By the age of 41, I was a divorced mother of three. Fast forward nine years later, within the same year, my second husband and my father lost their brave fight against cancer. By age 50, I was divorced, widowed, and fatherless. My circumstances required me to downsize and relocate for the second time in my life. In a state of overwhelm, grief, and ongoing stress, I developed gut health symptoms that took the pleasure out of eating, caused unwanted weight, and combined with exhaustion, I felt, in a sense, broken. As a chiropractor, I realized that I was experiencing the stress-related symptoms so many of my patients described to me.

I decided the status quo was not going to be my future. I tried some quick fixes, such as fad diets, to at least try to conveniently lose my weight gain, but found that didn’t work. The daily hamster wheel of my stress levels continued. Thinking I did not have time to exercise and losing sleep to catch up on what felt like competing priorities didn’t work. Minimizing my abdominal pain and discomfort after eating, eating the foods I always enjoyed despite my reasonably healthy diet, and suffering silently didn’t work and only got worse. I realized that my new normal was not normal and that I was not alone in my suffering.

After looking honestly at where I was in my life, I realized enough was enough, and I wanted to thrive through my personal challenges and still have a beautiful life. I had to change the course of my stress before my options were taken away from me and my health spiraled downward even more.

As a healthcare professional, I knew what actions I had to take, and there was no shortcut. There are no overnight quick fixes that lead to lasting, sustainable results, especially after living in a highly stressful state for years. So, I became my own patient and took proactive steps in dealing with my stress head-on with a focus on my diet, self-care, and prioritizing my energy needs. The beautiful part of that mindset was that it also yielded a positive ripple effect in other areas of my life.

What I love now is that I can enjoy meals without gut pain or bloating. My new and improved relationship with food has also enabled me to lose the weight I needed to reach my ideal weight without the ups and downs of dieting. I learned how to befriend stress so that I can handle it as it comes, and it doesn't wreak havoc on my health and have the abundant energy I lacked for so long. I have no doubt that If I can feel this resilient, you can, too!

If you are someone who struggles with stress-related gut issues, weight gain, and anxiety and has tried yo-yo dieting or other quick fixes and want to enjoy your relationship with food, love how you feel and look in your clothes and have abundant energy and joy, click the link to get your starter kit and connect with me.