Healing.

First of all, your encouragement after the last post has been such a gift. Thank you. I was hesitant to share it with the world, but am so grateful for your kind, heartfelt responses.

I'm now a month out from the miscarriage, and I thought I'd share a few things that have helped me to heal both physically and mentally. Perhaps you or a friend is dealing with recovery even now. Maybe you'll file this away for the future. In any case, I hope it's helpful.

In the first week after the D&C, I just felt off. I'm not sure how else to describe it. I could cry at the drop of a hat, and my energy levels were so labile. I know that much of this was due to very expected hormone shifts - after all, they're the same hormones that kick in when you've just had a baby.

So to try to get back to my physical and emotional baseline, I started with Whole 30. Basically, it's a 30-day clean eating diet that acts as a reset for your body and mind. You can eat as many vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats as you'd like. What it doesn't include - grains, dairy, sugar, soy, legumes - feels overwhelming at first. But it's only 30 days. You can do anything for 30 days! I didn't set out to lose weight on the diet, but just to feel better emotionally and mentally. I have about 9 more days to go, and feel really good as a result. My skin is clearer, my mind is sharper, and my energy levels are higher throughout the day. I can especially tell at the end of a 12-hour shift at the hospital that I'm not just a puddle on the floor, and that in itself is a miracle. If you want to find out more, read up on Whole30.com.

Essential oils. I have enjoyed dabbling in essential oils for the past year or two, using them to make homemade cleaning supplies and diffusing them in our home. But it wasn't until my sister's mother-in-law sent several samples of "emotional blends" that I was hooked. My main go-to has been to dab a couple drops of Balance on my wrists, and add a couples of Wild Orange. I take some deep breaths and inhale the scent from time to time and it makes me feel balanced and energized and lifts my mood. I also like to diffuse them in that combination. I may do another post on oils sometime soon... I never thought I'd jump on the oils bandwagon, but now there are about 5 or 6 oils that are part of our daily routine. We've really been helped by them.

Magnesium. Just after the miscarriage, I noticed a lot of anxiety. Specifically, I would break out in a cold sweat thinking about getting on a plane the following week with my daughter. I've flown all my life and have gotten a lot better about my fear of flying in the past few years, so this came somewhat out of the blue. Anyway, did you know that there's a connection between anxiety and magnesium deficiency? And did you know that most of us are deficient in magnesium? And experiencing stress causes you to lose even more magnesium? There are plenty of articles about magnesium deficiency and its relation to mental and physical health (I liked this one and this one, for starters). So I started taking a daily magnesium supplement (this one from Amazon) and my anxiety and stress level has truly calmed.

Please hear me say loud and clear that there's no healer like Jesus. Time spent with Him and in His Word is irreplaceable and unsurpassable and the only thing that will bring true healing. This post is mostly centered on the tangible, practical things that He has brought into my path to help bring that much needed healing.