Learning to say “No” in polite and gentle ways was one of the most empowering tools in my evolution journey. When power is given away to others, the voice remains quiet, healthy boundaries are crossed, and the past repeats.

Saying “No” allows you to create healthy boundaries, conserves your energy, and most importantly, gives you your power back.

What are boundaries and why are they important?

Boundaries are barriers we place emotionally or physically to stand firm in what we believe is right for us. Boundaries are expectations for ourselves that shape what we accept from others and ourselves.

You may feel stuck, stifled, or disrespected when healthy boundaries are crossed. The truth is, it is up to us to set our boundaries to prevent this from happening.

For many of us, we are living out of integrity to please others. It is not uncommon to feel anger or frustration in your body if you struggle to say ‘No’.

Sometimes setting boundaries is as simple as using ‘No Statements’. Here are a few phrases you can familiarize yourself with and use to empower you to stand firm in your boundaries.

‘I just don’t like the way (X) makes me feel’

‘That doesn’t resonate with me’

‘I appreciate the offer, but no thanks’

Who or what in your life are you ready to start creating healthy boundaries with the above phrases? Every time you authentically and courageously speak up, your own self-love and respect grow.

Learn More

To learn more about my personal journey with creating healthy boundaries, listen to my podcast episode HERE.

Whether you are local to Grand Rapids and can come to my East Town office The Healing Space or you are somewhere else in the world. Allow me to guide you in this experience of transformative healing.

All of my Breathwork sessions are combined with Reiki Energy Therapy, Crystals, a Holistic Health Consultation & recommendations in-between sessions with healing tools so you can continue empowering your own journey. Learn more about my in-person + virtual offerings HERE.

How to Create Certainty during Uncertain Times.

Uncertainty & the unknown are one of the greatest causes of chronic anxiety. Many of us are used to feeling completely in control of our lives, schedules & environment. The current forecast of our lives is the ultimate test of how we handle uncertainty.

Though there are several self-care habits that we can implement each day to create a sense of certainty and control over our lives which puts our minds at ease.

Each morning I dedicate the first hour to me. I call this my “Magic Morning” as I pick a few self-care tools that fulfill me mentally, emotionally & physically. Doing so before taking on the rest of my day always me to feel like I have autonomy in my life & leaves me in a positive mindset.

A few of my current go-to’s:

• Herbal Tea + Water with Lemon to hydrate
• Morning Dance + stretches with feel-good music that gets me out of my head & into my body
• Re-bounding on my mini-tramp to get my lymphatic system flowing
• Morning Matcha Tea Latte (switched to green tea as it contains L-Theanine which promotes relaxation)
• 10min Meditation + Conscious Breathwork to energize + release any mental baggage

I switch this routine up constantly but notice when I leave it out of my day, I feel so much “heavier” mentally & emotionally. The ONLY certainty in this human experience is change. Learning to surrender, to release control, is an act all of us should be striving for. Through each conscious breathwork session, this is our goal. To completely release control so we can discover the wisdom that our higher selves would like to reveal to us. To access deeper healing through our own inhale + exhale.

And although many aspects of our lives our completely out of our control right now, we can create a piece of certainty each day through establishing a consistent Magic Morning.

I guide my clients through their own self-care in customized Reiki Energy Healing Sessions both in my Grand Rapids office The Healing Space & Virtually, through distance Reiki Sessions. Balancing the 7 energy centers or “Chakras” is another gentle way to create balance and feel centered right now. Learn more about our 7 Chakras in this blog post.

Have you tried Reiki, Breathwork or guided Meditation as a form of self-care? Let me know in the comments!

We live in a society where chronic stress has become the norm. The demands of our career, family and friends can feel overwhelming and leave us completely depleted; yet we buckle down and strive on. Though we would love to stay oblivious of the harm that chronic stress plays in our lives, often our bodies will begin to give us signs that it is not sustainable.

Maybe you’ve felt the indications of stress in your own body for years and have chosen to ignore them. Or perhaps, you’ve already prioritized some changes to live a more stress-free lifestyle. What so many need to realize is that there is a epidemic of chronically stressed out people that are in desperate need of some serious self-care. Thankfully, small changes in your daily life can have a profound impact on your overall health.

Its in your hands to carve out that time and make it happen or go on living in a state of constant chaos.

IMPACTS OF STRESS IN MY OWN LIFE

I recently wrote a post about the implications of chronic stress in my own life which led to extreme Adrenal Burnout. You can read that entire post HERE. I knew that I was a stressed out person, but getting that test result was a huge wake-up call for me. For the first time in my life, I’ve deliberately slowed down to finally heal.

Adrenal Fatigue is just one indication of chronic stress. I’ve had a host of other neurological (Bells Palsy) and digestive (Candida overgrowth) issues throughout my life as well. All of which ties back to stress as the underlying cause. This is why I’m committed to helping other women first realize the impact of stress in their own lives and then provide them with the tools to manage it effectively.

Living stress-free is impossible in today’s world, but we can take several measures to ensure that we are truly THRIVING not just surviving in our bodies. Achieving Body Peace and learning to love yourself unconditionally is a result of that journey.

STRESS & DIGESTION

Eating on the go. Snacking at my desk. Eating as quickly as possible to get back to the task at hand. Having a heated discussion at meal time. Watching T.V and munching. Sound familiar? I’ve been guilty of ALL of these and more. When I learned that the average meal is eaten in 3min I was not surprised in the least. Americans have completely lost touch with what meal time should feel like.

Digestion starts with the senses, as we prepare and assemble our meals. Since most of us now consume pre-prepared meals, we’ve already lost touch with that sacred process. Chewing, slowly and thoroughly is also a vital part of smooth digestion but because of stress we tend to vacuum our food up which leaves our bodies with the taxing job of breaking down all of that partially digested food.

All of these bad meal time habits combined with high stress has led to a downfall in our digestion. Even emotional or psychological stress can keep our bodies in that sympathetic nervous system. This is part of our autonomic nervous system and is responsible for the “fight or flight” response. Under these circumstances our bodies believe we are in danger and instead of bringing the blood flow to our stomach/intestines to break down food, it goes to our limbs. Why the limbs? Because our body can’t tell the difference between real and perceived stress such as your boss yelling at you, which is why its getting ready to physically run from the stressor.

We must activate the para-sympathetic nervous system known as the “rest & digest” mode of the autonomic nervous system to truly digest and assimilate our food properly. The benefits include less bloating, gas, constipation and acid-reflex. Ensuring that our meal time is MUCH more pleasant.

ANXIETY & DEPRESSION

The number of people being prescribed anti-depressants is sky-rocketing each year. There are over 2 million children between 0-17 years of age now on anti-depressant medication alone and that stat is very frightening to me. It is a great indication of the impact of stress that humans of all ages are feeling.

Instead of treating the symptom with a prescription drug that only leads to MORE side-effects, what if we treated the root imbalance? Why have we accepted that this as the norm? We live in a society of instant gratification. Fast results and fast information at our finger tips. We’ve become accustomed to this way of being.

At 19, I personally tried anti-depressants for panic attacks I was getting because of my birth control along with the stress of college. The prescription definitely made the panic attacks go away, but in turn in numbed the rest of my emotions too. I felt like a complete and total zombie. It was only a matter of months before I tossed the bottle and started looking for alternative ways to manage my stress.

Because I live in Michigan where its cold, grey and gloomy most of the year, learning to cope with stress and stave off anxiety has become a necessity. No matter where you live, we all experience low periods of sadness, depression and anxiety. But please know that this does NOT have to be your norm and that JOY can be your permanent state if your dedicated to the health of your mind+body.

NATURAL WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR STRESS

I’ve experimented with TONS of natural remedies to lower my stress. To live a care-free and love filled life. I’m sharing with you the methods that I’ve witnessed to be the most transformational for myself and my clients. If your ready to ditch your anxiety/depression medications and try the alternative route then i’d love to guide you in your journey back to body peace. Learn more + book your completely customized session on my Nutritional Cleansing Page.

HERBS/SUPPLEMENTS (click the supplement for my brand recommendation)

• Ashawaganda
• Rhodiola
• Lemon Balm
• Magnesium
• Vitamin D

SELF-CARE

• Walking in nature
• Whole foods Plant-Based Diet
• Meditation/Prayer
• Creating a Morning Ritual 
• Reiki Energy Therapy Sessions
• Consistent Breathwork
• Epsom Salt Baths

Its a combination of all of these and more, but you truly have to find what resonates with YOUR body as we are all so unique. Just giving yourself more time to laugh, have pleasure, be with loved ones, turning off your cell phone/email. To truly be present and stop obsessing about regrets of the past and worries of the future. Accumulating a plan that is specific to what intuitively reduces your stress is key in this process of self-discovery.

Do you have a favorite way to de-stress? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

work cited: Number of Children & Adolescents Taking Psychiatric Drugs in the U.S. (2014, April). In CCHR International . Retrieved April 4, 2018.

Sympathetic Nervous System (n.d.). In Science Daily. Retrieved April 4, 2018.