One of the most frustrating challenges we all face when we’re trying to make decisions that support our health is that there is so much conflicting (mis)information out there that it feels impossible to know what new habits will actually support our goals.

After spending many years sifting through advice and trends within the “wellness” space, I have realized that it’s really all about getting back to our roots as human animals.

From the beginning, we evolved alongside our environment, creating a mutually beneficial relationship that naturally optimizes our own health and that of the Earth. Our bodies and minds benefitted from the nutrients in our natural environment as well as from the time spent living simply in harmony with the Earth.

In the past several decades, we have moved so far away from that kind of existence that our health has gone unsupported for too long and we are seeing an epidemic of chronic disease. The massive stressors that modern society has placed on our bodies and minds have overpowered our natural healing abilities and left us in a terrible state of suffering.

Now we need to recognize our biggest stressors and begin the work to manage them – or better, remove them from our lives. These include:

• Ultraprocessed food and drinks
• Drugs and alcohol
• Work-related stress
• Isolation
• Disconnection from our inner self/spirit
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Little-to-no time in nature
…and so many more.

If you spend a few minutes looking at your own life, you may find that most or all of these stressors are negatively affecting your own health and wellbeing. It is important to acknowledge them and recognize their contribution to your current struggles. That way, you can begin to open up to new possibilities that will support your wellness.

You may even want to start a journal and write down your specific stressors and your current habits around dealing with them. Again, at this stage it’s all about awareness.

In upcoming blog posts, we will examine these modern stressors more closely and consider how we can adopt habits that will help bring us back to our roots and into the harmony that nature intended. That’s how we can kick-start our healing and finally end our suffering.