Slowing Down
Practicing What I Preach
It’s my nature to always look on the bright side of life, but I’m not gonna lie, this past month has been a tough one for me. I had to dig deep and really practice what I preach - paying attention to stress levels, quality and quantity of sleep, and nutrition. For the first time in years, I had some neurological symptoms return that included left-sided numbness and tingling that affected my walking for a few days by causing my left leg to limp and drag. My memory was worse than normal and I frequently found myself struggling to find the right words. I think everyone had some PTSD about how I looked and sounded, as I even had some concerned calls from friends overseas, in response to the reel I posted about how I was feeling.
It wasn’t until a friend texted me and pointed out that I’ve had a very busy couple of months with “all the house decisions, holding space for each of the kids, travel to Vancouver and back, writing a book, launching a website and blog! Crazy amount of brain work!”. Just writing it out made her tired! Until I read her text, I think I had been underestimating how much brain energy completing the building of our new house, parenting, traveling long distances in the car, and writing, all takes! So, with that in mind, I really dug deep and tried to make some positive changes to help me through this period and get back on top of my game.
Stress, Sleep and (No) Sugar
With the return of the neurological symptoms, I definitely had to work hard on mindset and remind myself that my body is strong and powerful and that I have the capacity to heal (I’ve done it before, I can do it again). I needed to recommit to decreasing my stress levels, enlisting the support of my husband to help with the house details (and patiently remind me of decisions when my memory slipped). I pulled out the crockpot and tried to make simple and nutritious meals that required minimal effort to lighten my load. I renewed my commitment to not consuming any sugar, gluten or dairy, as from time to time I might treat myself to a little chocolate, especially when I’m stressed and tired. I prioritized getting to bed early and made a conscious effort to put away my phone well before bed to decrease my exposure to blue light and improve the quality of my sleep. (See my previous blog posts for more on the benefit of an alkaline diet and mindfulness)
Deep Breaths
Did you know that deep breathing also has physiological benefits on the brain and nervous system? The vagus nerve runs from the base of your brain through your entire torso and has pathways that extend into the heart, lungs, liver, digestive system and spleen. How we breathe has direct effects on the vagus nerve to either up-regulate our stress response (with fast, shallow breathing) or down-regulate it (with slow, deep breathing). Therefore, taking slow, deep breaths down-regulates the vagus nerve and has a direct effect on the parasympathetic nervous system, which allows us to relax. And when our bodies are in a more relaxed state, inflammation is less likely to ramp up.
Making Health a Priority
Almost two weeks after the return of neurological symptoms and a lot of deep breaths later, more early nights, good quality food, and less screens, I am feeling much better. My left foot is still “buzzy” with some numbness and tingling but I think it’s there to remind me that I’m walking a fine line right now and that I need to keep everything in check. We just came back from another trip to Vancouver to support our kids, the house decisions will continue for a few more weeks, and we’re moving soon, so my health needs to remain the priority. I think I have enough tools in my toolbox to manage, and I’m no stranger to asking for help. How do you cope when you feel overwhelmed?
