Learning how to be sick is just as important as learning how to heal yourself.

In some ways, they are one in the same. How we deal with illness determines if we will come out on the other side more resilient or if we’ll skate by and remain just as vulnerable to dis-ease as we were before.

What’s the point of doing all this healing work? What’s the end goal? Why give up all of your favorite foods and your comforts and conveniences? Life’s short after all…

Habit formation is a big part of healing. The work required to both change and maintain habits, or ways of being, isn’t just about leaving sticky notes on your bathroom mirror. It requires a deep look at what we associate with our identity, why, and if that’s truly who we are.

If you want clearer-looking skin, more consistent energy, and to spend less time getting sick and feeling crappy throughout the year, I invite you to welcome detox as your new lifestyle.

As the plants and animals begin to stretch and scurry towards the waxing sun, so do we. Together we move with the rhythms of the seasons, reflecting the reality of time being cyclical, not linear.

But to fully align ourselves with this phase of awakening, we must invite it into our bodies.

If you’re wanting to feel physically healthy, energized, and motivated to get moving with spring, a supportive detox regimen is a great place to start.

Practitioners always talk about healing the mind, body, and spirit…but how do you actually go about healing your spirit? We often call on plant medicines to heal our physical bodies, but they can also support the more subtle layers of our being.

Transitioning to natural/herbal medicine often requires a total paradigm shift, especially if you want to go beyond symptom management and get to the root of your health issues.

If you want to get serious about your mental health, you’ve got to take a step back and consider the health of your entire physical and emotional body. To get started, you may consider the following contributors to anxiety/depression and how these play out in your life.

Nervines (herbs that calm and support the nervous system) and anxiolytic herbs can help quell anxiety, plus all of the other symptoms that come along with it like digestive upset, insomnia, and muscle tension.

Do you ever notice that your pits are smelling/sweating more than usual? Have you tried to switch to more natural deodorants only to find that your skin seems more sensitive and is irritated by natural products? 

If you’re answer is yes to either of these, then you might need to some love to your lymphatic system by doing a bentonite clay armpit detox. 

The lymphatic system and its movement are crucial for the health of your entire body (more on that here). Without outside influence, moving your body is the primary way we move lymph.  Thankfully, lymphatic herbs can help with this as well.

In Ayurveda (traditional Indian medical philosophy), the lymphatic system is considered the most important system in the entire body, and is the first system you should treat during illness.

Grief and loss are inevitable in this life. This process looks differently and takes varying amounts of time for each of us. One thing that’s universal: we could all benefit from herbs during the grief process. 

If your routine mirrored what happens in nature in the Fall, you would begin to decrease your activity in preparation for the introspective, dream time that is winter. In our society however, Fall can be a really busy, stressful time of year with school starting and the holidays right around the corner.

Now that we have a plague to contend with, traveling with some immune supportive herbs/supplements is a must. Here are some of my favorites to have on hand:

How to enhance immunity in the age of COVID-19.

How you can show up for yourself when seeing a health practitioner.

{Photo by Elle Hughes}