What getting shingles taught me about self-care & taking my own advice.

Plus the 5 things I prioritized to help my body heal.

Just a year ago, I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and struggling with hormone imbalances. I even got shingles…

Yep, as a functional nutritionist with her master’s degree who helps women heal daily, it was a humbling experience and the irony was not lost on me. But it was also the wake-up call I didn’t know I needed.

This experience forced me to completely shift how I viewed and approached my well-being, a journey of self-discovery and rediscovering the wisdom I already possessed, but shoved to the side due to all things life and motherhood.

When perfectionism gets the best of you.

Shingles, for those who haven't experienced it, is a painful viral infection that causes a blistering rash. (Mine was all along the left-side bra line.) It's caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, which can happen when your immune system is weakened, often due to stress. And let me tell you, stress was my middle name even though I didn’t acknowledge it at the time.

As a business owner and toddler mom, life was a whirlwind of work, family, never-ending to-do lists, and wanting to do everything 110%.

I was constantly putting everyone else's needs before my own, neglecting my own well-being in the process. My food choices were decent (a non-negotiable of mine), but I was skipping meals, my sleep wasn’t restful, and I was working out way too hard at our new Lifetime with HIIT and cardio kickboxing classes 5+ times every week. Leena was also a semester into her first year of preK and bringing home every virus known to man which kept me in a constant state of sickness. Sound familiar?

The shingles outbreak was a wake-up call. It forced me to slow down, re-evaluate my priorities, and finally take my own advice.

Here’s the thing — True wellness isn’t just about knowing the right things to do; it’s about actually doing them. It’s about bridging the gap between knowledge and action, a gap I had inadvertently widened while focusing on everyone else.

Knowledge and doing are two different things.

They say the cobbler's children have no shoes, and I, the nutritionist, was neglecting my own nourishment – not just in terms of nutrition, but in all aspects of my well-being.

I had spent years studying the intricacies of the human body, the impact of stress on our hormones, the importance of gut health, and the power of lifestyle choices. I could rattle off the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, explain the gut-brain connection, and create personalized nutrition plans with ease. But when it came to applying that knowledge to my own life, I was failing.

It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of daily life, especially when you're juggling multiple roles and responsibilities. We become experts at taking care of others, but often neglect our own needs. I was so focused on helping my clients achieve their health goals that I lost sight of my own.

The shingles outbreak was a painful reminder that I wasn't invincible. It was a wake-up call that I needed to start practicing what I preached.

5 things I prioritized that made the difference.

The steps I took to finally align my actions with my knowledge.

Prioritizing Rest:

I now fully understood the profound impact of chronic stress on a woman’s health first hand. When we're constantly stressed, our cortisol levels remain elevated, leading to a cascade of negative effects, including inflammation, hormone imbalances, and impaired immune function.

I started incorporating daily relaxation techniques like stretching, yoga, foam rolling, and deep breathing. Even just five minutes of focused breathing can make a world of difference. I also became fiercely protective of my sleep. Creating a relaxing bedtime routine, dimming the lights, and saying no to that extra episode on Netflix all helped me prioritize those precious hours of restorative sleep.