Did you know humans enter hibernation-like states?

No, we don’t go to sleep for weeks at a time, but we do enter pre-hibernation states physiologically.  See, hibernation is a state of low energy use for purposes of survival. In this state, the body conserves energy to run most basic functions in order to keep the organism alive when there are limited resources available or the body perceives it to be that way.

This is chronic stress.

This is where most modern people are living.

We experience it a bit differently...ok, a lot differently, but physiologically, it is a similar state.

See, in hibernation, bears mobilize stored fat to be used for energy, they do this by use of stress hormones, in this state, their cells adapt to lower function states in order to stay alive in the winter conditions.  Some physiological events which characterize this are: 

Low body temperature

Low pulse rate

Mental dullness

Low energy

Sound like anyone you know?

T...

Stress is really high right now, so many things to pay attention to in the world, it is as if the only stories we can find are ones where tragedy has struck.

Have you ever thought about what all that “news” does to our own life?

I know, on the one hand is the desire to stay aware and on the other the desire to turn it off.  I often wonder if the constant news cycle is creating more stress, which then creates more exhaustion which then creates more pain, panic, and guarding.

The thing is, our body doesn’t know the difference between being guarded from an event we read about or one we live through.

We cannot change society or build up peace from a state of guarded pain. This is key, Einstein said: 

“You cannot solve a problem from the same mindset that created it.”

Yet, isn’t that what we are living right now?  Pain, exhaustion, worry, fear, panic...that’s where many are existing, day after day, is it any wonder we see this presentation is self in the world arou...

What is normal?

We exist in a world with sickness as a normal, knowing someone with a serious chronic disease isn’t rare, knowing family who have been burdened with a serious disease isn’t only common, it has become almost expected.

For women, knowing other women who are tired, who spend their life on a diet or a new exercise regimen, or trying out the latest, greatest, magic supplements are all now normal.

Someone said to me the other day, they know they aren’t in a good place, but they are better than what “normal” is. 

This got me thinking, how many people are comparing themselves to illness as their gauge of wellness?

Think about it, if our “normal” is sickness, then what are we really comparing to?

Of course, just being exhausted seems better than cancer.

Of course just having pain seems better than MS…

But isn’t that how we get to those places?

Comparing our misery with dire situations and using those comparisons to make our misery seem incon...

I think it's time we destroyed a misconception that's propagated widely in the world. That misconception is:  if I'm skinny, I'm healthy. 

I have talked to so many women and have found that among those that don't need to lose weight, despite having a multitude of known health conditions, they will commonly say, “but overall I'm healthy.”

Now, sadly, this flies in the face of reason because if you've got known health conditions, despite wanting to proclaim your health, you no longer can stand as being healthy. 

What I have found is, many of these women look at themselves and say,  I'm the correct size for my body, my BMI is great, when I go to the doctor, they think I'm doing a fantastic job.  

But how off does it feel to be able to say both “I don’t feel well” and “I think I am quite healthy because of my size”?  Now, I get it, because we live in a world which evaluates overall health, success and value on what our exterior says. Sadly, even doctors get caught up in t...

My atypical Thyroid history...not what docs, including ND's are looking for.

I was watching the new Jack Ryan series the other day ...yes, I do watch shows.  But I noticed again, the female spy was portrayed as the sexy seductress, willing to use her feminine charms to gain information and get what she wants and she could take a beating as well as any of the male characters. 

What it made me think of isn't so much the sexualized nature of women but the fact that the things given for us to aspire to are either:

Brute force and iron will...push through no matter what

Or

Be a certain variety of sexy, thin and beautiful or not get anywhere

It's no wonder we chase external barometers of our health.  So many women have grown so accustomed to feeling poorly that they are willing to do crazy things to look better even if they don't cause them to feel better, just to keep up with these external ideals.

Some examples from people I have actually known:

A woman who was tired, angry, depressed and lonely in her marriage who got breast implants ...

When medicine has termed the following issues as simply aging, depression or "hormones", you know women are not being treated as sacred:

Unexplained weight gain (as in your food didn't change)

Sleeplessness 

Fatigue

Depression

Anxiety

Pain

Foggy Brain

Mental sluggishness

These are REAL problems, not the result of aging, or depression or just hormones.

We need to remember our Divine feminine nature, our brilliant body and its inherent magic.

We need to be honored for the lives we live, constantly serving, planning, preparing and pushing forward to hold space for tomorrow.

We cannot be allowed to succumb to being tired as a state of being, because that tired has emerged from lives where taking a break is now synonymous with:

Guilt

Shame

Fear

And a sense of failure 

We cannot let misguided doctors using outdated models dispel what we experience as "in our head" when it is in fact in our cells.

We, you...have the rig...