Acne. Irregular menstrual cycles. Weight gain. Mood swings. Sore throats. Exhaustion. Fatigue.
These are just some of the things I struggled with in high school and throughout college. Half of the time I didn’t even know anything was wrong. I was so used to living with these symptoms that I forgot how the body should feel in a healthy, balanced state.
I eventually discovered, after a series of doctors and tests and time, that I had pcos and hypothyroidism. I was given birth control and thyroid medication.
These helped manage the symptoms but I was never at my optimal level of health. I was in my early 20s, and for so many reasons, around 2014, after taxing my body even more so with bad lifestyle habits like drinking every night, not exercising, stressing out to work full time and graduate college, not prioritizing sleep, and eating whatever leftover fried food was available at work, I decided to make some changes.
Just before graduating college, my friend and I had really started getting into yoga. I loved the idea of stretching and not strenuously exercising (although if you’ve done yoga, you know it counts as exercise!). I also did a Whole 30 cleanse which felt AMAZING and my skin had never glowed like that before!
After graduating college, I quickly found a wonderful, stable “adult” job, and since I was no longer bartending, it clicked that I didn’t have to drink daily. I decided to only drink on the weekend. And now that I had a stable income I decided to join a gym!
Drinking slowed down. Exercise increased. And healthful eating surrounding the paleo diet ensued. I was pursuing my health. I was pursuing living more balanced. More naturally. I was also taking Natures Sunshine supplements (my mom introduced me to this company and her naturopathic herbologist helped get me on a plan) to help my adrenals and thyroid at this time. I eliminated other toxic exposure by using essential oils to balance my hormones, help with anxiety, and help with headaches. I was introduced to Young Living through a mutual friend and dabbled (at this point) with some of the different uses for oils.
Now It was time to start dating! I had been single since 2012. And I really had very little experience with dating. One “long term” and a few dating stints was about it. I had a degree and a good job. I was taking steps to self care in every way. It was time to get on some dating sites! (Coffee meets bagel and Tinder if you must know;)
Exercise- check. Eating right- check. Stable job- check. Dating- check. Self help…continue reading.
I had been a Christian my whole life (since I was 3), but my walk was never really my own until 2015. I started counseling through a local (giant) church. It was free and I had heard good things. I really hadn’t been through anything traumatic in life. Why did I need counseling? I wasn’t sure, but I was taking all of the steps to better myself and counseling seemed to be the obvious next step. I was struggling with my faith. I had questions about the validity of the Bible, God, and Jesus. I am surprised I kept going to counseling because the counselor only used the Bible as her resource and told me to go there for answers. I was annoyed. How did I even know the Bible was fully accurate or true? She would just lightly say, “just read it. It has all the answers you need.” I would roll my eyes. But I DID read it, and I DID pray. And God met me there. There is a series of events that led me to fully relying on Jesus as my savior, friend, but I do know that no other book on the planet is alive and active, sharper than any two edged sword, and God breathed by the Creator of the universe. I may have started to behaviorally change myself, but He changed my Soul. And my life has only been peaceful since. Not because my circumstances have just been dandy, no the opposite. But with Him as my savior and friend, there’s nothing like it. I searched everywhere for this peace- yoga, education, knowledge, spirituality, and it was never solid. Never deeply comforting the way it has been knowing Him. There are no words until you experience it yourself. I know lack of peace. And I know peace. I remember pretending to feel peace before Him. And then I discovered His peace. It’s lasting. Always present. So safe. Can you tell I’m in love?
During this time, I also met Justin, who is now my husband! Meeting Justin was also one of the events in my life that led me closer to God. It’s an entirely different story. We both were entrapped in sin and shame with each other and our past, and meeting each other entangled all of that mess. It was a painful but beautiful time that God was totally intertwined in and I’m so forever grateful for His presence. All I can say is humans are messy and dirty and without Gods love, I don’t know how to survive it all. But mine and Justins story is another tale I can tell at another point in time.
Back to my health journey! After getting my ducks in a row with my health and personal relationship with God, I saw the evidence of how every little choice really did make a difference in my life! I was able to get off of my thyroid medication as my hormone levels balanced out. My pcos symptoms slowly subsided and I got pregnant without a problem at all! All of this really encourages me to continue pursuing living more naturally, and with less toxic exposure. I believe whole heartedly that every little change makes a difference. How we eat. What we put in and on our bodies. The people we are around. What we believe. How we define who we are. Our foundation of truth. I believe that God has been with me on this journey and it’s not over. He has been my true healer. And I don’t know what may happen with my health, but I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to use Young Living oils as a way to support my health.
If you want to know more about my health journey, please feel free to email me with any questions!
If you live local to me, in DFW, and are needing free counseling, I would love to share with you where I went for that. Reach out! Help is everywhere.
If you’re interested in getting some Young Living products of your own, this link will take you to the Starter Kit which is exactly how I got started. (disclosure: I truly love and use these products daily. I decided to become a member and I can share my link with friends and family, which means if you shop through my link, I may receive a small commission.) Using essential Oils is just one of the ways I choose to live more naturally and it has been amazing!
https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=2736072&enrollerid=2736072&type=member
My mom is available to talk to about Natures Sunshine’s products and I can refer you to her if you’re interested in those particular supplements!
And any other questions, feel free to reach out! Thank you for reading my story and I hope it helps you stay inspired to keep trekkin on your own health journey! Freedom and healing are possible!