Diet gets a lot of attention in the alternative healing world but it’s not the only solution for healing.

People are so busy fighting about what to eat that they miss other important aspects of the healing conversation.

When people argue that the Paleo diet doesn’t heal IBS while FODMAP  has been proven to work in clinical trails, I roll my eyes.

Truthfully, I don’t give a @*#%$ about clinical trials, my best teacher is my own experience.

The grain-free, Paleo approach worked for me, so I know it’s right for me and others like me.

There’s no magic diet for IBS but there is a universal treatment that no one talks about.

IT’S REST.

Rest doesn’t get much attention because it’s not sexy. You cant’ market or sell it. You can’t come up with a new, improved version of it.

BUT REST WAS A VITAL PART OF MY RECOVERY. AND IT’S TIME TO GIVE IT THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES!

 

Resistance to rest

As a culture we don’t like to rest. It feels like a waste of time. And truthfully, we’re too  anxious, overwhelmed and guilty to do it right. That is why it’s so hard to reap the powerful healing effects of real rest.

 

The adrenals and stress

We often can’t control the stresses that comes our way. But we can control how we interpret, react to and recover from stress.

The adrenal glands are tiny organs that sit above the kidneys and pump out hormones in response to stress. Chronic stress depletes the adrenals from overuse. When the adrenals don’t get a break they burn out. This is called adrenal fatigue.

Once the adrenals deplete they scream for stimulation in the form of coffee, sugar or exercise, which only wears them out further.

When the adrenals finally crash, they can bring down the digestive system with them. I once met a man who was diagnosed with IBS after losing his two daughters in a tragic accident.

The shock to his adrenals was so great that it caused him to experience IBS-like symptoms for decades.

For these cases, healing digestion requires healing the adrenals first. This requires a diet high in protein and low in sugar and caffeine. And of course, lots and lot of deep, healing rest.

 

Why can’t we rest?

Real rest means switching your nervous system from the “fight or flight” (sympathetic) mode to “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) mode.

Fight or flight mode is triggered by imminent dangers, like being chased by a tiger. The tigers we run from these days are metaphorical. Our own anxiety and expectations can activate this response, without anything actually happening.

My favorite method for activating the “rest and digest” nervous system is laying on the floor and letting go of muscle tension.I do this with deep breathing, sprinkling lavender oil on my eye pillow and visualizing myself melting into the ground.

But this practice often doesn’t work for the people who need it most, because they can’t lay still and let go of their muscle tension. That muscle tension is caused by stressful thoughts. So the thoughts and inability to relax is connected.

Meditation allows people to detach from their stressful thoughts. Understanding the fearful nature of mind makes the body less reactive to it. It doesn’t tighten up or release as many stress hormones.

But meditation is a tough practice for people who can’t sit still. Other ways to switch on the relaxation response is to take hot baths, get massages or spend time in nature.

The real secret to rest is letting go of the need to control everything. Also letting go of high expectations of how things should be.

While this can be tough to do, it’s worth exploring and moving towards. Just being aware of your thoughts and subconscious actions can loosen their power and control over on you.

 

The key to resting

As a recovering perfectionist and overachiever true rest means drastically lowering my high standards for myself.

When I healed my IBS, I took off time from work and let go of my need to constantly be doing something. I also let go of my ambition. And because I am an extremist, I even let go of hopes and dreams that didn’t have to do with healing.

After I was healed I picked a job that was part time and low stress. Not being passionate about my work was a good thing, because I would be less attached and stressed. But that didn’t make me happy.

Starting Do It Yourself Health made me happy but I definitely went overboard and took on the massive challenge of running my own business. Lots of stress.

 

This is what I learned…

Running my own business is bad for my health. It creates too many tigers. And running from those tigers started effecting my health and my hormones.

Pushing myself too hard manifested into moodiness, exhaustion, fogginess, depression, apathy, anger, overwhelm and the tendency to cry easily.

My expectations of what I should accomplish in my business were literally stealing my energy and ruining my mood.

But being sick for 6 years taught me that nothing is worth ruining your health. I backed off my crazy work schedule and started calming the stress.

How?

I used the oldest trick in the book, gratitude.

I started looking at everything that was going right in my business and life. If I could be happy with where I was instead of struggling to get somewhere better, I could actually relax when I took time off.

We rob ourselves of our ability to rest when we let our ambitions, expectations and fears run the show. Click to tweet

Anxiety and guilt still visit me. Especially when I notice that I’m not working hard enough. I simply tell myself:

“I’m not slacking, I’m protecting my precious health.”

And when I truly rest, I make it ok for others to rest too.

 

If you want to learn more about rest and the nervous system, watch this video.

 

Tell me in the comments below, what are your challenges with resting?

 

 

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