How to Vote Mindfully

Politically charged times can be exciting for many of us.

When participating in political conversations and thinking about choosing the next president, the energy can be quite tangible. Many greet this time with great enthusiasm and vigor. However, if you’re like me, when thinking about the gravity of exercising our right as set forth by the 17th Amendment, you mostly feel anxious, restless, and lost in a sea of political media overload.

As we gear up for another election, we might feel that it is our duty to absorb as many news articles as possible. In our need to define and defend our beliefs as truth, and to feed our need to be shocked and horrified by other people’s views, some of us stay up late into the evenings absorbing information despite our stressed and sleep deprived states. We may know people who collect and respond to political memes and reply to comments on public Facebook posts, getting involved in online arguments with people they’ve never met before.

In politically charged times, we might say and do things that we otherwise wouldn’t have under different situations.

In our never-ending quest for truth, and in our need to shut down others with differing opinions, some of us may willingly create wedges and divisions, and incite arguments with our closest friends and family members. All of these actions and quick reactions accumulate in our minds and bodies. Over time, we may develop mental and physical ailments as a result of our politically-incited behavior.

In a recent survey of 800 people nationwide, many reported significant negative mental and physiological consequences of absorbing too much political media, especially by outlets that present false information or views different from their own. 25% of people reported that politics has led them to “hate” some people, and to “think seriously about moving away from their community.” And, about 15% reported remorse over things said in political conversations or regret about posting political content online.

It’s very difficult to be politically aware and also to be mindful of the damage the search for awareness may be causing. This brings up a question:

How can we define our political viewpoints and cast our votes mindfully while protecting our health in the process?

This is a challenging and nearly impossible feat. The best we can do is conduct ample research, know our options, and stay true to ourselves. If we adequately prepare for the task, and set up boundaries to ward off biased and false information, and pause before reacting to online posts, we will be able to greatly reduce our stress levels and reactive behaviors.

“Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought” - Octavia Butler

Voting can be an open-hearted expression of what we care about. However, in this modern era of ample unreliable sources, how can we defend what we care about if we can’t trust the sources we have access to?

Know that your social feeds are biased, and that most popular news sources are funded by organizations and individuals who want you to think like them. Know that when you type something in an internet search, your query will be auto-completed in a specific way depending on where you are located in the country. Search engines also take into consideration our shopping habits, our political affiliation, and our browsing history (creepy!).

Above all, we need to keep in mind that popular media is always trying to sway our opinions, so it’s best to seek information from several different trustworthy sources.

But what sources can be trusted?

Click on the image to get to Google Advanced Search

When I was teaching research skills to high school students, I answered this question quite a bit. I recommended that when students want to find information that is reliable, reputable, and mostly free from scandal, they use Google Advanced Search, and limit their results to domains such as .edu, .org, or .gov. (But keep in mind, Wikipedia is a .org, and not a reliable source of info since users can edit it.) Surround your search criteria with quotations to limit your results, and then browse from there.

In choosing candidates mindfully, it’s a great idea to refer to government-issued information booklets, as they present facts clearly, without bringing up moral and ethical implications of candidates’ past actions. We can then make an informed choice.

Know that our friends and family will have differing opinions. Instead of jumping straight into defending your position, we can ask them to help us understand: “Help me understand why you support so-and-so.” Voting mindfully involves understanding other opinions. Knowing the reasons behind why your aunt supports an opposing candidate may help you both find a point of connection. Perhaps you’ll realize that you both value safety and security, but have differing ideas on how to meet those needs.

Voting is a private choice, but who we vote for has public consequences. Nelson Mandela famously said that it is in our hands “to create a better world for all who live in it.” Let’s heed his advice, and think about all of those who will be affected positively by our vote. Let’s get rid of our inherent bias towards negative thoughts and election-based apocalyptic thinking. Let’s instead look for the good, which can alleviate stress, ground us in reality, and help us see that no matter what happens, we will persevere.

“Every election is determined by those who show up.” - Larry Sabato

“Showing up” to vote means something a little different this year, as many of us will be able to vote from home due to the ongoing pandemic. Take your ballot to a quiet spot in your house. Breathe, and bring awareness to the task. You’ve done your research, you already know what issues you stand behind. Then, make your choice. Show up for 2020, and vote with the future in mind.

Things You Probably Should Know about the Power of Music

An article about music might seem a bit off-topic for a blog based on slowing down and focusing on the important things in life. However, for me, music is a part of the important things in life!

All of our histories are highlighted by music in some way. Even if you don’t listen to music, and never have, I’m guessing you’ve been exposed to music via advertising, the radio, while browsing the aisles of your local shopping outlets, while dining at a restaurant, and countless other venues.

My history has been fairly rich with the presence of music. As a child, I grew up listening to my dad play guitar and piano, and compose his own music as well. My brothers and I all learned to play the piano. I was a member of a few choirs, and I chose to be in musicals for extra-curricular activities. I also took ballet lessons for a number of years - we were taught to allow the music to move through us, in order to transport our grace and fluidity to the next level.

As I grew older, and reached high school age, my friends and I devoured music on the radio, made mix-tapes, then CD mixes, and drove from the suburbs to downtown Chicago to see our favorite bands play in crowded, smokey venues. In my moody teenage bedroom, I would immerse myself in musical baths of my choice, depending on what mood I wanted to elicit. Its power over me was immense.

I was never without music. I had a Walkman, then a Discman, then an iPod, and now I can get music anytime on my smartphone. Music has always ornamented my life, highlighting certain moments, making some more memorable than others. Music, to me, is almost synonymous with memory. In fact, to process music, the brain uses the same processing technique as emotion and memory. 

Trying to remember how to play piano, Dad’s house, 2016

I listen to music less often now, but when I do, I still feel its effects, perhaps just as potently as I did when I was young. 

We humans have always sought music and art to express ourselves. By playing music, we celebrate life, we honor the future, and we mourn what has been lost. Music invokes memories from the past, transports us to different times and places, and makes us feel incredible joy. According to neurologist Oliver Sacks, “Music imprints itself on the brain deeper than any other human experience.”

Music is so influential that it has purportedly brought up birth weights in premature infants, elicited positive effects on plant growth, and aided in the recovery of patients suffering from brain damages. Music has also been documented in boosting performance in sports, improving literacy scores, and helping patients recover from heart attacks. 

Music is clearly exceptionally powerful. 

However, in addition to boosting our mental and physical health on many levels, music can also bring about negative outcomes, such as profound sadness, over-stimulation, hearing loss, memory triggering, emotional flooding, and distress. For example, studies have shown that music can create false memories, confusion, and anxiety in dementia patients who are hoping to recall their lost selves. Music’s adverse effects can multiply and snowball into potentially serious psychological and physical distress, depending on preexisting conditions.

Warped Tour, 1999

As a teenager and through my early 20s, I often used music as a way to escape instead of face reality. Music had a way of altering my mindset, causing me to view both the world and my place in it much differently. The music I chose to listen to, coupled with the circumstances surrounding my consumption of the music, may have had a role in some of the choices I made at the time.

Music has a way of putting us under a spell and forcing us to move against our wills. This can be clearly seen in the very young and also very old. Studies on older infants and toddlers show that when little kiddos hear music, they start to wiggle around and “dance,” as though moved by an unseen force. This also happens to the elderly, as seen in dementia patients, showing that music can make people say or do things that have no relation to reality.

Advertisers have been using music’s powerful effects to their advantage for decades. The familiarity of a song can have powerful sway over consumer behavior. Marketing and advertising firms (and other institutions that use music to rouse an audience) are very successful in eliciting a desired emotional response, and they are very aware of the type of music that might create it. For example, they know that certain major or minor key tunes can manipulate emotion:

“Different melodies, chords, or key changes in songs can elicit responses. For example, strings playing short and sharp notes in a major key were found to elicit feelings of happiness and excitement in 87% of respondents. Meanwhile, a shift from major to minor keys provoked a sense of sadness or melancholy in 83%, and 90% found acoustic guitar sounds to be caring, calm and sophisticated.”

From “Science of Sound: How music makes advertising more memorable”

Part of living mindfully is being a mindful about what we expose ourselves to. In addition to being aware of the effects of “too much” in terms of our digital lives, our possessions, our schedules, and our mental loads, we should also be aware of music’s powerful effects.

Music can wield incredible power over our minds, bodies, and emotions. To quote Stan Lee from Spider Man: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This power can do wonderful, beautiful things. Music has the wonderful ability of accentuating and enlivening our days, providing richness to our earthly experience, and ornamenting our realities, but we need to be aware that music’s power does not always work in our favor, and can actually bring about negative effects.

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I’m not a music scientist, nor am I a licensed psychologist, so the opinions above are my own, highlighted by research I’ve done. I personally find the effects of music to be very fascinating. What about you? What is your personal history with music? I’d love to hear what you think about any of this, or if you can add to the discussion. Please leave a comment below or email me at ali.everthrive@gmail.com

Packing a Life: A Study in the Benefits of Minimalism

What are we really doing when we pack our things in order to move someplace else?

The phrase "pack our things" seems so simple and straightforward. Monosyllabic. Three words. Action and results oriented. However, these words entail something much more than putting items into boxes. These words involve confronting the past, and setting a new course for the future. 

In June of 2017, I officially moved from Chicago, Illinois to Fort Collins, Colorado. Moving myself physically was fairly undemanding: I packed some suitcases, boxes, plants, and a few other miscellaneous items into my small hatchback before my dog Chauncey hopped into the passenger's seat with his tennis ball. I left Chicago at 4:30 a.m., and drove away from the rising sun. I arrived at 7:20 p.m. just as the last rays of light waved goodbye beyond the foothills. Having arrived six weeks prior, Josh waited for me in the driveway, welcoming me into our new life. As I mentioned, the moving itself was easy. I simply drove from point A to point B. However, the work done to make this move happen was a bit more calculated.

“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” - Marie Kondo

When Josh and I were in the midst of dating, we sat together and discussed: what kind of life do we want? The answer to that question was easy. We want a simple life, an unencumbered life. A life where we are not held back by the physical and mental clutter of "things." In order to achieve our goal, we have to allow ourselves to let go of the sentimental material goods from the past, therefore creating space for a more fulfilling emotional life for our future. Eliminating the excess is important so that we can move into the space beyond. The space where we will live should be a place for nurturing the people we are becoming, instead of a feeding area for the spirits of the past. 

Packing and moving presents a special opportunity to evaluate our past lives, giving us a chance to shape the future.

Before the real packing began, Josh and I went from room to room, contemplating each and every item we owned. We've been living together for two years, so by now his possessions have become my possessions and vice versa. In turn, we carefully considered each piece of artwork, each kitchen accessory, each pair of sheets, and each clothing item.

We consciously evaluated our stuff using our own version of the Marie Kondo method: does this item make us happy? Has it proven useful to us over the past year? Will this item have a purpose and place in our new lives? Have I worn that dress during the last six months? Will he ever wear that t-shirt again? We queried what we owned by thinking about the life we wanted to share together. If the items didn’t make the cut, we donated or sold them, making even more room for “everything that remains” (The Minimalists).

Chauncey made the cut :-)

It is interesting to think about the action of packing and moving a life. The process involves just as much physical labor as it does mental labor. Packing and moving can be stressful and irritating, and people usually loathe the thought of moving.

Taking the time to donate or sell unwanted items can really be annoying and laborious. However, behind every stressful, irritating cloud there exists a silver lining.

By donating or selling our unwanted belongings, we’re getting rid of stuff that takes up unnecessary mental space and physical space.

We had a multi-family garage sale to get rid of a lot of our things. Took a lot of time and energy, but ultimately it was a success.

These extra belongings would therefore be taking up our time, and preventing us from living the best lives we can possibly live. Stuff is meant to serve us, not the other way around. Our boxes of carefully chosen belongings will continue to serve us in another location.

Another benefit to downsizing is that it’s a great opportunity for reflection. Contemplating the things we own and deciding which things deserve to be carefully concealed with paper and securely packed into a box allows us to revisit the past. The process is similar to turning the pages of the book of life: reflecting on bygone days while preparing for the future. When considered out of context, our boxes stacked the garage, ready to be "Tetris-ed" into our POD, are a snapshot in time. These boxes are a representation of who we are now, and a harbinger of who we will become. 

When we packed our lives, we examined our inner selves, completing a rite-of-passage into our new life together.  

Looking to the future.

After arriving in Fort Collins, we were able to revisit our belongings with a renewed sense of purpose. Each item that survived our selection process and arrived unscathed be the journey from Chicago to Colorado was integrated into our new home. However, just because our things made the cut doesn’t mean they are kept around indefinitely. As evolving minimalists, we try to incorporate decluttering and downsizing all year long. This habit keeps us future-minded. By clearing away the excess, we can truly focus on what is important in our lives.

“Minimalism is about getting rid of life’s excess in favor of the essential” - Joshua Fields Millburn

Breaking News: Phones Don't Deliver Actual Human Connection

In the four months we’ve been “Safer at Home,” I’ve been using my phone much more often than I previously allowed myself. Text messages, Instagram Direct Messages, FaceBook comments, Messenger notifications, WhatsApp...I get little dopamine boosts from all of that. And I feel that familiar deflated loneliness after checking all my sources and there’s nothing left. As a self-proclaimed digital minimal-ish person, my overuse of technology feels very hypocritical. 

I’ve done all I can to limit my digital exposure already: I only follow immediate family and very close friends on Facebook, I’ve muted most Instagram stories, and I maintain strict “Do Not Disturb Hours.” Despite these measures, I feel the siren call of my phone more than ever.

“Dancers,” Denver’s Performing Arts Sculpture Park (Cornish, 2016)

We reach for human connection, but we’re really just reaching for tiny computers with cameras.

The desire for human connection is so powerful that I’ve become confused. I reach for my phone to fulfill my need to authentically connect with people. But, I’m really just reaching for a sophisticated, tiny computer with a camera.

While seeking freedom from society and conformity, Christopher McCandless came to the realization that "happiness is only real when shared."

But, what happens when we’re not able to physically share our lives with our loved ones? I’m not alone in my reliance on social media and text messages to replace my need for actual human connection. 

It’s a very human trait to seek other people to share our lives with. Eventually the COVID-19 pandemic will subside and we’ll be left to deal with the aftermath. But, there’s also the question of how we’re coping in the meantime.

As we continue to reach for authentic human connection via our phones, we’re doing prolonged damage to our bodies and minds, as well as and setting up poor digital habits for the future.

Who should we give our hearts to? Our phones or our friends? Street art, Denver (Cornish, 2016)

More than ever, we’re personifying our cellular devices.

We go to them, we coddle them, and we carefully bathe them in disinfectant. We reach in our pockets and purses just to feel the hope of future connections. We personalize their voices, ringtones, alerts, and notifications so that they reflect our personalities. Some of us tuck our phones in at night, happily laying them next to us on our pillows, unaware of the harm that we might be unintentionally doing to ourselves. 

Did you know that 71% of Americans sleep with or sleep next to their phones? And, when you look at the younger generations, the percentage can be up to 90%? Why?

1. Many people (myself included) don’t have an external alarm clock - we use our phones. So, it’s convenient to have them next to the bed so we can turn them off in the morning. 

2. Phones and mobile devices are also used for entertainment before bed. Many people read on their phones, catch up on the news or social media, or watch videos before bed. 

3. Lots of people like the comfort of their nearby devices to fill an unconscious need for connection, and to deflect the dreaded Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). The idea here is, if our phones are out of the room, we might miss something! Even while we are sleeping!

4. Many may suffer from actual cell-phone addiction. Often referred to as “problematic mobile phone use,” cell-phone addiction is similar to other addictions such as gambling, shopping, or video-game addiction. This can lead to some really severe consequences.

Applications on our mobile devices fool us into thinking that they are delivering actual human connection.

There hasn’t been enough time to study long term effects of phone use, since “smart phones” haven’t been around for long enough. 

What studies have shown, however, is that phones emit electromagnetic radiation, or EMF, along with several other sources of radiation. Cell signals, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS all emit subtle radiation from our phones.

For these reasons, it’s not a great idea to sleep with your phone. If there is some truth to these recent studies, it’s best that we shield ourselves from these harmful things as much as possible. But, if you must sleep near your phone, please turn your phone to airplane mode. This greatly reduces and may even eliminate the signals coming from our phones.

Use airplane mode to reduce distractions and harmful radiation

Control your phone; don’t let it control you. 

If you, like me, are feeling powerless to the lure of your device, don’t beat yourself up. It’s a weird time. But, do take certain measures to make sure you rely on healthy methods of connection.

How to take back control of your device:

1. Keep your phone on silent when you don’t need to use it.

2. Enable Do Not Disturb Mode for evening hours.

3. Make use of Airplane Mode even when you’re not on an airplane. This saves battery and reduces harm to our minds and bodies.

4. If you have it, enable Nighttime Mode to reduce blue light exposure. The idea here is that exposing ourselves to too much blue light can adversely effect sleep.

5. Choose to read a book instead of using a phone before bed. Screens block melatonin secretion. Melatonin is a hormone essential for sleep. When we use our phones before bed, we don't feel tired; instead, we feel activated and awake. Our quality of sleep can be improved when we choose to do something else other than reach for our phones.

6. Seek out fulfilling ways to connect with family and friends. We can set up a socially-distanced get together in an outdoor space; we could use the “phone” capability of our phones to actually call family and friends instead of text messaging. We can also schedule video calls at a time when blue light exposure won’t mess with sleep; or, we can create and send handwritten letters or little care packages to loved ones: it’s a great way to maintain and rejuvenate important relationships.

Street art, Wicker Park Chicago (Cornish, 2009)

Gaining control of our devices can help us connect with the important things in life.

Putting boundaries in place between ourselves and technology can enhance our productivity, (re)build our faculties of concentration, strengthen the important relationships in our lives, and improve our overall well-being and health.

Have you been reaching for your phone a lot more during the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, how have you been able to find a middle ground? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment below or share via email at ali.everthrive@gmail.com.

With gratitude always,

Ali

My Holistic Escape From Chronic Pain

Anklylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis causing inflammation around the spine, attacking the bones and joints, and can affect the arms and legs as well. AS also causes inflammation in the skin, intestines, and eyes. Symptoms of AS include lower back pain, overall body stiffness, sciatica, and joint pain. Over time, the spine can fuse together, and many sufferers develop a hunched-over appearance.

There is no cure.

I was diagnosed with AS in 2016. Since it’s so difficult to diagnose, I had to suffer with its symptoms since 2011.

Why might I be writing about health for a website focused on mindful, simple living? Where does my experience with AS fit in with Everthrive?

Well, here’s the short answer. Part of living mindfully is choosing what I expose myself to. I’ve found that by being mindful about diet, stress management, simple living, and moderate exercise, my AS has gone into remission.

But I didn’t figure this out right away. I had to experience years of juggling pain medications, steroids, and injecting harsh chemicals into my upper thigh. I dealt with bouts of immobility. There were times where my legs gave out from under me. Sometimes I just gave up midway down the stairs and would cry. There was hopelessness, anger, depression, shingles outbreaks and panic attacks.

If you’d like to continue reading, here is my AS story.

A selfie from Arlington High School, where I taught 10th, 11th, and 12th grade English and Literature.

In 2011, I was teaching high school English in Arlington, Massachusetts. After school, I helped coach our cross country team, and I ran with the team daily. I was 28, and I loved my life and my job.

It was about this time when I started experiencing shooting pains down my legs. Sometimes the pain would be in the right leg. Other times the left leg. It came and went. I started doing more stretches pre and post run, but my efforts were fruitless. I gave in and saw a doctor, who reprimanded me for trying to keep up with 14-year-old runners. She gave me some pain killers, and I went on my way.

Limping became normal for me. I became skilled at hiding it. Sometimes the pain would subside for weeks, other times it was a daily issue. I learned to live with it.

Then, on a spring break trip to New York City, my left eye became very red and watery, and very sensitive to the light. I assumed I had scratched it while taking my contacts out, or perhaps it was seasonal allergies. I purchased Visine, allergy drops, and saline drops, and applied them every hour or so. The sights of NYC were blurry and distorted. I had to wear sunglasses even indoors. When I returned, I promptly went to an ophthalmologist who diagnosed me with iritis (inflammation of the iris). She gave me milky-colored steroid drops to use every 2 hours, and suggested I get a blood test also, “to be safe.” I disregarded this last bit of advice, and went on with my life. My eye healed, and I was only hobbling sometimes. 

Then, in 2013, after moving back to the Chicago area, I got the eye infection again. I knew exactly what to do; I got the drops, and again the doctor suggested a blood test “to rule out lupus, among other autoimmune diseases.” I disregarded this advice for a second time. I was healthy. I ate a balanced diet. I did Pilates twice a week and walked my dog to and from the beach every day. I went hiking and backpacking occasionally. I was on my feet all day teaching. I consistently ran 3-5 miles at a time. I felt like I was in the best shape of my life, besides my continuous hobbling, intermittent sciatica, and lower back pain.

Fast forward to 2015, and I got iritis again.

And, in April 2016 the pain in my legs got much worse. I could barely walk. I would take a step and then my leg would buckle underneath me. I couldn’t sit for very long because the pain in my lower back was so severe, and would radiate down one leg or the other, depending on the day.

The pain was infuriating and random. Every morning I woke up paralyzed with stiffness. I would roll out of bed like a feeble 90-year-old woman and shuffle to the bathroom. I couldn’t lift my legs to put on underwear or jeans. I couldn’t bend over to put on my shoes. I had to swivel my body in and out of the car. I quit Pilates. There was a short period of time where I was completely immobile. Laying down was painful, but walking was much more painful.

At my lowest point, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to walk down the isle to marry my husband on June 11, 2016. How would that look? Would Josh have to carry me?

I did a lot of blaming. I blamed my condition on my activity level. I blamed it on my desk chair. I blamed it on a so-called inflamed disk that an MRI revealed. I blamed it on that one time I slipped on ice and bruised my tailbone. I blamed it on my mattress. But, the pain and immobility and stiffness seemed so much worse than it should be for those things. I had nothing left to blame, so I cried.

I began seeing many doctors, and one of them recommended physical therapy to correct my inflamed disk, so I went every day for 4 weeks. The exercises my PT taught me seemed to help. Slowly I regained mobility, but not without the help painkillers and steroids. 

I was able to walk down the aisle and marry my best friend in the wedding of our dreams, but by the end of the perfect evening, I was having trouble walking. 

Loving my husband. Smiling through the pain.

I thought, enough is enough. Maybe I should see if there something more causing this pain; some invisible condition attacking my body. I went ahead and got the blood work that each and every ophthalmologist had recommended to me.

The results came back. A protein called HLA-B27 was found on my white blood cells. HLA proteins help the body's immune system tell the difference between its own cells and foreign, harmful substances. If you have HLA-B27 on your white blood cells, you might have an autoimmune disease. Another MRI was ordered, and I was sent to a rheumatologist to go over those results.

He showed me an image of my deteriorating pubic bone, and told me very matter-of-factly that I had ankylosing spondylitis, a disease that could never be cured, and I’d be managing it my whole life. 

I drove home 45 minutes oscillating between despair and anger and feeling that my life was over. 

They told me I had to take medicine every day for the rest of my life.

The first pill I was prescribed was meloxicam, a drug that reduces pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints. It also increases the risk of “severe stomach pain, black tarry stools, vomiting of blood or material that looks like coffee grounds, skin rash, swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs.” (Mayo Clinic)

Regardless of these side effects, I took this pill for one year, until Josh and I decided to start trying to have a baby.

Upon learning that meloxicam could also lead to spontaneous abortion, I stopped taking it, and I started taking Humera. I was told that it was mostly safe for pregnancy, but could also lead to serious infections and lymphoma, among other cancers. I gingerly agreed to take this, as I felt there was no other choice.

Humera comes through the mail, in a styrofoam cooler, and I had to inject it into my thigh. The first time I tried this, I was at my rheumatologist’s office. After I clicked the mechanism that jolted the cold medication into my bloodstream, I slowly lost touch with my surroundings. The nurse, the chair, and the paintings on the wall gradually pixelated into a white oblivion. I almost passed out. The paramedics were called - they thought I was going into anaphylactic shock, and so did I - but the episode passed, and was reduced to a panic attack.

Red flag heeded. I decided to seek out alternative methods of managing my disease. I began seeing a naturopathic doctor.

The office was more like a spa than a hospital. The air was imbued with essential oils, greenery cascaded from the ceiling, and there was even a waterfall.

After providing evidence and explaining my “situation,” the naturopath persuaded me to take a food sensitivity test, as well as a stool analysis. I basically had to collect my poo and send samples to the lab for 5 consecutive days, which was a bit strange as I was working as a teacher at the time and had to poop in a public bathroom into red-check paper hot dog trays.

The tests were revelatory. I was highly sensitive to eggs, cow dairy products, almonds, quinoa, and hazelnuts. All of these foods increased the inflammatory response in my body significantly. As a constant consumer of these specific foods, I was at a loss. What would I eat?

The naturopath also reminded me of the mind-body connection to illness. Stress is a large factor in setting off inflammatory responses. I would also need to identify and reduce as much stress as possible, and put up more barriers between myself and possible stressors.

Since my visits with the naturopath, I’ve learned so much about food and diet. There are certain foods can help fight inflammation and ease symptoms like joint pain and stiffness, and there are other foods that will most likely lead to joint pain and stiffness. (Every Day Health)

In addition to eliminating almonds, cow dairy, eggs, hazelnuts, and quinoa whenever possible, I’ve also been avoiding most processed and fried foods. I’ve lowered my inflammatory threshold considerably, and, in addition to managing stress, living mindfully, and making sure to exercise moderately, I feel I have a pretty firm grasp on how to manage my pain.

My AS has been in remission ever since I began taking a holistic approach to my health.

I’ve been without severe pain for years, and I haven’t taken medication to treat AS since August, 2017. I was really worried that my son would “break my deteriorating pelvis” when he was born, but we both emerged intact after a non-medicated birth.

Since I’m in remission, I’m often tempted to stray from my diet. When this happens, I remind myself of all the times I suffered with incredible pain, and I’m quickly convinced to stick to my mostly plant-based diet, high in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Avoiding stress is the hard part of pain management. Stress can come at us in so many different ways and forms! When non-life threatening stressors invade my life, I try to step back and think about how I can control my own response to stressors. I have the choice to worry, react, confront, ruminate, or otherwise negatively react. I can also choose to deal quickly and efficiently with the stressors, so that they go away. I consciously choose to focus on the present, and I try not to allow my mind to drift into concerns about the past or the future. Of course, this is a lot easier said than done.

I’ll never take my “pain free” life for granted. I’m so thankful for each day I can sleep through the night without pain. I can walk without fear of falling. I can run again. I can pick up my 2-year-old son, spin him around, and chase him around the yard when he wants to “run fast, Momma!” I can dance with my husband to our favorite songs. I can mow the lawn. I can walk through the grocery store and lift heavy bags from my car to the kitchen. All of these are so simple, and yet many people cannot do even the basic tasks due to chronic pain.

My husband Josh, our son Miles (26 months), and a pain-free Momma.

So, there you have it. My AS story. It’s personal to me, and I know that countless others have suffered much worse than I.

I am lucky I am able to manage holistically, but many people still need the extra help of medication to get them through the day.

Do you have experience with chronic pain? How are you able to manage it? I’d love to hear your story. If you feel comfortable, you can comment below, or send an email to ali.everthrive@gmail.com

With gratitude,

Ali

How to be a minimalist (podcast)

I am so grateful to have been a guest on The Imperfect Millennials Podcast today. In this episode about minimalism, I share a little about my ongoing minimalist journey. I also give a few tips and tricks, and provide resources to help those seeking a simpler, more minimal way of living.

The Imperfect Millennials Podcast produces a new episode each week geared towards millennial listeners looking to balance all the important things in life: health, work, relationships and spirituality. Sisters Katy and Mona, who happen to be childhood friends of mine, share tips, hacks, and experiences navigating millennial living. If you enjoy podcasts, and are interested in living a more meaningful and authentic life, please give the Imperfect Millennials a listen.

Today is Your Birthday!

Today is your birthday! A day for just you. Return to bed, binge on Netflix, or scroll through your phone for an hour or two!

Today is your birthday. “Me, myself, and I!” Shout it from the rooftops, really, don’t be shy!

Today is your birthday. You can eat whatever you want! Bake up some donuts and post pics on Instagram. It’s all about the flaunt.

Today is your birthday. The mantra: “It’s all about me!” Thank goodness for Amazon Prime, the mall, and Anthropologie!

Today is your birthday. Friends better to post on your wall. Better yet, why not share a selfie; humblebrag to remind them all?

Today is your birthday. Gonna treat yo’self all day. So many presents, too many even for Santa’s sleigh!

Today is your birthday. Start celebrating at once! But wait, why do you just get one day? Can’t it be your week, or your month?

Yes, our culture dictates that it’s our birthday all the time. And really, constant birthdays aren’t supreme or sublime.

Having cake every day makes it less special, making cake meaningless, as they say.

Our “Self-Care” / “Treat Yo’Self” generation reinforces privilege and demoralization, throwing self-control out the door.

“Self-Care” should be a time for moderation, contemplation, and gratitude. That’s what it’s for!

So if every day is “Birthday!”, we should take more time to care. For ourselves and our loved ones. Be moderate and self-aware.

And if today is really your birthday, you can of course have cake, and be sure to share!

But if every day is a birthday, why not turn inward, and take a look at what’s really there?