Summer is in full swing, and I hope you’re enjoying it! Here in Southern California, we spend a lot of time at the beach, water parks, and movies. We also spend a lot of time with family, swimming and BBQ’ing. Two of my older kids look forward to a week at camp, and while they’re away, I spend a lot of time with my youngest (aka Tiny Guy). We usually take a vacation, but this year one of our dogs will be needing surgery on both her knees, so our focus will be rehabilitating her. 🙁
I also wanted to let you know how much I’ve missed you!
I haven’t been around for a while, and with good reason! I contracted a virus that was going around earlier this year and it never left. On the onset, I had the typical symptoms – headache, congestion, sore throat. I felt a little better after a week or so, but I never actually got better. That was back in February.
After a few weeks, I started to feel worse. I had constant headaches and tension; my eyes hurt horribly to the point that I had trouble reading; and I had an overwhelming sense of tiredness.
After 2 months, I finally visited my go-to doctor (which happens to be my chiropractor) only to find that the virus had found its way to my liver!
Say what???
I was completely shocked when he told me what was going on, and frankly, so was he! He tested my liver back in January, and it was functioning perfectly back then. There’s no explanation as to how this happened, and all I knew was that I needed to get better.
It completely made sense though, given my symptoms and a few other tell-tale signs in which I was in complete denial (the middle of one of my eyebrows had thinned and my menstrual cycle was crazy heavy..both classic signs).
What my body needed was a liver cleanse. I eat pretty healthy, so this wasn’t hard for me. I have several excellent liver cleanses that I recommend to my clients, but because I had let this go on for so long and my head and eyes hurt horribly, I did his recommended cleanse with the products that he uses (Standard Process).
I realized after the fact that I could have done the liver cleanse without his recommended products, but I just didn’t have the energy to figure it out on my own.
It was important for me to let the liver rest & detox by eating clean, easy to digest foods and taking supplements that support the liver (such as milk thistle).
This ordeal was a huge wake up call for me. I realized that I had no choice but to slow down and take care of myself. It is so easy for me to tell someone else to take time out for self-care, but for me to find the time to do it is so hard.
For me, self-care meant to slow down, rest, meditate, more yoga, journaling, and, at times, do nothing. It also meant that it was extra important for me to eat food that was easy to digest and supported my liver.
It’s so important to listen to your body and take care of yourself, not just physically but mentally too.
This had definitely been an incredible learning experience. Oddly, I think I really needed this time to get off the wheel of life and take the time to take care of myself. Today, I’m much more relaxed and centered, and I feel more confident and focused. I never thought I would say this…I also feel more creative.
I’m looking forward to getting fully back to work. I have so much to learn and share with you all!
In love & health,
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