Me and Dr. Jim Bob Haggerton popping in again this week! As you know by now, mindset and emotions are two of my passions, so hold on!
 
Everything in your body starts with your mind. Those thoughts you allow to run rampant in your mind create changes in your body… Lao Tzu, a mystic philosopher of ancient China, said, 

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; 
watch your words, they become your actions; 
watch your actions, they become your habits;
watch your habits, they become your character;
watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
 
Your thoughts become the hard-wired part of your brain that you run off every day – your reflexes, your go to mannerisms, whether you reach for water or Diet Coke, it all started as a thought.

Let’s compare symptoms in your body to the check engine light in your car. They are basically the same thing. The check engine light is just telling you that something isn’t working great…just like a symptom in your body.
 

Picture yourself driving down the interstate, 70+ mph, listening to your favorite music, singing along, life is good. The check engine light comes on. What do you do??
 
Do you think, “Oh, my gosh!” then you pull the car over, jump out, run around the car panicking two or three times like a Chinese fire drill, throw open the hood, take a hammer or an axe to it, start pulling stuff out, or dumping oil or gas in, because you need to take something out or put something in, rip that belt off, whatever it takes right now because something is wrong and you need to fix it, no matter what. 
          
Or do you put a little duct tape over the light or even unplug it and think, “Phew! That’s better…I can’t see the check engine light, so it must be good…”? Instead of freaking out about the possibilities, you just cover it up and don’t acknowledge it, and just keep on driving.  In either case, you might have a sickness mindset…
          
A wellness mindset would think, “Oh, the check engine light is on. I wonder why.” That simple. It doesn’t mean you don’t pay attention, you just trace it back to its possible cause. 
 
Only two things cause symptoms in the body – toxicity or deficiency. Too much of something you don’t need, or not enough of something you do, and it creates change in some part of your body.





Rob Wolf, author of Wired to Eat, writes about all the things (paleo, keto, intermittent fasting, history of diet, genetics…) but he also adds that you can do all the things, the diet, the oils, everything you want, but if you don’t have community that  you do life with on a consistent basis, you can’t be fully well.
 
We are created for community, connection, togetherness. Have you found your people? Your community? 
 
Do you journal??  It can be a notebook, filler paper, a pretty leather journal, whatever works for you. Vent your brain on paper. Get your thoughts out. Review how the day went, allowing you to wrap your brain around situations so you can see if you are falling into sickness mindset or to see lies you are believing so you can get into that wellness mindset. 
I have been keeping a gratitude journal for almost about 3 years now. I started out with jotting down 3 things I am grateful for each morning, and now I am writing out 10. Some days are definitely easier…and some days you may or may not see things listed like “I am grateful the day is only 24 hours long…” LOL
 

A wellness (or growth) mindset is acknowledging where you are, and simply choosing to see the potential, the truth, or the steps to get you or your family to a better place, to move past where you are, to get to where you are called to be. 
 
It is not “everything’s fine” (we all know what that really means, right? LOL) Acknowledge it, but don’t get lost in it. Focus on change, movement, or progress out of the pain or situation.
 
One of the most effective ways to help the brain not get stuck in this one mindset is to introduce a different sensation while you are in the middle of stress – a smell, vibration, or movement.  Pull out that Peace and Calming, Valor, Lavender,  Stress Away, Palo Santo, Believe, Tranquil…find one you really love. Dance it out. Crank the music and sing along. Go for a walk. Bake. Find something that works for you.
 

Remember…anything going on in the body always goes back to the brain.

Taking pre-orders for my next batch of elderberry syrup available in pint jars. Ready for your next bottle? Never tried it before? What's the best that could happen? 

Fights infection. Calms nausea. Eases arthritis symptoms. Lowers blood sugar. Eases menstrual pain. Offers digestive support. Pain relief. Improved brain health. Protects against heart disease. Reduces inflammation. Anxiety reduction. Liver support. Antifungal. Boosts immune system. Provides energy. Cleansing and detoxifying. And more.

Simple ingredients like ginger, cinnamon, clove, honey and elderberry provide this type of powerful support. It is so much easier to live above that wellness line than to continually fight your way back up like a yo-yo. Message or reply to reserve yours.

A friend of mine shared this, quality of life is worth fighting for. You, your life, your kids. Every moment should feel better. Health comes from making the changes. There is no magic bullet. Digestive health. Emotional health – stress impacts cortisol, hormones, weight… Movement. Sleep. Lifestyle. It’s not too late. It’s not too hard. It doesn’t have to stay the same.” She said she’s no miracle, but she’s worth the work, and so are you.
 
Be well,

by: Vicki  Lyn Merrill©, CRTS, LSH

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Let me introduce myself!

 
Hey, hey, my friend!

I'm the sometimes overwhelmed wife of Dana, homeschooling momma of 11 and Mayme to 15, "expertly" spinning all the plates...until another plate, or two (or ten) get tossed into the chaos...or a plate that was plastic this morning suddenly turns into fine China...can you relate?

A recovering perfectionist giving myself grace to do B- work, make mistakes and maybe even look a bit foolish on rare occasions...

An introverted extrovert who firmly believes dark chocolate makes the world go 'round...(the darker the better because fewer kiddos want to share it with me...).

Everyone has a story leading to where they are today.  Mine started when I was a teen, struggling with migraines. I just dealt with them, not even questioning why. I just knew that a chocolate éclair from Dunkin Donuts wasn’t the right answer, nor was that Pepsi I loved so much…
 
For years I pushed myself through the days, gritting my teeth to bear the pain a little better, taking care of my littles, then crashing into a dark, quiet room to sleep the pain away.
 
I tried a few different things, but I didn’t start seeing improvement until I took a good look at what I was eating. I started slowly taking those toxins and additives out of my diet…MSG, artificial flavors, natural flavors, white sugar, enriched flour, fake sweeteners, artificial colors and those other "ingredients" I couldn’t pronounce.
 
Then I started looking at ingredients in our personal care and household products...that was an eye-opening adventure. If you think everything allowed to be sold in the stores is safe, we need to chat...
 
As I learned better, I did better and I completely swapped out all the toxic products in our home, keeping my family above the wellness line, helped balance our hormones, along with our emotions, even through birth trauma, loss, anxiety, a world-wide pandemic and more.

Continuing my journey, I am now a Licensed Holistic Practitioner, Licensed Spiritual Healer, Certified Raindrop Technique Specialist, and will be a Certified CARE Instructor this summer.

Knowing that friends are family we get to choose for ourselves, I am creating a thriving community of powerful, incredible, plate-spinning women. There is a seat for you at our table, where hearts are touched, souls are healed, walls are torn down, and best lives are lived on our way to wellness, purpose and abundance...guilt free. Come. Join us. Pull up a chair. Get comfy. Let's journey together.

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