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The Stress of it All

Writer's picture: AmyAmy

Overlooking the river
Mental Health Day at Harper's Ferry

This is a horrible time. 


I don't care who you are, what political lines you fall on, or how optimistic or 'enlightened' you are. 


You may be a master of compartmentalizing. A ninja with the numbing. A first class ostrich with your head waaaay down in the sand. 


The truth is: shit is ugly out there. 


Don't get me wrong- there is so much to be grateful for. I haven't lost sight of it. But if you are feeling especially not yourself right now, I don't blame you. That's legit. 


When the stress on our nervous system hits an all-time high and there is no break, it's going to show up in weird little ways. 


For me, it’s happening right now, as I type this. My dog is barking ceaselessly at what I’m guessing is a deer in my yard. She’s in my room barking out the window. I’m one floor down. In reality, it’s not that loud and hasn’t been happening all that long. But it sounds like nails on a chalkboard. I feel my body stiffen, the aggravation rising to a level where I think I can’t possibly hear this for one more bark. I want to get up and yell at her. This is a normal morning occurrence as the deer embolden themselves to leave the safety of the woods and venture into the yard to munch on what’s left of my plants. But right now, this barking is an almost unbearable sound. And my day just started...sooo many potential little aggravations to come.


As a holistic practitioner that specializes in the nervous system, I’m well aware of my body. The unfortunate reality is that I’ve been dealing with a lot of personal issues over the past few months, and that, coupled with all that is going on in the news and our political climate, let alone the challenges I face with shorter days and colder weather…well…it’s the perfect storm. Luckily, I know how to help myself. That doesn’t always mean that I do it. 


Funny enough, while I thought all the stress that people are experiencing would bring more clients to get help with herbs, that is not the case. Maybe you’re like me, and you are too tightly wound in the moment to help yourself. 


So, I thought I’d take a some time here to give you some little pointers in hopes that it might help, or at least provide some perspective.


Another unfortunate effect of my own personal stress is not being able to follow through as well as I normally do. And so, it is now the end of October and I have not finished my Herb of the Month newsletter to send out. In reality, I know it’s not getting out to you. Sorry. It was a good one. I’ll tell you a little about it and why I chose this herb for October’s Herb of the Month. 


  1. Holy Basil.

    Heart-opening, blood sugar-lowering, beautifully-scented Holy Basil. 

One of my favorite adaptogens, this just felt right for what is happening now. We need to open our hearts a bit. Soften. I don’t go for the woo woo energetics of herbs all that often, but I do with Holy Basil. Pair that with Rose, and you’ve got yourself a cup of therapy right there. Do yourself a favor and start making yourself a tea for the next month with Holy Basil. *Check with a healthcare provider before starting any new herbal or supplemental protocols

So, yeah. This is the time (OK we’re really past the time) to start gearing up on herbs to support, relax, and restore the nervous system. Lucky for us, there are a ton out there to explore. 


  1. Get off your phone. Take decent-sized breaks from social media. I have managed to manipulate the algorithms or whatever so that I actually don’t see any political crap on my social media. Not sure how I broke the system so well, but it’s a relief. I also have worked hard on avoiding The Scroll, if you know what I mean. Occasionally I’ll look at my feed, and want to cheer on a friend or send a heart emoji so they know I’m with them, but for the most part social media is dividing us more than bringing us together. This false concept of ‘community’ is making us create less real connections with each other. OK I’ll get off the soapbox now. But seriously, try to avoid the interwebs. They know you, they feed you, and they twist you. And PLEASE don’t be on there before bed! Trust me on this. 


  1. Get real. While the world is now full of AI and things that we can’t know to be true, go outside. Go in the woods. Sit in the grass. That is real. That is true. You know this. Breathe in the air. Crumple some leaves. Smell the dirt. Breathe. Breathe deeper. Now breathe deeper. 


  1. Sleep. Easier said than done, I know. Sleep is when our body heals, both physically and mentally. Get good sleep. That cannabis you’re using to sleep? Not good sleep. Find what helps you fall asleep (naturally) and make sure you do it at least half of the time. Waking up around 2-3am? I wish I had an easy go-to answer for you, but if I did have something that worked for everyone I’d be rich. Everyone is different in this area, and that’s when working with a practitioner is going to be more effective. Listen to your body and sleep when it tells you to.


  1. Do something for someone else without being asked. Give. Be kind. Volunteering or practicing little bits of kindness goes a long way, and it's proven to make people more happy-  truly happy. I like to leave my quarter in the grocery carts at Aldis so someone else is pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t have to be big. When it’s hard to make ourselves happy, try making someone else happy instead. I promise it will have a twofold effect. 


At first for #5 (doing something for someone else) I began to type something along the lines of doing something for yourself. And while self care does play a big part of nourishing the nervous system, I think what we really need to do right now is care about each other. For some people, doing things for yourself is easy; sometimes the hard part is remembering other people are having it harder than we are. 


I want you to know that I’m there for you. I’m feeling it with you. Things will change, and while I wish I could say that they’ll change for the better, that’s not how life works. It just changes, and we have to roll with the tide, fight the current, or find a combination of the two as we navigate life. Use the tools you have, and remember to lead with the heart. 



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Oct 29, 2024

Great advice. Maybe if we all did these things we could reverse the chasm that has divided us.


~~Dorothy

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Amy Boldt, MS

Clinical Herbalist: Wild Woman Medicine, LLC

Owner of the Barefoot Medicine Farm™

Westminster, MD

Mail: amy@barefootmedicinefarm.com

The purpose of wellness counseling is to improve the overall health, vitality and well-being of the body through nutritional education and the use of natural foods and non-medicinal nutritional supplements. The Herbalist, Amy Boldt, does not diagnose diseases, disorders or conditions.

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