support your mental health, naturally
everyone needs to support their mental health. your body is one entity of many interwoven systems. no matter if you’ve been through hardship + trauma in this life, or if you’ve have a more joyful journey, your mental health is worth investing in.
mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health are crucial to living a full + beautiful life.
for many years I have been transparent + honest about my mental health journey. my goal has always been to help someone feel less alone on this journey to feeling better. I had to process multiple traumas + a lot of grief by a young age, I fell into darkness for many years and got lost in who I thought I was supposed to be to survive this world. eventually I found the courage + strength to fight for myself. I worked hard to get out of the hole I dug myself into. I co-created a beautiful + nourishing life one day at a time. simplifying my life wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. I found that connecting to nature + myself was the best medicine, while being some of the hardest.
this post is all about simple, natural ways you can build moments of care into your daily rhythms. I am not against medication, I was on Lithium for years as I gained strength to face my inner world + emotions. I am currently off medication and proud of myself for the hard work I did to get to that point. I support you doing what ever you need during this season. honor where you are in your journey and give compassion where it is needed.
here are some things you can do to support your mental health, naturally ~
grounding
intentionally placing anchors throughout your day to take a moment to appreciate the natural world
get 15 minutes of sunshine on your skin each day, better yet start your day sitting on your porch with a beverage you love soaking in that life-giving sunshine.
get your bare feet on our earth. studies show that grounding (earthing) can reduce inflammation in the body. by placing your bare feet on the earth you are connecting with the natural electric charge of our earth.
diffuse or roll-on your favorite calming essential oils - highly recommend valor, stress away, and grounding
nourish your body
choose organic food when you can - avoid ultra-processed food, artificial dyes, and seed oils that cause inflammation within the body.
support your body with vitamins + minerals - you’ll hear me talk non-stop about NingXia Red. that red drink changed my life and I am so thankful for the support it provides.
connect with a nutritionist or holistic practitioner to find what minerals or vitamins you may be lacking in
women - support the natural flow of your cycle with food + oils (if you haven’t already, please ditch birth control)
move your body
support the flow of energy, remove blocks of stagnancy
go for a walk
take a yoga class (bonus points if you go with a friend, or make one while you’re there)
enjoy a bike ride - even an electric bike gives you fresh air + a feeling of freedom, that’s a win!
sometimes moving your body can be more about the mental challenge than the physical challenge. for me, that is a lot of the journey. when a yoga class gets hard, or you’re climbing a hill on your bike, use those moments to hype yourself up! “you got this” “you can do it” “you’re almost there” “just one more breath/ pedal” AND when you do have to stop mid hill and walk your bike the rest of the way, give grace + cheer yourself on - you are choosing to keep going, you showed up today, that is bad ass.
thought work
this was one of the biggest game changers for me
pay attention to your thoughts, notice them like passing clouds, and do not give them any weight. your brain will have thousands of absolutely random, ridiculous, and negative thoughts a day and none of them hold truth to who you are. when we first begin to notice our thoughts it can feel scary and sad to notice the never ending spiral of negative thoughts that float through your mind. your job is to simply notice them.
once you get comfortable noticing your thoughts you can work on stopping the thoughts by telling you brain how silly it is. when a negative thought pops up, you can tell your brain why that isn’t true.
over time it get easier and one day you won’t have these deeply hurtful thoughts floating around in your head all the time. you can never get rid of negative thoughts, but after working on noticing them + knowing they aren’t true, they get so much quieter, to where you barely notice them.
daily rhythms
life can be overwhelming + chaotic some days, support yourself through simple daily rhythms
make your bed first thing in the morning - so you feel that feeling of accomplishing a task
rock a 15 minute pick-up
practice the 2 minute task rule - when you notice a task that needs to be done and it will take less than 2 minutes, do it when you notice it. this works well for unloading the dishwasher, switching laundry, or putting your shoes away.
the hard, heart work of connecting with yourself
learning to sit with yourself is the biggest hurdle of healing. it means being able to sit with your shadow self + love her deeply + truly.
meet with your inner child and your inner teenager regularly. chances are they really needed someone during those hard seasons, and the beautiful thing is that now you are able to show up and be that person for them.
when a hard memory comes up, or something you’re ashamed of, go into that memory and hug that girl, tell her you love her. you can laugh and be like damn, you’re a mess, but I love you and I am here for you, i’m not going anywhere.
connect with community
lack of connection from community has proven time + time again to contribute to depression + anxiety. I will be the first to say that when I am having a hard day, I really don’t want to talk to anyone. I want to sit in my house, curl under the covers, and stay there for as long as I want. if you’re like me there are plenty of ways to feel part of community without actually talking to anyone. introverts unite.
go to a yoga or group exercise class
ask a friend to go on a silent walk “hey, I need to get out, but i’m having a hard day, can we go on a silent walk?”
walk around a farmer’s market or museum
sit in a crowded coffee shop downtown + people watch - notice things you find beautiful or that bring you joy
next level community connection - join a soccer team or book club, find a local mom’s walking group, sign up to volunteer, grab a coffee with a friend
ditch unnecessary toxins
so many products in our home are causing harm to our bodies, including our emotional + mental health. ditching toxins can feel overwhelming + daunting once you realize your favorite candles + cleaners are causing harm. take it one item at a time + stick with an 80/20 rule - decide what is important to you and where you’d be willing to take on some toxins for convenience, or simple joy. low-tox is the goal.
stay away from Fragrance on any ingredient list, get to know the additive chemicals and endocrine disrupters to stay away from. or find a few really cool companies you can trust, and stick with those. no more impulse shopping target’s beauty section.
most candles are toxic. unscented beeswax are the best for vibes. if you find a candle with a good wax, stick with ones that are scented with easy to grow essential oils like lemon, rosemary, grapefruit, and some tree oils. some companies will claim to be clean then admit to adding paraffin to extend the scent power so check their website for disclaimers.
diffusing is a great way to have amazing scents in your home, while supporting your mind + body with the benefits of pure essential oils ~ grab a diffuser + oils here
not all essential oils are created equal! friends do not let friends buy oils from whole foods. make sure you buy oils from companies that 3rd party test and truly care about their oil quality. we only use Young Living in our home because they 3rd party test, own all their farms, use sustainable farming practices, and deeply care about the chemical constituents in the oils they bottle up. if an oil doesn’t meet the high standards they have they would rather be sold out and sell those batches to another company that doesn’t care as much before giving you a low quality oil.
easy button for ditching all toxic cleaners + home care - healthy, happy home kit