March 9, 2025 Thoughts on Healing and Living As we were driving to my sister in laws house for my daughter's 7th birthday party, I started feeling that familiar stomach ache and thought I would, yet again, have to defend myself from another panic attack. But instead of hoping for the best like I usually did, I told myself, 'I hope I have the worst panic attack ever—it’ll feel amazing when it’s over.' And guess what happened--I did not get a panic attack. In fact, anytime I felt one coming, I...
7 months ago • 4 min read
March 2, 2025 Thoughts on Healing and Living My husband, Daniel, started laughing. It's a hearty laugh I only ever hear him do when he's either caught totally off guard or when he's smoked something funky. 😏 "What are you gonna do?-morph into a power ranger?" He chuckled. I started laughing with him. Sometimes, I can't believe the things I do to get rid of anxiety... We were in the car on the way to the park with our kids when a panic attack hit me hard. So without hesitation I started doing...
7 months ago • 2 min read
February 23, 2025 Thoughts on Healing and Living Hi Reader, I was having a panic attack the other day. It always starts the same way: I ate, got a cramp in my stomach, and then I started thinking about how bad it feels to have a cramp, feeling trapped, sad my life has been full of so many stomach aches, wondering if I'll ever have a normal life... This little pity party usually lasts a half hour or so until I feel totally defeated, and when the panic finally passes, I go into a state of...
7 months ago • 2 min read
July 2, 2024 Thoughts on Healing and Living It finally happened; I felt a panic attack coming on, and instead of running from it, I accepted it. Do you know what? It went away! The day of this breakthrough (about a year ago) I was driving with my kids to my son's speech therapy class. As I drove through the gates in our community I started feeling panic come on. This is the time I would usually keep driving pretending nothing was wrong, knowing the inevitable was coming. A panic attack! But...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
July 1, 2024 Thoughts on Healing and Living My son and Husband on the trolley at the winery A couple of months ago, we celebrated my husband's 45th birthday at a bacon festival at a winery, and boy, did it live up to its name! Lines of food trucks, delicious (uh-mazing) wine, live music, and, most importantly, lots of family. All 19 of us on my husband's side are laughing, joking, eating, and enjoying catching up; it was our first get-together in a couple of years. But it wasn't all laughing....
over 1 year ago • 4 min read
June 2024 Thoughts on Healing and Living Hi Reader, "I feel like there's something wrong with me, like why can't I just get on a damn elevator," I confessed to my cousin. I was feeling bad, bad for myself, embarrassed, ashamed of not only what I couldn't do, but ashamed of who I am. Only defective people can't do normal things like get on a damn elevator. Those words, that belief, have been like inflammation for as long as I've been anxious. Everyone talks about 'inflammation' but what is...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I was getting ready to sit outside to pray, so I set up a fan and diffuser with some peppermint oil (because bugs hate peppermint and wind) and was about to sit down when I noticed my diffuser didn't work. What the heck could be wrong with it? The fan was on, so I knew it wasn't the fuse. Was there too much water in it? Did it just crap out? For like a minute or so, I was stumped. Ahhh...it wasn't plugged in. Do you ever feel like you're doing all this work and don't know why...
about 2 years ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Getting up at 5 am sounds miserable. But it's actually one of the best habits I've ever had. Emphasis on had because it lasted about two weeks, and that was a wrap. But if getting up at 5 am is so good for me, why don't I just do it? It hurts. New habits hurt. Getting up at 5 am means a lot more day to deal with. And days can feel long and exhausting already. But for you, maybe you don't have an issue or the desire to wake up that early. Maybe you want something different, to lose...
over 2 years ago • 2 min read
Hey! I want to share some exciting news with you—simpleshiftstowellness.com is returning to its roots by sharing essential oils alongside our other resources to help you overcome anxiety and emotional trauma. If you've been here from the beginning, you know that I used to sell Young Living Essential Oils & essential oil-infused products. In fact, this email used to be called Your Anxiety Toolkit, where I would share anxiety tips, mindset shifts, scripture, and health tips to support your...
over 2 years ago • 1 min read