Hi friends,

Today we are talking about something near and dear to our hearts: mental wellbeing.

Many of you know that I had a pretty big health crash this year, which started simply as anxiety and panic attacks after planning our wedding; turns out it wasn’t that simple. The topic of mood disorders and mental health is still something that most people are not comfortable speaking about, even with close family members. For those suffering with it, it can feel shameful, lonely, and hopeless. For me, I always was what I would call a “worrier”. I struggled with phobia and anxiety as a child, but it didn’t bother me again until later on when some big life stressors hit. Through many doctor visits and testing, I have started to uncover the root cause of the anxiety I have been experiencing, and I really believe that there is always a root cause. I also believe that anxiety and depression are a symptom of something else being out of balance in your body, but when you are in it yourself, it’s hard not to blame yourself, or feel like you are just broken.

There also isn’t a whole lot of help for mood disorders unless you really take it upon yourself to dig deep, and work with practitioners who understand that things like food intolerance, bacterial and fungal infections, thyroid disorders, methylation defects, and hormone imbalances often show themselves as mood disorders. Depression is extremely complex, and takes a lot of work to get the root of. It’s never just as simple as, “you just have depression and need this drug.” It’s not even as simple as “you just have depression and need this supplement” either! I experienced this myself, and I also experienced the feelings of complete defeat by seeing a primary care practitioner who told me there was nothing I could do to help myself besides taking a drug. I told him multiple symptoms, and other things I had been treating, and it was like I was talking to the wall. He could only answer me in the language of prescription drugs, in fact he didn’t even speak to me unless the words SSRI or Xanax, or Ambien were being mentioned. Besides that he just looked at me like I was insane while I mentioned things like candida and adrenal fatigue. There was no other help, guidance, or suggestions of alternate treatment. He made sure I knew that there was nothing I could do for myself besides pop some pills. If I would have listened to him, I wouldn’t have found out that I had adrenal burnout from having mold toxicity which I acquired in our previous house which had water damage. Mold toxicity is often misdiagnosed as anxiety, depression, or even PTSD, and antidepressants can make the situation worse.

I want all of you to know that I fully support the use of medications when they are really needed. I am, in fact, taking a prescription drug to help get mold out of my body, so I am not saying I’m too good for medications, and I’m not saying that you should suffer if you need help getting out of a really bad place in your life. I just want everyone to know that there are alternatives out there, and you don’t have to be dependent on drugs for your entire life. Unfortunately the side effects of SSRI withdrawal are so intense that you are convinced you needed them in the first place when you try to go off of them, so if you are currently taking one, or considering going on a medication like that please, please work closely with a medical professional who has experience with this process.

I’m so thrilled that Sean Croxton put together a summit on anxiety and depression, because this is information that really needs to get out there. Many people aren’t being helped properly, and don’t realize that they can take control of their lives, and their mental health and be WELL, not just medicated. The road of alternative healing is long, and grueling, with lots of ups and downs. It’s often at a slow pace, and you really need a lot of emotional support to keep going. That is another reason why I am so grateful that this information is getting out there for all of you to see and hear. The information is here for you, along with the support! You are not alone, and you can thrive!

The Depression Sessions kicks off June 14, and runs through the 28th. Early registration for the summit ends on June 7th, so if you click the link below it will notify you of the FREE DAILY SESSIONS associated with this summit. We have watched some of them already, and it’s just an amazing, illuminating collection of information with some of the world’s leading experts on the subject. You will be absolutely blown away and want to share it with friends. We can’t say enough good things about it. So click the link below to get more information about it! (Remember, this is free to watch during the summit!)

xo,
Hayley