The Health Benefits of Changing Your Life
As an integrative wellness and life coach, I know that improvement in one area of your life (mental, spiritual, physical, or emotional) results in improvement in every area of life. This is not just a belief; it has been my experience. Four years ago I struggled with anxiety and insomnia and both were so bad it was crippling. My mind was racing, my spirit was lost, I was an emotional mess, and my body literally could not rest. I hurt from the inside out and the outside in.
After staying awake for three days, I went to the doctor because I was starting to feel unsafe to myself and others (I was so tired I was dizzy). She wrote me a prescription for Ambien and said, “Adrianne, this is some pretty serious stuff. You have to ensure you can get 8 hours of sleep each time you take it; it can cause sleepwalking, and for some people, it can be addictive.” When she used the word “addictive,” I knew Ambien was not an option for me. My father was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and the possibility of addiction was enough to jolt me to attention. This is when it clicked. If I did not get myself together, I was going to have to use drugs (prescriptions or otherwise) to help me cope with everyday life. This was the moment I got serious about doing my work. This was when I was willing to invest whatever time, energy, or resources I needed to heal myself.
I found a new counselor, started attending mindfulness and meditation retreats, changed my diet, ended relationships, stopped lying to myself, and started telling the whole truth (even if it hurt people’s feelings), journaled, prayed, and cried. After months of hard work, things began to change. Things changed drastically. Change occurred in every area of my life. I had hopeful and optimistic thoughts, felt better, and connected to the God within myself. In this message, I want to focus on the physical changes that resulted from committing to my mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Improved Health
In 2017, I went to the doctor for a routine visit. I sat on the table while the nurse took my blood pressure. She said it was good. She weighed me. All good there. She instructed me to wait for the doctor. Dr. D came into the room and told me he would listen to my heart. He pulled out the stethoscope. He listened to my chest. Then he placed the stethoscope on my back. He looked perplexed. I was worried. Was something wrong with me? He put it back on my chest and asked, “Are you a runner?”
I responded, “I run sometimes. Why? Is everything okay?”
“Well, you have a very low resting heart rate.”
“Is that good?”
“That’s very good. You’re quite healthy. Keep doing whatever you are doing.”
When I got to the car, I cried. For someone who spent at least two years with her heart almost constantly racing, I was amazed that my body was at peace. I called my friends and shared my good news. Thank you, God, my heart was at rest!
This was the first of many reports of improved health. I was rarely sick. I had less frequent headaches. I stopped having anxiety attacks. I slept through the night. I even pooed more regularly! Yay! Last month, I went to the optometrist and had a similar experience. When my doctor told me my prescription changed, I just knew my vision was getting worse. Turns out, my vision had improved! Guess what?! Since de-stressing my life, I can see more clearly (literally and figuratively)! One thing I know for sure: If I continued to live in that amount of constant stress and tension in my body, long-term dis-ease was inevitable. I also know that working to change my life directly correlates to my improved health.
The truth is, I still experience stress and anxiety. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed, and the feelings of angst take over. The difference now is that I only experience moments of anxiety; I do not exist in a state of anxiety. I have tools that help me breathe through difficult moments to get back to rest in my mind, body, and spirit. Are you ready to experience more physical health? Remember, your mind, body, and spirit can heal. You are self-healing. Your body is always seeking to return to a place of rest. Only you can heal your life.
It would be my honor to share the tools I learned with you. Health, healing, and peace are just a breath away. Are you ready to do the work? Let B. Well support you as you do the work!
In Health and Healing,
Dr. Adrianne R. Pinkney
Integrative Wellness and Life Coach
