The appropriated bloggers are not giving you the full truth.  Self care is not always sweet and bubbly or a Yoga Pose on the top of the mountain.  They fail to tell you what the trek to the top of that mountain looked like.

I may be a bit jaded and I have a history of my inquisitive mind always taking things one step further.  Health Coaching wasn’t enough, I wanted to find the root of the cause in Naturopathic Medicine.  Becoming a Doctor wasn’t enough, I wanted to dig to the deepest tap roots to identify the true root of dis-ease.  Changing to organic & using less water wasn’t enough, I had to put myself in the resistance to see the extent we are harming this planet, our home.

I cannot help but to geek over the relationship between women’s health and environmental health.  In all ancient teachings, the Earth is the original mother.  As our mothers and children suffer with autoimmune diseases, infertility, and birth defects; our Earth is being destroyed.  And also according to those ancient teachings, we must work to heal and center ourselves before healing others in the outside world.  As a Doctor, Docere, to teach, I must share my story.

In the proceeding blog posts, you will see Copesthetic Confessionals (hahah IKR?!), and here you will see the deeper ills I have suffered the past year.  If you haven’t read this post here, you may want to to understand what is about to spill out of my head and into your eyes.

Self-care can mean isolation, especially if you are on a committed healing path.  Social isolation happens when people don’t agree with your new dietary changes, when the peer pressures of middle school must be handled in an adult like manner.  Remember “diet” comes from the term dieta, which is Latin for Lifestyle.  Our culture has appropriated diet to mean what you chose to eat or consume as food.  In reality, changing your alimentary choices can be the first leap to your healing path.

You are what you eat and this includes through our eyes, ears, nose, and feelings.  Surround yourself with healing music, beauty, and healing scents and feel good people that uplift you and challenge you to grow.  Remember how much practice, trial & error it takes to learn something new.

Boundaries, NOW, and without being hard on yourself when you veer off track.  Women have a new role in our society.  We care for our children, our spouses, our careers, and most of us are innate healers.  That is a whole lot to bite off.

Say No if you mean no.  Say what you really mean even if you have to explain your thought process.  Practice this with your core supportive community, even if it means explaining your thought process to become more clear.  I.E: “I’d really love to come to the party and I know I need it to come out of this depressive funk, but I just cannot seem to get myself the motivation to do so. ” Sometimes explaining out loud how simple the obstacle to your health choices are to someone else makes it seem so silly. Remember, be patient with your practice.  This is solely for you on your time.  Little steps go a long way!

You may need to pre-face these talks with “I am not looking for advice, just a non-judgemental ear.  Are you in the space for that?”  Radical Consent for advice is almost always a must, unless someone is paying you to offer health suggestions.  We often just need space holders (the feminine), not the typical patriarchal explanations of “I know what’s best for you and this is how to fix it” (the masculine).

This is a practice of decolonization.  This is a practice of transformative justice.  This is a practice of re-wiring what we have been raised to believe.

Then begin to reveal it to the people that have been in your life the longest.  Those are usually the most resistant to our growth because they have preconceived notions and judgement of who we used to be.  What is true is : What is not growing is dying.  And who wants to stagnant and stiffen?!

<<Lauryn Hill’s MTV Unplugged album hits me deeper every time>>

Literally, our body is beating itself up.  We are being too hard on ourselves.  And then we need to find that balance that we aren’t being too hard on ourselves for being hard on ourselves!  Hah!

The slow drip method is where you pick up easy daily tasks such as 8 sun salutes daily instead of 20 minutes of Yoga everyday.  Then your body and spirit will naturally pick it up as the time is right.  Or a daily 2 minute prayer for healing.  Or a salad / green shake a day to increase your vegetable intake.  Yeah, that is healing at its finest.  It may not shed the 20 lbs in 2 months you are looking for and it leads to sustainability and ease of transition into a healthier lifestyle rather than yo-yo-ing between healthy and unhealthy.

About Dr. Alexana

Dr. Cope deeply enjoys and appreciates working with patients to holistically balance hormones, manage depression and anxiety, and weight management. Dr. Cope also manages diabetes, endocrine conditions such as thyroid, and cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure and cholesterol. Dr. Cope's treatment comprises of a unique combination of nutritional supplementation, body work, custom herbal formulations, flower essences, personalized cooking and shopping plans. Dr. Cope truly believes minor changes in your daily routine is a key factor to health. Alongside treating the current symptoms, Dr. Cope investigates & addresses the root cause of your disease so that you may shift closer to centeredness and health with more ease. She will work with you in order to establish a daily routine that works with your schedule and most efficiently nourishes you so that you may go out in the community a more joyful beautiful you.

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