By Marcey Klein BS, NC
Someone can have their nutrition dialed in, their supplementation program above board, their workout and body care regime scheduled in regularly, but can be sabotaging it all with a negative thought life. “What’s that got to do with it!” you may exclaim, well, a lot. Negative, worrisome thoughts lead to stress, stress can manifest itself as tightness and pain in the body, and stress wreaks havoc on our organ systems. Negative thoughts can also lead to depression, anxiety, fear, anger, and lowered immunity. Grumbling, complaining, and a critical spirit manifest itself from a negative thought life, and this leads to a lower quality and lack luster life in general. The first step is realizing the importance of a positive and grateful attitude.
Being positive gives us energy, it changes the chemistry in our brains, it helps create new connections in our neurons, and changes our lives! The next step is taking control of our thought life instead of it taking control of us. For me, becoming aware of how much I did complain to myself about everything really opened my eyes. It’s time to replace our negative thoughts with positive ones. Instead of saying I’m running late all the time and there’s too many things to get done, it’s not fair, you can say, I’m so grateful I have a job where it’s ok to be a few minutes late, and I’m so grateful that I have many things to do because that means I have a home. We need to check ourselves before our thoughts run rampant, and doing it first thing in the morning will help us get on the right tract. When you wake up, say thank you, I’m so happy to be alive, I love my life, and it’s going to be a good day.
Another thing I am trying to do, since I’m a type A personality and it’s in me to rush and be impatient, is when I sense this kind of stress coming on is to say “gentle, gentle, easy does it.” Sometimes we have to talk to ourselves, even out loud to change a situation. It’s a blessing in disguise when we experience physical symptoms when we stress, because this means we can’t stress like we used to anymore, and we need to chill out and relax. Breath deep breaths through your nose, smile, and laugh at yourself. Make sure to work out to release those endorphins, and hot magnesium baths with lavender help too. Holy Basil tea is wonderful at getting rid of excess cortisol, and the herb Ashwaghanda helps us relax as well. L-Theanine is one of my favorite supplements to take for relaxation, as it’s an amino acid with calming effects on our neurotransmitters. We have a lot of wonderful formulas that work well to support your body during times of stress, so be sure to come into Wild Roots if you would like to learn more about what we can offer.
