Publié dans Coaching, Health, Reflections, Sam's adventures

Taking rest in busy times

This month has been surprisingly busy, and I have taken a short break from my blog/social media; taking rest in busy times is necessary. I personally find social media exceedingly tiring, and in truth, it is the first thing I will drop when life gets busy or I come down with a cold. While I do love writing, my blog is also lower on the priority list. I am hoping that November will be a bit smoother!

I think rest is underrated as an activity and should be considered a virtue in this busy world. When I say rest, though, I am not talking about doomscrolling. Taking rest involves a combination of adequate sleep and leisure.

Getting good sleep

Taking rest

A good night’s sleep is an important part of rest. I personally found the impact of sleep to be massive after my sleep apnea diagnosis. I spent years with interrupted sleep (like every mom does), but the sleep I did get was awful! You can read more about my experience with getting set up with my CPAP here. Adequate sleep means you are sleeping long enough at night with quality sleep. If you are struggling with sleep, it’s important to look at your sleep hygiene. When do you turn off screens for the day? Do you have a nightly routine? What sleep cues can you start to incorporate into your routine to help you wind down at night?

Taking rest and leisure

Leisure is the bigger part of rest that I feel is underrated in our society. Many consider being busy with a full timetable the epitome of living a good life. I argue that it is in slowing down and enjoying the present moment that you live life to the fullest. Leisure activities are things that refill you and rejuvenate you. They are fun! There is no one-size-fits-all list of leisurely activities, but take a moment and reflect: what activities refill you? I personally love ART, as you may have guessed. With this being said, I also love gardening, playing with/training my dogs, archery, video games, reading, learning theology, and playing board games. I have other interests too, but these often fill my soul when I need a leisurely activity that really hits the spot.

Publié dans Coaching, Goal Setting, Health, Mental Health, Reflections, Sam's adventures

Passion: Finding and Pursuing it

I’ve been listening to the audiobook “Prudence” by Fr. Gregory Pine OP recently. This, combined with life circumstances for myself and friends, has led me to think. I’ve been reflecting on the importance of pursuing your passion. While I believe there is an inherent need to work for the sake of supporting yourself or your family, I think it is wrong to settle. I don’t mean to be critical here, but I want to encourage true flourishing. In my opinion, it is a disservice to yourself and others to stagnate when you could be living a more genuine and fruitful life.

Why find your passion?

This is an important question to address. There is a trend these days to wanting to “live your best life”, but social media does not give a foothold on what this really means. In my opinion, living your best life is one where you live a life full of meaning (and the psychological sciences tend to back me on this). If you are living life, looking to the future for some place of happiness and contentment, you are missing the point. Life exists here and now in the present moment. When you are living out your passion, meaning is vibrant and service is life-giving. You may have hard days, but they don’t wear you down, leaving you empty.

What is your passion?

Some people have a clear idea of their passion, but not everyone does. Your vocational needs and state in life impact how you can live out your passion, but neither prevents you from finding it nor pursuing it when the time is right. There are many ways you can choose to live life and serve through work. Sometimes you will need to work for the sake of work, and finding your passion will come from reflecting on those experiences. In short, I believe your passion is the intersection of your interests and talents. In practice, this is actually a pretty broad space that will need discernment and reflection to narrow down.

A Venn Diagram of the intersection of Interest and Tallent showing Passion.

There are resources you can use to help you identify where you will flourish most, like the amazing work of Patrick Lencioni: 6 Types of Working Genius. I think this is an excellent tool to help you discover your passion and how to live it out most fruitfully. In general, though, if you take time to explore and really think about your interests and talents, you should find an area of overlap. The options of work that crop up from that overlap are where you are most likely to find something truly life-giving and meaningful.

A personal example:

After years of tumult accompanying my husband’s journey through mental illness and a career change, I found my passion, and he has found his. I personally realized that I am most interested in psychology, helping others, theology, and the arts. These have intersected with my talent for teaching, synthesizing information, art, and supporting others in this beautiful, budding business. I absolutely love this work and find it refilling.

My husband, after working in crime prevention, hoped to one day be a police officer, and looked at what he had enjoyed most in his jobs when he realized that was not a realistic option. He chose driving and went into the trucking industry. I can say long-distance trucking is NOT a family-oriented career, but he has finally found a position that he LOVES that suits our family’s needs. From wanting to clean up the streets of crime, he has discovered that his interests and talents overlap beautifully, keeping the streets clean… of garbage. He comes home satisfied even after a hard and messy day.

Want help finding yours?

If you aren’t sure where to start, come and see! As a coach, I can help you live out your best life and move towards flourishing and wellness.

Publié dans Coaching, Goal Setting, Health, Mental Health, Sam's adventures, Stress Management

Exciting update: Grow Your Happiness

Publishing soon!

Over the past two years, I have been steadily working on a book titled “Grow Your Happiness.” In this book, I offer a method of increasing your baseline happiness through intentional gratitude. The front matter explores the scientific literature on dispositional happiness (the day-to-day baseline happy feeling you return to after ups and downs) and how gratitude can increase that.

The book is almost ready for publication and will be published in September!

In “Grow Your Happiness”, I have made the scientific information accessible and easy to read, despite citing over 20 studies and primary sources. You will learn the real impacts of this virtue on the happiness you experience. Next, after exploring how gratitude can make you a happier person, you will find 365 prompts. These prompts were intentionally chosen to increase the breadth and depth of this important virtue steadily over time.

A sneak peek inside:

I’ve given the book a sunflower theme, with earth tone colours. There will be a Kindle edition in plain text for anyone who wants to use their preferred journal. I chose the sunflower theme to symbolize the journey of growing happiness. Sunflowers are beautiful plants whose blossoms always look towards the sun. After all, they need direct sunlight and grow into huge flowers that brighten up any space they are planted in. Accordingly, I hope that everyone who uses this journal can also look at the proverbial sun of gratitude and blossom into happier people!

Here is an example of the journal theme:

I hope that this book will reach many people. I believe it will make a dramatic impact if used intentionally. Gratitude is such an important virtue! Although this book focuses on increasing dispositional happiness, the research shows much more. There is research coming out showing that gratitude can positively impact your relationships, health, and more!

Publié dans Health, Sam's adventures

Sleeping Soundly: a Cautionary Tale

Sleeping soundly is a phrase that mothers tend to forget over the years. From the moment your baby is born, sleeping seems to become a thing of the past. Some children sleep well, and their mothers are blessed with sleep. I did not experience that. My sweet boy was born and did not sleep through the night until he was 3, by which point I was not sleeping through the night for another year. Then, over the last two years, I found that sleep no longer brought rest, even when I did sleep through the night. Turns out… I have sleep apnea!

I should have investigated this sooner, but to be honest, I didn’t know my poor sleep was not a normal part of motherhood. Sleeping had become difficult and unrestful, and I chalked it up to being a lighter sleeper… that is, until I started waking in the middle of the night feeling as if I were choking. It took getting quite bad before investigating! Nearly 9 months ago, I went for a sleep test. They found that my windpipe collapsed during REM and my oxygen went to 76%. I was likely experiencing this for the majority of my motherhood, but did not take my sleep needs seriously.

Although CPAP therapy took some time to get used to, it has made an INCREDIBLE difference. When I got my CPAP back in March, I found that I could not use the full mask without many leaks throughout the night. I’ve been using the Brevida Nasal Pillow mask instead. It took around two weeks to adjust to the air pressure in the CPAP at night. Instead of waking up choking, I would wake up with intense air pressure to keep my windpipe open. Within a month, I was relaxing so much that I needed to wear a chin strap to keep my mouth closed. This setup has continued to work for me and has become a very consistent sleep cue. It may look silly and weird, but it has made a WORLD of difference in my energy.

To any moms out there struggling with daytime exhaustion, restless sleep and sleepiness: don’t wait, investigate. If you are silently suffering from sleep apnea, you aren’t sleeping soundly. You matter and ought to prioritize your needs. It takes over a year to see the metabolic changes from treating sleep apnea. Over time, you will feel better and you will find sleeping finally breathes the life back into you!

Publié dans celiac disease, Healing through Nature, Health, Herbalism, Recipes

Sam’s Celiac Remedy

This was not actually what I had planned to write about this week, but I’ve decided that it’s the best time to share this remedy. I had two back-to-back celiac reactions 2 weeks ago, and I want to share both what helped and how big of a difference this herbal remedy makes in my recovery.

To make this recipe, gather your ingredients first. I sourced the base remedy from The Tea Store here in Ottawa and the Slippery Elm Powder from Herbies Herbs in Toronto. Many of the herbs in the base recipe are fairly easy to come by, but quality does matter when you are working with remedies that support your body’s innate healing processes. I find having individual pre-made doses ready to go has been extremely useful. My husband can prep the infusion for me without any worry when I am too sick myself by simply plopping the mini container’s worth into the teapot. I have included the cayenne with the remedy in these mini jars.

When preparing the remedy, I always choose to cover the spout of the teapot as well. Infusions like this contain volatile compounds that evaporate within the first few minutes of exposure to boiling water. These are the compounds that the body needs most to move from acute illness to healing, so although you would not lose many through the spout, I prefer to cover it.

Let’s start steeping!

While the infusion is steeping, I recommend you wait before starting on the slippery elm. If you prepare the slippery elm too early, your drink will turn from a mildly thick chia seed (or basil seed) like texture to a lumpy, mucousy goo, which can be unpleasant to drink. My husband does not like the texture of the well-mixed, smooth slippery elm, so there is an option to make the recipe with milk or non-dairy milk as well. That gives you a drink with a texture somewhere between latte foam and marshmallow. If using milk, heat the milk on low in a covered saucepan for 15 minutes to infuse the milk with the herbs.

Another important note when preparing the slippery elm powder is to fully incorporate the brown sugar and elm. This prevents clumping and promotes a smooth texture. When the two are mixed, you can move on to adding the cold water. Here you will mix it until it has a consistency similar to a roux when baking.

When mixed, add to your mug and top up with your infusion. The drink tastes delicious (so long as you don’t mind the texture). I find I need to drink it 3 times after a celiac reaction if there is a single CC exposure before I am nearly back to normal.

Herbal remedies are wonderful ways to support your body in healing, but aren’t cures. They give you what you need when you need it to repair tissue damage and bring back homeostasis.

In using this remedy, I find it accomplishes everything needed to address SYSTEMIC autoimmune flare-ups that I experience with celiac disease. As I learned from this last double-whammy reaction set, it doesn’t pass the blood-brain barrier or help directly with neurological symptoms. I experience neurological damage (I have damage in my cerebellum, the neurologist believes it is celiac and not MS because of my history and the occurrence of neurological symptoms during celiac flare-ups). The first of the two CC only gave gastro and joint symptoms, but the second, oh, it was fully body and brain.

Unlike previous accidental CC, this time I was much sicker after the 2nd reaction. Before formulating this remedy as a Chartered Herbalist, reactions like this would leave me sick for weeks. Prolonged neurological symptoms would last for weeks to months. Recovery from the loss of motor function took time and dedicated practice to work with my neuroplasticity. This time, I recovered from the majority of the bodily symptoms within 4 days. The neurological symptoms have mostly cleared up 2 weeks later. I still have some light and sound sensitivity above normal, but my balance and motor skills are back up to par, and the headache is gone. Is this a game changer for my overall quality of life? You BET!

Publié dans Health, Sam's adventures

Healthy cleaning? Norwex to the rescue!

As an individual with chemical sensitivity, I have struggled to find cleaning products that my system can tolerate (other than vinegar and soap– those are great). One of my best friends introduced me to a company she loves, and I have not looked back since!

Norwex offers deep and thorough cleaning products that are free from harsh chemicals! I love their emphasis on low environmental impact, sustainability, and mechanical cleaning solutions.

Although I have not tried every product, I have nothing but good things to say about what I have used. I have personally found their laundry detergent leaves clothes smelling clean, with no perfumes, and I have had no adverse skin reactions! Their latest laundry deep clean detergent tackles even the worst dog messes with ease, which is more than I can say for other brands I have used in the past.

Our son ADORES the chenille hand towels, and drying after hand washing is simple when he pets the cute “pet to dry” towels. Their kitchen scrubbers are wonderful to use. I have tried samples of their oven cleaner, surface cleaner, and a few other products. I love their products! If you are looking for safe cleaning products without the harsh chemicals or fumes, give Norwex a try!

Publié dans Catholic, Coaching, Health, Mental Health, Prayer, Reflections, Sam's adventures, Stress Management, Trauma

Why Everything at Once?

I was having a conversation with a friend recently, who has been going through many many trials, all converging at once. She was feeling distressed, with good reason, but also found deep confusion over why God was allowing this timing.

In these circumstances it may seem like God is leaving you standing with no direction, or that you are being left to solve everything on your own. In my experience, counterintuitively, these circumstances are actually always an invitation.

An invitation? To chaos and pain? Well, no, an invitation to go deeper. Deeper into your relationship with Him, your relationship with yourself, and your relationship with others.

Diving Deep

Going through life, there are always situations that are difficult and distressing, but they don’t necessarily mean you will experience an overwhelming level of emotions. When life events stir up a huge cascade of emotions inside, there are generally 2 main causes.

  1. You do not have a FELT sense of having enough support from your internal resources or social support network.
  2. The big emotions were already there inside, and you are in a situation that is poking at the places you did not receive love, support, and safety throughout your life.

An invitation

This is where the invitation comes in. In the first example, if you are in a difficult situation without feeling supported- it’s time to reach out and get help. That is no easy task, because it may not feel safe to do so, but you would be surprised how many people have lived through similar situations and who may have an attentive ear. You are not alone in the journey, others are traveling through the storms like you.

If your heart is being flooded by the intensity of your past experiences, that’s where you are being invited deeper into a relationship with God and yourself. Those places that you have lived through hardships that were held onto are usually there because the original experience was like scenario 1. You didn’t have the external connections necessary for post-traumatic growth. These are the places that we protect ourselves from the most inside, the places of trauma–big “T” and little “t” alike. Truly, these are the places that God wants to come into for healing and communion. These are the places we shut everyone out from, ourselves, others, and God alike.

But why?

Can’t he just take it all away? Make it better? Of course, but only with an invitation in, entering into the worst of it freely. God allows the circumstances of our lives to be invitations to self-reflection and awareness of the pains that we hold inside our hearts so that we can invite Him in on our own time to finally meet those unmet needs. We are made with such dignity that God will not tread freely through our hearts but will wait patiently until we are ready to say yes.

If life is getting too much, will you open the door?

Publié dans Catholic, Health, Sam's adventures

Sometimes healing is unexpected…

As we come to the end of January, I can’t help but reflect on the upcoming anniversary that I don’t think I could ever have anticipated until it happened. 4 years ago, this February 21, God healed me in a powerful and miraculous way. It was unexpected, unanticipated and wholly life changing.

You see, I have celiac disease that went undiagnosed until I was 20, which had by then wreaked havoc on my system. Within a year of diagnosis I was diagnosed with co-morbid conditions and complications that at the time were deemed permanent. The decade of life proclaimed as the greatest time for self discovery and exploration was instead forecast to be marked with severe illness, that was incurable. I was found to have fibromyalgia and inflammatory arthritis in every single joint in my body. I have a lesion in my cerebellum that my neurologist says is caused by celiac disease and I was having migraines 25+ days of the month, among other issues. It was a pretty terrible time, though God’s grace was abundant as he led me to conversion to the Catholic church.

For years I did everything I could to read the latest research, which my doctor was fully supportive of as she herself promoted patient self-advocacy. I learned to balance pushing forward in exercise with avoiding excessive flare ups that would last for months. Back then gluten free options tasted, as a friend once brilliantly said, “like rice and sadness”, but I was making the most of the situation. I offered my pain in union with Christ’s cross, and truthfully never thought to ask for my own healing. I was too focused on learning natural remedies that actually helped when the medications caused strange and often disorienting side effects.

When you least expect it…

Then, it happened when I least expected it. I went to the Tuesday night adoration evening at our local parish, and sitting in front of the monstrance I was captivated. It is not possible to put it into words that would accurately describe the experience, but it was as though the monstrance was simultaneously standing on the altar but super imposed with the infant Jesus in the manger and the adult Jesus on the cross. I was transfixed on this scene when I heard in my soul the very clear message that God was answering my husband’s prayers and was healing the permanent conditions right then and there. I understood that anything left over would be curable over time, with some effort.

You see, even though I hadn’t been praying for my own healing, my husband had been praying a raw and honest prayer for 7 years. He had been agnostic when we met, though he couldn’t deny the impact my relationship with God had, so he prayed “God, if you are real, heal her”. I had gone into the church with labored breath, ungraceful movements constricted by arthritic joints, and left painless walking with ease. My close friend saw the difference immediately when we got up to leave at the end of the holy hour, and asked what happened. I shared it, delighted.

The healing journey continues…

I still struggle with celiac disease, though the reactions are no where near as bad or long lasting, and a few conditions that are treatable (like the most recent discovery of sleep apnea and nocturnal hypoxemia), but since that day I have been changed and capable of so much more than I imagined. Sometimes God heals us when we least expect it. Never lose hope, never give up faith, God knows what we need and when we need it. Sometimes it takes time. In my case, 7 years of my husband petitioning God on my behalf, without my knowing… but God will act, right when the time is ripe.

Publié dans Health, Herbalism, Sam's adventures

The most helpful education!

Yesterday, I received my diploma from Dominion Herbal College in the mail! I am officially a chartered herbalist. To be honest, this, of all my educational experiences had been the most satisfying, affirming, and USEFUL. I first learned about Dominion Herbal College when I was in high school, long long ago.

While it was truthfully what I wanted to learn most, as I scribbled and researched plans for a future forest garden orchard, I felt out of place applying to a college distance learning program. You see, I was in the International Baccalaureate program, and I was convinced that I ought to pursue university rather than college (in Canada there is a difference). I left off this pursuit for Linguistics and later Religious Studies… Only to come full circle in mental health and the practical application of herbs for the treatment of somatic symptoms.

This last year has been particularly tricky to juggle school with homeschooling our son, while my husband’s career change has been rocky! It offered plenty of opportunity for growth and grit. I had times where I wondered if I would be able to finish the program in time, not for lack of effort or desire, but the roller coaster of life throwing curve balls my way. In the end, I finished and feel confident that this is a very important facet of my life calling.

This isn’t why I feel this diploma is the most useful part of my education though. The most useful part? For the first time in 12 years, I have a way to treat celiac reactions! For those who aren’t familiar, celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that is triggered by the ingestion of gluten. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2012, and I’m one of those lucky ones that react to less than 10ppm and get neurological/systemic reactions. Ever lost control over the use of your mouth, hands, limbs? Well, it isn’t so fun. Up until now, literally nothing has helped. My only option has been to be very careful for cross contamination and ride the waves of excruciating pain/debilitating neurological symptoms until they finished.

No more!! I have officially, through my studies as an herbalist, found a remedy that WORKS. It is a beautiful infusion made of slippery elm, cloves, cayenne, ginger, chamomile, cinnamon and a little bit of sugar to taste. A few weeks ago I had an accidental gluten exposure, and after taking it 3 times within the following 24h I was completely symptom free. This is the most valuable thing I have learned in my whole education.