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A Love Letter to You, Dripping Springs Mama

To you, Dripping Springs Mama,

The kids are back in school! As you get back into the daily grind of school schedules, carpools, sports, extracurricular activities, meal planning, laundry, and maybe that thing called work, what are you doing to take care of yourself?

At Indigo Healing Acupuncture & Massage, I listen to mamas just like you that have spent months, years, even decades of putting their kids first and letting their own needs slide into the backseat. When we sit down and talk, I learn that you have high blood pressure, you toss and turn every night, you feel too exhausted to exercise, you feel frustrated with your family, calls and texts go unanswered because you’re out of bandwidth, and you generally feel like a hot mess express. 

I’m here to give you a tough love wake-up call. You need to put yourself first. Now.

Why?

Your blood pressure is dangerously high. 

Your restless nights are prematurely aging you. 

Your chronic sleep deprivation is wreaking havoc on your hormones.

You feel constantly on edge.

You are go, Go, GO, while your body is screaming for care.

You are on the fast track to having a devastating stroke.

Or a heart attack.

And you will not get to choose the time or place.

You and your family’s life will change forever.

Sadly, you might not even be around to see the impact. 

A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or a blood vessel bursts, severely damaging brain cells. It might surprise you to learn that stroke is the 5th leading cause of death for women, and 1 in 5 women between 55 and 75 will experience it. These figures are not meant to scare you, but rather empower you with knowledge. The good news is that 4 out of 5 strokes can be prevented.

One of the major warning signs your body will send you before having a stroke is high blood pressure. Hypertension affects over 45% of women and more than 2 in 5 women have blood pressure greater than or equal to 130/80 mm Hg. Only about 1 in 4 of those women have their blood pressure controlled to below 130/80 mm Hg.

In the midst of your packed schedule, it’s important to acknowledge the impact of lifestyle choices. Smoking/vaping, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, obesity, high blood pressure (equal or greater than 130/80 mm Hg, high cholesterol, diabetes, stress, excessive alcohol, and poor sleep can heighten your vulnerability.

I completely understand the challenges of finding time, but small positive changes can yield substantial benefits. Incorporating a healthier diet, even a bit of activity, managing stress in manageable ways, considering steps to quit smoking and moderate alcohol, and maintaining a healthy weight can all contribute to lowering your risk. 

Your well-being matters. By investing a little time now, you’re securing a healthier future for yourself and your family. 

With love and understanding,

Dr. Michelle Wendt, L.Ac., DACM

P.S. My team and I are here to guide and support you. Give us a call at 512-686-0777 or learn more at IndigoHealingAcupuncture.com

P.S.S. We have morning, afternoon, evening, and weekend appointments to fit YOUR schedule.

Turn Off the News to Reduce Anxiety

Do you watch or read or listen to the news?

Do you feel anxious?

Do you commonly wonder “What if ______ happens?”

Do you hear bad news and allow it to change your mood?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, here’s a quick tip to reduce your anxiety level…

TURN OFF THE NEWS‼️

A 2015 study in the scientific journal Psychiatry found, “Increased frequency of viewing newscasts was associated with reported anxiety reflected in uncontrolled fear, physiological hyperarousal, sleeping difficulties, and fearful thoughts.”

Link to full study results here:
DOI:10.1080/00332747.2015.1069658

To replace your morning news habit, we recommend writing daily affirmations such as “I am safe, healthy, happy and pain-free” or “Something wonderful happens to me today” to set a positive mood for your day ahead.

Only you can control how you feel, so why allow negative news outside of your control to hijack your day? Protect your peace by turning off the news!

“I need to talk to my husband…”

Dear Mama Sitting In Front of Me,

I see you.

I know you’re exhausted.

I know it took every ounce of willpower for you to get out of bed this morning.

I know how much your jaw hurt when you tried to smile at your kids because you spent another restless night grinding away your worry.

I know about the resentment you feel when your husband announces he’s going to disappear for 6 hours on a Saturday to hang out with the guys and relieve stress.

I know about the never-ending to do list that you mentally track. How every time you check a box you feel a twinge of hope you’re getting closer to a chance to rest.

I see the toll carrying such a heavy load is taking on your body and spirit.

I see the pain pounding away at your happiness and a cloud covering your heart.

I understand that it seems impossible to take time for yourself.

It breaks my heart to hear you don’t have the time to do what you need to do.

It maddens me to hear it’s up to your husband to decide if you’re worthy of feeling better.

It saddens me that your kids will not get a chance to know who you are without pain.

I want to to tell you all these things, but I see you.

I see you holding back the tears because you already know.

You already know you need help.

You already know you deserve a better life.

You already know your kids deserve the best you.

You already know you should be making your own decision.

You already know you shouldn’t need to expend precious energy to convince him.

You already know you don’t need to ask permission to do what’s best for you.

If only you could see what I see.

You are worth it.

With love,
Dr. Michelle

The Magic of this Pandemic

“There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn’t matter anymore.”
​- Laurie Halse Anderson
​The entire modern world is at a standstill.

Streets are empty.
Playgrounds are eerily quiet.
Music venues are silent.
Sport fields are barren.
Going out in public is a risky adventure.

Birds chirp.
Deer roam.
Alarm clocks are unset.
Dogs enjoy company all day.
Neighbors help neighbors.

Hitting a collective pause button has never happened in our lifetimes. It was inconceivable.

So much was lost when we hit the pause button. Big games, weddings, birthday parties, family vacations, grand openings, anniversary celebrations, graduations, baby showers and countless other special occasions.

When external activities disappear from our calendars, what’s left? What are the side-effects of this crisis?

  • Long phone calls talking about nothing & everything.
  • Sunsets glowing over families at a dinner table filled with odds & ends.​
  • Forgetting what day of the week it is.
  • Discovering new hobbies.
  • Finding solace in music.
  • Rekindling old pastimes.
  • Neighborhood walks.
  • Growing food.
  • Supporting a struggling small business with an order.
  • Watching old TV shows.
  • Stargazing.

In the midst of a pandemic that has disrupted our daily lives, this is where the magic resides.

We can choose to focus on the moments that matter.

We can embrace the surprising side-effects of our lives on hold. We can graciously accept that aspects of our former lives will undergo a transformation beyond our control. We can linger in the unknowing of when our new normal might begin. This pandemic will pass.  We will all have new beginnings. There is no going back.

Embrace the magic because we’ll never have this time again.

How I Became A Mom Against the Odds

​This Mother’s Day, I’m thinking about my own journey to motherhood. Do you have friends who can basically get a wink from their lover and then – Bam! – they’re pregnant?  Yah, that was so not me.
 
In my twenties, I used every type of birth control I could find because becoming a mother felt at least five (or maybe even ten) chapters ahead in my life. It wasn’t until the age of 30 that a young doctor asked me if I wanted to consider freezing my eggs. I was actually shocked by the question because in my most basic understanding of biology, I had calculated at least 10 more good fertile years ahead of me. I was sure that when I met the right guy, got married, and hit my career goals, I could drop the birth control and get pregnant right away. Wow, was I wrong.
 
Five years later, I had found and married the love of my life and was ready to start trying. Within three months, I found out I was pregnant and thought to myself, “See, that wasn’t so hard!” I loved being pregnant and knowing I was growing a tiny human. A few weeks later, I woke up in excruciating pain and had a miscarriage. I was devastated. I was a mom with nothing to show for it. The following Mother’s Day was heartbreaking.
 
After a few months, we started trying again, this time with a renewed fervor. I charted my basal body temperature at the exact same time every morning and produced impressive graphs that showed I was ovulating every cycle. But, my cycles were short and after meeting with a reproductive endocrinologist, I learned my cycles lacked enough progesterone to sustain a pregnancy. Upon hearing that news, I brought home the infamous Clomid, the gateway drug to assisted fertility. Then I read every book I could find about getting pregnant, received acupuncture treatments and Chinese herbs almost daily, and created a vision board of what motherhood meant to me. It was intense and exhausting trying to sustain hope and keep up with the daily rigors of all of it.
 
Fast forward through nearly two years of assisted fertility treatments and shattered dreams. Our grand finale was investing in the grandmother of all fertility treatments, IVF with ICSI. After harvesting only a handful of viable eggs, the fertility clinic prepared us for the worst. Of the eggs collected, only two matured into embryos. We transferred them both and kept our fingers and toes crossed during the two-week wait for a pregnancy test. The stakes were high… it was our last chance to become biological parents and my last chance in this lifetime to get pregnant. Since our immediate family and friends had never been down the same path, I found support and solace in an online tribe of women experiencing the same journey. We were all in it together, exchanging baby dust (wishes for a successful pregnancy) like it was a real currency.
 
It’s now been four years and I am a mother to a beautiful girl who defied the odds and stuck with me to arrive earthside exactly 39 weeks after conception. She is a perfect mix of my husband and I, with his sense of adventure and my love of learning. When I look back at all we went through, I can’t imagine my life without her in it. I do wonder what it would have been like if I had conceived her naturally, without the years of prayers and tears. But, with her arrival, she gave me the ultimate gift. She made me a mom. 

Why I Disappear For 4 Days, 4 Times a Year

Where pink clouds meet blue water…4 times a year, I disappear for 4 days to visit this lake to experience a symphony of silence, solitude, introspection & inspiration.

While it’s technically a self-led spiritual retreat, I affectionately call it “Mom Camp” because that phrase makes sense to my four-year-old. The truth is coming here makes me a better mother, wife, friend, doctor & human.

Every trip here is a different experience. The only constant is I’m always transformed by the time I get home.

I highly recommend finding your own version of Mom Camp. Because once you find it, you will never be the same.