Allergies, Headaches, and Mindfulness

Ugh – allergies and headaches have been a thorn in my side lately.

I’m used to having seasonal allergy issues – but this year they have drug on waaaayyyyy too long (in my opinion).

And unfortunately, allergies and sinus pressure also manifest into a headache for me. I’m trying all of the “normal” treatments that work for me while trying to avoid taking too much over the counter medication.

But this go round has required me to dig a little deeper, become mindful about what is going on around me and then be intentional with my decision making – like starting back with my acupuncturist, taking a good look at what foods I’m consuming, and doing a DEEP clean on my bedroom to make sure I’ve gotten rid of as many allergens as possible.

Mindfulness is defined as 1) the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something and 2) a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.

I’m cracking up at the “calmly acknowledging” part of that definition – that’s not always the case for me! 😉

Believe me, I KNOW how important it is to live in the moment, stay present, and be mindful of what’s going on in this one space in time – but I feel like we all need a little reminder from time to time to bring us back to the truth of the present moment. (and boy oh boy does feeling like poo have a way of bringing you back to reality – HARD!)

I think far too many of us are coasting by on auto-pilot and not taking ANY time to really acknowledge what’s going on around us AND, more importantly, what our body is trying to tell us.

I feel like MANY of the issues our bodies are experiencing represent signals to us that we are not being present with what is going on – we are not being mindful.

And when we take the time to really pay attention and address the symptoms we are experiencing – we can actually figure out what is going on and make adjustments accordingly.

In fact, I would say that mindfulness is REQUIRED to not only address what’s going on in our bodies but also to reach ANY goals that we have.

Struggling with losing weight? Become mindful of WHAT you are putting into your body, WHY you are eating when you are, and HOW your body is responding to the foods you are eating.

Struggling with emotional eating? Become mindful of how you are FEELING when you are eating and why you are CHOOSING food when you are not physically hungry.

Struggling with making exercise a priority? Become mindful of what ROLE you think exercise should play in your life and what your EXPECTATIONS are from exercising.

Struggling with setting aside time for self-care? Become mindful of what you are TELLING yourself about making your health (mind, body and spirit) a PRIORITY.

I personally think that what holds many people back from being mindful is fear.

Fear of what will come up for them if they stop for a second and acknowledge what they are thinking and doing.

Fear of taking ownership of what the results are in their life right now.

Fear of the silence and truth of this very moment.

But fear is ok – we can do fear.

Fear is just your imagination at work.

Fear is YOUR creation of a problem.

So, let’s take that fear and use it to create a solution to your problem.

A mindful solution at that!

P/S – If you are struggling with any of the above, email me or post a comment below and we can schedule a complimentary mini-session. You will walk away knowing the next step you can take to achieving your goal – mindfully! 😉