotions were triggering my symptoms but after they diminished the truth was clear.  The quest then became to tackle that emotional pain without a prescription and truly overcome my symptoms. I did not want to be on anti-anxiety medications my whole life.  It was a difficult journey but worth the fight because I knew I wasn’t alone in this struggle.  I am not the only person that is sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time.  I am not the only one who is sick of all the prescriptions that wreak havoc on the body and cause more problems than good.  I am not the only person that feels trapped inside their body. I am not the only person that wants to find a solution to all their symptoms.

    Fast forward to 2018, the missing element, emotional pain, would prove to be my most difficult obstacle to face and overcome.  I realized that there was an emotional root to my symptoms that stemmed from my childhood.  By this time, I was trying to overcome a new fear and my physical symptoms were back with a vengeance.  My fear of being seen and being heard.  I desperately wanted to share my story and create videos on social media but my emotions kept getting in my way.  I underwent hypnosis to tackle the subconscious blocks and self-limiting beliefs from my childhood.  And suddenly, the symptoms were less frequent and I was making great progress with my fears.

    We all have experienced negative thoughts, self-limiting beliefs and emotional pain.  This occurs due to unprocessed emotions from our childhood.  We experience events, circumstances and situations in our childhood that are difficult for us to understand and process because we were never taught ways to process and release our emotions.  This vicious pattern continues throughout our lives as we re-experience these emotions and feelings.  The simple truth is that we all have a negative voice inside our heads.  And this little negative character controls are actions and reactions to everything we perceive in our lives.  I call these negative voices, Negative Nancy and Negative norm.  My Negative Nancy was a dominant voice in my head that controlled all my actions in life causing me to feel frozen and stuck.  She was holding me back from my dreams and hypnosis helped me realize that I could regain control of my subconscious mind.

    The simple truth to share with you now is that your physical and emotional symptoms are connected.  You may be skeptical as I was in the beginning but it a very powerful truth.  To achieve your own unique wellness there needs to be a shift in the physical and emotional realms to truly create a lasting effect.  And once that is introduced into your lifestyle, you can absolutely go from feeling crappy to happy.  You can prove to yourself and others that your medical history doesn’t have to be your fate.  It will end the cycle of feeling sick and tired all the time.  It will help you thrive and create the life you dream.  So the question is… Do you want to Thrive?  Do you want to find Your Unique Wellness?

    Categories accomplishment, Advice, Anxiety, autoimmune, autoimmune crisis, Chronic Pain, Digestive Issues, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, fatigue, Fibromyalgia, gym, Health, hope, pain, Physical Pain

    Autoimmune Warrior

    What does it mean to be an autoimmune warrior?  It means you fight hard to overcome your symptoms and live the life you dream.  It means that there are battles and sometimes your fail but you get back up and do it again.  But most of all it means that once you finally succeed, it is time to share your story and help others accomplish the same.  It wasn’t an easy journey.  It was filled with obstacles and challenges.  It took me 7 years to perfect my process.  There were tons of rock bottom failures.  But we all learn from our mistakes.  That is when you find a way out, dust yourself off and do it again.  There were many times that I wanted to give up and eat junk food.  There were many times I wasn’t motivated to exercise.  There were plenty of hard days.  There were plenty of horrible days.  But every challenge I faced only made me stronger.  I have autoimmune leaky gut and a genetic syndrome called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.  The combination can be pretty debilitating and overwhelming.  If I wouldn’t have chosen to make my health a priority my life would be very different right now.  It wasn’t an easy decision to put myself before others.  After all I am a mom, wife and nurse.  All those amazing things means you put everyone else before you.  And I absolutely love doing that but when my health started to fail and it impacted my children’s joy, I stopped to reflect.  If I didn’t find a way out they would be faced with the hardships of having a chronically ill mom to care for and they didn’t deserve that fate.

    Leaky gut is a condition that allows particle of food to travel throughout your body.  These particles begin to wreck havoc everywhere.  Then your immune system begins to attack the food particles and your own body in the process.  Leaky gut and autoimmune disease is a backfiring of your own immune system.  Your body attacks itself creating physical symptoms and pain. I suffered from symptoms since childhood.  But I had no idea what or why it was happening until my 30s.  I’ve learned a lot on this journey to find wellness.  My journey took me through an educational journey to find answers for others that ended up helping me.  My career evolved from a Special Education teacher to a Registered nurse in hopes of helping children with special needs overcome their health battles.  And the amazing gift that unveiled was the very answered I needed for myself.  In the process my health eventually failed and crisis struck.  I desperately searched for a solution to my horrible digestive issues. Slowly my body began to heal and transform.  The journey helped me develop an incredible technique that I have used to support my clients and children.  I reduced and practically eliminated all my symptoms in my body.  And boy were those symptoms extensive.  I used to experience all of these symptoms almost daily: reflux, bloating, cramping, anxiety, fatigue, chronic pain, frequent illness, migraines, headaches, etc.  The symptoms became overwhelming and my life seemed to be falling apart.  I knew that there had to be a better way to live.  And I knew my children deserved better.  And I am so thankful and grateful for the journey that brought me here. But to truly understand the hardship, it is time to take you into a journey about genetics.

    I went to countless specialists and as my research evolved I knew there was a genetic condition behind all my extensive medical diagnosis and symptoms.  But it wasn’t easy to find.  I went to rheumatologists, Gastroenterologists, neurologists and then finally a geneticist.  And that was finally when I got the answer I was looking for, I was diagnosed with EDS III. Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is a debilitating condition that impacts every organ, muscle and tissue of your body.  Most people with this condition have tons of surgeries and need assistive devices.  The pain and frequent injuries leave you feeling ashamed and useless.  Thankfully I was able to overcome that dreadful time in my life.  It has been amazing to see that I was able to develop a routine that has helped me become more active and energized.  It has been a long journey.  But I learned a lot along the way.  And the most valuable gift was that all genetic conditions, illnesses and diseases have a root cause that needs to be addressed synergistically for true success.  Trust me I was skeptical. I didn’t believe myself for years.  I didn’t truly accept that there were 2 root causes of my illness.  And then suddenly in 2019, as I wrote my book, “The Truth about IBS and Anxiety,” everything became crystal clear.  As I helped people heal, I truly began to see the transformations that were possible with my process and the gifts they experienced.  You see the truth about what I teach, is that it doesn’t only help mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa; it helps the kids and grandkids too.

    Think about it this way.  Reflect on your week or your month.  Was there a day that you were super stressed, anxious or overwhelmed?  Did it change the way you behaved?  Did it change the way you felt? Did it change the way you spoke to others?  Did it change their reaction? I bet if you truly think about it, you will say, YES, YES, YES.  I will give you an example.  My client, Demi, suffered from chronic illness, reflux, chronic pain and fatigue.  She felt hopeless and alone when we began working together.  She was sure she was doomed to fail and hopeless.  As we worked together to create a supportive routine for her, she began to transform easily.  Her weight seemed to melt away.  Her symptoms seemed to disappear.  Her energy and motivation increased.  And her life completely changed.  But it didn’t stop with her, it extended to the entire family.  Her husband and children began to eat healthier.  The more energetic and happy she became, the more fun and exciting their relationship became.  And her children began to change too.  When we started working together her youngest had anxiety and trouble sleeping.  He often complained of stomach aches and headaches.  As she began to improve the way she felt, their health began to change too.  She began to really see that her own health impacted the entire family.  She began to notice that the days she was stressed and overwhelmed, everyone was stressed and overwhelmed.  She noticed that when she screamed and lost her temper, her kids suddenly had a symptoms arise.  She noticed that when she wasn’t following her routine, it affected the world around her too.

    The beautiful gift she thanked me for her compassion and courage

    The funny thing is that I didn’t realize I gave her that gift until now.  I actually created that audio about courage and compassion for myself.  Because getting on camera, writing my book and sharing my story has been a difficult journey.  It has tested my resilience and perseverance.  It has tested my patience and kindness.  It has tested me in all facets of my life.  But Demi reminded me that my journey is not only to help women.  She reminded me by helping one person, I help everyone around them heal as well.  Because if one person can make a different to transform the world around them, imagine the possibilities if more people do the same.  We all deserve to feel happy, energized and vibrant.  We all deserve to thrive in life.  We all deserve to reach our ultimate potential.  And it all starts by working on yourself first.  I never thought I could overcome my chronic debilitating pain.  I though I was destined to live a life of pain and fatigue.  I thought that surgery and physical therapy was the only way to reduce my symptoms.  But now I surpassed all my physical limitations.  I went from a girl that never exercised or played sports because her pain was so intense.  To a girl that rock climbs, dances and repels down waterfalls.  And it all began with a decision to work on me first.  And the same magical transformations happen when my clients unveil their own healing powers.

    Categories autoimmune, autoimmune crisis, Chronic Pain, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, food allergies, food sensitivities, hope, Inflammation, insomnia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    I am Grateful for My Pain

    Yep I am absolutely grateful for all my debilitating pain.  I am grateful for my EDS III.  I know it sounds completely strange that I am grateful for my genetic debilitating condition.  But the fact is that if I wouldn’t have been plagued with pain, symptoms and illness I wouldn’t have Published a book.  I am truly grateful for the years of pain, numbness and discomfort my condition gave me because it awakened me to the possibilities of a life without pain.  If I wouldn’t have lived most of my life in excruciating pain than I wouldn’t understand the gift of wellness I achieved.  So let me explain my pain a little better for you to understand the extent of my transformation.

    I began with symptoms in childhood with anxiety and digestive issues.  I don’t remember if I had physical pain at the time but I probably did.  I do remember I always had a Band-Aid or injury on the mend.  I did have a lot of infections, allergies, urinary tract infections and skin conditions.

    Fast forward to 8th grade, I already had pain in my neck and right arm.  The digestive issues were worse and feminine issues emerged. I began having frequent vaginal infections and chronic menstrual cramps.  The feminine issues progressively worsened because of my allergies to ingredients in feminine products but I had no idea.

    Fast forward to adult life, I spent countless hours at doctors’ offices and specialists because all the symptoms were overwhelming.  I was on tons of prescriptions and antibiotics regularly.  My debilitating symptoms progressed to the point where my right arm and right leg were completely numb.  My pain level was 9/10 constantly and needed modifications at work through ergonomics assessments.

    The conditions worsened with stress and during my nursing career disability emerged. II had a special chair which had neck, lumbar and butt support. And this chair took years to find after many alternatives didn’t work.  My arm was in so much pain that during my MSN education I had to get transcription to software o write my papers and assignments. I had a multitude of symptoms at this point in my life: reflux, IBS, bloating, injuries, skin infections, UTIs, vaginal infections, chronic pain, migraines and fatigue.  Wow I know that is a lot for anyone to handle.  It was a tough life but it made me the woman I am today.

    I am grateful and thankful for all those symptoms because they created an awareness inside me to change.  If I wouldn’t have been at rock bottom and filled with symptoms I wouldn’t have fought for a better life.  If I wouldn’t have known the truth about pain I wouldn’t have known there was a better way of life.  My awareness of discomfort pushed me into action.

    And those two beautiful gifts are part of what I teach today in my book, “The Truth about IBS and Anxiety.”

    The book is more than a triumph over digestive issues, bloating and anxiety.  It is a triumph over autoimmune disease, Fibromyalgia, insomnia, POTS, EDS III, Reflux, and Anxiety.

    My path to understanding my body came from a place of pain but it brought me to a deep sense of relief.

    So here I am almost 43 years old and in the best shape of my life.  I am more active now than I ever was in my teens and young adult life.  I have more energy, strength and vitality than I ever dreamed.  But if I wouldn’t have come from such a dark and lonely place I wouldn’t have achieved it.  And that is why, I created a Podcast, “Goddess Unleashed’ because I truly believe “Your Medical History doesn’t have to be Your Fate.”  If I could overcome a genetic condition that progressively debilitates you into a life of surgeries, physical therapy and immobility; than you can overcome your own genetic predisposition.

    The day I was diagnosed was an eye opening experience because the doctor praised me for everything I was doing to support myself.  And this came at a time when I was still plagued by pain.  And because I came from such a dark place I truly see, feel and experience the gifts I have been given.  I am truly grateful and thankful for my new life without pain and symptoms.  I am thankful that I don’t need prescriptions, surgeries and conventional treatments.  And that unique perspective is what I share on my podcast to bridge the gap between Conventional and Alternative Medicine on a path towards disease prevention and health promotion.  If you are looking for a way out of your debilitating symptoms, indigestion or anxiety than schedule your Free Discover Call.  You have nothing to lose because you are already plagued by symptoms.  But you have everything to gain if and when you achieve your own unique wellness. Click this link for a Free Discover Call.

    Email me for a FREE Copy of the book at coachdianevich@gmail.com

    “The Truth about IBS and Anxiety” formerly titled the IBS Cure Eliminate Bloat. It will be ready in a few weeks.

    Categories Anxiety, Chronic Pain, Emotional pain, Empath, Empathy, fatigue, Fear, flare up, Fulfillment, Health, hope, Human Needs, motivation, Physical Pain, positivity, self-actualization, Self-doubt, Speak your mind

    An Empathic Awekening

    What is empathy?  Empathy is a sense of understanding the feelings and experiences of another person.   Many of us are empathetic towards our friends, coworkers or family members experiences.  And we have some form of empathy this sense of every day in conversations or communication with others.  We may even experience empathy watching a movie, TV show or listening to a song.  There are many unique individuals that choose to live a life of empathy and service to others.  Those special individuals live a life of service in one form or another to better the lives of the world around them.  They often choose their profession because of their high sense of empathy and compassion towards others.  These loving individuals in the health care or service profession experience more empathic situations than others do because of their work environment.  For example, my profession healthcare (nurses, doctors, EMT, Medical Assistants, Fire fighters, etc.) experience much more empathy because their career choice is founded on helping others.  Every day they care for patients facing health challenges and they serve them in their role.  Each of their patients is facing unique experiences that involve some form of physical or emotional pain.  The healthcare workers role is empathic in and of itself, simply by their conscious decision to help others.  Many health care workers may experience added stress or health issues because of their career choice and the way they process these experiences.

    And yet there are still people that experience an extreme sense of empathy.  This highly exclusive gift is almost impossible for others to understand.  They experience empathy at a cellular level throughout their entire body.  You can’t imagine feeling this form of empathy unless you experience it first-hand.  Those enlightened individuals are empath’s and they feel exponentially more than everyone around them.  Empath’s are individuals with a gift of hypersensitivity.  Some may call it a curse but I call it a gift.  Of course to reach this point of awareness and acceptance was quite a journey for me and those around me.   Empath’s are hypersensitive to the feelings, thoughts, pains and emotions of others.  That little fact was even hard for me to understand even-though I had an intuitive feeling lingering in my mind for a long time.  The interesting fact is that many empaths (hypersensitive people) don’t even realize the extent of their empathy or the toll it can take on their own health.  For instance my career paths have always lead me to a trajectory of caring for others in various roles and environments.  My careers gradually transitioned and transformed from one career into the next in the service realm.   Every career choice was a compassionate one: Special Education Teacher, Nursing Assistant, Registered Nurse, Health Coach, Hypnotist and now Transformational Author.  These are all careers based on supporting the community by nurturing, caring, and loving others.  All of these career choices were based on love and a hope to make a difference.  They were each an opportunity to improve the lives of those around me.  I acknowledged my empath gift a few years ago but didn’t understand its true impact.  I had NO idea the significant role it played in my own emotional and physical wellbeing.  I had seen a rollercoaster decline in my health and happiness but had no idea my empathic gift was the culprit.  And truly it wasn’t the culprit at ALL now that I understand my gift.  The cause of my health decline was my lack of understanding and preparation to live with my special gift.  After all we may be born empathic but the cultivation of a deep connection with Your Inner Strength takes time.  It was my lack of knowledge that caused me to fail at meeting my own basic human needs.  It was a lack of self-loving, self-care practices that was my downfall.  It was my lack of knowledge about self-protection that truly opened my eyes.

    Imagine a person that is so open and willing to help others every second of everyday.  They are so willing that they do this subconsciously all day long, 365 days a year, over and over again.  And I mean in the moment and every moment.  It could be a text message, phone call, face to face conversation or care-giver relationship.  You name the situation and my body was ready to tackle it. And I had no idea it was happening for almost 38 years.  I was effortlessly absorbing feelings, thoughts, emotions, pain and experiences of those around me.   I absolutely mean absorb because that is what empaths do.    And that is exactly what I used to do every day.  I was completely oblivious and unaware it was happening.  I did it with patients, complete stranger, friends, family members, co-worker, etc. It didn’t matter who it was if they were in pain I was ready to fix them or give them a little relief.  The true awakening began when I noticed TV shows and movies triggered intense feelings.

    Hypersensitive people are extremely sensitive to the energetic vibrations, emotions, thoughts and feelings of others.  This weird phenomena can actually allow them to absorb the feelings, thoughts and emotions of others into their bodies.  I know it sounds crazy because until I experienced it for myself I thought it was a crazy too.  Then I started to feel intense emotions during movies and TV shows.  The most significant experiences I had were watching Game of Thrones or other violent shows.  And the most traumatic scenes in the first few episodes of Game of Thrones were the hardest for me to handle. I could feel the good, the bad and the ugly.  I could feel everything as if it was happening to me.  I could see the pain in Kalisi’s eyes as her new husband raped her.  I could feel her pain when her brother treated her like garbage.  It wasn’t always negative or bad.  I felt the good ones too.  I could feel her love transform into something new for her husband.  And when I say feel, I mean my heart would race, my blood would boil, the emotions would pop into my head and fill my entire body. I could feel her fear; her shame and it took a lot of work to be able to watch the few episodes that I did.  We tried to watch it years ago but it was too violent and at that point I hadn’t established a self-love routine.  This past year we tried to watch it again and every time those rough and tough emotions came up I practiced my own routine on the couch amidst the chaotic show.  Yep, I changed my breathing pattern, I chanted affirmations in my mind, I practiced my stretching and relaxation techniques to release those emotions that had entered me.  It was an exhausting process and eventually we stopped watching the show.  I truly thought it was an amazing show but it was a lot of work to stay relaxed and calm because I hadn’t learned how to protect myself yet.

    After this phenomena, I was more aware of feelings and emotions in my body.  I started to feel weird sensations in my body during conversations with friends, coworkers and family members.  I began experiencing pain in areas that had been pain free for years.  Random pains would emerge once again.  Sometimes the pain would vanish after some self-love routines and others would last for days or even weeks.  You see I still hadn’t learned a crucial element to prevent or limit this phenomenon.  And truly this little crucial element is beneficial to everyone not only empaths because it promotes your own resiliency by building your own inner strength.

    Have you ever had a conversation and suddenly your head hurts?  Or Your shoulders tense up?  or  You get a sharp pain in your stomach?  Once, I started to put things together and realize this was my reality I began to ask myself questions.  Why does my back hurt?  What is the message my body is sending?  Suddenly, I started to ask myself a lot of questions.  This little practice began several months ago.  I began to see patterns with friends, family and strangers.  I realized that many pains that arouse in my body were not mine: back pain, shoulder pain or headache.  I’m not sure if they experienced any relief but suddenly after the conversation ended, I had their pain too.  Some might say its psychological, you are imagining it but I wasn’t.  They didn’t tell me they were in pain, I wasn’t assessing them as a nurse does, yet boom it came.  Then later on in the day they would mention they had a headache or their right shoulder hurt and it confirmed what my intuition had already told me.  And when I say I had pain I mean it.  My muscles were tight and tender, I was less flexible.  My muscles would making popping and snapping noises and activities became harder to perform.   Let’s just say the things I had worked so hard to relieve started pilling back up again.  My arm pain or back pain would be debilitating once again.

    It would happen suddenly in the middle of a conversation, my neck suddenly tightened and tensed up causing a radiating pain.  Then I would take some time to meditate, breath and relax.  I would ask myself.  Is this my pain mine or someone else’s? Boom, a name would pop into my head.  Then I would think about the conversation and any visual cues I had received.  Maybe the person was rubbing their neck or told me they had a headache.  I usually didn’t know they were in pain during the conversation.  Mysteriously symptoms would arise all the time out of absolutely thin air.  It helped me understand a little more why working bedside in the Pediatric Emergency Room was so difficult for me.  Being such a loving person and trying to heal the pain of those beautiful little children had eventually taken a toll so huge that I had to leave them behind.   But I hadn’t figured this out until now.   And I left bedside nursing more than 9 years ago because I left when my oldest was little.  You see I have been taking care of myself for years already and my chronic pain is pretty much non-existent.  I literally had to give up bedside care because my body couldn’t take it and my doctor was worried I was going to die if it continued.  Fast forward to this year, I am aware that I can feel these intense emotions and am creating a routine to relax and calm but I’m still missing a key element protection.  I get flare ups here and there but the extent of my pain is never close to what it was 6 or 7 years ago.  Then I travel to Hawaii with my family.  People that I love more than anything in the world.  People that I would give my life for and obviously if I absorb the pain of strangers my body was open and ready to take on their pain too.  Traveling in a group is always stressful.  We all know that it’s hard to please everyone and I always try to please everyone.  So I did, I used my ho’oponopono and my self-loving practices blessing everyone in my family.  I blessed them all every single one of them all day long.  If there was a family argument I blessed them.  If the kids were fighting I blessed them.  If we couldn’t agree on a tour, I blessed them.  If we were in a car for a long time and tension was running high, I blessed them.  I thought I was helping myself in the process that the blessings would help me remain peaceful, calm and protected.  They helped me stay peaceful and calm but I definitely wasn’t protected.  Each day I was exhausted and drained.  I would fall asleep early and wake up exhausted.  I didn’t realize I was missing some crucial steps in my process until I returned from Hawaii and read a book that arrived as a gift from my Publisher. Ramses Rodriguez’s book “Stop Pressing Your Own Panic Button” opened my eyes to my gift.  It also brought to light a doctor that has my special gift.  She has dedicated her career to help people understand their gift and protect themselves. Dr. Judith Orloff wrote the “The Empath’s Survival Guide” really opened my eyes.  I began to listen to her book on audible and them progressed to purchasing her program for additional insight.  And suddenly it all made sense, the exhaustion and the desire to rush home early from Paradise.  By the end of my trip to Hawaii, I was exhausted, drained and overwhelmed.  The lack of protection for myself caused me to feel completely overwhelmed and snappy.  I was snapping at people, grumpy and making hasty decisions because I just couldn’t take any more stress.  I had spent the entire trip blessing everyone around me and had lost myself.  I had lost my happy, positive attitude and upbeat personality.  I was at complete exhaustion and the only thing I could think about was getting home.  I still oblivious of my true gifts and the impact it was having on my own health.  I hadn’t developed a protection routine for myself because I didn’t know I needed one.  I was still taking on the emotions, thoughts, pains and energies of everyone around me even though I didn’t want to. And thus my Empath awakening happened. It has been a few weeks since we returned from that spectacular trip that enlightened me to the true powers of my gifts.  It also helped me realize the importance of creating a routine for myself that truly gave me resilience and happiness.  The funny thing I learned along the way is these little routines that I have are not only beneficial to me but everyone around me.  This week a course came into my email at Baptist called “Highly Resilient Nurses” that cemented this little fact in my mind.  The course spoke of some of the practices I have developed for myself over the past few years.  My practice is still significantly different than anything I have encountered out in the world.  But I realize now that I am on the right path and that Hawaii was the trip that brought my true awakening to light.  After all we all need to fall to stand up again.  We all need to crawl to walk.  We all need to hurt to heal.  So now it’s time to write the Transformation book I was born to write.

     

    So Here is a little gift.  I created it for all those empath’s out there.  Those Special people like me that feel more than the rest.  Those people that have a unique gift and were born to help the world around them.  And maybe even live in the health care world like I do.  Take time for yourself to listen and relax before you begin your day.  Create a sense of protection for yourself every morning.  This practice of self-love will make your day Fabulous.  Blessings and Joy to all of you. Click the image below to list to the Meditation.

    Morning Meditation
    Empathic Awakening
    Categories Advice, Anxiety, freedom, Health, hope, positivity, self-actualization, Self-doubt

    Fight the Fear

    Fighting your fears is definitely a life changing experience.  I never thought I would be where I am today.  This past year has been an enlightening and nurturing experience.  We all have fears in our lives.  The biggest problem with fears happens when they overwhelm us and hold us back in life.  If we let the fears win then we don’t get to live the life we deserve.  Letting our fears get the better of us causes us to let our dreams dwindle away.  Thankfully I didn’t let that happen. Fighting my fears has been an uphill battle and the ultimate learning experience.  Learning my triggers and challenges through awareness has been an enlightening experience.  Tackling your fears is a slow process but worth every moment.  We need to start with the fears that impact us in our daily lives and progressively work up to the really difficult ones.  We face fears everyday during our regular life experience.  They can come up during conversations, work, daily life, music, television and even social media.  I started with little fears that were impacting my creativity and voice.  Its hard for many to believe that I had a fear of creating videos, public speaking and writing.  I was able to tackle my fears by reframing the subconscious blocks in my mind that made me believe I wasn’t worthy of achieving my dreams.  I learned to develop strategies to cope with the stressful physical response fears created in my body.  Over time I learned exactly what helped me relax, unwind and connect with my inner sense of calm.  Everyone has their own unique interests and coping mechanisms to deal with stress.  We don’t always know the techniques that work until we begin to invest in ourselves and find strategies that are proven to work to relieve stress.  Over time I developed my proactive approach to stress management which brought me my sense of happiness and joy.  The interesting thing that happens when you begin to unravel your fears is you true path in life emerges.  When you clean away the debris stress leaves behind inside our bodies it uncovers your passions and desires.  The path to emergence creates a proactive approach to overcome obstacles and challenges.  Developing this proactive approach which I now call my happiness framework took me almost a year to solidify and reinforce.  The interesting fact that emerged this week is that everything I have done to tackle the little things actually works for the big fears.  As I thought back to my past experiences with travel and airplanes I realize that fear used to shut me down in life.  I used to need a prescription to deal with the stress of travel and the anxiety that built when I felt confined in an airplane.  I remember my last long flight to Europe wasn’t an easy task and the only reason I was able to deal with it was because I had Celexa and Ativan on hand.  I am so thankful that I found my way out of the prescription patch up and developed a true proactive approach to deal with my stress.  I was a completely different person on the flight to Hawaii.  This was by far the longest flight I have ever taken.   Two separate flights lasting about 11 hours total.  The true test of my happiness framework came during the 8 hour flight to Honolulu.  Not only was I on a huge plane for 8 hours the seating arrangements were less than idea.  I was traveling with my boys but we were separated by strangers.  I was too far away to speak to them but close enough to see them.  It was impossible to get their attention to ask a question or to get something from them.  You see I was stuck in the center seat between two complete strangers.  And they were also stuck in two center seats between two strangers.  The old me would have been overwhelmed and panicked by this situation.  Instead I used everything that I new worked for me to connect with my inner calm and relaxation.  I listened to meditations and hypnosis sessions focused on empowerment, true purpose, wealth and abundance.  I glanced at my boys during the flight and filed with happiness at the peace and calm that they were experiencing.  I calmly closed my eyes and focused on centering myself through breathing and feeling.  Any emotions that came up during that long flight were washed away quickly allowing the sense of calm to grow.  When I was tired of relaxing I played tetris and listened to my dance album.  The old me would have been worried about what others thought of me and what I was doing but I truly didn’t care.  At times a song would come up that made me want to dance and I did.  Granted I was still stuck is a chair between two people but I wiggled and moves my arms in that tiny space jamming to the beat.  Sometimes I was so entranced in the song that I would close my eyes and jam even deeper.  I’m sure people walked by and thought I was a little strange but I didn’t care.  I didn’t care because I’ve learned and weird is a good thing.  I’ve learned that being myself is empowering and that no one can take that from me.  I’ve learned that the only person that needs to feel comfortable with it is me.  In a long day like this one tons of emotions came up but I let them flow easily and effortlessly.  Experiences from your past will pop into your head at any time and any situation but allowing yourself to feel centered and calm releases their hold on you.  When things would pop up I used Ho’oponopono, stretching and self-hypnosis to release them.  This unique proactive approach kept me feeling serene in a less than ideal situation.  I would normally have been pacing up and down the isle or worried about my kids but I felt completely aligned, safe and relaxed.  The flight was long and exhausting but fear didn’t get in my way.  It was truly an empowering experience to see that everything I had put into place for myself over the past year was exactly what I needed.  There was no longer a need for prescriptions to fog my brain or hide my experiences.  I am thankful for the journey to enlightenment because it truly set me FREE to live the life I desired and dreamed.  I am thankful that I can use everything I’ve learned to help others find their peace and calm.  It truly is a beautiful day.  I may be exhausted and unsure of the time but I know that my peace and calm is here to stay.  So if you want to connect with your sense of calm and inner strenght, check out my Facebook Group: Unleash Your Inner Strength today. I will begin posting videos today from Hawaii.  There will be some videos on You-tube as well but the bulk of the content will only be in Facebook.  I invite you to connect with your sense of calm in any situation.  You are powerful and resilient too.  It just takes a little guidance and support to get you feeling centered again.

    Categories Anxiety, Developmental Delays, Fear, hope, kids, motivation, positivity, Self-doubt, Speak your mind, Worry, young brain

    School of Stress

    School stress is a normal part of life, Right? I am not the only person that got anxious for tests or presentations. I am not the only person that developed an upset stomach during Final exams. Have you ever had to rush out of an exam to explode in the bathroom? Yep literally, my stress and anxiety caused severe IBS. It was always an issue since at least 8th grade. I bet if you are reading this now, at some point in your life you remember a time during your education where STRESS was on your mind and evident in your BODY. Maybe it was a teacher that spoke to you in a negative way or put you down. Maybe it was an obstacle you faced early on in your education that caused you to loose a little self-confidence or created a little self-doubt. Maybe, your parents were very strict and expected perfect grades adding extra pressure to an already stressful experience. The cause of the stress response is usually related to a deeply engrained emotional reaction in you subconscious mind. Trust me, I had no idea this was possible until almost a year ago. I thought anxiety was a perfectly normal part of life. I though that it was just my way of dealing with school. It was normal for me to study my butt off, know everything by heart and blank out on a test. It was normal for me to second guess myself and switch the answer on the test. Then I would spend nights worrying some more after the test was over. And then reviewing tests, I began to recognize a pattern over the years. My gut first answer was usually right but I always managed to second guess myself and change it.

    Looking back now, I realize that my insecurities were linked to my learning disabilities and family history of learning disabilities. I developed this fear of school that progressively got worse over time. I developed a sense of self-doubt and worry that impacted me throughout my career. I didn’t let it stop me though, I pushed through and managed to graduate High-School with honors. I pushed through it, over and over again. Two careers and Master’s education didn’t seem to stop me but deep down the insecurities blocked me from finding my true purpose. Some how, I managed to graduate with honors time after time but the impact on my body was pretty catastrophic over the years. The Negative thoughts impacted me during my Master’s degree to a point of absolute panic. I actually remember a day where my research paper completely vanished off my computer. The file vanished. AHHH! Seriously, it completely disappeared a few minutes before the submission deadline. My stress and anxiety hit me hard and fast. It felt like a kick in my chest. Fear overwhelmed me and worry made me feel helpless. I dropped down to the floor in a panic and cried uncontrollably until thankfully my husband found it. I had never experienced such an intense stress response before. It was the peak of my chronic illness, anxiety and stress. It was my worst panic to date and I thought I was doomed but everything worked out. Thankfully, as I mentioned before I was a great student and my paper was amazing. Somehow, I surpassed my own internal fears and worry to graduate with honors, once again. But these embedded childhood challenges continued to arise throughout my life. Self-doubt, fear and worry would impact me in all aspects of life. I finally decided something had to shift. I realized that these negative feelings were not aligned with my path in life. I had succeeded and overcome so much, it was time for my mind to catch up and wake up. It was time to shift this crazy negative mindset and leave the past in the past. It was time to believe in myself and release the past. No one deserves to live a life of self-doubt, worry and fear. Everyone deserves to THRIVE NATURALLY in their own skin. Everything fell into place at the right moment in time. I was READY. I was willing. And I was dedicated to finding my path. INVEST in YOURSELF. You deserve to THRIVE. You deserve to feel Healthy. You deserve to feel Prosperous too.

    Categories accomplishment, Anxiety, Chronic Pain, Emotional pain, flare up, hope, motivation, pain, Physical Pain

    Let go and Be Free!!!

    Learning your personal stress triggers and fears is a huge part of emotional health and wellness. It is impossible to change the world around us but we can change the way we react to it. I’ve learned a lot about myself over this past year. Learning the way I react to criticism, comments and conversations with others wasn’t easy but it is an essential part of emotional health. Every single one of us has pre-established beliefs, rules and behavior patterns in our subconscious mind. The healing comes into play when we truly understand our own beliefs, rules and patterns. We can only change our responses and actions towards the events life sends our way. We all face challenges and obstacles in our daily lives that can impact our health and happiness. Our reactions to these obstacles and challenges impact our bodies in exponential ways. Over the years, keeping my true emotions trapped inside lead to an exponential changes in my body resulting in chronic illness and disease. I was a person that held in all my emotions, fears, worry and stress. I didn’t share them with anyone much less myself. I kept everything so bottled up and tight that my health began to fail more and more with each year that passed. These high stress levels impact our bodies cell by cell that accumulates over time developing illness and disease. Emotional intelligence is not something we are born with or learn in school. The more we experience stress and keep it bottled up inside the worse our emotional and physical health gets. I’ve learned that no one can hurt you more than you hurt yourself. We hurt ourselves everyday repetitively and harshly. We repeat the same hurtful and harmful statements to ourselves everyday. It’s a vicious cycle that creates a build up of emotional stress in our bodies. This emotional pile accumulates inside our tissues, organs and cells and eventually develops into symptoms, illness and disease.

    My health issues started as a child with digestive issues, reflux, and IBS. I began bottling up my emotions and hiding my voice from the world as a child. I lost my creative side completely. The part of me that could write poems and paint, simply went to sleep when my voice went silent. The symptoms built up more and more each year until my health crisis in 2013. I reached a point in my life that any more stress was simply overwhelming and my body was ready to give up. It was evident in my emotional and physical health that something had to change. I reached my breaking point where my body just couldn’t take any more stress. I was getting my MSN degree, working in the PEDS ED and raising to young boys. My husband’s work schedule had him traveling all the time which added extra stress on my already full plate. At this point my hair was falling constantly, panic attacks were the norm and food was simply not digesting. I reached a point where water and saltine crackers were causing me stomach distress, nausea and pain. After extensive tests and hospitalization the truth was clear. My body was tearing itself down little by little. My stomach lining was eroding and ulcers were soon to develop in my stomach and intestines. The poor digestion and lack of nutrient absorption was impacting my skin, body and hair. The anxiety was causing panic and my chronic pain was at its peak. I was taking 13+ prescriptions and felt absolutely awful. My right arm and leg were numb and the pain was constantly severe. The doctor basically told me either you change your lifestyle or you are going to die. It was a scary truth that I had to face as a 36 year old young mom. The decision to place my health on my priority list was not easy. I had spent my entire life helping everyone else around me. Since childhood I had placed the feelings of everyone around me before my own. The decision I made was for me but even more for my children and husband. After all my health impacted my children the most good or bad. If I kept on that path my boys (Gabriel 7 and Lucas 3) would face a life without a loving and supportive mom to guide their way. Even typing that today brings tears to my eyes. I can imagine their beautiful little faces and lives impacted by my own lack of self-love. Over these 6 roller coaster years, I found my way back to my emotional and physical health. But the hardest part was this last year. The emotional journey to unlock the feelings and beliefs that had impacted my health over these 41 years. Now as a 41 year old mom of 2, I see the power in emotional health and wellness. I see the impact our emotions have on our bodies and that we harm ourselves more than anyone else can. We fail to forgive ourselves for our mistakes, behaviors and actions. We criticize ourselves more every single day about any little insecurity. Some of the criticisms I realize now runs really deep and impacts your body. I learned a month ago that I actually was angry with myself about the birth of my children. I was angry at myself for not having a vaginal birth. It was a decision that had to be made because my oldest was too big and likely would have been stuck in the birth canal. I didn’t realize the impact my anger had on my body until 12.5 years later. I realize inside my body, inside my yoni, I was blaming myself for not being good enough. I blamed myself and thought I wasn’t a good mom because of this little bump in the road. This little obstacle that gave me a precious gift a son that I love with all my heart. It just goes to show that you have no idea what your subconscious is hiding and the damage it can be causing in your body.
    Low self-esteem and self-doubt plagued my mind throughout my life. When I was heavier, I used to say horrible things to myself when I looked in the mirror. “Yuck look at that cellulite. Omg look at that belly bump, you are so fat.” I would look at myself and not see the beautiful woman everyone else saw. I didn’t think I was beautiful, I had little self-esteem, I didn’t show myself much self-love. This continued for most of my life until 2013 when started making myself the priority. I started eating right and exercising. I began to show myself more kindness as my body started to feel better and the pain began to leave my body. I began loving the beautiful girl in the mirror. I started to see my body was changing, shedding weight, looking less bloated and a real smile started to emerge. It wasn’t the fake smile I had been hiding behind for so long. I had been hiding my physical pain from the world a long time. Finally, when that pain was gone and I connected with the truth behind it my true smile emerged. It’s a smile filled with self-love and appreciation for everything I had been through, everything I had learned and the new me emerged.

    This journey of emotional healing and connecting with my intuition wasn’t easy. It takes dedication and self-love to truly get to the root cause. Learning that I had been keeping emotions trapped inside my body gave me the power to release them. I was holding a multitude of emotions. I had been a worrier all my life. I worried that I didn’t do things well, that I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t beautiful, that I wasn’t loved, etc. I was holding many other emotions too. The thing I realized through hypnosis was that my subconscious not only had the power to hurt me but it had the power to heal. There are so many emotions we hold inside us. These emotions don’t serve us to keep them trapped inside. The more we allow them to build up inside our bodies the more symptoms arise. It’s very interesting to tap into your intuition and allow your body to give you the answers. When you connect with yourself through self-love and nurture your mind, body and soul everything unfolds. You become aware of the immediate tension that arises in your shoulders, when your feeling overwhelmed. You notices the knot erupting in your neck while you talk to a friend that tells you something upsetting. You feel the pressure in your chest when someone shares a truly emotional truth they experienced. You can actually close your eyes, scan your body, identify a sore spot and know exactly why it is tender. This is not pain or soreness from exercise or overuse of a muscle. This is emotional pain that you have absorbed inside your body. Sometimes the pain isn’t even your own. It sounds absolutely crazy, I know but I have learned that as an empath, I can actually absorb the physical and emotional pain of others. My intuition tells me exactly why the pain is there and only then am I able to release it. It’s essential to bring out the subconscious triggers from hiding into your conscious mind. You need to feel the emotions in the moment in order to Let it go!!! You need to feel the pain, feel the symptoms, cry if you need too, sit with it and feel it. Sometimes you need to work a little harder to get it out of your muscles and tissues. The power of naturally releasing pain comes into action when you combine the subconscious mind, the conscious mind and the physical body. I have learned my body so well that I can actually release physical pain, feel the fluids shift inside my body and sense the emotions change with it. Working with your body in this deep way connecting mind, body and soul empowers you to tackle your biggest trauma, your worst heartbreak and even your greatest fears. Understanding your bodies natural healing powers enables you to accomplish things you never dreamed. Letting go of the past that created turmoil inside your body creates a positivity that radiates out of you. Letting go of every emotion that no longer serves you sets you free. Let go, live your life, be free, be powerful, be abundant, be YOU!! ou can be the ultimate version of yourself, I believe in YOU!!!

    Categories Anxiety, Emotional pain, hope, motivation, pain, Physical Pain, Transformation

    The truth…

    Transformation to unveil your true self is painful. The truth about change is it takes hard work and perseverance. Nothing worth achieving is ever easy. Changing a career isn’t easy. Having and raising children isn’t easy. Finding your true purpose in life is the battle of a lifetime. It unveils your true abundance and fortitude to pave the way for the power of creativity. Your future is waiting for you to expose your truth and transform your beliefs to develop your ultimate potential.

    Trust me I never thought it was possible to transform my feelings and beliefs. Working on emotional stress, anxiety and panic was the last thing on my list to resolve. Finally, last year I decided hypnosis was my answer and took a leap. I connected in a true spiritual and emotional way with my guide, Adrianna Foster. The universe brought her to me at the perfect time. I was ready to make the last change for my abundance to flourish. The journey had obstacles, resistance and pain but each step made me stronger. The journey is far from over but I am now aware of each part of the process.

    Yesterday was a day of pain, sadness and anxiety but living in the moment transforms the future. Taking time for myself and honoring my feelings helped me transmute the lies into truth. Each time this blocks arise a tough time unfolds but it is followed by a glorious day of enlightenment. I am thankful for my pain because it unleashed my true purpose in life. It created my deep connection with others. My unique gift creates a bond to help my clients heal their pain and sorrow in the physical and emotional realm. The best therapists and caregivers are those that truly understand the pain their clients feel. They have lived and experience the pain. That is the fact that sets me apart from the rest. I have a unique gift to understand both physical and emotional pain. I worked on healing both and learned the power in the process. The physical pain was the easiest for me. The physical journey was easy but lengthy. It unraveled over 6 years to develop the perfect plan. My healthcare background helped me identify the specific human needs to focus and support (nutrition, supplementation and fitness). The emotional journey was rapid and difficult. It is the finally step in my journey to abundance. The emotional journey started in Sept 2018 and has enlightened me revealing the power in my story.

    I am grateful for the opportunity to use my gift using transformational regressions to help others achieve their super powers. And I am excited that my journey to becoming a hypnotherapist is underway. So I ask you… Would you be willing to dig deep and unlock the past that is haunting you? Are you willing to feel the pain and unveil your true self? Are you willing to connect with yourself – mind, body and soul? That is the journey that unlocks your abundance. I am here to guide you…

    Categories Advice, Biohacking, Chronic Pain, Diet, fatigue, flare up, food allergies, food sensitivities, Health, hope, Inflammation, motivation, pain, Physical Pain

    Invisible Illness

    The unknown truth about invisible illness is that people live with it everyday and those around them usually have no idea. You might see a girl with a big smile going about her day hiding the pain she is experiencing. Only those close to them truly know and understand their pain. Even loved ones have trouble understanding their pain. There are many conditions that fall into this category and ehlers-danlos syndrome is one of them. This is the syndrome that I have lived with for years and never truly understood until a few years ago when I went to see a geneticist. Some of the symptoms of this syndrome are chronic pain, chronic fatigue, digestive issues, frequent infections and skin problems. I was the poster child for this condition. I had every possible symptom except a heart condition. Thankfully that was the one thing I didn’t manifest even-though I did need to see a cardiologist because I had frequent fainting episodes. The day I decided to see a geneticist I knew that this expansive list of symptoms had to be related somehow and I was right. The sad truth is there is no cure or treatment for it. The most you could do is use natural alternatives, exercise, diet modifications and prescriptions to help control symptoms. I was sick of using prescriptions and had already started incorporating diet changes and natural alternatives to help me feel better. I had reached a point in my life that covering up one symptom with a prescription that caused another problem was not an option. I wanted to get rid of all the prescriptions and I was well underway by the time I saw the geneticist. She told me everything I was doing was perfect. She said to continue my diet and fitness routine, use methods of stress relief and stay hydrated. At this point I was far from healthy but my body was slowly improving day by day. I had lived with pain to the right side of my body for almost 20 years. I remember feeling excruciating pain on my right arm beginning in 8th grade. The pain and symptoms worsened into adulthood. By the time I was 30 my right arm was always numb and in severe pain. By the time I was 35 my right leg was also affected and became numb as well. Any episodes of less physical activity or fitness routine would make all the pain and numbness worse. So I focused on staying active and eating what I thought was right. I was far from truly understanding my body and the foods that were harmful but I had already identified gluten and corn as huge culprits. By the age of 39, I had undergone a bunch of surgeries and I knew that more were eminent if I didn’t find a way to heal my body. Then one day my friend Daisy, who has Multiple Sclerosis another invisible illness came back into my life. She was experiencing some of the same symptoms and had found some relief in recent years. She spoke to me about nutrigenomics and using nutrient rich supplements to impact inflammation in the body. I was absolutely intrigued but I had to research it for myself. I took several months to research oxidative stress and nutrigenomics to see if it was my answer. I also had to research the ingredients to make sure I could take it. You see with all my food sensitivities, I had to be certain before I took the leap. Then one day, I jumped. I was pleasantly surprised that my energy was improving within the first few weeks. My pain pleasantly was down to 5/10 from 8/10 within a few months. After 4 months my numbness was gone and my pain was under control. I started to truly understand my body and the right fitness routine for me. This state of less pain also helped me identify more foods that caused symptoms to arise. I had flare ups and injuries at times but nothing compared to the life of severe pain I used to live. I was finally happy in my own skin and able to enjoy the world. I no longer had to hide behind a fake smile. I had a beautiful real smile that light up the room. I started to spread my story to the world. I am here to tell you invisible illness is real. You can never truly understand it unless you live it. People that live it need compassion and support. If you know someone with an invisible illness, I urge you to share my story with them. A story of hope is always a great thing to share. It is nice to know that you aren’t alone in the world. It is nice to know someone is here to support you if you choose to change your life. I fought back and won. It is a lifelong battle but I am here to support anyone through it with love and guidance.

    Categories Advice, hope, motivation

    Love Your Body!

    Love your body! The truth is most of us don’t do this.  We get stuck listening to the negative voice inside us.  The voice torments us and makes us feel ashamed of who we are, how we look or the way we feel.  I know first hand, how hard this transition can be.  I have struggled with self-esteem my entire life.  My friends always ask me, how is it possible, you are so gorgeous, why don’t you see it.  The fact is, until you feel it, you won’t believe it, no matter what everyone else tells you.  I worked my butt off to heal my body and finally started to feel a gradual improvement in self-esteem over the last 5 years.  The fact is if you spend more time focusing on your health by healing your emotional and physical self, things will change and self-esteem comes with it.  You will see changes in your physical body, thus improving the way you feel in your own skin.  I can tell you the huge self-esteem change happened this year, over the last few months because I got out of my comfort zone.  After, 1 year pain free, working on helping myself heal from autoimmune issues, taking time to relax and focus on myself, I was finally able to realize I needed to help others accomplish the same.  After I started feeling healthier and happier, my self-esteem started to flourish.  I started to truly look at my body as this beautiful gift, I was born with.  I started to enjoy dressing up, putting on make-up and seeing the transformation my body had undergone.  The true understanding of my beauty, didn’t come from close friends or family, it came from deep inside me but I had to work for it.  Once, I started venturing out of my comfort zone, attending BNI meetings and networking happy hours, I realized the impact I had on others.  I finally, was able to see what my friends and family had been telling me all along.  When I really paid attention to the reactions others made, the complements I received and the way it made me feel, the changes started to happen.  I no longer brushed off the complements, I accepted them and thanked those that gave them.  I learned to give complements in return.  I realized the power of complements and the desire everyone has to feel better about themselves.   Over these past months, I have developed friendships with people that I never would have spoken to before. I was so shy and scared to speak to anyone because of my own insecurities and emotional struggles.  When I got out of my comfort zone, accepted the complements and felt good in my own skin, my self esteem started to flourish.  It allowed me to reflect on my childhood, the relationships from the past that affected my self-esteem and develop strategies to deal with those emotions.  By accepting the hurt, developing a plan and actively working to improve my health, the emotional pain and self-esteem issues started to melt away.  I share this because I know I am not the only person out there with self-esteem issues. I know that I am not the only person that stopped caring for myself and suffered emotional and physical pain as a result.  I realize that sharing is the first step in helping others build up the courage to take on their own healing.  A huge part of learning my body was physical but the emotional was just as important.  Learning my physical pain, understanding it, feeling it, and learning how to combat it each and every day was the foundation for my emotional battle.  By learning, how to relieve my own physical pain and tension, I was finally ready to combat the emotional pain.  Emotional pain is hidden and harder to deal with and accept.  It takes a real conscious effort to work on emotional struggles and make a change.  These battles are easier when you have a coach to guide you through the process, I know that my holistic health coach, guided me through this final phase of healing. If it wasn’t for her, I would not have truly understand the reasons why I was so shy, why I had trouble speaking to others, and why I felt my voice was not important.  This emotional process was difficult and left my voice silent again for almost 2 months, as I continued to learn myself.  It was hard to express emotions and write my blog, while I was working on the final transformation.  I realize now, that a lot of my physical pain, was caused by my emotional battle.  I realize that holding in my emotions and not speaking my voice, caused my illness and pain.  Now, 2 months later, I realize that it was the final step in my healing.  I learned that self-esteem is impacted by your body and mind.  I realized, that my voice is important, that my story is powerful, and I can help others heal.  The power is in the journey, the connections and guidance you receive in the healing process.  I am here to help others accomplish their desires and goals by helping them cherish, love and appreciate their bodies: mind, body and soul.  I am here to help you find your self-esteem and keep it.  I want you to know that you don’t have to struggle through this alone.  There are plenty of people out there waiting to help you.  I just happen to be someone that experienced it first hand, I am here to guide you through the journey, if you are ready to take the step.