It’s no secret that Hurricane Ian rocked our Southwest Florida community. We have a long road to recovery and the devastation is simply heartbreaking.

There have been many times since we began prepping for Hurricane Ian’s arrival that have seemed like pure chaos. My nervous system was in constant sympathetic dominance {fight or flight} and I was having trouble regulating it and finding my calm.

Once I became aware that I was living in a sympathetic nervous system dominant state {stressed, anxious, worried..} I knew I had to use my tools to help shift myself back into a parasympathetic dominant state {rest and digest}.

The stress of hurricane clean up, the devastation left behind and the shock wasn’t leaving anytime soon, but I consciously made a choice to control what I could…and started with my breath.

Here are six ways that I am finding the calm amid the chaos

Daily meditation
Daily movement
Nourishing my body with real whole foods (and yes, that powerful Lean and Green Body® triple play!)
Fresh air, going for family walks and soaking in that vitamin D
Journaling {and almost purging whatever is on my heart that day}
Connecting with my community

These are just a few of the things I am doing to help me stay calm and regulate myself so that I can go out and be the best mother, wife and human for my Southwest Florida community.