Part of rebuilding our health is making different choices.

These choices can include dietary changes, exercise, in how you think, how you feel, the hours you work, making time for self-care and others.  This might feel overwhelming and undoable, but if done in the right way, it is very possible.

Making lifestyle changes is a journey, not an event.

The journey can be fun and easy if we choose to make it that way.  It is not about perfection.  Don’t feel like you have to make all of the changes today or tomorrow.  Taking small steps each week will make the journey easy and you will be amazed at the results you achieve over time.

Let go of the notion that you need to deprive yourself.

Bring your focus to what you can eat and what you can do . . . not what you have to give up.  Implementing changes doesn’t have to be hard work.  It is important to implement healthy choices at a pace that works for you and doesn’t cause undue stress.  

Self acceptance is an important part of the journey.

Changes made from a place of self acceptance are more powerful and longer lasting than changes made from self judgment.  For example, attempting to avoid sweets because you think you are unattractive because you are overweight is different from choosing healthy foods because they make you feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.  Read these statements a few times and notice how you feel inside as you read each one.

• I am choosing to eat a healthy food because I feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.
• I am avoiding sweets because I am unattractive and overweight.

Which one will motivate you more?  Which one makes you feel more positive and uplifted?

Acknowledge the positive changes you have made and the results of those changes.

Say you have simply chosen to eat a healthy breakfast 2 days a week.  Acknowledge that and also acknowledge how you feel on the days that you eat the healthy breakfast.  Whatever you focus on is what will grow.  By acknowledging the positive change you have made and the positive impact that has on you, it will grow.  Grumbling about what you haven’t done only leads to discouragement and ultimately will sabotage your progress.

Keep your focus on the journey with all the baby steps you are taking along with your ultimate vision of yourself as a happy, healthy fulfilled person and you will achieve your vision.

Use the following introspection to acknowledge the changes you have made:

1. List all the changes you have made to rebuild your health.
2. Make a list of the positive changes you have noticed in your health, happiness and wellness.
3. Make some positive affirmations out of the lists your have just made.
4. Notice how each affirmation makes you FEEL; only keep the ones that make you feel good.
5. Write the affirmations on index cards.
6. Post the index cards where you will see them . . . on your refrigerator . . . your bathroom mirror . . . or another place where you will see them on a regular basis.
7. Read the affirmation on a regular basis and as you do so, imagine breathing the feeling of the affirmation into your body. 

Use this introspection to bring a positive focus to the areas where you are challenged?

It is also important to notice areas where you are criticizing yourself and diffuse the self criticism.  Otherwise it could subconsciously undermine your progress.

1. Notice if there are areas where you are criticizing yourself for not doing as well as you think you should be doing. If so, write these down.
2. Reflect on your expectations and notice if they are realistic or not.
3. If your expectations are not realistic, feel free to change them:
   • Break down your expectations in this area into baby steps.
   • Set new more realistic goals
4. Find a way to focus on this area of challenge in a positive way.
5. If you feel inclined, share with a supportive friend or with this group. 

Ask for support when you need it.  Sometimes we will feel stuck when trying to implement changes.  At those times, ask for assistance in identifying and moving beyond whatever is blocking your progress.  You don’t have to do it alone.  Support is available. 

Hello All,

I am planning to begin offering webinars and group programs via phone and internet.  I have a lot to offer in regard to fibromyalgia and wholistic health, and am wondering where to start.

You input would be very helpful.  What would you like to know more about?   What would you like to experience?  

So, I have created a survey.  I would appreciate your input by filling out the survey.  It should only take a few minutes.  Simply complete the form below and click submit at the bottom.

Thank you so much for your help.

Bindu

Thank you for your input!

Recovery from Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue plays a role in fibromyalgia.

Our fibromyalgia bodies are tired.  They have no more get up and go.  Instead they have a strong lay down and rest need.   On December 3 2019, I shared an article about adrenal fatigue on Facebook.  In this post, I am going to take this further and specifically as it relates to men and women with fibromyalgia.

Our adrenals impact every system and function in our body.  When the adrenals go into fatigue state, the body needs rest to heal itself.  If we don’t respect what our body is telling us, we exasperate the problem.   For years, I thought I could push myself past the fatigue.  I succeeded in making my fibromyalgia much worse.  The greatest challenge in my life has always been to allow my body to rest when it needed rest.

Adrenal fatigue is cause by too much stress in the body over an extended period of time.

Some people come to adrenal slowly, some come into it early in their lives, some come to it in the way of a trauma that overflowed their stress bucket . . . the straw that broke the camels back. 

Sometimes the stress builds over time.  Other times, when we are born into a stressful environment, the stress is a constant from birth.  Often even when leaving a stressful environment, the internal stress lives within us in the form of cellular memories.    The only way to clear this stress is to neutralize the cellular memories.  This is a major cause of stress for men and women with fibromyalgia.  

There are supplements that you can take to support the adrenals, but these supplements are only a band aid and might give you a bit more energy, but they don’t resolve the underlying stress that is the original cause.

Let’s look at some possible underlying stresses on the body:

1. Eating unhealthy foods.
2. Eating the wrong foods for your body type.
3. Not getting enough exercise.
4. Not getting enough sleep, rest and play.
5. Toxicity, both from external factors and internal factors such as metabolic wastes.
6. Destructive cellular memories / unresolved negative life experiences
7. Unhealthy beliefs / beliefs that limit you from your full potential
8. Trauma (either or emotional or physical)
9. Trapped and suppressed emotions.
10. External life stressors including jobs, relationships, finances.
11. Dissatisfaction with life.
12. Structural misalignments.

This initial list reflects possible underlying stresses.

As these stresses continue, another level of stresses develops such as:

1. Leaky gut
2. Food sensitivities, food intolerances and food allergies.
3. Insomnia
4. Pain
5. Mood changes
6. Irritability
7. Chronic infections (bacterial, fungal, viral)
8. Feeling tired yet wired. 
9. And most any symptom you have becomes a stressor in and of itself. 

The list goes on, but you get the idea.

In order to recover from adrenal, you must resolve the underlying stressors.

The underlying stressors are the ones in the first list.  All the items in the second list are simply symptoms caused by imbalances in the first list.  They then become the cause for the next layer of imbalances.  Often protocols work to address the symptoms rather than the underlying causative factor.  When you get multiple layers of symptoms on top of the underlying causes, it creates what is called Metabolic Chaos™

A comprehensive program to recover from adrenal fatigue takes some detective work.  Each person with fibromyalgia is different.  We each have different symptoms and we each have a different set of causes.   There is not a way to heal fibromyalgia.  Each individual must be assessed uniquely, and the recovery protocol must be unique to that individual.  It is always unique combination of the underlying stressors.

If you have worked with eating a healthier diet, lifestyle changes, stress reduction, inner work on your beliefs and attitudes, emotional healing, functional medicine and other modalities, but still have symptoms, you have not gotten to the bottom of the stress bucket.   You have not identified and resolved all the underlying hidden stressors.  It is as simple as that.

Support in recovery.

In my complimentary Discovery Sessions, I provide an evaluation of you and provide a blueprint with which to move forward.  To sign up for your complementary Discovery Session click here.  

In private work with individuals, we work together, step by step to identify and resolve all stressors and support the body in healing itself.  Some things you can do on your own, other things take some supportive expertise with the right tools to assist in the resolutions.  With this process you will steadily  move toward health and well being.  

Stay tuned. 

Bindu

Discovering Creative Ways Relax and Unwind

Perhaps you have tried journaling and removing negative energy and situations from your life. Maybe you have tried various forms of yoga and taking in a nighttime routine. You have a stash of essential oils and all the diffuser jewelry and devices a person could think of. The problem is you still find that you need to relax more and escape the daily grind. If this sounds like your situation, then consider these methods of finding more ways to relax and unwind.

Think Outside of the Box

The first way to find more ways to relax and unwind is to think outside of the box. The common ways to relax are to exercise, use yoga, color, meditate, and even to just breathe. You need to think outside of the box. Stop looking at the common methods that others use and look to what makes you happy and relaxes you. Don’t think about what other people will think of your relaxation techniques, just do them. For some this could be writing, knitting, crafting, gardening or even cleaning. Whatever works for you, do that. It is your stress, your relaxation, and your journey.

Be Comfortable in Being Alone

One way to find new ways to relax is to be comfortable with being alone. This doesn’t mean being lonely. It means being alone and being okay with that. Finding out about you and the person you are when no one else is there. This is usually the hardest part of finding more ways to relax, because you start to see what your issues are and where your stress may be coming from. You may experience anxiety, but through that anxiety you will find ways that help you relax and those may surprise you. Let the process happen and just take some evenings by yourself to discover what makes you happy and what relaxes you.

Look to Childhood Influences

Sometimes the simplest of things that we used to relax as a child can help us relax now. It may seem silly but think back to the things you found relaxing as a child or a teenager. You can even look to things you found relaxing in your early 20s. These things may still relax you and may have been forgotten over the years. Look to those and see what may still work for you, what holds and interest, and what you could apply into your life now.

The key is finding what works for you. 

They key to relaxing and unwinding is to keep it from becoming just another thing to do. For example, some people prefer to avoid the gym because paying a fee makes the gym a to-do list instead of a want to do list item. Make sure you are doing what you love and not what you feel you have to do.

Experiment with these ideas and let me know what you discover for yourself.  

Bindu

Hello everyone, 

As I write this, it is December 31, 2018. The last day of the year as we prepare to move into the new year of 2019.

This day is also my birthday.  Each year on my birthday, I take time to reflect on the year that is ending and contemplate the upcoming year.  I look at where I am today and what I have accomplished and shifted in the past year.  I ask my heart for guidance in what I want to create in the coming year. 

2018 was a year of considerable growth and change for me.  Even though I have been coaching and teaching in the field of health and wellness for 40 years, in 2018 I committed myself to focus on coaching men and women with fibromyalgia.  Having struggled with my own experience of fibromyalgia for many years, I decided to share what I have learned to support others with fibromyalgia to begin the process of healing from the inside out. 

With this commitment, I launched a new website, Beyond Fibromyalgia, and became more active on social media.  My intention is to provide coaching via phone and skype to allow men and women to access me from anywhere on the planet.  I have been richly rewarded by meeting many of you on Facebook and have began to get to know you and feel your presence in my life. 

In 2019, I intend to add online and telephone group programs to my offerings to create more opportunities for individual and group support as we move forward in understanding fibromyalgia and how to rebuild our health from the inside out.  I look forward to meeting more of you in this format. 

In the next few days, I will post a survey to get your input on the upcoming programming.  I look forward to your replies. 

May 2019 be a year of great joy and unfolding for you. 

With Love,

Bindu

The holiday season brings a great deal of joy and warmth along with it.  There’s something extra special about this time of year — but it doesn’t come without fault.  A great deal of added stress is seemingly dumped on our plates, and it can be hard to catch our breath.  The pressure of finding gifts, rushing around in the hustle and bustle to visit everyone, having people visit you, getting to see relatives you miss and even having to deal with those that aren’t always a joy to be around.

This season really can be enjoyable and heart-warming, even with the stress involved.  Walking into this time of year with a great mindset and some helpful reminders gets me through every year… and I’d love to share my tips on how I do this with you.

To reduce holiday stress, try these suggestions:

Remember perfect doesn’t really exist

Your cookies turned out like blobs. Your lights aren’t lighting up. Your kids just made a mess of your clean house moments before the guests are arriving. Surrender your vision of what perfect is and just let it go. The only thing the people in your life care about is being with you.

Don’t feel bad about saying “no.”

You can’t do it all. There’s no reason you need to go to every party and event from now through New Year’s. Decide which ones are most important to attend and politely decline the others. Spreading yourself too thin isn’t good for anyone, and it makes the time fly by faster, also. You’ll enjoy the holiday months better if they don’t whiz by in a blink.

Eat Mindfully

Make a plan before hand on how to eat mindfully.  When holidays come around there may be foods that you don’t normally eat or that upset your digestion or provide unwanted calories.  What will you choose without being too rigid with your diet?   Where will you hold the line so that you don’t go overboard?

Please don’t decide to starve yourself to compensate for the extra calories you had or are going to have at that holiday party. If you do slip up, forgive yourself and make a point to be more mindful. Don’t punish yourself for any mistakes. Just move forward with better decisions, no punishment involved.

Know that asking for help is okay

Let me repeat: you can’t do it all. Let family and friends help out when they offer. They can bring a dish, grab something from the store on their way, or help with the dishes. If you have to go to someone’s party and don’t have the time to make something, grab something pre-made from the store. There comes a time when we all need help and learning how to accept it will be incredibly beneficial for your sanity.

Fit in time for yourself

Women, in particular, spend less than 30 minutes a day on themselves. Go for a walk, get your favorite tea at the corner café and sit there in peace, rest, take a nap, read a book, take a bath, or make time with your best friend to just have one-on-one time without your kids tagging along. You’ll feel full again, which renews your mind and spirit like nothing else. We can’t give from an empty cup, as the saying goes.

Remember, the holidays are about joy. Find yours within, and you’ll be able to spread more of it around.  What makes you feel most joyful?