Trauma & Stress

The following is an excerpt from my book, The Anti-HSV Cauldron: The 4-Week Plan for Reducing HSV Flares.

There are several methods for using essential oils for relaxation. You can use them in room sprays, linen sprays, diffusers, perfume or massage oils, facemasks, bath salts, smelling salts, body butter, and creams. 

When it comes to healing, you might think of your doctor, who runs tests and prescribes medicine for your body, your counselor, who helps heal your mind, or your pastor, who helps heal your heart. But there's more to you than body, mind, and spirit. While you are here, there are five levels of healing. 

The endocrine system consists of hormones and functions that influence various aspects of our health, including the immune system. Hormonal balance is essential for managing stress, stress-related symptoms, and overlapping conditions. Why? Because hormones keep us happy and functioning optimally, and chronic imbalances cause inflammation in the body, leading to diseases (think Diabetes and other autoimmune syndromes) and more frequent and severe herpes outbreaks. Here's what you need to know about your adrenal, thyroid, liver, and ovarian hormones, and how to keep them up to par.

We experience life through our senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and spirit. It is also our senses that help us heal. After all, it's our senses that promote feelings of joyfulness. However, most of us tend to neglect our senses more than we should, which leads to a lack of energy, boredom, dissatisfaction with life, and a sense of overwhelm. 

Most of the time, you're probably aware of what's stressing you out at any given moment. It's getting a flat tire on the way to work, being stood up on a date, a late fee on a bill you forgot to pay, a wailing baby, or that cashier who won't stop talking to the customer in front of you about last night's escapade. 

The Earth and everything in nature have an electrical frequency that can help raise your vibration and ease stress. When we aren't connected to the Earth, we can lose our bearings and develop stressful symptoms. Grounding, also known as Earthing, is a stress management technique that relies on Earth's electrical charges to enhance cellular function, calm the heart, reduce pain and fatigue by influencing the healing process, and improve mood by connecting to the Earth. One of the best things you can do is spend 20-30 minutes outdoors in nature to absorb these energies and become more grounded and relaxed. This can help you avoid herpes outbreaks.

According to psychologist Elaine Aron, Highly Sensitive People comprise about 15-20% of the population. HSPs..." are high in a personality trait known as Sensory-Processing Sensitivity, which displays increased emotional sensitivity, stronger reactivity to external and internal stimuli (pain, hunger, light, and noise), and complex inner life."

Inside your brain are two small, prehistoric organs called the amygdalae, which I refer to as your inner fish. Your amygdalae (there are two) are responsible for managing your emotions and for your "fight, flight, or freeze" response. When constantly in a state of fight-or-flight mode, you become fatigued, irritable, sad, and hypersensitive (FISH).

Most of us don't give much thought to breathing until we can't, but something is happening as we breathe (besides getting air) that is crucial to our health and wellness. We are balancing our oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Whenever we breathe in, we take in oxygen (and our red blood cells fill with it). Whenever we breathe out, we release carbon dioxide, a waste product. If we aren't breathing correctly, it causes an imbalance, resulting in symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, and panic attacks.  ​

When seeking to enhance your health and wellness, you cannot overlook the importance of your living spaces. When your environment is cluttered, dirty, or you live in a place that doesn't please you, the energy is negative. On a subconscious and energetic level, this negativity is felt whether you are fully aware of it or not. Ongoing stress lowers your immunity, making it more challenging to prevent and recover from herpes outbreaks and other illnesses. The following information will help you to clean up, organize, and decorate all of your spaces for optimal relaxation and immunity.

Inside your brain is a tiny pair of organs called amygdalae. Your amygdalae are responsible for managing your emotions and mood, which can affect the frequency of your herpes outbreaks. Imagine, if you would, that your amygdalae are a lot like two small fish, and your brain is their fishbowl. If you have ever owned an aquarium, you know you must use a water conditioner to maintain a balanced pH. The same applies to your brain's ability to experience peace and calm.

As a Behavior Modification Instructor, all I had to do to see noses tip toward the ceiling and eyes roll sideways was mention the word "exercise." Exercise is often considered synonymous with WORK. However, avoiding exercise isn't an option. Why not? Because it is necessary for oxygenating your body's cells. Without oxygen, your body's cells are depleted of energy, your immune system fails to function correctly, and you end up in pain with a flat rear end.

Have you ever sat down to a favorite meal that you couldn't wait to sink your teeth into, become distracted by your phone, and looked down to see your plate nearly empty without remembering to savor a single bite? If so, you know what it's like to NOT live in the moment. Mindfulness meditation is about living in the moment. 

One way to reduce stress is to get your feelings out on paper, which is why journaling is often recommended. It's a powerful emotional outlet that can reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, trauma, and feelings of depression. It can also improve your physical health by lowering physical health markers, which boosts immunity. It can also lead to an improved outlook, better sleep, and improved energy.

Near-death experiences, or NDEs, often trigger being even more sensitive. And, even if you're not, we are spirits living in physical bodies. Most of us do not remember what heaven was like, but for those who have crossed over and come back, it is a memory that increases our sense of spirit and, possibly, our sensitivity to life as well. I experienced this in my own life at about 10 years old when I drowned, and again, when my heart stopped, after giving birth to my youngest son. 

If you want to be happy for an hour, take a nap. If you want to be happy for a day, go fishing. If you want to be happy for a month, get married. If you want to be happy for a year, inherit a fortune. But if you want to be happy for a lifetime, do something good for someone else.

A goal for the future, such as getting fit, securing a job position, writing a book, starting a business, spending time with loved ones, or buying a house, must be SMART.

The human circadian rhythm is as old as time. People are meant to be awake during the daylight and asleep at night. In the modern world, this is almost unheard of. We wake up too early (or too late) and go to bed way after dark. 90% of people aren't getting enough sleep compared to only 5% 100 years ago.