Cultivating a Safe Space
If you’re here apart of the Herbalist Hangout Circle, I have to imagine you’ve followed me over on Instagram or TikTok. I recently shared more openly about my past experiences with SSRI’s, Benzodiazepines, & mood stabilizers of that nature - more so, I shared about my decision to detox off them. There was some really wonderful conversation taking place in the comment sections. Some folks felt courageous enough to share their own experiences, beliefs, & hot-takes. I woke up yesterday to see over a dozen comments had vanished. I cant imagine the commentors deleted what they shared, because again, the dialog was incredibly respectful & perhaps even eye opening. I am led to believe Instagram decided to take them down - for what reason, I’ll never know: there was no notifications regarding a policy violation. So I feel pretty reaffirmed in creating this space. Where curiosity is embraced, & questions are encouraged. Where shared vulnerability is equally witnessed & celebrated. I did go back & forth for a moment, about whether this space was truly necessary. I guess I needed the confirmation. It’s been received.
I will never require you share, but I do hope you’ll treat the comment sections on these posts as an opportunity to also open up vulnerably & connect with others. You never know how your experience may be able to teach others. I firmly believe we all have a special kind of medicine to share with this world.
Discussing anything related to holistic healing is such a multifaceted process. This is especially true for mental health. As I said in my last post, I truly wish there was a way for me to recommend a ‘one size fits all’ protocol for wellbeing somedays. It is my sincerest hope that by sharing my own personal journey I may support others in feeling less alone in navigating improving their own wellbeing. I can remember in great detail how isolated I felt when I chose to detox. My support system to lean into was incredibly limited at that time in my life. So if pains of the past can serve a purpose, I think sharing more vulnerably is ultimately worth it.
In the coming weeks I’m going to begin sharing more tools, tips, recipes, & what’s known as ‘Plant Monographs’ (plant profiles with useful information to study) specifically related to supporting our nervous systems, gut health, mental health, adrenal glands & just overall state of being. The mechanisms of our bodies are intricately interwoven, you may be starting to catch on to this. These are the key areas I continue to prioritize when it comes to managing the ADHD, anxiety, CPTSD, depression, & panic disorder diagnosis’s I received years ago. I can’t stress enough how important functional lab testing is. You need a name to the problem to address ‘it’, trust me please. As I stated before, a lot of time & money was wasted utilizing the wrong supplements. Save yourself the struggle (Please refer back to the previous post for guidance on how to find testing options)
Please stay tuned, this is just the beginning of equipping you all with more tools to feel empowered in caring for you, your families, & communities wellbeing!
S
