Nature, Earth, the Universe, God's creation -- whatever you call it, it is so amazing.
Honestly, I really couldn't say I appreciated it until I got into the world of essential oils. That's what made me realize Mother Nature really knows what she’s doing.
Fresh air is like medicine. Not only can you feel a difference in your lungs - and really, your entire body - versus being cooped up inside all day, but have you ever let something “air out” outside?
Nature is like a natural deodorizer.
This is my latest “Nature is Amazing” encounter:
For probably a year (maybe more) I had clothes that smelled like fabric softener sitting in my laundry room in a designated basket. (Yes, a designated “I cannot get the smell out of these clothes” basket.) If you know me you know I cannot stand when clothes smell like fabric softener (P.S. did you know that dryer sheets are considered toxic waste?).
I tried washing the smell out several times but it must have been so engrained in the fabric that that just wasn’t going to do it. (I guess that’s what happens when you wash clothes in synthetic fragrance for years and years. They just cling onto that smell. I’m so grateful I know better now - know better, do better! No fabric softener or dryer sheets in this house!)
I definitely wasn’t going to wear them while they smelled like that. So in the basket in the laundry room they sat, until I could figure out how to get the smell out.
It finally occurred to me - “what if I let them air out outside?”
I could not believe it. After a few days of airing out in the backyard, the smell was gone. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?!? I then put in a formal request that my husband install a clothes line in our backyard.
Is it just me, or is this a testimony to how powerful nature really is?
Nature provides for us in so many ways, the least we can do is love the earth like every day is Earth Day. Next week we’ll talk about some really easy ways to do that!
If you loved this blog post, there's more where that came from in my free Facebook group here. You'll want to get in there now because that's where I'll be launching a 5 Day Eczema Relief Training very soon!
Want to get a head start? You can also grab my new guide on 5 Steps to Taming an Eczema Flare Up here!
In Step 1 of My Gut Healing Journey and Step 2 of My Gut Healing Journey we talked about food. Food is so important, but the health of your gut is not just about what you eat.
It’s about what goes on your body. One of the first things almost anyone will tell you when it comes to eczema is to stop using products with fragrance on the eczema.
Fragrance is an irritant, but it’s also extremely bad for your gut health. Most fragrance (and we’re talking “fragrance” listed as an ingredient) contains phthalates which are endocrine disrupting chemicals. Your endocrine system produces hormones, and the majority of your hormones are housed in your gut!
That being said, it’s not only important to stop using fragrance on your eczema, but it’s also important to stop using it anywhere on your body! You can read more about that here.
Young Living is one brand in particular I trust 100%. I know there will never be synthetic or “natural” fragrance in their products. Anything that smells nice in their products is from clean essential oils made only with plant juice. It’s a wonderful thing.
Other brands may offer unscented or fragrance-free options. Apps like EWG Healthy Living and Think Dirty have helped me a lot in the store.
Makeups are also filled with ingredients that wreak havoc on your gut. To put things into perspective, Europe bans over 1300 chemicals from cosmetic products. The US only bans 11. Clean brands, while harder to find, do exist. Once again Young Living is my favorite for this one (they actually have a list of over 2000 chemicals they will never use in their cosmetics), but BeautyCounter is another brand I know that goes the extra mile to keep icky ingredients out.
Nail polish is another one I never thought I’d have to second guess. The big name brands are filled with harmful chemicals like Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, and Camphor. Look for 5-Free (even better is 6, 7, or 8-free!) nail polishes like Olive & June, Ella + Mila & Static.
The health of your gut is also directly related to your levels of stress. Your gut can only repair itself when it’s in rest and digest mode. If you’re in fight or flight all the time, that’s not good for your gut!
Taking time to relax, destress, breathe & just take time for you is so important. The main reason I started using essential oils (which I’m obsessed with now by the way) was to help me relax. You can read more about that here.
Getting enough sleep is important too! This is optimal rest and digest time! Taking your probiotic and then getting in bed to get 7-9 hours of sleep will do you SO much good.
If this was helpful for you, join my Facebook group where you can find more wellness tips – free of charge. <3
You can also grab my free guide on 3 Easy Steps to Lose Weight and Feel Amazing here.
Stress management is huge. It impacts your whole world. How you talk to others, how you talk to yourself, how your food digests, the overall health of your body.
A body with well-managed stress is a lot healthier than a body that’s in fight or flight all the time.
And if you’re having gut health issues (eczema, acne, anxiety, headaches, fatigue), it’s that much more important to get your body out of fight or flight and into rest and digest.
Not to mention you just FEEL a million times better when you’re managing your stress appropriately.
Here are some of my favorite ways to manage stress:
1. Meditation
This is something I’ve only just started doing, but I’m already a huge fan. I’ve been starting with a 10 minute guided meditation, and I notice a massive difference in my stress (and patience) levels. I’m less likely to be triggered by things that usually annoy the heck out of me when I’ve done my meditation that morning. And I’m only 4 days in.
2. Yoga
It’s the stretching and the breath work. I have a feeling of zen I carry with me when I finish my yoga practice.
3. Connect with the Earth
Take your shoes and socks off, stand in the grass & just feel for a few minutes.
4. Essential oils
There are the obvious ones like Stress Away and Lavender, but Palo Santo and other tree oils are very grounding. Frankincense is another one that’s earthy and grounding. Valor and Peace & Calming are great ones to use too. Diffuse them, rub a couple drops together in your palms and take the scent in, put a drop or two on your wrists - there’s really no wrong way to do it. As long as you’re breathing in the scent, it’s working.
5. Sleep
Sometimes, you just need a good sleep. Take a nap, get 8-9 hours in, or just get under the covers and rest your eyes.
If you can find a way to work these into your daily routine, you'll be much better off - I promise! Which of these do you see yourself working into your morning routine? Your wind down routine? What are some of your favorite ways to manage stress? Let me know in the comments below.
A body with well-managed stress is a lot healthier than a body that’s in fight or flight all the time.
And if you’re having gut health issues (eczema, acne, anxiety, headaches, fatigue), it’s that much more important to get your body out of fight or flight and into rest and digest.
Not to mention you just FEEL a million times better when you’re managing your stress appropriately.
Here are some of my favorite ways to manage stress:
1. Meditation
This is something I’ve only just started doing, but I’m already a huge fan. I’ve been starting with a 10 minute guided meditation, and I notice a massive difference in my stress (and patience) levels. I’m less likely to be triggered by things that usually annoy the heck out of me when I’ve done my meditation that morning. And I’m only 4 days in.
2. Yoga
It’s the stretching and the breath work. I have a feeling of zen I carry with me when I finish my yoga practice.
3. Connect with the Earth
Take your shoes and socks off, stand in the grass & just feel for a few minutes.
4. Essential oils
There are the obvious ones like Stress Away and Lavender, but Palo Santo and other tree oils are very grounding. Frankincense is another one that’s earthy and grounding. Valor and Peace & Calming are great ones to use too. Diffuse them, rub a couple drops together in your palms and take the scent in, put a drop or two on your wrists - there’s really no wrong way to do it. As long as you’re breathing in the scent, it’s working.
5. Sleep
Sometimes, you just need a good sleep. Take a nap, get 8-9 hours in, or just get under the covers and rest your eyes.
If you can find a way to work these into your daily routine, you'll be much better off - I promise! Which of these do you see yourself working into your morning routine? Your wind down routine? What are some of your favorite ways to manage stress? Let me know in the comments below.
If this was helpful for you, join my Facebook group where you can find more wellness tips – free of charge. <3
You can also grab my free guide on 3 Easy Steps to Lose Weight and Feel Amazing here.
Have you ever had such a busy weekend that you’re more exhausted than rejuvenated once it’s over?
Or when you get back from a trip and feel like you “need a vacation from your vacation.” Have you been there?
What about when you’ve had to put in HOURS of overtime at work and you’re just SO burnt out?
My suggestion to you…is not to just push through these feelings of overwhelm. My suggestion to you is to take care of yourself. Listen to your body. Take a personal day. Dedicate a day to doing absolutely nothing.
It’s okay to not have productive days. The funny thing is, having non-productive days can make you have more productive days. Knowing when to give yourself a break is self-intuition. It’s self-care. Self-love.
Your body is talking to you always. You just need to love yourself enough to listen and give your body what it needs.
The majority of health issues these days are stress related. Which means they’re lifestyle related. Which means we have the power to take back control!
If you’re not sure what to do on your “personal day” here are some of the things I do:
1. Clean. Sometimes I just need a day to catch up on housework. Dishes, vacuuming, laundry. This isn’t exactly “doing nothing” but sometimes it’s really just what I need.
2. Stay in your pajamas ALL. DAY. LONG.
3. Sleep in. Or take an afternoon nap. Or both.
4. Indulge in some Netflix binging.
5. Aromatherapy. Breathe in relaxing essential oils like lavender, stress away, orange.
6. Yoga. It’s awful but when life gets busy, self-care practices are the first to go. But this is when we need it most! When I fall out of my yoga routine, my muscles tense up. My neck, back & shoulders especially. And after my body has had enough of my ignoring of this need, it screams for attention via a massive headache and very stiff neck.
It’s okay to have days where you do nothing. Don’t forget to treat yourself like someone you love, take care of yourself & give your body what it’s asking for.
If this was helpful for you, join my Facebook group where you can find more wellness tips – free of charge. <3
You can also grab my free guide on 3 Easy Steps to Lose Weight and Feel Amazing here.
I had been on a journey trying to figure out the root of my eczema for years before discovering the undeniable connections between skin issues and gut health.
I had absolutely no idea the two were related until my first health coach introduced the concept to me, and it made complete and total sense.
When there’s something wrong on the inside, it shows up on the outside. Eczema, acne, almost every single skin issue is a reflection of an imbalance within. A microbiome in dysbiosis (AKA an imbalanced gut) trickles down to almost every physical & emotional aspect of your body. Infertility, depression, anxiety, inflammation - it’s all related to the health of your gut! Your microbiome!
So what does that mean for your skin?
The first thing my dermatologist told me to do was stop using products with fragrance. This one piece of information completely rocked my world.
Do you know what fragrance is in?
Literally almost everything in the personal care product section of the grocery store.
Do you know what fragrance does?
Not only is it a skin irritant (which is why any doctor will tell you to avoid it when dealing with eczema – or even a UTI) but it’s an endocrine disrupter.
What does this mean?
It means it makes a mess of your hormones, and many of your hormones are housed in your gut. If your gut is out of whack, this shows up on your skin. You can read more about this in my blog post “Why I Never Buy Products with Fragrance.” Acne & eczema are the biggest examples I give for this because that’s what I’ve struggled with most in my life.
For the past 5 years or so, I’ve become much more aware of the ingredients in the personal care products I use. And I’ve been much happier using more natural products! It just makes sense to me. So - go check the products in your bathroom! Do any of them include fragrance? Switch them out one by one, and reference my previous blog post as needed. :)
If you loved this blog post, there's more where that came from in my free Facebook group here.
You can also grab my new guide on 5 Steps to Taming an Eczema Flare Up here.
