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Author: Debi Silber

Categories
Growth Health and Wellness

Betrayal-What it Is, What it Does

How do you heal when a friend shares your most intimate secrets with the outside world? How do you get beyond losing a promotion after being stabbed in the back by a co-worker? How do you make something positive out of a partner or spouse cheating on you?

The pain of being stabbed in the back or worse yet, the heart, is very real and multi-dimensional. It impacts us mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

Every relationship has rules- both spoken and unspoken. Over time, we come to believe that if we play by those rules, we will be safe, happy, and fulfilled.

When someone betrays us, they break those rules and it impacts us on every level.

The impact of betrayal is not only real and multifaceted but also ranges in intensity based on how close you are to your betrayer. The more you trusted and depended on the person who betrayed you, the more intense the effects. For example, let’s take a child who is betrayed by a parent and your coworker who took the credit for your idea. Both are betrayals but there’s a different level of cleanup left in the wake of each experience.

In fact, there’s a collection of symptoms (physical, mental and emotional) so common to betrayal it’s become known as Post Betrayal Syndrome.

People who have been betrayed can suffer from a wide range of emotional symptoms such as sadness, anger, stress, rejection, fear, irritability, depression, and abandonment. They can also suffer from physical and mental ailments as well. In my Ph.D. study on betrayal, I studied what holds us back, what helps us heal, and what happens to us physically, mentally, and emotionally when the people closest to us lie, cheat and deceive. A staggering percentage were found to suffer from low energy, extreme fatigue/exhaustion, digestive issues, weight issues, and more. Add to that how common it is to also feel overwhelmed, shocked, unable to focus and concentrate. [eut_single_image image_type=”image-link” image_mode=”medium” image=”32023″ link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fc-suitenetwork.com%2Fexecutive-membership|||”] According to the study, betrayal also shatters our worldview. That’s our mental model, the rules that govern us and prevent chaos. This is where the shock of the experience hits us hard. The rules we’ve believed in and counted on have all been broken. The bottom has just bottomed out on us and a new foundation hasn’t been formed yet-it can feel terrifying.

Healing from betrayal can be scary and messy, which is why some people continue to stay stuck. The good news is that moving forward is not only possible, it’s predictable with the right strategies. You can not only rebuild your worldview, you can do it in a way to become your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual best. That’s the silver lining of the dark betrayal cloud. You can come out of it stronger, wiser, healthier, and more empowered than ever before and yes, you can learn to trust again.

When you heal, mentally, you’ll be able to focus on what you choose to pay attention to. Physically, you’ll feel more energetic, healthier, and stronger. Emotionally, you’ll be calmer, centered, and confident. Spiritually, you’ll find the gift in the experience. What had become your life’s story will become a pivotal chapter in your next story. This isn’t just a hopeful idea. It’s predictable when you move through The Five Stages From Betrayal to Breakthrough. You’ve been through the worst of it already, you owe it to yourself to do something good with something so painful. When you do, that’s trauma well served. That’s Post Betrayal Transformation.

Dr. Debi
Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute [eut_single_image image_type=”image-link” image_mode=”medium” image=”32020″ link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fc-suitenetwork.com%2Fexecutive-membership|||”]

Categories
Growth Health and Wellness

10 Strategies to Reduce Overwhelm

 

Do you have so much going on that you feel overwhelmed? A busy life with too many demands can lead to feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Work, family, other obligations as well as unresolved mental/emotional stress can prove to be too much at times. Not only is it hard on us mentally and emotionally, but it’s also taking a toll on us physically too.What can you do? Here are a few tips to minimize feelings of overwhelm and stress:

  1. Take a deep breath. Once you start to feel overwhelmed, things tend to go downhill quickly. Give yourself a break by relaxing, taking a deep breath, and slowing down your mind. Just a few mindful moments can help rebalance the nervous system.
  2. Focus on what you can control. In any situation, there are things you can control and things you can’t control. Keep your focus on those things you can do something about.
  3. Let go of those things that are out of your control. There’s no reason to think about it and get yourself more agitated if you can’t do anything about it. Learn to let go of anything you can’t influence.
  4. Focus on solutions. Most of us make the mistake of focusing on the problem and imagining negative outcomes. This strategy causes even more stress. If you’re going to think about the problem, commit to coming out of the thought process with a plan that moves things forward in some way.
  • Ask yourself what you can do to eliminate, delegate or lessen the sources of your stress. Write down your ideas, then put those ideas into action.
  1. Avoid making assumptions. Are things actually as stressful as you think they are? Is it possible that you’ve misinterpreted something or made something more than it needs to be? Gather all the facts before deciding if there’s a reason to be overwhelmed. Question your judgment and ensure that you’re on solid ground before hitting the panic button if at all.
  2. Give yourself a change of scenery. Get out of the house and the office for a few hours. Your environment affects your perspective. Spend some time in nature if possible. If that’s not possible, use an app with nature sounds, play some soothing music or even buy a small water feature for your desk.

7.Spend time with a friend or loved one. Sometimes we need an objective eye on an issue to put something in perspective. Sometimes we need that friend who knows how to make us laugh. Other times we need that friend who is a great listener. While you may be the one who is always able, willing, and ready to help a friend, is it time to reach out for some support yourself?8.Enjoy a relaxing activity. What relaxes you? Taking a warm bath? Going for a run? Getting a massage? Spend an hour or two decompressing in a way that signals your body and mind to calm down.9.Cut down on your obligations. Maybe you’re overcommitting. Consider limiting the number of activities you participate in. Are you taking on too many responsibilities? Just because you can do those things, doesn’t mean you should.

  • Consider which of your obligations are most important and say no to the rest.
  • 10.Remember when you’ve been overwhelmed in the past. What helped? What didn’t work? Was there some particular combination of strategies that worked well for you? See if any of them may work again for you now.

It’s easy to let the overwhelm become debilitating. Instead, try creating your “overwhelm prevention plan” filled with your top ideas you can implement when your level of stress increases. With your tips handy, you can implement your strategies when you need them most.

Dr. Debi
Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute

 

Categories
Growth Health and Wellness

10 Strategies to Reduce Overwhelm

 

Do you have so much going on that you feel overwhelmed? A busy life with too many demands can lead to feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Work, family, other obligations as well as unresolved mental/emotional stress can prove to be too much at times. Not only is it hard on us mentally and emotionally, but it’s also taking a toll on us physically too.What can you do? Here are a few tips to minimize feelings of overwhelm and stress:

  1. Take a deep breath. Once you start to feel overwhelmed, things tend to go downhill quickly. Give yourself a break by relaxing, taking a deep breath, and slowing down your mind. Just a few mindful moments can help rebalance the nervous system.
  2. Focus on what you can control. In any situation, there are things you can control and things you can’t control. Keep your focus on those things you can do something about.
  3. Let go of those things that are out of your control. There’s no reason to think about it and get yourself more agitated if you can’t do anything about it. Learn to let go of anything you can’t influence.
  4. Focus on solutions. Most of us make the mistake of focusing on the problem and imagining negative outcomes. This strategy causes even more stress. If you’re going to think about the problem, commit to coming out of the thought process with a plan that moves things forward in some way.
  • Ask yourself what you can do to eliminate, delegate or lessen the sources of your stress. Write down your ideas, then put those ideas into action.
  1. Avoid making assumptions. Are things actually as stressful as you think they are? Is it possible that you’ve misinterpreted something or made something more than it needs to be? Gather all the facts before deciding if there’s a reason to be overwhelmed. Question your judgment and ensure that you’re on solid ground before hitting the panic button if at all.
  2. Give yourself a change of scenery. Get out of the house and the office for a few hours. Your environment affects your perspective. Spend some time in nature if possible. If that’s not possible, use an app with nature sounds, play some soothing music or even buy a small water feature for your desk.

7.Spend time with a friend or loved one. Sometimes we need an objective eye on an issue to put something in perspective. Sometimes we need that friend who knows how to make us laugh. Other times we need that friend who is a great listener. While you may be the one who is always able, willing, and ready to help a friend, is it time to reach out for some support yourself?8.Enjoy a relaxing activity. What relaxes you? Taking a warm bath? Going for a run? Getting a massage? Spend an hour or two decompressing in a way that signals your body and mind to calm down.9.Cut down on your obligations. Maybe you’re overcommitting. Consider limiting the number of activities you participate in. Are you taking on too many responsibilities? Just because you can do those things, doesn’t mean you should.

  • Consider which of your obligations are most important and say no to the rest.
  • 10.Remember when you’ve been overwhelmed in the past. What helped? What didn’t work? Was there some particular combination of strategies that worked well for you? See if any of them may work again for you now.

It’s easy to let the overwhelm become debilitating. Instead, try creating your “overwhelm prevention plan” filled with your top ideas you can implement when your level of stress increases. With your tips handy, you can implement your strategies when you need them most.

Dr. Debi
Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute

 

Categories
Growth Health and Wellness

Top Tips to Reducing Stress

Stress, whether caused by a major crisis or something minor, is something most of us have experienced at some point in our lives. While for some it’s not often, for others it’s a daily occurrence. Since it’s something most of us go through, we need to learn how to effectively manage stress.

Even the happiest people on the planet experience some amount of stress. It’s not the stress that’s necessarily the problem, it’s how they move through it.

The body is beautifully designed to manage acute stress (for example, jumping out of harm’s way if a car is coming towards you). When stress is chronic and prolonged however, that’s when it becomes toxic and burdens the body. So since there will always be some amount of stress in your life, how can you manage it more effectively?

Try these tips:

     1. Do some physical exercise. (Check with your doctor first). While it might seem contradictory to combat stress with physical exercise, exerting your body appropriately can help you manage stress.

  • Whether it’s the rhythmic movement of a walk to allow you to decompress, or hitting a punching bag to release the pent-up emotions, exercise is a powerful way to reduce stress while elevating your mood as well.
  • Exercise can relieve brain fog, relieve stress, and help you feel more in control of your emotions. A good exercise routine can also support quality sleep, which is important for stress management.
  • To begin exercising, you might try taking a walk, doing some yoga poses, lifting weights, or taking a class. Once you find something you like, make it a regular part of your routine.
  • You’ll find that the positive effects on your health, mind, and mood will make exercising a stress-relieving activity you look forward to.

     2. Focus on your breathing. A simple task like focusing on your breathing can quickly calm you down and help rebalance the nervous system. Focus on breathing in and out. Count how many seconds it takes for one inhalation and exhalation.

  • At first, this might sound like an easy goal. But you may be surprised that it can be challenging to concentrate on your breathing. Like anything else, it gets easier the more you practice.
  • The best thing about breathing is that you can do it anywhere and at any time. I mean, you’re breathing anyway, right? It won’t make you feel uncomfortable if people are around because no one will know what you’re doing.

3. Limit caffeine. Caffeinated drinks are causes of stress for many people. Caffeine has a stimulant effect that creates anxiety for some and causes them to feel jittery.

  • Instead of drinking coffee, try drinking decaffeinated tea in the morning or herbal tea at night. The herbs in tea have calming properties, helping you relax and fall asleep.
  • And although you may feel tempted to drink several cups of coffee during the day, best to stop drinking anything caffeinated by noon to ensure it won’t disrupt your sleep.

Top Tips to Reducing Stress

4. Spend time with those you love. Your social support system can have a major positive effect, helping you deal with your stress. If you don’t currently surround yourself with loving and supportive people, reach out and build stronger connections.

  • Closeness and connection releases oxytocin, a hormone that promotes feelings of calm and relaxation.
  • Spending time with those you love also allows for time for love and laughter. Laughing is great to combat stress and a good belly laugh will work your abs too!

5. Supplement appropriately. Toxic, unmanaged stress creates a continual demand for your adrenals to output cortisol-the stress hormone. Over time, this creates symptoms, illnesses, and conditions. Rebalance your adrenals and create a sense of calm by supplementing appropriately.

Managing stress is about finding healthy ways to handle an appropriate amount of stress while finding other ways to reduce, eliminate and/or delegate whatever is creating a sense of overload. Only you know what’s important for you to handle and what you may be better off letting go of. And, while it may be hard to seek support when stress levels get too high, it’s important for your health, well-being, and sanity.

Dr. Debi

Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute

Categories
Growth Health and Wellness

Top Tips to Reducing Stress

Stress, whether caused by a major crisis or something minor, is something most of us have experienced at some point in our lives. While for some it’s not often, for others it’s a daily occurrence. Since it’s something most of us go through, we need to learn how to effectively manage stress.

Even the happiest people on the planet experience some amount of stress. It’s not the stress that’s necessarily the problem, it’s how they move through it.

The body is beautifully designed to manage acute stress (for example, jumping out of harm’s way if a car is coming towards you). When stress is chronic and prolonged however, that’s when it becomes toxic and burdens the body. So since there will always be some amount of stress in your life, how can you manage it more effectively?

Try these tips:

     1. Do some physical exercise. (Check with your doctor first). While it might seem contradictory to combat stress with physical exercise, exerting your body appropriately can help you manage stress.

  • Whether it’s the rhythmic movement of a walk to allow you to decompress, or hitting a punching bag to release the pent-up emotions, exercise is a powerful way to reduce stress while elevating your mood as well.
  • Exercise can relieve brain fog, relieve stress, and help you feel more in control of your emotions. A good exercise routine can also support quality sleep, which is important for stress management.
  • To begin exercising, you might try taking a walk, doing some yoga poses, lifting weights, or taking a class. Once you find something you like, make it a regular part of your routine.
  • You’ll find that the positive effects on your health, mind, and mood will make exercising a stress-relieving activity you look forward to.

     2. Focus on your breathing. A simple task like focusing on your breathing can quickly calm you down and help rebalance the nervous system. Focus on breathing in and out. Count how many seconds it takes for one inhalation and exhalation.

  • At first, this might sound like an easy goal. But you may be surprised that it can be challenging to concentrate on your breathing. Like anything else, it gets easier the more you practice.
  • The best thing about breathing is that you can do it anywhere and at any time. I mean, you’re breathing anyway, right? It won’t make you feel uncomfortable if people are around because no one will know what you’re doing.

3. Limit caffeine. Caffeinated drinks are causes of stress for many people. Caffeine has a stimulant effect that creates anxiety for some and causes them to feel jittery.

  • Instead of drinking coffee, try drinking decaffeinated tea in the morning or herbal tea at night. The herbs in tea have calming properties, helping you relax and fall asleep.
  • And although you may feel tempted to drink several cups of coffee during the day, best to stop drinking anything caffeinated by noon to ensure it won’t disrupt your sleep.

Top Tips to Reducing Stress

4. Spend time with those you love. Your social support system can have a major positive effect, helping you deal with your stress. If you don’t currently surround yourself with loving and supportive people, reach out and build stronger connections.

  • Closeness and connection releases oxytocin, a hormone that promotes feelings of calm and relaxation.
  • Spending time with those you love also allows for time for love and laughter. Laughing is great to combat stress and a good belly laugh will work your abs too!

5. Supplement appropriately. Toxic, unmanaged stress creates a continual demand for your adrenals to output cortisol-the stress hormone. Over time, this creates symptoms, illnesses, and conditions. Rebalance your adrenals and create a sense of calm by supplementing appropriately.

Managing stress is about finding healthy ways to handle an appropriate amount of stress while finding other ways to reduce, eliminate and/or delegate whatever is creating a sense of overload. Only you know what’s important for you to handle and what you may be better off letting go of. And, while it may be hard to seek support when stress levels get too high, it’s important for your health, well-being, and sanity.

Dr. Debi

Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute

Categories
Growth Health and Wellness

The Power of Consistency

While many believe that knowledge is power, knowledge is only powerful when it’s consistently applied. Consistency may be the most important component of success. Seeing the results of that consistency may be easy to see with areas like finances and health, but they’re also adding up when it comes to changes in your thinking that leads to healing a betrayal and shattered trust. A small step forward each day adds up to a lot of mileage over time.

Are the little things you do each day in regards to your actions, habits, and behaviors adding up to something positive? Or have you noticed that not only is there no forward movement, but there’s been a slow and progressive slipping backwards?

With consistent action over the next 10 or 20 years, what could you accomplish? Five workouts each week/ 5 days per week equals 1300 workouts in 1 year! Five minutes of meditation each day over the course of a few years can add up to… a lot of meditation. You get the idea.

Are your consistent behaviors helping or harming?

Use the power of consistency to enhance your success:

  1. If you re-lived today for the next 10 years, where would you end up? If you saved just a small amount of money each day, you’d have many thousands of dollars if not more saved within a few years. If you overeat slightly each day, you’d eventually be many sizes larger than you are now.
  • An effective way to predict your success is to examine your average day and project the likely outcome into the future. An hour each night spent practicing the piano would give different results versus spending an extra hour watching TV.
  • Your teeth aren’t clean because you brushed them for an hour straight. They’re clean because you brushed them for 3 minutes for 3,000 days straight.
  • Consider where your daily habits and behaviors are leading you financially, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and physically. Where are your habits leading you?
  1. Realize that many changes in life come slowly. While some people advocate taking massive action to see massive results, that strategy can be difficult to apply and maintain.
  • Consider something like weight loss for example. You can’t lose 25 pounds in a day. Small changes occur to your weight each day. Those small, regular changes to your habits, beliefs, and behavior about food and eating add up to impressive results.
  • Building a great company, the perfect body, or a great relationship all take time and consistency.
  1. Consistency requires habits and discipline. Use your discipline to develop useful habits. Use that discipline to get to the root of your beliefs and changing them because changing your beliefs will result in changing your habits.
  2. Learn to act in the moment. The greatest barrier to consistency is the belief that you can postpone an action to another day. Each day has the power to bring you closer to your goals. Each day lost is lost forever. You’ve probably heard that “someday” isn’t a day on the calendar.
  • The only real discipline required is the discipline to act right now.
  1. Have reasonable expectations. When your time horizon is unrealistic, it’s not easy to be consistent. When you ask too much of yourself too soon, it’s just as challenging. Be positive and enthusiastic, but be reasonable. Put your focus on regular and consistent improvement. Perfection isn’t required. I’ve also heard that we overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in 3 years so set an expectation factoring in those 2 ideas.
  2. Use reminders or triggers in your environment to encourage consistency. Think about the things that you do every day that could serve as reminders. Getting dressed, starting your car, and turning out the light each night are a few examples.
  • Each night you turn out the light, you could visualize your goals. After getting dressed, you could grab your gratitude journal for a few minutes of journaling and getting centered.

The Power of Consistency

What you do once in a while doesn’t impact your life significantly. Rather, it’s what you do consistently. Consistency is a major predictor of success in any endeavor whether it’s in the realm of health, work, relationships and more. Develop habits and routines that guarantee success by changing them at the level of belief. Consistent behaviors determine your outcomes, so choose behaviors that drive you towards exactly what you want.

 

Dr. Debi
Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute

Categories
Growth Health and Wellness

Why Your Body Needs to Rebalance

When you’re going through times of stress, trauma, and betrayal, your adrenals (which output cortisol) are going to have a visceral reaction. At first, your cortisol levels can go extremely high as you’re in stress mode and your body is looking to support that. There’s a demand and you’re using a tremendous amount of cortisol. It’s as if you’re running from a tiger and your body is adapting so you have the energy and stamina needed to run to safety.

Here’s what happens over time

Over time, through stress, that output is going to start to drop because the adrenal glands just can’t keep up with the demand anymore. It’s as if the tiger is no longer a threat but you’re still running because you’re sure you’re still being chased and at risk of being attacked.

The highs and lows

The high phase is going to feel like overdrive – you can’t ramp down. You probably notice this, especially at night. You want to wind down in order to have a restful night’s sleep but your mind just won’t stop racing.

The low phase is going to feel like burnout – you have no energy. This is the phase where everything feels like an effort. You feel like you’re pushing against a force that’s pushing you back as you’re trying to move forward. If you’re going up a staircase, instead of using the railing as support, you’re using it to pull you up each step. Everything feels twice as hard as it used to feel and the only thing you want to do is collapse on the couch and call it a day.

Giving the body the raw materials it needs is key and having the right combination of nutrients that can support your adrenals is crucial.

So what nutrients are needed and how do you help bring the body back into balance?

Talk to your doctor to see what’s right for you first. Here’s more about the key nutrients the body needs to help balance out the highs and lows to support your adrenals during stressful times:

Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng)– The ginseng family of herbs possesses a unique property of aiding in the regeneration and enhanced function of hypothalamic cortisol receptors, providing an amphoteric effect (can act as a base and an acid), which allows the body to better self-regulate cortisol levels. American ginseng may also improve energy levels, benefit brain function and boost the immune system. It can also help to lower blood sugar.

Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice root) – Licorice extends the serum life of cortisol, thereby lessening the demand on the adrenal cortex during stressful conditions. What does that mean and what can do for you? It helps to regulate and manage cortisol. It may also help with upper respiratory issues while reducing inflammation and digestive upset.

N-Acetyl-tyrosine–A critical building block of various neurotransmitters, thyroid hormones, and catecholamines (often depleted under chronic stress conditions). It can also act as a precursor for the important brain neurotransmitter dopamine, which impacts your energy and mood.

What are some other nutrients that are helpful to support your adrenals and the rebalance of your body, mind, and mood?

Vitamin C, pantothenic acid (B5), vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate), and vitamin B2 (as Riboflavin-5-Phosphate), all play critical roles as enzyme co-factors in the balanced production of stress hormones.

Where can you find these quality nutrients in the right amounts to help support your adrenals?

Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) is a root that can be steamed, added to teas, stir frys, soups and water.

Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice root) can be found in licorice- no, this isn’t an excuse to head out to the candy aisle of your favorite supermarket or candy store!

N-Acetyl-tyrosine is found in protein such as fish and turkey. Also in dairy such as cheese, yogurt and milk (organic is best if using dairy at all). It can also be found in pumpkin and sesame seeds, avocados, and more.

You can also find it in Rebalance. Check out Rebalance here:

While our bodies are beautifully adapted to respond to a stressful situation, we overly tax our bodies when the message isn’t conveyed that it’s time to rebalance because the thread is over. Through breathing, meditation, journaling, adrenal support and other lifestyle changes, it’s time to let the body know that the threat is over and healing is underway.

Dr. Debi
Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute

Categories
Growth Health and Wellness

Why Your Body Needs to Rebalance

When you’re going through times of stress, trauma, and betrayal, your adrenals (which output cortisol) are going to have a visceral reaction. At first, your cortisol levels can go extremely high as you’re in stress mode and your body is looking to support that. There’s a demand and you’re using a tremendous amount of cortisol. It’s as if you’re running from a tiger and your body is adapting so you have the energy and stamina needed to run to safety.

Here’s what happens over time

Over time, through stress, that output is going to start to drop because the adrenal glands just can’t keep up with the demand anymore. It’s as if the tiger is no longer a threat but you’re still running because you’re sure you’re still being chased and at risk of being attacked.

The highs and lows

The high phase is going to feel like overdrive – you can’t ramp down. You probably notice this, especially at night. You want to wind down in order to have a restful night’s sleep but your mind just won’t stop racing.

The low phase is going to feel like burnout – you have no energy. This is the phase where everything feels like an effort. You feel like you’re pushing against a force that’s pushing you back as you’re trying to move forward. If you’re going up a staircase, instead of using the railing as support, you’re using it to pull you up each step. Everything feels twice as hard as it used to feel and the only thing you want to do is collapse on the couch and call it a day.

Giving the body the raw materials it needs is key and having the right combination of nutrients that can support your adrenals is crucial.

So what nutrients are needed and how do you help bring the body back into balance?

Talk to your doctor to see what’s right for you first. Here’s more about the key nutrients the body needs to help balance out the highs and lows to support your adrenals during stressful times:

Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng)– The ginseng family of herbs possesses a unique property of aiding in the regeneration and enhanced function of hypothalamic cortisol receptors, providing an amphoteric effect (can act as a base and an acid), which allows the body to better self-regulate cortisol levels. American ginseng may also improve energy levels, benefit brain function and boost the immune system. It can also help to lower blood sugar.

Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice root) – Licorice extends the serum life of cortisol, thereby lessening the demand on the adrenal cortex during stressful conditions. What does that mean and what can do for you? It helps to regulate and manage cortisol. It may also help with upper respiratory issues while reducing inflammation and digestive upset.

N-Acetyl-tyrosine–A critical building block of various neurotransmitters, thyroid hormones, and catecholamines (often depleted under chronic stress conditions). It can also act as a precursor for the important brain neurotransmitter dopamine, which impacts your energy and mood.

What are some other nutrients that are helpful to support your adrenals and the rebalance of your body, mind, and mood?

Vitamin C, pantothenic acid (B5), vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate), and vitamin B2 (as Riboflavin-5-Phosphate), all play critical roles as enzyme co-factors in the balanced production of stress hormones.

Where can you find these quality nutrients in the right amounts to help support your adrenals?

Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) is a root that can be steamed, added to teas, stir frys, soups and water.

Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice root) can be found in licorice- no, this isn’t an excuse to head out to the candy aisle of your favorite supermarket or candy store!

N-Acetyl-tyrosine is found in protein such as fish and turkey. Also in dairy such as cheese, yogurt and milk (organic is best if using dairy at all). It can also be found in pumpkin and sesame seeds, avocados, and more.

You can also find it in Rebalance. Check out Rebalance here:

While our bodies are beautifully adapted to respond to a stressful situation, we overly tax our bodies when the message isn’t conveyed that it’s time to rebalance because the thread is over. Through breathing, meditation, journaling, adrenal support and other lifestyle changes, it’s time to let the body know that the threat is over and healing is underway.

Dr. Debi
Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute

Categories
Growth Health and Wellness

Key Nutrients for Restful Sleep

Until a betrayal is healed, we have a wild range of emotions and symptoms to manage like sadness, anger, anxiety, exhaustion and more. It’s important to do something to modulate all of these feelings and aspects of healing that you’re going to be working through until you’re able to move through it completely.

Last week I wrote about the importance of sleep. It’s non-negotiable and at a time where we need quality, restorative sleep the most, it’s common to have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up feeling refreshed. This leaves us feeling exhausted and lethargic which then contributes to a lack of clarity as well as less patience.

While in last week’s post I talked about how to improve your sleep environment as well as create a helpful sleep routine, it’s also important to realize how quickly nutrients become depleted during stressful times. Even the healthiest diets may not be enough to combat how quickly we’re burning through nutrients that supply us with the energy, strength and clarity we need.

So what nutrient support do we need?

Just as you might find additional support to help navigate your mental and emotional state after an experience with betrayal or shattered trust, it’s important to get nutrient and sleep support as well during these times. Let’s talk about key nutrients that combat stress and help promote restful sleep.

GABA, Gamma-aminobutyric acid helps promote sleep while also reducing mental and physical stress. It helps create a sense of calmness and helps to reduce anxiety which is important when we’re working through feelings of fear and stress.

L-theanine is an amino acid found in tea leaves. It boosts GABA (which helps create a sense of calm) along with other neurotransmitters that help to regulate emotions and mood. It also helps reduce brain chemicals associated with anxiety and stress.

Melatonin: Melatonin helps to regulate our circadian rhythm by being secreted in response to darkness. Light at night can disrupt melatonin production (which is why sleeping in a dark and tech free room promotes restful sleep). Melatonin can help us fall asleep more quickly as well as improve the quality of our sleep.

5-HTTP: 5-Hydroxytryptophan is another amino acid produced within the body. It helps raise serotonin levels in the brain. Since serotonin helps regulate mood and behavior, 5-HTP may have a positive effect on sleep, appetite, anxiety and mood.

Pyridoxal phosphate (P-5-P or PLP): PLP is an active form of vitamin B6, a nutrient that supports the brain, heart and immune system. While B-6 is found in certain foods, processing and refining foods dramatically reduces the availability of B-6. It’s common to have a B-6 deficiency due to a poor or processed diet, and this can impact our sleep, strength, mood and more.

Ok, so now what do we do?

Any food or supplement that’s processed, that includes fillers, or is of poor quality is a waste of energy and expense. These nutrient-void subquality products actually cause your body to work harder to absorb, digest and process them. As if betrayal wasn’t hard enough to “absorb, digest and process,” this is why it’s important to take your nutrition and supplementation seriously: even if it’s only for a short period of time while you’re struggling to find solid ground again after your experience. It’s a time when you want to have the highest concentration of nutrients of the highest quality so you have the additional support necessary to sleep when you need to, as well as to help you think clearly when you’re awake.

Here’s why we created Sleep.

Sleep is a blend of botanicals, nutrients, and neurotransmitter precursors designed to support quality, restful sleep. By providing nutritional support for calm brain activity, Sleep promotes relaxation and offers help for occasional sleeplessness.

Sleep is a formulary blend of botanicals, nutrients, neurotransmitters, and neurotransmitter precursors designed to support quality sleep.   By encouraging the calming of brain activity, Sleep helps not only with the ability to get to sleep, but also to stay asleep.

Sleep may:

  • Serve as a sleep aid and general relaxant without causing sleep hangover
  • Provide a natural sedative effect without causing morning drowsiness
  • Reduce generalized anxiety symptoms
  • Improve pain tolerance in chronic pain syndromes, increasing the ability to sleep through the night

Key ingredients include: 

  • Blend of safe nervine botanicals known for their relaxant properties and ability to reduce tension and promote sleep, without causing morning grogginess. It’s also made with non-GMO ingredients
  • Calm-a new, proprietary form of GABA (body’s main calming neurotransmitter), naturally manufactured through a fermentation process and considered more effective than other traditional, chemically produced synthetic forms of GABA
  • L-theanine for support of calming neurotransmitter production, clinically proven to reduce stress and improve the quality of sleep
  • Melatonin– a hormone whose main role is in the control of the circadian (day/night) rhythms. Its production should peak at night and is instrumental for maintaining quality sleep patterns. Melatonin production declines significantly with age, often causing sleep difficulties as­sociated with aging.
  • 5-HTP– precur­sor to serotonin, supports further melatonin production during the night to help with staying asleep
  • Pyridoxal-5-phospate(activated form of vitamin B6) – helpful in the conversion of 5-HTP to serotonin (5-HT)

Who Should Take Sleep?

Check with your doctor first, but sleep is ideal for those experiencing difficulty getting to sleep, or staying asleep through the night.

Prioritizing sleep is key when we’re stressed and betrayal is certainly a time when stress is extremely high. When we’re well rested, we can then move through all of the other priorities that need our attention. And, with sleep, we’ll move through them more effectively and efficiently.

Dr. Debi
Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute

 

Categories
Growth Health and Wellness

Top Sleep Strategies During Stressful Times

Sleep. It’s one of the last things we’re getting enough of when we’re struggling with a betrayal, shock, or trauma of any kind. All of the painful thoughts, reminders, and triggers that you may have been able to outrun during the day seem to come out in full force at night.

When we’re busy and distracted, we can put these things on the back burner but they seem to show up at night in full force. It’s when the thoughts we’ve been outrunning seem to look to be processed, looked at, dealt with. This is when the “monkey mind” can keep us tired and wired for hours.

Sleep is absolutely essential for the healing process.

It needs to be a priority and it’s not just about the number of hours you’re sleeping, but the quality too. Restful, reparative, and restorative sleep is what’s needed to help us cope, think more clearly, and better move through our experience.

Think about it. Even when you’re not under extreme stress and you haven’t gotten the sleep you needed. You’re on edge, it’s hard to think clearly, and it’s challenging to make wise decisions. So if you’re under the stress of betrayal, shattered trust, or reeling from something you never saw coming, it can be brutal.

It’s important to not only be able to fall asleep, but to stay asleep. Quality melatonin will help you fall asleep and melatonin is also a great antioxidant. So many studies talk about the benefits of melatonin. When there’s also the right support which also includes 5-HTP (which is 5-Hydroxytryptophan), that’s going to help you stay asleep. This also supports serotonin, which is a feel-good neurotransmitter, so it’s going to help with depression too; something common to betrayal as well.

P5P (a natural, most bioavailable form of B6) is also essential. Theanine is a great calming neurotransmitter and GABA (a calming and relaxing neurotransmitter) helps create calm as well. The right biochemicals are also helpful to support the nerves and nervous system; bringing in relaxant properties.

So what can you do to create  a healthy sleep protocol?

Check with your doctor to see if an all-natural, quality sleep supplement would help. It can serve as temporary support at a time when sleep simply isn’t optional.

In addition to support to help create reparative and restorative sleep, it’s also helpful to have a sleep routine and a healthy sleep environment.

Let’s talk about a healthy sleep routine.

For a healthy sleep routine, here’s where you want to create conditions that signal to the body and mind that it’s time to wind down and prepare for a restful night. That means, shutting down all tech way before it is time to sleep. Instead, use that time for something soothing and calming. Take a bath, use calming essential oils, read a book (not one that’ll keep you up and engaged, but a book that’s relaxing), or have some chamomile tea (no caffeine after noon). Through a calming nighttime ritual, you’re letting your body know it’s slowly time to wind down.

A point worth mentioning. Since the thoughts that were able to be put aside during the day come out at night, how do you drown out the sounds and potential images making their way into your mind the minute your head hits the pillow? Of course, these thoughts need to be worked through so avoiding them isn’t the solution. Get support around moving through your experience. But, when they intrude on your sleep, this isn’t the time to do deep, healing work.

So many people I’ve worked with have found that falling to sleep listening to calming music, meditations or an audiobook that helps you feel safe, grounded, and connected can help. What’s also great about this is, instead of marinating on the problem while you sleep, you’re subconsciously helping to reprogram your mind with ideas and concepts more helpful and soothing.

How’s your sleep environment?

Finally, your sleep environment plays a role in restful sleep too. You may think those bright colors, messy room, or cluttered space isn’t vying for your attention…but it is. A cluttered space equals a cluttered mind. Also, those bright colors and other “noise” in your space can be preventing you from the soothing ambiance you need to create a more restful environment.

Whether it’s creating a calming space, restful routine, temporarily supplementing or implementing more healing practices during the day that prevent unprocessed emotions from coming out at night, prioritizing sleep is key to your body, mind, and heart.

Dr. Debi, Founder and CEO, The PBT (Post Betrayal Transformation) Institute