Robin’s synopsis of
DE-STRESSING STRATEGIES with Dani Williamson
Dani Williamson is a Family Nurse Practitioner and author of Wild & Well: Dani’s Six Commonsense Steps to Radical Healing
Dani believes that trauma before the age of 18 must be addressed before any healing of long-term health issues can occur. Adverse Childhood Experiences, termed ACEs, can be quantified by a questionnaire, and the higher the score, the more likely people will suffer from a chronic, lifestyle disease. This 10-question questionnaire is easily found and one considered very good and accessible online is by NPR.
The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that the number one health crisis is having ACEs and Dani states that it is impossible to have a happy, healthy, whole life if you haven’t dealt with this early trauma. Research has shown that it can lead to depression, a driver of lower bone density.
Dani states that one of the best books on ACEs is The Deepest Well by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris.
DANI'S RECOMMENDATIONS
Find out your ACEs score, get help through counseling, and be in a supportive community for healing. Being in community reduces the sense of isolation and without it, anything else you do for healing doesn’t matter. Even when you find your Tribe, get rid of the “soul suckers”, those people who do not support you.
Know that “YOU ARE NOT BROKEN, YOU WERE NOT BORN BROKEN”.
Learn to live in the present while you heal the past. Dani recommends following AED, a system devised by Michael Hyatt: Automate, Eliminate and Delegate to make your life easier.
- Automate: Things like paying bills
- Eliminate: All non-essential things on your to-do-list
- Delegate: Give over things to others that don’t have to be done by you
Dani suggests that waiting for the one hour of pleasure you carve out for yourself if you hate the rest of your life prevents you from living in the present. It’s your job to change the plan that isn’t working for you. We all have a routine, just make sure it is one that serves you. Learn from the animals: they slow down in winter and change their eating with the seasons. We do the same thing 12 months of the year. Can you slow down during the Holiday Season instead of speeding up so you can actually enjoy it?
Other suggestions for de-stressing are prayer, meditation, and limiting your phone time.
You don’t have to meditate for an hour, just find small things that you can do for pleasure.
IF YOU ARE OVER-SCHEDULED, UNSCHEDULE IT!
In conclusion, Dani emphasizes finding a therapist, even if you think you can’t afford it. Look for a place or practitioner that has a sliding scale to get the help you need to unpack your trauma and take baby steps to heal.
My solution for creating new habits:
Start small, do it in community, and/or have an accountability partner!