Day 16: Overcoming obstacles

I would say one of the biggest obstacles I've had to overcome in my life so far (other than my parent's divorce, and learning to be a well-adjusted human being despite my lack of a father growing up) has pertained to my health.

In high school I was diagnosed with depression, and then anxiety disorder (the anxiety was causing the depression, which is pretty common) after test driving a few medications, including Zoloft, before finding one that worked. I was on the anxiety medication (I can't remember what it's called now, it was so long ago) for over three years.

Now, if you know anything about prescription drugs, especially ones that alter chemicals in the brain, you'll know that they should only be taken as needed for short periods of time; as in, a few months. This is because these drugs wreak havoc on your liver, which is the storage unit of your body, and storing prescription drugs for more than those few months can turn hazardous (everything in the body is a revolving circle; everything effects everything else).

Shortly into college—probably close to a year into taking the medication—I started having problems digesting dairy. I knew dairy was the main culprit because ice cream had the worst side effects. I went to numerous specialists including a kinesiologist, who told me my liver was highly toxic. This really made me realize how long I’d been on medication (and had since been on others including Lipitor). So I went off the medication on my own over the course of a few months.

In addition to turning lactose intolerant, from my senior year of high school and through college, I also gained 30 pounds, had supposedly developed asthma (right around the time my boyfriend broke up with me my senior year) and was on medication for that, and my skin broke out in rashes when I got too hot or my skin came into contact with any kind of irritant.

(As a side note: I never had asthma. I discovered on my own years after going off any inhalers for asthma that I was actually having panic attacks. Very similar symptoms, I'll give you that, but that just goes to show how much Doctors really know. And my skin rashes went away years ago when I started dealing with all of the emotional stress I went through over my breakup, my weight-gain, going to college, and many other things I won't even get into. Funny how our emotions that we've been ignoring finally break out and give us a wakeup call. Well, not that funny.)

None of this is a list I have of complaints for my life. I have simply come to realize very recently that every single one of these symptoms I had over the last decade could all be linked back to the medication and the condition of my liver.

This all came to light because I did a cleanse last month, which reminded me (at least I'm an addict who's past the stage of denial) how much sugar I consume on a daily basis and how hard it is for me to stop eating it. I am addicted to sugar. Chocolate is my brand of heroine. It has become the ongoing evil nemesis to my liver and health. Or maybe I shouldn't be blaming the sugar. Perhaps the blame lies with my self-control, or lack thereof. I don't know.

What I do know is this:

More and more knowledgable, influential people are starting to realize that sugar is making this country sick. It is causing cancer, and obesity, and it is killing us. If you don't believe me, or think it's silly that something as "child-like" or "innocent" as sugar could be dangerous, then listen to this:



(For more on sugar, and where I found this video to begin with, visit Meg Fee)

I suppose what I have admitted thus far is that I have an addiction, and that is my "lot in life". I do believe that everything that has led me to this point has made me who I am; a stronger, more intelligent, more aware, more capable human being. What am I doing to overcome this?

Well, that is a whole other topic, but is banning sugar everywhere I go in my daily life too much to ask?

I guess that would be a bit dramatic. I suppose learning self-control would be a good place to start. Or going here. Nothing like going cold-turkey to kick an addiction.

Spring cleansing

Image via pinterest

Whenever April comes around, it really begins to feel like spring. Or is that just me? Everyone's been talking about spring cleaning and really kicking their New Year's resolutions into gear. I'm doing a 10 day cleanse starting today, hoping to feel a little better on the inside. It's always good to clean things out after a while.

My mom and I moved recently and we're still getting our apartment in order. I wish it was a house, but we can't have everything, now can we? The walls were just painted a fresh, warm cream color (as opposed to the blah neutral-green color it was. I like to refer to it as phlegm green, it was that gross. Seriously, what are people thinking when they paint rentals?!), and we're starting to put up art and pictures. We always make the places we live feel like home even if we only stay a few years or less. (Really, I've moved about 21 times now in my short 28 years.)

What are you doing to cleanse for spring?


P.S. I'm missing the beach already- I moved to Moorpark.

Save the Arctic with Greenpeace

image via greenpeace

Last month, I was leaving Trader Joe's in Agoura Hills when I was stopped by a woman who said, “Help save the dolphins.” This woman was a representative of Greenpeace and there wasn’t anything she could have said that would have captured my attention faster or more fully than those four words. 

I’ve lived on the beach most of my life, so it's only natural that I've taken a strong interest in the well being of our oceans and the life they sustain. If our oceans are suffering, we are suffering. Not only does Greenpeace focus its efforts on sustaining our oceans, but also our planet as a whole and that really appealed to me. 

Their main focus at the moment is on the Arctic, which is being threatened by the oil companies. The debate of whether or not to drill in the Arctic has been raging for some time now, but Greenpeace is taking drastic action now that Shell has sent out a fleet of ships to the Arctic in the hopes of drilling for the mere possibility of three years worth of oil. With the inevitable threat of an oil spill, this would only mean disaster for every inhabitant of the Arctic and our planet as well. I've been following Greenpeace on Facebook this month where they've been posting about their representatives that are in the Arctic taking action against Shell and other drilling companies.

To learn more about the why conserving the fragile balance of the Arctic is so important visit savetheartic.org and join over 1.7 million (and growing) others in signing a petition to declare a global sanctuary in the Arctic, which will ban oiling drilling and industrial fishing in the Arctic. Their goal is 2 million signatures, so they're so close to reaching their goal!

For more information on this issue and many others, including how to take action for our planet in your area, visit greenpeace.org.

P.S. I originally posted almost the same post for my new job's blog. Hopefully, I'll be contributing more posts to their blog as well.

Skin Care

About two years ago I got a facial at a day spa on Main St. in Ventura called Cara Mia. I enjoyed my experience there so much my mom bought  me a second facial for Christmas. The aesthetician who gave me my facials, Kezia, is also the owner, and she gave me a lot of insight into my skin and to skin in general.

I think one of the best things I learned from her is that the neck is part of your face, and most people neglect it, myself included. Another thing about my skin was I didn't realize how easily the skin on your face can become dehydrated (not dry; this is different. If your skin is dry it will have a tendency to get oily because it's trying to compensate. If this sounds like your skin, you need more moisturizer). Even with the amounts of water I drink, which I consider to be more than the average person, my skin was still dehydrated. So I've started drinking a glass of water in the morning when I wake up. It's a good way to start the day.

Cara Mia Spa

After I got my facial I went back about a week later to get a free makeover as a promotion for Valentine's Day. Isn't it so fun to have someone else do your makeup?! If you've never received a makeover I strongly suggest finding out where you can get one for free, just for the fun of it. I was once walking through Macy's makeup department and they stopped me to give me a makeover. (Although, department stores will pressure you to buy their product when they're finished, just so you're forewarned.)

My makeup looked amazing! It completely transformed my face. I'm bummed I didn't think to take before and after photos so I could show you. What I love most about their products is that they are all formulated by Cara Mia (at least the products with the Cara Mia label; they do carry other lines as well) with natural, organic ingredients. I bought some of the concealer and tinted moisturizer, which I recommend in general instead of foundation, especially if you're more comfortable with less makeup. I've been using the makeup for a few weeks now and I absolutely love it!

Highly Sensitive

I had to take a break from my writing today to share this article with you from the new December issue of Marie Claire magazine. First off, you must read the magazine just for Emma Watson. She is absolutely fantastic and I'm completely jealous of her new short hair. If I could wear mine that short, I would.

But more importantly, at the end of the magazine there is an article about HSP a new group being classified as "Highly Sensitive People". At first, when I saw "HSP" I started laughing. People will give anything a name nowadays just so they can make a pill for it and make money giving people bandaids instead of real solutions to their problems. But then I started reading the article and I started crying (in case I needed more proof I am indeed one of these people) when I realized that I was reading about myself. I won't go on trying to explain what I'm talking about. Just go here and let the author of the article explain it for you.

And just to give you an idea of the degree to which I fit into this category, I took the quiz and answered an absolute True to all 23 questions.

P.S. And the excerpt from Portia de Rossi's new book, read that too. I'll be buying that book.

Lovely relaxing Spa weekend

So this will be my last post this week (I know, I've been slacking this week, but I've been writing my story instead so it's a good thing), unless I feel up to posting my pictures for the week on Sunday, but I'll be going to visit my Aunt in Temecula with my mom from Friday until Sunday. I'm very excited to see her. We haven't seen her since last September when her son got married (my cousin Bret. See that post here; apparently, I never did a part 2 lol).

Anyway, we're planning on seeing Robin Hood at the theater on Friday and then going to the Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa in Corona on Saturday and I'm sure we'll be eating a lot of food and pigging out as we usually do when we visit my Aunt. I can't wait!

Also, I'm extremely excited to have my best friend and fellow blogger, Angela, over tonight. We haven't seen each other in four months and I haven't seen any of my friends from LA since I moved back to Oxnard and I haven't been happy about that at all. And we'll be watching the 2 hour season finale of Grey's Anatomy along with my mom at 9p. This all just makes today the best day ever, not to mention an awesome start to the best weekend ever!

I went looking for a Grey's Anatomy picture and found some really good ones (the last two are really making me miss Burke, but isn't that last one just great?!):

I wish you all a happy weekend! What will you be up to?