Heal vs. Ideal
This post shares how we have to go through the "heal" to get to the "ideal." If we feel like "heal" is where we are going to be forever and we don't like it, we bust through it and don't spend enough time there in order to allow our tissues, immune systems, and selves time to truly heal in the way that’s needed. I hope this concept of "heal vs. ideal" will help put the health choices we make into perspective.
Heal vs. Ideal
When we're dealing with health issues we might find ourselves doing things like elimination diets, avoiding alcohol, going to bed early, etc.
We start to make these changes and then might begin to think, "Oh man this sucks! If I have to live like this forever it's not worth it!" This may then lead us to abandon all of the practices we were doing simply because we don't want to live a life of "restriction" forever.
And then we find ourselves back at square one with all of our symptoms still there, trying to find a more sustainable way to be healthy.
Have you ever felt this before? It can be so frustrating! And a cycle I see many of my clients get stuck in.
I worked with a client who had Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) who was finding that intense exercise was causing her to flare-up and have more pain. She knew she had to reduce exercise, but it felt really challenging because being active and outdoors was a big part of her identity.
Instead of taking a break from strenuous exercise, she kept pushing through her pain because she wanted to keep living her life which is something we can all relate to. What she was noticing was her pain was getting worse and worse.
In our work together we spoke about this concept of "heal vs. ideal" to help put the health choices we make into perspective.
For my client, the "ideal" place of where she wanted to be and how she wanted to live was being able to hike and do more strenuous outdoor activities. This "ideal" place is really about where we want to be which might include eating many diverse foods, being able to have a cocktail when you feel like it, exercising how you want to, etc.
What I want to highlight is that we have to go through the "heal" to get to the "ideal." If we feel like "heal" is where we are going to be forever and we don't like it, we bust through it and don't spend enough time there in order to allow our tissues, immune systems, and selves time to truly heal in the way they need.
When I work with clients in 1:1 coaching we move through the "heal" place effectively and with guidance so you can move more quickly towards the ideal - where you ultimately want to be.
To learn more about this concept watch the video below or tune into the latest episode of The Live Well Podcast!
If you are looking for support to break the cycle of feeling “on or off the wagon” and finally find more ease and sustainability in your life, I can help! I always offer free 20-minute discovery calls to see if we’re a good fit for coaching and how I can help you identify and break through the blocks standing in your way towards vibrant health. Click here to schedule your complimentary call today!
Click here to listen in iTunes
Click here to listen in Stitcher
If we haven't met before, I'm Christina Tidwell and I'm so excited that you're here! I am a RN & Functional Nutrition Practitioner that helps those with autoimmune disease, hormone imbalance and gut issues heal without overwhelm so you can feel better in your body in a way that honors your unique needs and feels sustainable for the rest of your life.
If you suffer from:
Fatigue and energy crashes
Brain fog
Poor digestion
Painful periods and PMS
Symptoms of autoimmunity
Stress and overwhelm
...and aren't getting the support you need, I’m here to help guide you! My job is to clear the overwhelm, help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and co-create a sustainable path forward to help you reach your goals and feel better in your amazing body. When we work together you can’t fail.
In my health & nutrition coaching programs I support you in the quest to get back into balance by listening to your story, understanding your needs, getting to the roots of imbalance in the body and co-creating a sustainable path to healing together. These sessions weave together functional nutrition and science, lived experience, mindset shifts, and intuitive guidance for a unique and full-spectrum approach to nutrition counseling and holistic health.
I always offer free 20-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and identify what’s standing in your way. Click the button below to set up your free consultation and we can create a plan of action specifically for you.
Can I still heal if I don’t have a diagnosis?
Having a diagnosis can be really helpful especially in our current medical system and definitely worth pursuing because it allows us to get the right medications, insurance reimbursement, and have a clear plan of action and path to healing. But, a diagnosis is not everything and waiting for a formal diagnosis to do anything about our health can stop us from what’s available to us right now. So what happens when we don’t fit into this disease category, but we still don’t feel great? It may seem as though there is nothing we can do, but actually there are many, many tools in the toolkit to support the body at this pivotal time! This is the area that I love to work in, and the area that gets missed so often in our health care system.
I was speaking to a woman the other day who told me she had been feeling “off” for a long time now experiencing symptoms of fatigue, increased weight gain, digestive issues, brain fog and joint pain. She’d been to a few doctors who ran tests and told her that everything appeared to be “normal.” She felt discouraged, knowing that she didn’t feel right but she didn’t feel validated about how she was feeling. She was confused because she didn’t have any formal diagnosis of disease from her practitioners and, therefore, wasn’t given any guidance on what to do to help herself feel better.
She asked me, “How can I heal if I don’t have a diagnosis?”
An AARDA study of autoimmune patients found that the average time for diagnosis of an autoimmune disease is 4.6 years. During that period, the patient typically has seen 4.8 doctors in our current medical system. This is because autoimmune diseases can start out or manifest as “vague” symptoms such as fatigue, digestive issues, inflammation and pain. Our medical system is really a disease-focused system where the goal is to identify and diagnose a disease state. When our symptoms don’t fit into a neat and tidy disease category, patients aren’t given a diagnosis and are sometimes told to come back when things get worse and they meet criteria for treatment.
This, to me, just isn’t good enough and allows many people to fall through the cracks without getting proper medical care.
Having a diagnosis can be really helpful especially in our current medical system and definitely worth pursuing because it allows us to get the right medications, insurance reimbursement, and have a clear plan of action and path to healing. But, a diagnosis is not everything and waiting for a formal diagnosis to do anything about our health can stop us from what’s available to us right now.
So what happens when we don’t fit into this disease category, but we still don’t feel great? It may seem as though there is nothing we can do, but actually there are many, many tools in the toolkit to support the body at this pivotal time! This is the area that I love to work in, and the area that gets missed so often in our health care system.
When we look at these foundational aspects of health that include:
Proper nutrition
Digestive health
Hydration
Stress and Resilience
Sleep
Relationships
Mindset
…it doesn’t matter what the disease diagnosis is at the top. This goes against the paradigm we have in our current medical system where we focus on the organ-system diagnosis rather than the roots below that allowed that system to get out of balance in the first place. If you are experiencing symptoms and have not gotten a formal diagnosis, you can absolutely still benefit from taking a look at these foundational pieces of health and supporting your body to functional more optimally right now.
I like to say, start where you are, use what you have and do what you can! Where are you at with all of those foundational pieces and how can you support yourself TODAY no matter what diagnosis you have? Can you increase the nutrient density of your food intake? Reduce your sugar intake? Do you need to support digestion to ensure you are absorbing all of your nutrients from your food? What is your level of stress on a daily basis on a scale from 1-10? Are you sleeping?
Once we begin to look at these foundation pieces of healing we see that we have so many more tools in the toolkit than we have been lead to believe! It can seem overwhelming to know where to start in this process. If you’re looking for support on how to take control of your health and understand the root causes of imbalance in your body, I can help. I always offer free 20-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and what’s standing in your way! Book in your complementary phone call here >>
Trust yourself. You know your body better than anyone else. When you don’t feel right, you don’t feel right and you deserve validation and support. I want you to know that there are many tools available to you even if you don’t have a formal diagnosis of disease!
PREFER TO LISTEN? TUNE INTO THE LIVE WELL PODCAST BELOW (AND DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE SO YOU'LL NEVER MISS OUT!)
Click here to listen in iTunes
Click here to listen in Stitcher
Or if you’d like to play the episode right now in your browser, use the player below:
If we haven't met before, I'm Christina Tidwell and I'm so excited that you're here! I am a RN & Functional Nutrition Practitioner that helps those with autoimmune disease, hormone imbalance and gut issues heal without overwhelm so you can feel better in your body in a way that honors your unique needs and feels sustainable for the rest of your life.
If you suffer from:
Fatigue and energy crashes
Brain fog
Poor digestion
Painful periods and PMS
Symptoms of autoimmunity
Stress and overwhelm
...and aren't getting the support you need, I’m here to help guide you! My job is to clear the overwhelm, help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and co-create a sustainable path forward to help you reach your goals and feel better in your amazing body. When we work together you can’t fail.
In my health & nutrition coaching programs I support you in the quest to get back into balance by listening to your story, understanding your needs, getting to the roots of imbalance in the body and co-creating a sustainable path to healing together. These sessions weave together functional nutrition and science, lived experience, breathwork, mindset shifts, and intuitive guidance for a unique and full-spectrum approach to nutrition counseling and holistic health.
I always offer free 20-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and identify what’s standing in your way. Click the button below to set up your free consultation and we can create a plan of action specifically for you.
Live Well Podcast | Ep #64 Ending negative self-talk and self-sabotage with Kari Owens
Today on The Live Well Podcast I’m speaking with Kari Owens about ending negative self-talk and self-sabotage. You might be aware of an “inner critic” or that voice in your head that constantly chatters or maybe just shows up at inopportune moments with less than kind thoughts. That voice that tells you you aren’t enough, you aren’t worthy, or that you won’t succeed. Most of us have experienced this inner “voice,” but many do not realize the impact that this inner critic has on our overall sense of self and wellbeing. In this episode Kari speaks about the impact of this negative self talk, and what we can do to begin to shift our internal dialogue to better support ourselves.
Today on The Live Well Podcast I’m speaking with Kari Owens about ending negative self-talk and self-sabotage. You might be aware of an “inner critic” or that voice in your head that constantly chatters or maybe just shows up at inopportune moments with less than kind thoughts. That voice that tells you you aren’t enough, you aren’t worthy, or that you won’t succeed.
Most of us have experienced this inner “voice,” but many do not realize the impact that this inner critic has on our overall sense of self and wellbeing. In this episode Kari speaks about the impact of this negative self talk, and what we can do to begin to shift our internal dialogue to better support ourselves.
Kari is certified as a Life & Wellness Coach, and a yoga teacher working to empower women to listen deeply to themselves. She helps women put themselves first and reconnect with their body. Kari has coached thousands of women to develop a deeper relationship with themselves and truly live the life their soul desires. Kari is the Founder of Soul Power Women, a membership community with online courses teaching women all over the world how to connect to yourself, listen more deeply to your body, and honor your soul.
You’re going to love this powerful episode!
Click here to listen in iTunes
Click here to listen in Stitcher
Show Notes:
0:00 Intro
0:57 Introducing Kari Owens
2:39 Kari speaks about her personal experience with chronic illness and mindset shifts
4:00 Kari tells us what “self-talk” means and how we can start to pay attention to our own thoughts
“What is the impact of me not speaking kindly to myself?”
5:45 Kari encourages us to take a look at different areas of our lives where the negative self-talk is really prevalent
9:00 How finding our limiting beliefs is like finding the root cause of an illness
11:00 How we self-sabotage at a subconscious level
18:00 Kari gives action steps to identify our negative self-talk and develop our “inner listener”
“Put down your sword, you don’t have to be at war with your negative thoughts.” We don’t have to get upset with ourselves or berate ourselves for having negative thoughts, but rather open the door for curiosity and compassion.
21:00 What it means to “self-sabotage” and how we may not even know we are doing it
29:00 How coaching helps us to understand our limiting beliefs
30:00 How to bring in more helpful self-talk and “re-wire” our brains
Repetition is key - your brain believes what it is told the most
Focus on a clear outcome that you want or how you want to feel
32:00 Kari goes through an example of reframing a negative thought
43:00 “Don’t think about it, be about it.” We don’t need to apply the same “hustle” mentality that we do towards work or other areas of life. The transformation can exist just in the moment as it is recognized and you can see yourself differently.
47:22 Outro
If you loved this episode, I'd be honored for you to give me a rating on iTunes. This helps me to get content out to others who are interested in getting control of their health through diet, lifestyle shifts and personal empowerment.
If we haven't met before, I'm Christina Tidwell and I'm so excited that you're here! I am a RN & Functional Nutrition Practitioner that helps those with autoimmune disease, hormone imbalance and gut issues heal without overwhelm so you can feel better in your body in a way that honors your unique needs and feels sustainable for the rest of your life.
If you suffer from:
Fatigue and energy crashes
Brain fog
Poor digestion
Painful periods and PMS
Symptoms of autoimmunity
Stress and overwhelm
...and aren't getting the support you need, I’m here to help guide you! My job is to clear the overwhelm, help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and co-create a sustainable path forward to help you reach your goals and feel better in your amazing body. When we work together you can’t fail.
In my health & nutrition coaching programs I support you in the quest to get back into balance by listening to your story, understanding your needs, getting to the roots of imbalance in the body and co-creating a sustainable path to healing together. These sessions weave together functional nutrition and science, lived experience, breathwork, mindset shifts, and intuitive guidance for a unique and full-spectrum approach to nutrition counseling and holistic health.
I always offer free 20-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and identify what’s standing in your way. Click the button below to set up your free consultation and we can create a plan of action specifically for you.
My evening routine for relaxation and improved sleep
My evening routine for relaxation and improved sleep! Do you struggle with winding down in the evening? Do you find yourself carrying stress from your work day? Or still holding onto your to-do list? Do your thoughts keep you from relaxing or getting to sleep? Tune into to learn how to create supportive evening routine!
A few weeks ago I shared my morning routine for increased energy and clarity. This week I’d love to share with you how to create an intentional evening routine for relaxation and improved sleep!
Do you struggle with winding down in the evening?
Do you find yourself carrying stress from your work day? Or still holding onto your to-do list?
Do your thoughts keep you from relaxing or getting to sleep?
I want you to think about what your evening looks like from the moment you arrive home, or from the moment you eat dinner onwards. What are you doing? How are you feeling? First get clear on what your typical evening looks like.
Now get clear about how you WANT to feel…
Do you want to feel relaxed, at peace, calm? Do you want to get to sleep more easily? Do you want to have a few moments for yourself?
Once you get clear on these pieces, you can move forward with creating an evening routine that will help you achieve this.
My personal evening routine for increased relaxation and improved sleep.
Ever since I started working as a RN 8 years ago, I discovered the importance of implementing a “transition” routine to move into my evening. This was born out of the necessity to let go and put aside some of the intense things I saw and experienced at work that I was carrying with me into my evening.
For me this looked like taking a shower with really nice smelling soap and burning some incense/sage while honoring what I did that day and moving on. It’s not like it erased the day but it allowed me to get into a different headspace where I was able to be present and enjoy the rest of my day before bed without replaying everything I had just done and living in the past.
As someone who works from home, I still value and utilize this transition routine as a really important way to signal that I’m done with “work” time and I am moving into my evening.
This transition from work is a simple practice that I now encourage all of my health coaching clients to implement. Most of us are busy, stressed and overworked and find it really hard to turn off. We may look forward to getting home after work all day (is it 5:00 yet?) but then proceed to check emails and carry the stress of the work day around with us consciously or unconsciously. (I say unconsciously because sometimes I would think I was just fine and would weep at a touching soft drink commercial because I hadn’t really processed my emotional stress from the previous work days. Please tell me I’m not the only one that does this?).
This stress can seep into all areas of life outside of work and affect relationships, mood, sleep quality, health and how you show up as a human in your everyday life.
This “transition from work” routine will look really different for each person. The only thing required is that you do it mindfully and with intention.
Some routine ideas to transition from work:
Change into comfortable clothing
Take a relaxing shower or bath
Burn sage or incense to clear space
Breathe in some relaxing essential oils
Deep belly breathing (watch my 4-7-8 breathing video here) for 5 minutes
Guided meditation (these are easier if you find it really hard to sit in silence after the work day.
Write down some of the most stressful things you experienced in a journal so they aren’t swirling in your head all night.
Light some candles and relax for 10 minutes
Make a cup of tea
Do some hamstring stretches to release stuck energy
Lay on your back with your legs up the wall for a few minutes
It doesn’t have to be anything long or fancy, it just has to work for you. These small shifts make the biggest difference.
Once I transition into my evening I take stock of how I’m feeling that day and what I need. If a yoga class is something I need, I do that. If resting on the couch and staring at the ceiling is something I need, I do that. If taking time to cook a nice meal is what my body is asking me for, that’s what I prioritize.
Like I spoke about with my morning routine, I have a strict technology boundary (I have to be strict or else I don’t do this one!) and put my phone away by 8-9pm. This allows me time to fully disconnect from work, social media and anything that might keep my brain going into the evening.
I also try to minimize blue light that can decrease melatonin production in the evening by reducing screen use after a certain time. I find this helps me a lot, to get a deeper sleep! I definitely love a good Netflix binge, but realize that for me TV is usually a “numbing” agent and can sometimes stop me from getting actual, real, relaxation and restoration that my body is craving. If I’m feeling really depleted and tempted to just zone out with TV all night I make sure I get some quiet time to breath and feel where my body is really at.
I love to have a relaxing herbal tea or a magnesium drink to help me wind down as well.
I’ve never been someone whose had a particularly hard time sleeping (except when on higher doses of Prednisone in the past, oof!) but I still work to make sure I set myself up for success. If I don’t get good amounts of sleep my body really, really, really feels it.
A few things I do to support sleep:
Make sure my room is really dark. Any lights on can decrease melatonin production and disrupt sleep.
Sleep with my phone outside of my room (game changer)
Spray lavender mist on my pillow for some serious relaxation
Do some 4-7-8 breathing before bed
Avoid caffeine after noon
Manage stress using journaling, breathing and meditation throughout the day
I do find with my clients that one of the most common reasons for trouble falling asleep is unmanaged stress throughout the day. So notice where you are with that, and if your circling thoughts from the day are contributing to your inability to fall asleep.
You can try journaling before bed to get the thoughts “out,” listen to a guided meditation or simply do some breathing.
Just like the morning routine, there are many different things you can bring in and it all depends on what works for you and how you want to feel in your evenings. They don’t have to be long or complex, just simple, intentional ways to help you feel how you want in your day!
PREFER TO LISTEN? TUNE INTO THE LIVE WELL PODCAST BELOW (AND DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE SO YOU'LL NEVER MISS OUT!)
Click here to listen in iTunes
Click here to listen in Stitcher
Or if you’d like to play the episode right now in your browser, use the player below:
If we haven't met before, I'm Christina Tidwell and I'm so excited that you're here! I am a RN & Functional Nutrition Practitioner that helps those with autoimmune disease, hormone imbalance and gut issues heal without overwhelm so you can feel better in your body in a way that honors your unique needs and feels sustainable for the rest of your life.
If you suffer from:
Fatigue and energy crashes
Brain fog
Poor digestion
Painful periods and PMS
Symptoms of autoimmunity
Stress and overwhelm
...and aren't getting the support you need, I’m here to help guide you! My job is to clear the overwhelm, help you put the pieces of the puzzle together and co-create a sustainable path forward to help you reach your goals and feel better in your amazing body. When we work together you can’t fail.
In my health & nutrition coaching programs I support you in the quest to get back into balance by listening to your story, understanding your needs, getting to the roots of imbalance in the body and co-creating a sustainable path to healing together. These sessions weave together functional nutrition and science, lived experience, breathwork, mindset shifts, and intuitive guidance for a unique and full-spectrum approach to nutrition counseling and holistic health.
I always offer free 20-minute discovery sessions to get clear on your major health concerns and identify what’s standing in your way. Click the button below to set up your free consultation and we can create a plan of action specifically for you.
