Have you ever been hit with the “perfect storm”? The surgery that went drastically wrong, plus the death of your best friend, plus a pandemic. Or maybe your entire family caught Lyme, your spouse lost his job and you were in a bad car accident, all in the space of three months.
“Perfect storm” scenarios can activate sensitivities, cause trauma, and trigger prolonged illnesses. These situations are often unpredictable and unavoidable. However, being prepared can greatly improve your ability to navigate them successfully.
If you are dedicated to utilizing a root-cause approach to wellness, here are a few things you can do:
1. Create a health emergency fund
While conventional treatments are often covered by insurance, healthshares and (in some cases) charities, there isn’t much support for people who use alternative options. If you use functional or naturopathic medicine, you bear 100% of the cost up front. Although this approach is generally more affordable in the long run, the immediate out-of-pocket expense can feel overwhelming. A well-stocked health emergency fund can give you the freedom to pursue different options when conventional medicine falls short.
2. Stock up
Stock up on the basics you always need during emergencies. You don’t have to become a prepper, but keeping staples on hand like toilet paper and chicken soup can reduce the stress caused by last-minute trips. Even if you live in town, weather or other emergencies can reduce your ability to shop. Remember 2020?
Stock your medicine cabinet with essential items and natural remedies. For added support during illness or injury, consider including probiotics, activated charcoal, herbs that support Lyme disease recovery, oral rehydration solutions, and homeopathic arnica. Keep these supplies readily available, especially if they need to be ordered in advance.
3. Find providers ahead of time
In conventional medicine, you can usually get in with someone if there’s an emergency. Functional and naturopathic medicine operate differently. Depending on the provider, it may be several weeks before they have an opening in their schedule for a new client. If you anticipate needing this type of care during a crisis, consider establishing a relationship with a practitioner beforehand. This proactive step will also prepare you for what comes next…
4. Be proactive about your health
Sometimes you can prevent a crisis by making healthier choices about what you put into your body. Reduce toxic exposures now by using non-toxic cleaners, household items, and personal care products. Avoid processed and artificial foods. If possible, move out of environments with mold. Carefully reconsider reliance on medical injections and implants unless absolutely necessary. Consult with your doctor or pharmacist to review your prescriptions and explore options to reduce or eliminate them.
Address potential issues before they escalate into a full-blown crisis. If your heart hurts, get it checked. If you’re planning to have kids, assess your health and your external environment to identify and address factors could lead to neurological impairments in your unborn child.
Consider assessing genetic vulnerabilities that influence how you respond to specific environmental stressors. This insight can help you identify your non-negotiables when making decisions about your surroundings.
5. Replenish your body
Does what you eat nourish and restore you? Fuel your body with the fat (yep!), protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals it needs by eating real, whole food and supplementing carefully as needed. Evaluate the purity of your drinking water.
Support your body’s circadian rhythm, the natural process that regulates all bodily cellular processes. Do this by spending ample time outdoors in natural sunlight and avoiding exposure to blue and artificial light before sunrise and after sunset. Alternatively, wear lenses that block 100% blue and most green wavelengths if you’re in artificial light during that time. Shut off your electronics at night and sleep in complete darkness. These practices can enhance the production of melatonin, a potent antioxidant that’s necessary for sleep.
Practice grounding by placing bare skin or feet on the earth—whether soil, rocks, sand, or water—daily, for its’ anti-inflammatory benefits.
Consider incorporating movement and bodywork to help you unwind from stress, promote healthy lymphatic flow (which supports your immune system), and enhance your range of motion. Techniques such as craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation, and fascial release can be especially beneficial.
6. Create space for rest
Whenever possible, live in a way that allows you to rest and recovery after physical or mental exertion. A sleep-deprived lifestyle is unhealthy and increases the risk of burn-out.
For example, many individuals with chronic fatigue are high-achieving type A personalities who have pushed themselves beyond their limits—only to collapse when their nervous systems finally give out (speaking from experience….).
7. Listen to your intuition.
Learn to pay attention to your intuition–that 6th sense that warns you against taking a particular supplement, suggests a different route to work or prompts you to check on your child when everything seems fine.
This isn’t about letting fleeting impressions control you-it’s about respecting your brain’s ability to rapidly assess a situation while your slower logical thinking is still catching up. Cultivating this skill during non-stressful times can better equip you to handle challenging circumstances. In some cases, listening to your intuition can save your life.
8. Nurture your soul
Cultivate relationships with people who energize you and who share your values. Support from the right people during a crisis is crucial, even life-saving.
Find purpose and meaning in life by connecting with God and tapping into a perspective bigger than you.
Create and cherish joyful memories to draw upon during difficult moments. Reliving positive, emotionally rich experiences releases calming chemicals in your brain, helping to ease stress. This practice was a vital part of my own recovery journey.
9. Process negative emotions
In stressful moments, unprocessed negative emotions can overwhelm your brain’s stress center, making it overly sensitive and stuck in a state of trauma.
When you’re under pressure, do you find yourself snapping at loved ones or falling into harmful habits? Do feelings of fear, shame, or anger frequently overwhelm you? This could be an indication that you have a backlog of unresolved negative emotions, are caught caught in a toxic relationship, or lack healthy stress management skills.
Consider reaching out to someone who can help you evaluate your situation and support you as you develop healthier coping strategies. This may be a friend, a pastor, a therapist or a coach who’s been there and knows how to help.
You can’t prevent life from happening, but by preparing ahead of time, you can increase your chances of weathering the storm. If you’re looking for someone to support you during the process, contact me to get started!