Hello Friday!

Happy Friday, Friends! We’re in full winter wonderland mode here in the Colorado Rockies! I hope you’ve had a great week and are ready for either a Festively Fun or Calmly Quiet weekend – whichever is most needed! 

Today, I’m doing some prep work to host our 2^nd Annual Festivus Weekend.  Do you remember that Seinfeld episode? We have a few dear friends arriving this evening, and a really fun weekend planned! Hopefully, there will be no “airing of grievances,” but we may see a few “feats of strength”! (You may need to re-watch that episode to get my references).   I’ll be sure to post some highlights on Instagram.  Now that I’ve written that – I have to do it!  I’m really trying to get better at this Instagram thing.

 I have a couple of new wellness items to share with you, but first, let’s recap our week!

On Monday, I shared my recipe for the Elevated Nesting “Signature Smoothie”.  I’ve made it three times this week!  After last week’s Rich Thanksgiving Food-a-thon, it has felt so good to start my day with a nutrient-packed smoothie.  It’s kind of like a mini cleanse that helps me feel great and gets my digestive system back on track.

On Wednesday, we looked at minimizing our stress during this busy season with “10 Strategies for Keeping Our Calm Through the Holidays”.  We all live with stress year-round, but this time of year can be especially hectic.  Stress not only adversely affects our mental health, but the physical ramifications of chronic exposure to stress are serious.  My hope is that you’re already practicing your own methods for reducing your stress.  My other hope is that you found some new ideas in this post to add to your routine! Today I have another tip to share about anxiety – so keep reading!

Supplement Update

In my article “A Synergistic Approach to Supplements”, I wrote about the role Vitamin B-12 plays in the conversion of our food into energy. Additionally, as we age, our bodies’ ability to absorb B-12 from our food diminishes . . . so we need to supplement.

A few days after I posted that article, we were staying at our friends’ house for the weekend. On Saturday morning, our friend Erich woke up, pulled out a little bottle, and took these drops. I asked what he was taking, and he showed me this bottle . . .

Funny little side note: I asked Erich how much of the B-12 liquid he took, and he said, “Whatever Hilary (his awesome wife) tells me to take.” I thought that was super cute! Hey Hilary – Erich does what he’s told! Well done!

Anyway, seeing these drops prompted a “Eureka!” moment for me, and I remembered that many people have problems absorbing B-12 through their digestive tract. Some medications, like antacids, inhibit the digestive enzyme that absorbs orally taken B-12. Sooo many of us take antacid meds, so it’s important to note this effect! Others may have digestive conditions, like celiac disease or Crohn’s, which also prevent digestive absorption of B-12. Therefore, for many people, sublingual (or under the tongue) absorption of a B-12 supplement is a great option because it allows the B-12 to be absorbed into the bloodstream via the highly vascular area beneath the tongue.

I ordered these B-12 drops that very day, and I’ve been using them daily ever since. I put half a dropper full under my tongue (equivalent to 2500 mcg – micrograms), and I just hold it there for about a minute before swallowing it. It has a nice citrus flavor and is not at all vitamin-tasting.

Pure Encapsulations B12 5,000 Liquid – Vitamin B12 

If you would prefer a dissolving sublingual Vitamin B-12 tablet, I like this option:

EZ Melts B12 Sublingual Vitamin 2,500 mcg

Another Strategy to try for Anxiety

A couple of days ago, I saw a reel by Carson Daly on Instagram about a visualization practice he uses to help his anxiety. (Can we just pause here to acknowledge that Instagram reads our minds?!? Thank you).

I struggle with anxiety and welcome any tips, so I’ve been practicing this technique, and it’s really helped me! This tool begins with acknowledging the fact that we have thousands of thoughts a day, and anxious thoughts are, in fact, just thoughts. The problem that occurs with anxiety is that we ruminate on that anxious or negative thought, allowing it run in a loop in our minds – causing us undue stress.

Keeping what I wrote above in mind, here’s a breakdown of the mindfulness visualization practice that Carson Daly’s therapist taught him:

– Visualize that you are in the ocean on a surfboard.
– You are out beyond where the waves are breaking, and the waves are gently rolling in.
– Now visualize that each of those waves is a different thought – some good thoughts that make us feel happy or calm; some bad thoughts that make us feel anxious or stressed.
– Imagine that, as a surfer, you get to choose the wave you want to ride.
– You’re going to let the bad waves (or negative thoughts) just roll past you. You don’t have to surf on those.
– You are going to choose to ride one of the good waves (happy, calm thoughts). Pick one of those waves, and surf on that!

So here’s what I know. I have never surfed. But I love the ocean, so simply visualizing myself out on the water is calming. Additionally, visualizing my thoughts as waves that I can just let roll by adds even more calmness. Finally, giving myself the option to choose my wave / thought is very empowering.

In reality, from a neuroscience standpoint, utilizing any type of visualization technique to calm anxiety is helpful for the sheer reason that we are interrupting a negative stimuli. So, I feel that this technique is kind of a “kill two birds with one stone” practice. We are interrupting a negative thought pattern, and we are replacing it with the empowering fact that we can choose which thoughts to focus on.

As I said, I have found this practice to be so helpful, and I hope you will give it a try the next time you’re feeling anxious!

Friends, I know how busy you all are, so truly – Thank You for taking a little bit of time out of your day to be here! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday!

*Note about Affiliate Links: I have created some links to products that I have researched and personally use and enjoy. In utilizing these links, Elevated Nesting may earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you).