Living is Healing
Going Back to Basics + Q&A
Happy Sunday, I am currently sipping on a white raspberry honey matcha latte (very different from my typical Sunday bev) but oh my god is it good. I have never seen white raspberries at the market before so I had to immediately buy them. They kind of taste like a reverse sour patch kid - super sweet candy like and then sour-tart ish at the end.
I feel like I am at a really pivotal moment in my life. I am feeling a huge shift and change in mindset lately. Especially when it comes to health. I mean - health is life. If you aren’t healthy you aren’t living - but lately I have realized vice versa. If you aren’t living, you aren’t healthy. We (especially in America) spend so much money and effort and time on “healing” - but when you look at some of the healthiest communities in the world, that is not what is on their mind.
Their priorities are living: spending time with family and community, doing things they love, being creative, being active naturally (surfing, walking, tending to the garden), laughing, LIVING.
I noticed this most when I went on a month-long trip to Costa Rica a couple years back. Every local I met there lived slowly. They didn’t feel like they needed to rush through life, they didn’t act out of stress, they were there to make relationships, enjoy the present moment, and have fun. Pura Vida is a term they use all the time. It is not just a term though, it is a way of life. It means: pure life - but it is used to greet people (hello and goodbye), thank you, everything’s great, everything’s not so great but it is what it is. They have a way of living where they are content, grateful, and present. It is incredibly refreshing, and I understood why I met so many ex-pats there. I almost got pura vida tattooed (I have no tattoos just was feeling caught up in the moment lol) because I wanted to remember it every day when I came back home but ended up with a henna and bracelet instead. Phew.
A lot of the health “education” that I see nowadays is fear based. It is meant to scare you and stress you out. But how is that healthy? Stress, fear, guilt, jealousy - those negative emotions are at the CORE of health issues. The manifestation of those show up in physically symptomatic ways.
Health is so much more than avoiding toxins, eating healthy, working out. It is living purposefully and with intention, laughing, loving, doing things that bring you energy. There is a balance between using the resources we have to optimize our health and living our life to truly heal. But I believe that without the pillars of health as the foundation, everything that follows will not be doing much. Going back to the basics is what healed me the most.
Health Pillar of the Week: Going Back to Basics
You can take all of the supplements in the world, eat clean, workout every day, avoid toxins - and still feel like crap. Why? Because none of these things matter if you aren’t focusing on the basics of health. These things will optimize your health and make you feel good: but not if you don’t lay down that foundation first.
Foundational Pillars of Health
Sunlight in the AM and the PM. In our modern society we spend a lotttt of time indoors. And when we do finally go outside, we are wearing a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Getting light in your eyes in the morning and before the sun sets is integral to resetting your circadian clock. This helps with digestion, sleep, hormones: and overall body wellness. If you can’t get sun during these times - try to make time during the day to get outside. Eat your lunch outside, go for a walk, even 5 minutes is better than none.
Grounding. Putting your bare feet in grass, in the sand, in nature is a full body reset. It reduces stress, taps into your parasympathetic nervous system, helps to balance circadian rhythm, improves sleep and digestion, and is even known to reduce overall body inflammation and speed up healing. Spending time in nature, away from technology is super important and something we don’t tend to get enough of.
Breathing. Deep, intentional breathing is essential for full body wellness. I sometimes go all day forgetting that I need to breathe intentionally - realizing I have been subconsciously breathing very shallow breaths. I feel the effects immediately even after just three deep belly diaphragm intentional breathes. It’s meditative.
Releasing emotions. Queue Doses and Mimosas “What’s the point of language, if we don’t say what we feel?” Like I said earlier, emotions that are pent up, shoved under the rug and not dealt with manifest into physical symptoms in the body. A practice that has really helped me with this is journaling. I write down how I feel, or just write my train of thought which is really nothing at all, and it is an instant release.
Cooking with seasonal local foods. Seasonal eating is wonderful for you and the environment. I love doing this by shopping at local farmers markets, if you do not have access to that I recommend looking up CSA’s in your area!
Spending time with loved ones. Spending quality intentional time with people who bring you energy and fill your cup is one of the most healing things in the world. You know those weekends with friends where you don’t sleep because you are up all night chatting and laughing - but the next day instead of feeling exhausted you are just fueled with energy? Those are the best, and those moments are everything.
Doing things that bring you energy and reignite creativity. Living purposefully and doing things that you love to do (whether it is a hobby or just a random activity that allows you to be present) is wonderful. Not everything has to be a goal for your future, do things that you have fun doing like how you did when you were little.
Stop taking everything so seriously. Let go and enjoy life (I know easier said than done, I have to remind myself of this every day)
Simplicity is the answer. The more you listen to your body, the more you trust your intuition and the better you feel. & THAT is healing.
ASK ELLA
A new segment I am starting! This section will be for paid members only in the future, so if you have not yet subscribed for paid make sure you do! <3
Q: Did your gut health issues ever include stomach acid issues?
A:
How to Improve Stomach Acid + Digestion Holistically
Q: Thoughts on beef liver as a supplement?
A:
Q: How to deal with migraines?
A:
Migrane Tips
Q: How to eat out at restaurants?
A:
If you eat out A LOT and this is different for you: research restaurants prior, use the app seed oil scout to find new restaurants, look at the menu before so you can have ease of mind. When I say don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself I mean don’t feel like you are being high maintenance by asking questions - if someone is judging you for that that is on them. As long as you are being kind in asking there is no problem with that - your health is important. Otherwise - just enjoy, let loose and have fun. Sometimes healing looks like chips guac and margs at a random restaurant laughing with friends. Stressing about a toxic ingredient is worse for your health than the toxic ingredient itself.
If you have a question make sure to leave a comment & I will get to it next time! <3 I also post Q+A boxes on my instagram story every once in a while so add your questions in there as well :)
Thank you for being patient with this newsletter! I know it came out later than expected today I have been having lots of wifi issues and a lot of rainbow spinny wheel on my computer because of this storm. Wishing you the best ever Sunday evening & I will talk to you soon <3 - Ella
Very informative and true!
I learned SO much from this newsletter. Thanks, Ella!
Quick question - What bitters did you use before meals?