mindfulness — MISFIT WELLNESS

MY 12 FAVORITE TOOLS FOR ANXIETY, DEPRESSION & STRESS

Over the past 10 years, I have continued to add more tools and build upon the ones I find most helpful. Thanks to individual therapy, couples therapy, workshops, retreats, continuing education courses, books, podcasts and confidants, I’ve built a robust toolkit that helps me both proactively and reactively manage anxiety, depression and stress (because aren’t they all so intertwined?!) Nothing changes overnight, but together, these tools have helped me stack up more daily moments of peace, calm and joy than I ever experienced before they entered my life. They are like beautifully simple little bricks that have helped me build higher levels of consciousness, gratitude and content. I hope they do the same for you.

HOW I LEARNED TO TRUST MY BODY AND HAVE FAITH IN MY ABILITY TO HEAL

I struggled on and off with disordered eating in some form or another for the better part of two decades. Combined with clinical depression, hormone imbalances, infertility, hypothyroidism and spinal osteoarthritis, my ongoing battle with my body was fueled by fear and a desire to control everything I couldn’t control. For years into recovery and my holistic health journey, I couldn’t quite figure out what kept me in the two steps forward, one step back cycle. And then I realized, I was missing two important things I had lost when I was a little girl: trust in my body and faith in myself.

6 THINGS THAT CHANGED THE WAY I DEAL WITH STRESS

By the time I committed to healthier habits around managing stress, it had already wreaked havoc on my digestion, immune function, sleep, weight and sanity. I no longer had the energy to have or be fun anymore. Don’t let stress make you a Debbie Downer too. Use these simple but transformative tips to help you manage stress before you find yourself perpetually frazzled, bloated, angry, and downright miserable.

SO YOU'VE HEALED YOUR GUT. NOW WHAT?

Once you've done the hard work to get your gut bacteria back in balance, heal those gut walls and quiet inflammation, you start to feel the incredible benefits of eating and living to support gut health. The last thing you want to do is welcome chronic constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, brain fog, acne or mood disorders back into your life. So how do you loosen restrictions without compromising the delicate balance you've worked to achieve? Beyond eating a vegetable forward, nutrient-dense diet rich in whole, real, unprocessed foods and minimizing triggers and irritants like caffeine, sugar and alcohol, I encourage my gut protocol clients to explore these other ways to support gut health.

FUNDAMENTALS OF HEALTHY EATING - PART II: DISCOVERY PHASE

A combination of personal experience, extensive research and observation over the past 2 decades has made me a firm believer in slow, incremental change and bio-individuality. Because change can be daunting, and figuring out what works best for your biologically unique body can be even more daunting, we're going to start with simple, foundational changes that are low maintenance and high impact for anyone and everyone - regardless of your physical condition, health goals and available resources.

Up first is mindful eating, a skill you can use it at every stage in your healthy eating evolution. The best part? You can get rolling while still clutching a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos if you want - although I can promise you won't feel the same about them when we're through.

WHY I'M OBSESSED WITH MEDITATING (AND WANT YOU TO BE TOO)

Who would have thought that the simple act of sitting down to check in with yourself for a moment could be such an eye-opening experience? So many of us are so disconnected from what we're feeling in our bodies and what's going on in the back of our minds, often because we think it's the only way to survive the crazy pace of life these days. I was a big fan of "self unawareness" for a long time, until I realized that actually paying attention to my brain, body and emotions is a valuable exercise in self exploration; one that has led to a lot of personal growth AND has allowed me to more compassionately address my needs and the needs of those around me.

FROM SKEPTIC TO ADVOCATE: MY PATH TO DAILY MEDITATION

I remember the first time my therapist suggested I start practicing mindfulness with little counting exercises and/or daily meditation. Poor sweet Dr. F was on the receiving end of an imperceptive eye roll, insincere smile and dismissive nod. In my defense, I was in my mid-twenties and barely 5 years off the plane from Boston where "that hippie shit" just didn't fly. Raised in an Irish Catholic household in a conservative Republican town in Connecticut, I wasn’t exactly primed to receive alternative approaches to stress management or behavioral change very well. As is the tradition in such circles, emotions are not to be indulged, feelings are not to be had, therapy is not to be invested in, meditation is for the birds.

WHY EVERYONE SHOULD TRY YOGA + SOME TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED

In addition to improving flexibility, increasing strength, relaxing your busy mind and improving your stress response, yoga is also affordable (or free if you use an app in your own home) and can be done almost anywhere. If cheap, accessible and relaxing isn’t enough for you, here’s why I believe you should give it a shot!