It has occurred to me in my lifetime, many times, that the first step to developing a better version of self, is to:
Realize (Admit) there is a problem
Educate ourselves on possible solutions
Develop an action plan
Live the plan
Applying these principals in every situation or area of your life where we see the need to do better is what's important. For example, I come from a long line of Toxic Bullsh!t. It's not that someone in my family decided to be THE designated A$$hole and spread that crap all over the family; it's that there was hurt and damage control was never done, therefore, the "bone" that was broken never healed correctly it was always an issue going forward.
I had to do a lot of digging to see where the problem first occurred in the lifetimes of Toxicity that I was experiencing so I could begin the healing process. For me, the farthest I could go back was to my Great Grandmothers because they were still alive when my investigation of the problem really began. It wasn't about placing blame somewhere and then constantly chalking that up to "well that's the way it's always gonna be." It was about applying the necessary medicinal application where/when the wound began to bleed (i.e. toxic bullsh!t.)
From a young age, I was determined to solve problems because solving problems meant actually having more quality time in life to love, be loved and spread light. When my family had even a moment of time or ounce of energy, it felt amazing! But the reality was we had no time and very little energy, so I figured the problem was: TIME. Then time turned to: MONEY. Then money turned to: LACK. Then lack turned to: HURT.
The surface problem or issue is usually never the actual problem, it's almost always a layered issue going on. This all led me to understanding the term, cycles and patterns," and the importance of breaking "bad" cycles and patterns that perpetuate more "bad." Some people also use the expression, "Hurt people, hurt, people."
In order to change cycles and patterns in our lives we have to heal our own wounds as well. It's a big task and a big job and something that will likely take lifetimes to actually do.
So is it worth it?
Absolutely!!!!
but results are not immediate. It may take 10-20-40 years to really begin seeing the difference.
You know, there are a lot of wellness products on the market that promote "detoxing." While it's important to detox your body, it's also important to detox your mental and emotional self as well. AND once you've detoxed it's important to:
A. figure out why you were so full of toxins in the first place
B. make sure you don't keep doing that
C. develop a new plan of action
Wellness tip:
Drinking 1 cup of coffee every day, helps reduce depression.
I was with a close friend recently who got on the "Wellness Kick," you know the whole body, the whole mind, the whole spirt... One day I ran into her and she was glowing beauty and radiant. I was impressed and inspired. She told me later she had just done an IV Therapy drip session and felt amazing. She was also learning to separate from her family's toxic patterns and evaluate her own food issues as it related to that. She was cycling 2x a week and walking almost every day, as well as listening to positive affirmations and the list of good, wellness related things, just continued on.
Months later I saw her again after a member of her family had passed away and she had been emerged into her toxic family at the funeral. I was very concerned about her. She was not distraught about the death but she was in a state of confusion and the toxicity was pouring off her in a way that even she felt the need to withdraw from everyone around her. I spoke to her several times to help her work through it.
A week later, she got back on track. She had talked about how the family mistreated her and bad mouthed others and how they weren't eating right and the list of toxic bullsh!t just went on.
We specifically talked about the importance of INPUT affecting OUTPUT. Every piece of input, albeit sound, food, drink, environment, directly impacts what we are able to put out into the world; for our friends, family or for our business. We also talked about making sure we got her "LOVE Cup" full again. That's not a manicure and pedicure as much as it is, sleep, exercise, eating right and hearing positive things from uplifting music to affirmations. Doing those things will bring us lots of light and love because we begin to feel good and our love cup get full.
So, at any point in your wellness journey that you feel that you need help identifying toxic areas of your life and releasing them, please feel free to connect with us or another 360 Wellness Collective Coordinator. We are here to help you on your Wellness Journey.
Live well and Die with Dignity.
👩🏽🍳Chef Lara™️ & Chaitra