The most common question I get as an Herbalista is, “What can I do to feel well again?” There are many things we can do to incorporate wellness in to our body, mind, soul, and earth and I use this 5-step acronym that I’ve developed to simply my options: FHEEL
F= Food
The first step to feeling better is to examine what we’re fueling up on. It is in our best interest to avoid fried and fatty foods in general– Instead, aim to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and healthy proteins with some fruit, dairy, and whole grains sprinkled in. Try and get a rainbow-colored variety of foods in your diet, striving for more of the darker/richer colored foods (kale, spinach, dandelion greens, mustard green, collard greens, broccoli, beets, blackberries, blueberries, pomegranates, squashes, sweet potatoes, carrots) and less of the lighter and whiter foods (bananas, pastas, rice, sugar, white potatoes, etc).
H= Herbs
If a whole foods diet isn’t giving you everything you need in the moment, adding herbs can help! Start with adding simple spices to your meals like garlic (detoxifying herb that is great for the digestive system), rosemary (supports the brain and is antibacterial), and ginger(supports the circulatory and digestive system and is helpful for migraines). Other culinary spices that are easy to incorporate arecinnamon, turmeric, pepper, fennel, cayenne, thyme, sage, and clove. I highly recommend talking with a Holistic Healthcare practitioner, Naturopath, Herbalist, or other trained botanical medicine professional about herbs that can be specifically helpful to your desired wellness goals.
E= Exercise & Energetic Balances
When there still seems to be components of our wellness that need some extra attention, exercise & energetic balances can be very beneficial. Research the many benefits of Massage Therapy, Yoga, Interval Training, Acupuncture, Reiki, Polarity, Reflexology, Circuit Training, and many other healing arts and fitness programs. With any area of wellness, there are both reputable, competent companies and practitioners, as well as not so reputable nor competent companies and practitioners. Choose wisely and please check out what is available in your community. Questions I like to ask when I visit a new space for the first time are where they received their training from, how long have they have been in practice, and also what the whole process is from start to finish before signing up or paying for an appointment. Other therapeutic techniques that may be helpful are: meditation/prayer, affirmations, journaling, hypnotherapy, life coaching, joining a gym/health club, getting a personal trainer, group sports, and dance fitness styles like zumba/ballroom/swing/two-step and line dancing can all help bring some movement to the body and boost the spirit.
E= Essences & Essential Oils
Both Flower Essences and Essentials Oils are lovely tools that reallysupport more the emotional, spiritual, and mental journey of wellness.Flower Essences have no reaction to medications, allergies, children or pets and work specifically on our current state of emotions. There are as many brands as there are flowers, from all parts of the world, so please read up on the companies as well as the products before choosing an essence. Essential oils are potent blend of botanical oils that have specific methods of delivery. Because there are highly concentrated amounts of naturally occurring chemicals in essential oils, it is extremely important to handle them with an informed and delicate manner. As always, consult with an Aromatherapist or Flower Essence practitioner for recommendations.
L= Lifestyle Changes
Making some more intense changes in lifestyle habits may be necessary in order to achieved our desired wellness goals. Most often, habits like smoking, drinking, eating too much fast food or snacks, not exercising, drinking soda and sugary beverages,and having too much or too little sleep can tremendously impact the state of our health. When setting your wellness goals, really emphasize the reasons for choosing those specific goals and concentrate on those reasons during the challenging moments. Tell your friends and family about your wellness goals, the lifestyle changes you are making– this may help keep you accountable and motivate you during the ups and downs when you have others to share with. Create a vision board or goal chart to showcase your progress. There are many tools and apps available to help you at any age or stage of wellness and life so identify those goals, develop a route to wellness, seek advice if you need help meeting those goals and chart your progress to see how well you’re doing and how close you are to meeting and exceeding those goals!
Most importantly, CELEBRATE the progress you’re making! Wellness is a Journey, Not a Destination. Strive for Progress, Not Perfection… Know that every step, every breath, and each moment counts as progress, so long as we consciously choose to be well.
~Choose to be and “fheel” well—The Herbalista