5 Things I'm doing to Support my Health During a Difficult Season

While going through a difficult season in life, here are some ways I've learned to support my health: mind, body, and soul.

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Naked Nutrition for sponsoring this post. Be sure to check them out after reading this post!

If I'm honest, I've been in a "difficult season" for a while now. It has come in various forms ranging from a hard birth experience and ensuing health issues to mental health and continued struggle with OCD. My postpartum hormones are still evening out, I've been put under various forms of anesthesia three times in the past 11 months, and I've had two surgeries. Between that, and trying to care for my OCD which also can drastically effect my spiritual and physical health, I've been on a mission lately to try to care for myself better.

I'm not a mental health professional or a doctor, so please realize that the following tips are just what have been good for me personally. However, I do hope that you find this post helpful in finding what helps you in whatever season you are in.

5 Things I'm doing to Support my Health During a Difficult Season

1. NOT waking up early

In my ideal world, I would get up at 5am, have a long quiet time with God, then spend time working on my blog and social media until my kids wake up. And even in a not-so-ideal world, I always like waking up before my kids so that I can have coffee and a few minutes to wake up. However, one thing I've noticed lately is that my mental health struggles seem to be worse when I try to get up early. I don't know if it's literally not enough hours of sleep, my body still being in "winter mode", or something else entirely, but it seems to me that I've struggled more when I try to wake up early. 

So, I've been allowing myself to sleep in more. Sometimes that means I wake up to a crying baby and have to jump straight into feeding her, then my toddler wakes up and I still haven't had my coffee. It feels chaotic and I don't really like it, but in this season, it's been working better than I would have anticipated.

2. Consuming More Protein

I've always been a bigggggg protein girl. I love meat and animal products, and nuts and seeds. However, when I was going through my gallbladder attacks before I had surgery, I couldn't eat anything high in saturated fat (i.e. the bulk of my protein source 😒). So, in order to get enough protein, I started making shakes with alternative milks and collagen powder. It helped me a lot to be able to get protein that way. Now that my body is processing saturated fats again, I still really like the added boost of a protein shake. However, it's important to me that the protein is clean in ingredients and not filled with a bunch of artificial crap.

Recently, Naked Nutrition reached out to me about trying their Collagen Peptides Protein Powder and their Chocolate Casein Protein Powder. I had used their whey protein before and was very impressed with their ingredients. There are only three ingredients, which is also true for the chocolate Casein powder (one ingredient in the collagen), and it is lightly sweetened with coconut sugar. As someone who HATES stevia with a fiery passion, I was so excited to find a clean brand that didn't opt for stevia.

The Casein powder is very mild in flavor, which is nice if you're like me and don't mind making your own protein shake recipe instead of just mixing powder with milk. 

Here's the recipe I've been using, which can be used interchangeably with both the Casein powder or the collagen powder.

1 Cup Milk of Choice

1 Scoop Chocolate Casein OR 2 Scoops Collagen Powder

1 Tbs. Coco Powder

1 Tbs. Pure Maple Syrup

A pinch of high quality salt ( I use Redmond's Real Salt)

A couple of ice cubes.

Blend on high until mixed well and creamy (about 20-30 seconds).

If you're looking for a clean protein powder or bovine collagen product, you should definitely check out Naked Nutrition! 

 

3. Listening to audio bible and a spiritual formation book

Despite the fact that I haven't been waking up as early, I'm still trying to make it a priority to take in God's word daily. I have also been slowly listening to a spiritual formation book on a topic I need help in or could use more study in. Bible reading is the priority and if I don't end up reading the book, I try not to stress. I listen to audio bible while I feed my baby in the morning, or while my toddler plays outside, or, if all else fails, during naptime. While there's certainly a more "ideal" way to have time with the Lord, I also don't want to let perfection be the enemy of the good. Pretty, perfectly quiet, bible time is not always reality, and it also isn't always necessary. Sure, ideally it would be, but it's okay if it's not.

4. Enlisting Help

God made us for community. Having community isn't just getting together for a meal, meeting up for Bible study, or having someone to share fun moments with (though it certainly is all of those things too). Biblical community is about sharing one another's burdens. However, it's a little bit harder to remember this when you're the one who needs help and you have to be vulnerable about your struggles in order to enlist help. Pride can creep in. Desire for an appearance of having it all together can be your worst enemy. 

However, enlisting help is a blessing. During this season I've asked several trusted friends to pray consistently for me for healing of some long-fought spiritual and health battles. I have been so blessed with a wonderful community of friends who have been happy to do just that, and they've been so faithful to check in. 

5. Getting Outside More

I am very easily impacted by the weather. Just call me Little Miss Sunshine. Give me allllll the sunshine, all the birds chirping, and all the soft, gentle breezes. So, especially on days with lots of sunshine, I'm making an effort to spend time outside. Not just on the prettiest days though. I'm making an effort to get outside most days, even if it isn't for long. Last month I ended up with 35 hours outside, and this month I've already clocked 28 hours. It's been really nice and mood-lifting (and just better for me and the kids than staying inside all day).

Find What Works

I don't know what season of life you are in, but I do know that you need to find what works for you. I do ALWAYS recommend time in God's word, being actively part of Christian community, time spent outside, and plenty of protein (don't forget to check out Naked Nutrition!), but aside from those things, you will need to think through what will best serve you in this season.

Maybe you need to prioritize weekly meet-ups with a friend. Maybe you need to prioritize walking more, or commit to a bible study at church, or waking up earlier (or later like me). Take the time to think through what will support your health (mind, body, and soul) during whatever season you are in.