Dots Wellness

15/09/2023

Hi Busy Bees!

Don't forget to take a HUG BREAK!

Hugs make us feel great because the squeezing sensation provides deep pressure, which sends a signal to our autonomic nervous system (ANS) that we are safe.

safety = relaxation

In other words, our brains ditch "fight or flight" mode (SNS) and switch to "rest & digest" mode (PNS).

Deep pressure induces calm thanks to the mighty vagus nerve.

To do it right:

1. Hug with medium pressure
2. Hug until you feel relaxed (20ish seconds!)
3. Enjoy an increase in oxytocin & decrease in cortisol

Alone? Hugging yourself or fur baby works too!

Havening is another great way to self-soothe when you're alone. Check out how to do havening here: https://www.havening.org/

15/09/2023

"Anxiety is not the final diagnosis but rather the beginning of the inquiry...
..anxiety is not what's wrong with you -- it is your body and mind fiercely alerting you to the fact that something else is wrong...
..evidence that there is something out of balance in your body, mind, life, or surroundings....

Exploring this anxiety allows us to excavate our intimate truths...
..more often than not, these revelations offer a call to action as well as an opportunity..."

- Dr. Ellen Vora, M.D., author of The Anatomy of Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming the Body's Fear Response

Feel like excavating some intimate truths? I'm here for you.

14/09/2023

If you struggle with
call me. 📞 469-430-9955 ✉ [email protected]
✅ You'll learn how to silence your inner critic.
✅ You'll understand why the critic exists & how to tame it.
✅ You'll gain awareness to your triggers & learn how to manage them.

13/09/2023

Read my new blog post about the correlation between a crappy childhood aka Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and obesity, heart disease, chronic illness, & more.

How Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) affect your adult health: weight gain, heart disease, and more. What are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)? ACEs were first defined in one of the most critical public health studies of our time, and yet most people have never heard of ACEs or the study. AC...

11/09/2023

Confused about which probiotics are best for you? Follow this 3-pronged approach & end the confusion about probiotics!

Here is a simple, 3-pronged approach that takes the guess work out of buying probiotics. The good news is that you don't need...

09/09/2023

The opposite of trust is control.

If you find yourself micro-managing or trying to control a situation, ask yourself: What is it that I don't trust?

Instead of seeking to control, find ways to establish and build trust.

Awareness of your thoughts and behaviors is the first step.

Controlling behaviors are easy to dismiss or make excuses for because we feel that when we control, we influence the outcome: If we don't control, the project fails, the client won't be satisfied, the work won't be completed satisfactorily, etc.

Sometimes we think that control is a faster, more direct route to accomplishing goals.

Trust takes time, effort, and energy.

Control seems like a simple shortcut.

When we have awareness, we catch ourselves thinking things like: "I'll take over this meeting, and we'll close this deal. The team can't do it. I'll handle it myself."

Sometimes we are the best person for the job. However, if we find the solution is always, "I'll do it myself," then it might be worthwhile to explore our experiences with trust.

When did we learn our first lessons of trust? As a child with our parents, in school with our classmates, in community with our fellow citizens.

With whom did we experience a breach of trust? Was there an influential figure in early life who broke our trust?

What lessons did that teach us about trust? Can we only depend on ourselves to get things done?

Having awareness of our behaviors opens the door to exploration.

Exploration leads us to our truth.

In our truth, we learn where we abandoned trust.

Why we abandoned trust is what built our need for control.

When we re-establish trust within ourselves, we feel less desire for control.

We are more open to trusting others.

Where trust exists, teams and communities exceed expectations.

09/09/2023

https://www.dotswellness.com/products

08/09/2023

08/09/2023

4 ways to keep the factory working:
1. Eat the rainbow every day - as in, eat a variety of colors - not as in, eat lots of Skittles ;-)
2. Eat organic, grass-fed, free-range, hormone-free food as possible or at least stay away from the Dirty Dozen. You eat what your food eats.
3. At every meal, get the right mix of macronutrients (protein, fats, and carbs) that is ideal for your body.
4. Avoid simple carbs and sugars like your life depends on it. Because it does. (See Dr. Lustig's lecture, Sugar: The Bitter Truth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM.)

Bonus:
1. Supplement with supplements as needed. I like a good fish oil, vita D, probiotic, & multivitamin as a base.
2. Do intermittent fasting (IF) only if it's compatible with your biochemistry. IF isn't for everyone.
3. Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.
4. Spend 5 minutes outside in the sun each day.
5. Move your body 30 minutes each day.
6. Get your body into Rest & Digest for 2 min per day. I like doing deep belly breathing, havening, and yoga.

08/09/2023

We are innately wired to respond to danger with the 4 Fs. Growing up with consistent stress/trauma, we gravitate towards one or a combination of the Fs as a means of survival. Over time, we become entrenched in our response type, and often carry it with us to adulthood, long after the original trauma is gone. Today, we get triggered, enter a flashback, & respond with our tried & true defense mechanism: the powerful F.

07/09/2023

Christine Boudreau, LPC-A, AFMCP, is excited to bring functional medicine and integrative psychotherapy to women across Texas via secure telehealth.

She specializes in the holistic treatment of adverse childhood experiences (ACES), trauma, and complex PTSD. These often manifest as anxiety, stress, depression, adrenal fatigue, chronic pain, insomnia, gut health issues, and chronic fatigue.

Book an appointment today at https://www.dotswellness.com/book-now