I’ve recently embarked on a journey to become a Health and Life Coach. Originally it was to just help my current clients with their health journeys.
I love to help clients who are burnt out and have high stress and complications from stress. I have had great success with that. Going through this Health and Life coach course you get to be coached also.
Wow! Have I learned a lot about myself. I knew I had a hard time “relaxing” but never really knew WHAT to do about it… I’d occasionally learn some things and would implement for a bit but of course it never stuck.
How I’m Mixing my Herbal Practice With Coaching
Going through this course has helped me in so many ways to just RELAX! I’m not saying it is perfect, but I feel so much healthier with the habits I have started to implement. I love my herbs, and they work great, but I certainly don’t want to have to rely on them forever to keep me as I say “chilled the freak out!” I’ve had so much success with myself, I’ve decided that this is the avenue I’d like to focus on in mixing my herbal practice with coaching!
Each week I will try to post about one lifestyle thing you can do to help you relax… and one of my favorite herbal nervines that can help relax your nervous system. Come along with me in the journey by subscribing to this blog or join me as a client for faster more permanent success!!
Important!
One of the things I find the most important is to eat relaxed. Too many people are eating in a stressed mode. Moms eat while making their kids dinner. We eat in our vehicles on the way to our destinations. We eat while watching TV.
When you are stressed, your body can be in a sympathetic state. This is where your body is essentially wanting to run away from danger. In this state your body shuts down the digestive process. Eating in a stressed state makes it hard to digest your food. This makes bloating an issue, sets the stage for digestive issues like Irritable bowel syndrome, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, and much more.
To support yourself the best. Take time to check in before you eat? Are you stressed? If so take a moment to breathe a simple 4-7-8 breathing technique to calm your nervous system before you eat. Take a moment to look at, and smell and be thankful for your meal. This starts the digestive process. Chew your food 20 times before swallowing. Digestion starts in the mouth. Take the time to eat a 20 min meal. It takes 20 minutes for you brain to realize its full.
There’s an Herb for That
The Herb I’d like to chat about is Catnip Nepeta cataria. It is a wonderful nervine that helps to also calm down the digestive system. Particularly those with immediate bloating when they eat a meal (within 1/2 an hour).
I typically combine this with Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis) for best results another nervine. Take this prior to or with meals and it will support your nervous system response to food. It helps calm the nervous system and is a carminative which can help with the bloating that comes with eating. If you feel your digestive system keeps you up at night in larger doses it can be a great sleep aid at bedtime. 1 Dropperful of a tincture is typically how I use this. But a tea can also be used. If you have roaming cats in your area, it might just pop up in an un-mowed area or your garden.
