“A life lived in fear is a life only half lived.” -Unknown

I came across that quote this week and it really struck me. Fear is a driving force in so many decisions that people make and though it can be healthy at times, most of the time it leaves us in a state of half satisfaction, half deciding, and not really where we want to be. We fool ourselves into thinking that it’s safe because it feels good and then we get to stay exactly we’re at.

It also confuses our bodies which want to be fully alive, not just [...]

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“I watch her with loving sadness as she dulls her shine to please others. Will this butterfly ever soar? Will she continue to pretend she can’t fly? Her greatest life awaits this decision.” – Steve Maraboli

This quote really got me thinking this week. SO many women I work with are caught up in the act of people pleasing. I used to do the same thing even though I would never have considered myself a people pleaser.

I’ve been having lots of chats with women lately and have some BIG changes I’m planning… so I want to keep this blog short [...]

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Are you an emotional control freak? If you said yes, don’t worry you’re not alone.

Here are 8 ways you can tame your inner control freak so you can feel amazing, create a better relationship with yourself, and be attractive to others.

1. Stop being a people pleaser. People pleasing is a sneaky way to control your own emotions. You may be feeling angry at the expectations others are putting on you, but control your anger just by saying yes. When you say no, it may feel awkward at first, but it actually frees you from controlling your emotions and what [...]

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I am an emotional control freak.

It sounds funny to say but it’s true. It also feels a little scary to say, because by announcing it I am losing some of that control.

I have spent the majority of my life controlling my emotions and/or pretending they don’t even exist.

My preferred method of escape is just to avoid. I’ve had quite a number of traumatic things (as many of us have) happen to me throughout my life and when I recall them the thing that stands out the most is I just wanted to pretend it wasn’t happening. I would pretend [...]

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I spent a lot of time in the last two years wishing my life could go back to normal. Some days I longed for normal so badly that it made me cry. It wasn’t that I was just in pain from being injured in an accident; it was the frustration that I could no longer do some of the things that were normal to me.

In my career as a mind-body coach I watch people long for normal all the time. Many of my current clients suffer from IBS or digestive disorders. They talk often about wanting a normal life. [...]

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But it wasn’t easy.

I did learn ways to adapt. I was always pretty good with taking flights, that didn’t seem to bother me. It was hours after the flight and eating travel food that I noticed tightness and pain in my stomach. I would check the hotels I was staying at to make sure [...]

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It’s not easy having IBS during Thanksgiving. Besides the fact that you are inundated with tons of different foods you are also eating in different social situations and although we love our families sometimes being with our families can be stressful. These two things combined make a bad combination for people suffering with IBS and can turn the “holiday” into a “hellday”. However, it doesn’t have to be that way,  there are things you can do to enjoy this plentiful time. If your goal is to experience a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day here are the top five things I do [...]

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That quote from Mary Oliver really got me thinking. I often talk to my clients about the importance of breathing but I’m not always sure if they fully understand the importance of it.

For a long time I didn’t either. I would do a short meditation and take quick deep breaths if I felt stress but I really wasn’t consciously aware of how I was breathing. It was actually through the process of being in pain that I became aware of the lack of air I was [...]

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Are you thinking about it all the time?

I know it’s hard not to, with your stomach acting all kinds of crazy and worrying if you’ll make it through the next meeting for class.

But what we focus on expands.

I know I’m not saying this is all in your mind and your creating yourself.

But I am saying placing your focus somewhere else can help you get through that next hour.

When you begin to worry about your symptoms move your thoughts to another place your body feels good: your pinky or even [...]

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I heard this from Wayne Dwyer at 3 am on a night when I had turned on the TV because sleep just wasn’t happening.

Three simple words yet so powerful.

For people struggling with IBS the words “ I am well” don’t often cross your mind. But they should.

You see if you focus on “I am well” you take your attention off what is wrong with you.

Simple yet so hard.

Why?

Because were so used to seeing what’s wrong with our body and trying to fix it.

And no matter how hard we try we can’t control our body.

But we can control [...]

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