pammunkholm

Discover Earth’s Healing Energy: The Science Behind Grounding for Pain and Well-being

July 9, 2024 pammunkholm

Come forth into the light of things. Let nature be your teacher. – William Woodsworth

I am sitting in a room where the sunlight hits just right at every time of day. I can smell the fresh air and I hear so many different song birds, I feel like Cinderella waking up to their melody. I can hear the wind blowing in the trees. I see the green out the window and the shadow as evidence of their dance on my wall.

I am a ten minute drive from the lake. This, my friends, is my happy place.

It gets happier as the summer goes on and more people move into this space. The weather heats up and slowly warms up this massive lake. Or at least the top couple feet of it. You get really good at swimming in that top few feet when its bone chilling cold under that line.

The boats go in and the air starts to smell of sunscreen. I love that every lake person has a story. Around “their” lake. This is “my” lake. I grew up here.

I remember being in the lake in wind and grey skies taking swimming lessons and shivering/ convulsing as I stood on the dock. My cute little ponytail being whipped around by the wind. But, by golly, we were gonna get those swimming badges.

I remember getting scolded along with all the cousins for bringing all the sand from the beach back to my grandma’s cabin, a short run away from our summer playground. So close that our feet didn’t have time to dry and sand to fall off before we burst into the door. The smell of supper following us in off the bbq.

I remember watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks when it was rainy outside.

I remember my dad and grandpa out in the wind and rain with huge grins on their faces as the sailboat leaned so far over that I could look across the table down below and see only water rushing by through the little windows that should be showing horizon. My mom remembers my sister and I sliding off our seats and under the table when we were small. Meanwhile the men acted as though all was well in hand.

My first handholding was at the lake. My first kiss was at the lake. (I don’t want to talk about it)

My grandpa built that cabin and it still stands today although it’s not in the family anymore. But my parents bought a place by the same lake. I like this family tradition.

I am going through a personal matter that is incredibly difficult. I have been blessed by nature and knowing how to draw out those properties that will calm my heart, my soul and my inflammation.

I heard about a group of ladies in their 80s or so. This generation did NOT go out of the house barefoot. It was the time of rusty nails and no tetanus shots. Not to mention the whole being proper at all cost logic.

These ladies recently learned how grounding works. They shed the socks and shoes and braved their own yards in this newfound liberty. Imagine their surprise when their inflammation in places that hurt for decades, receded or completely disappeared. They want to share this with everyone. This is the wonder of our earth.

There are fascinating accounts of such healing. The Tour de France is by far the most difficult sporting event in the world. Comparable to running three marathons a day for 22 consecutive days. When earthing technology started to be used to get the athletes’ skin in contact with the grounding product at night while they slept, amazing results were reported. Physicians said participants woke feeling rested every morning and there was less stress on their body. They experienced less pain, more energy, and faster, stunning recovery from wounds.

If it works for recovery and healing advantages for elite cyclists performing in the Tour de France, I decided to trust the science and the personal experiences shared by so many. Now I can be one of those many voices highly recommending it for everyone who has pain or stress on their body. So everyone.

Even ten minutes a day will create changes in your body and in your life. The idea is to connect your bare skin to the earth. Rocks. Sand. Grass. Dirt. All the natural things. Get your feet or hands right in them. Notice how it feels. The grass tickling your toes or the solid grounding feeling of sitting or standing on a rock will bring you in touch with the earth. Think about it. How often do you make contact with the earth?

I’m going to take a stab at explaining the science behind this practice. Though I am far from an expert on the subject.

Our bodies are conductive. This means that electricity is passing through our body at all times. As it does, some of the charge remains. This is happening as you go about your day. It is not something we are taught how to sense. The charge remaining is positive. This is not a good thing. We don’t want this lingering positive electrical charge. Especially when chronic conditions and pain are involved. Experts are starting to think this is where inflammation or exacerbating inflammation occurs.

When thinking of the many stresses of our day. How much more can your body handle? Enter the majestic camel and his final piece of straw.

The earth is full of negatively charged electrons. When your skin is in contact with the earth, those electrons attach to our positively charged cells to take them from what can be referred to as ‘free radicals’ and transforms them to happy, healthy, neutralized cells. Too many of these free radicals can cause all kinds of problems. But when the body is able to ground, inflammation has been shown to be reduced in scientific studies. You don’t have to take my senior ladies’ group word for it.

Just follow their lead and shed the socks and shoes. Lay on the ground, on a mat made of natural material. I have a straw mat from the dollar store. Or get in a natural body of water. Get your feet in the dirt of your garden. Whatever you can do.

Now that I know what to watch for, I feel a whoosh of energy when I stand on something that allows me to ground. But when you are starting out the energy shift may be subtle. I encourage you to track your mood before and after a grounding session. Do you notice a difference? How long did it take, of grounding regularly before you noticed it?

I invite you to join me on the grass. Sit. Stand. Lay down. And breathe. Or join me on a forest therapy walk where I can guide you to all the benefits of the forest.

Come forth into the light and let nature be your teacher. Take care my friends.

Revive Your Senses with Forest Therapy: The Science of Coming Alive

July 2, 2024 pammunkholm

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that. Because what the worlds needs is people who have come alive, -Howard Thurman

What makes you come alive? I’d love to see in the comments.

I had to think for a while when I was asked this question. I was guided back to my school days and to remember what I loved to do for fun. Somewhere around grade 5 or 6. Those recesses for me were spent on the swings. My best friend and I joined forces on the swings. From grade 4 on she was my partner- in- shenanigans. I still keep in contact with her. The darndest things can happen on the swings.

I love even now to find a park with few enough kids that I can snag one of the swings and try going higher and higher. I always wanted to go all the way up and around. I swear I almost had it one day.

I didn’t know I needed to come back to life when I was in the midst of the suffering. In the worst of my pain, I didn’t see a way out. I felt stuck and thought I’d just have to live out my days in that state. It is hard to be there and hear people say, ‘come alive!’

There are ‘down’ days and ‘did too much yesterday’ days and ‘I just wanted to get it done and now I am paying for it’ or ‘I just wanted to pretend I was normal’ days. But when there is a day you feel up to it. Find something that makes you come alive and do it! Often.

What I am learning as a forest therapy guide has helped me come alive. The feelings of darkness and despair have been replaced with hope and healing. Today I want to share some of the science of going into the forest. How it creates those feelings of coming back to life.

Most of us notice that we feel better when we spend time in nature. But we don’t often stop to think about why. Stress seems to slip away in the forest. When we can strip that away and focus on the moment, all sorts of the health problems related to stress slacken. Headaches diminish, blood pressure eases, skin problems recede.

Cortisol is the stress hormone that can cause all sorts of problems. A study was done where the participants were split into two groups. One half went for a walk in nature, The other group went for a walk of the same duration in the lab. All participants who walked in the forest had a marked decrease in their cortisol levels. Those who walked in the lab did not experience any marked results.

You may have heard that merely looking at forest scenery for at least 20 minutes will lower your cortisol levels. Heart rate decreases. The body’s fight or flight response goes into remission.

When stress is present in our lives our immune system is affected. Stress can make it harder for the body to fight off sickness. Some say that when you feel happy your immune system is being strengthened.

Phytoncides are another one of those healing products of nature. Found most abundantly in evergreen forests phytoncides are given off by such trees as spruce and pine. But even oak trees can give off this extremely beneficial compound. The word phytoncide means, “exterminated by the plant”.

When this substance is given off by plants, it kills or slows the growth of bacteria and fungi. They have a very important role to play in the forest itself. When people breathe in these phytoncides our bodies have been shown to increase the activity of natural killer cells. These cells are important in killing tumor and virus infected cells that can cause all kinds of problems.

Another win for spending time in nature is that it can boost your creativity. A study was conducted in which participants went on a backpacking trip and then given creative problem solving tasks afterwards. They performed 50% better after time spent in the forest. Take from that whatever you want but no matter how you look at it, time in the forest is overall beneficial.

I have read that going into the forest for 3 days and 2 nights will reset you. Particularly your hormones. I would be a willing participant in that study. Where do I sign up? Put me in a forest where I can allow my body to go into a state of rest and I suspect I would become a very different creature.

Your rituals create your life. Get some good ones. -Dr Libby Weaver

Join me in creating a ritual of going down into the woods. What ritual could be better than spending time in a place that makes you feel better? Plus it produces an array of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health benefits.

I love playing on the swings because of the feeling of freedom it gives me. I can still get enough umph to spend that moment in freefall looking straight at the clouds. Find something that gives you that sense of fun and awe. If you want help with this or any other forest therapy related questions, contact me. While you’re there sign up for a forest therapy walk to find out how beneficial it really can be.

Take care out there my friends. Find a way to come alive (when you are ready.)

Nature’s Therapeutic Whispers: Revelations from Diverse Books

June 25, 2024June 25, 2024 pammunkholm

Have you ever heard your books talking to each other? I generally have at least a dozen non-fiction books on the go at any given time. I don’t know if the same rule applies to fiction books.

When I read my books daily I start to hear them talk to each other. They discuss the same points. The examples and illustrations are vastly different but the message is the same. These are not books on the same subject or genre. But my brain starts to put it together in an intricate web.

Here is a glimpse into what my books are saying.

There are those that believe that the highest truth exists in nature. Have you ever struggled to find truth in this world of chaos and contention? If we look around we see that everything is pointing us back to the earth. Our food. Whole food from the earth looks to be our best bet. Our vacations. We fly to exotic destinations to get our feet in the sand. Our need to be still. Which we will not come upon by accident. We will not trip and land in a forest bath. We have to intentionally and incrementally choose nature as a healing tool.

Nature is an intricate web. Did you know that all the trees in a forest are connected by their roots? And that research is showing there is almost an in and out breath that the trees take collectively. When you are in nature you can feel it. But do you know how to bottle it up and take it home with you?

Have you heard of Petrichor? It is the smell of earth after rain. We’ve had a lot of that recently. To put it in perspective I recently learned that as humans we are more sensitive to the scent of rain than a shark is to the scent of blood. Perfumers have been after the scent for years. There’s something primitive about the smell. Plant smell is also more obvious.

Like forest bathing, petrichor has a relaxing effect and a feeling of good health. Just being around it is helpful. If you don’t feel like going for a walk in the rain, try standing outside barefoot for a few minutes. Ideally it’s still raining and you can take in all nature has to offer from above and below.

Researchers suggest that humans had those scent receptors for back in the day when our ancestors needed to know where would be the best place to plant your crop. That smell would have been of great importance to those that lived solely off the land.

Some days it feels like we are far removed from the days of living of the land. Nowadays it’s about deadlines and fitting it all in. But that takes its toll. When you’re feeling stressed the body releases a hormone called cortisol. But studies show that your body doesn’t release as much cortisol when in the forest. This is good news because too much of it can cause problems. The ones we are seeing so rampant in our society. Anxiety. Depression. Heart disease. Weight gain. Memory and concentration problems.

So many of us are living in a constant state of fight or flight and cannot continue to function on our current trajectory. When your body is overloaded on cortisol and not getting a chance to recover, the body starts to fight back. Your body needs a chance to rest and digest. During this process the heart rate slows while the gut and glands experience increased activity.

Forest bathing helps me get out of my default setting of rush and stress and into a state of rest and digest. I have a desire to disconnect from the things that are draining me and to connect to those things that will feed me. It is part mindfulness. Part play. Thoughts slow down. The things that felt so important a moment ago fade in the scent, sounds and feel of the forest.

Amos Clifford, founder of The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides says of forest bathing, “It’s a fancy way of saying hanging out in the forest can make you super relaxed.” This is one way to use forest therapy. But there are many ways for many different kinds of days.

Sometimes days are incredibly hard and I can relate to what C.S. Lewis wrote in A Grief Observed, “There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want the others to be about me. I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me.” I am going through such a time as this. Thankfully, as always, the forest holds the answer. Join me by reaching out to me on my contact page to book an individual or join a group walk.

Author Edward Abbey wrote, May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. Healing is available here in this place. I am experiencing it. I can show you the way.

These seemingly random yet related thoughts are how my books are speaking to me today. In so many of them I am learning, Nature truly is the best medicine. Take it in my friends.

Transforming Adversity with Forest Therapy: Slowing Down and Embracing Growth

June 18, 2024 pammunkholm

I am learning I cannot control my circumstances. But I can control my response to them. There are so many things that cause resistance in our world. I have found it beneficial to use these steps to move through those harder days. Until my “just can’t” turns into “I’m ready to try again.”

Slow down! When my thoughts are swirling and I can’t grasp what’s most important or real, I know it’s time to slow down; My thoughts. My breathing. My rushing. My need to accomplish. It all needs to slow, the frack, down. I need time to process. I need to give myself time. A forest walk is a great time to slow it all down. I go with a trusted friend and talk it out. Or I go by myself and internally hash it out. I always make many good points that I wholeheartedly agree with when I talk to myself.

I look to see where I may be holding back. Is there fear hiding? A need to control the outcome? I stay in those emotions long enough to see that they are not that scary. I heard that the fear of our emotions is like the shadow. Creeping along the wall getting bigger and scarier. But the physiological effects the emotions actually have on me when I move through them is minimal in many instances. It is resistance to those scary shadow parts of the emotion that causes discomfort. Turn on the lights to your emotions around the circumstance. Not only what is readily apparent or the “easy” answer. Stay with it long enough to find your genuine answers.

I attempt to do a daily brain dump in a journal. I find this especially important on those harder days. When I put pen to paper my thoughts get a chance to slow down. I can think through them more clearly. I get a chance to explore different avenues of thought to the end instead of a half- formed thought that gets interrupted by the person coming in to ask how to make supper. And the sound of something breaking in another room. Meanwhile the microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, doorbell and of course the phone are all vying for my attention. Journaling gives me a chance to be present.

There is always an opportunity for growth. If I allow it. In every difficult circumstance I can be assured that I can grow in some way if I look for ways to see the situation in a more positive light. Reframing my thoughts has been key in my mental healing over the last few years.

For example. Up until two years ago my family was living on the family farm that I grew up on. As soon as we moved there I felt something inside of me come alive again. I loved having animals and mowing with the tractor and picking up feed and being surrounded by the world of agriculture that I grew up loving. And then I was in too much pain to help Brent with the animals and the yard. And then he took a job where he was working away from home. And then I got really sick. And then I had to quit working. And then gas prices shot up. And then our kids were all adults and trying to work in a city an hour away and they were bleeding gas money. And then. And then. And then. Circumstances. I knew all of us needed to move off the farm. I was so sad. But I knew it was the right decision for everyone. I could still be sad. I could be upset that it didn’t work out. I could blame the economy. Society. The government. But where does that get me.

Instead I choose to live in gratitude for this miracle home where we live. There is a place for each person. And dog. There is space for all the vehicles. A yard. A big open space to gather in the kitchen/ living area. I get to hear my adult sons discuss their day or their newest musical they found. I get to hear my grandson laugh and yell and play. I get to hear his running footsteps over my bedroom as I wake up. I am so grateful for what this time has become. It is nothing like what I would have planned but ever so much better.

When you “just can’t” every day, something needs to change. But when an acute situation comes up and you just need to deal with it. Do you need to slow down? Work through any emotions that have been stuck? Or reframe any thoughts that may be holding you back? Forest therapy can help with all of it. As your guide I can show you how the forest can help. Check out my contact page and let me know if you’d like more information on how to book.

Thich Nhat Hanh said, Kiss the ground with every step. That is how I felt on my forest walk today. Sweet friends. let me know if you’d like to see the effects of forest therapy in your life.

Menopause Uncovered: Taboos Broken and Symptoms Revealed

June 11, 2024 pammunkholm

I was going to label this as a women’s post but really guys should know this too. Proceed at your own risk.

What is it with menopause being such a hush- hush topic? We are educated at home and at school about puberty yet when it comes to menopause there is no such help on the topic. Anyone can google or do some research on the subject but do we? And how accurate is the information we are reading?

Despite the fact that I am now postmenopausal, I think? I am clearly far from an expert on the subject. Before my scheduled hysterectomy I figured I knew enough about what would happen from the little bit of girl talk and the way after- school specials made fun of it back in my day. I clearly remember Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show faking what happens to women by going on in a big ordeal that ended with her head in their fridge freezer to make a point to her family. It seemed to say menopause will make you ridiculous unless you are strong enough to withstand the symptoms everyone goes on about. Or at least that’s what I took from it.

All my husband knew of menopause before my surgery was remembering his grandma pulling the car over and jumping out to tear her sweater off because she suddenly got too warm. It’s a funny family story that still circulates. To be fair I didn’t do much research on the matter either.

Before my complete hysterectomy I looked up the symptoms and side effects and how to try to avoid them. I thought I knew what I was in for. All the symptoms can be laughed off which makes it really dangerous for those that experience them to the extreme.

I had my surgery in May of 2019. Technically I was menopausal for one year following the surgery. But I am five years post surgery and I still have crazy symptoms. So here I am, labelled post when I am still obviously present! I am experiencing hot flashes every half hour. And other symptoms too. Clearly I must have missed a step.

It was one thing to deal with the symptoms I expected. But another to try and explain the ones nobody had heard about.

I talked to my doctor about 6 months after my hysterectomy and told her I still had all the symptoms of a cycle minus the actual period. She assured me it was all in my head. Then she man-splained how when you don’t have ovaries you can’t have a cycle. Now I know I am not the only one who has experienced this symptom. I am not making it up.

Between this brain fog that slows down my processing speed and my age, my eyes needed help with progressive lenses shortly after the surgery. And they are still going downhill quickly. This was not a symptom for which I was prepared. Yet I have read about more than one person who has experienced this decline in prescription during menopause.

Hot flashes. Yes, I’ve heard of those. I’ve heard comedians poke fun. But cold flashes? Nope. That was not in the top ten things to watch for. I mentioned before that I looked forward to warming up since I run cold. But a cold flash for someone that was already cold is terribly uncomfortable. I have to dress up to change rooms in my house if the temperature is at all lower. Followed closely by being too warm in the extra clothes and leaving more mess strewn around the house than my kids did as pre schoolers. And once I get too warm or too cold? Good night Nelly! I can’t get back to normal. Steaming or boiling anything on the stove was out of the question for over a year after the surgery. I still struggle to make a meal because once I start to hot flash I can’t bring it back. I just keep hot flashing until the meal is done and I am a hot mess.

And lastly and the most fun of all…? the emotional roller coaster. I would classify myself as someone who keeps a pretty level head and a cool demeanor in most situations. I had a mean streak as a teenager but I’ve since tamed that beast. I knew that hot flashes would warm me up to put it mildly. But I was not prepared for the rise in frustration and impatience that come with the incredibly warm face and dripping body parts. I relate to this meme, I feel like I’m in a petting zoo and all I wanna do is bite people. Why are there no such words of warning to those who are suffering: Wear breathable clothing! This cannot be stressed enough. Picture being in a rain jacket but you are more soaked on the inside of the jacket than the outside. Brent says when I start to warm up in bed the temperature climbs but even more notably, the humidity rises.

I already mentioned the book I read by Libby Weaver titled, Rushing Women’s Syndrome. I saw another diagnosis with a slightly different definition but the idea is the same. It is called Hurried Sickness. The behavior pattern is caused by a continual rushing and anxiousness and overwhelmingly continued sense of urgency in which a person feels chronically short of time and tends to perform every task faster and gets flustered while encountering any type of delay. That description is spot on for any morning at my house, especially when my kids were younger!

When there is a lack of understanding there is a tendency to feel alone. This non comprehensive list of secret symptoms is only my list. It won’t be the same for everyone. But my list matches with someone’s. And maybe they feel alone too. In evolutionary biology they say a lone monkey is a dead monkey. Instead of feeling alone in whatever you may be facing, share it with others and create a shared nature of suffering. Escape from your own woes by recognizing the suffering of others and reaching out in whatever way fits into your world.

Forest therapy has been the answer for me around my symptoms. When I spend a day outside I rarely notice one hot flash but, I kid you not, a day spent indoors, you will observe me reaching for my fan and taking off my socks and looking for a cold drink (of water) every stinking half hour. For the last five years.

If you want to calm your menopausal or apparently post menopausal symptoms, go to my contact page and book a walk with me to see what forest therapy can do for you.

My request for this week may be awkward at first but can we start to foster an attitude that supports more normalcy and education around menopause the way we do around puberty? Google doesn’t hold all the answers. Every time I googled my chronic pain symptoms I ended up with Lupus, like most of the patients on House. As adults we can’t rely on what Google alone has to say. Or even what a single doctor may tell you. But the combined story of actual women who are willing to share actual experiences.

Tell those who can’t handle a discussion around menopause, You SHHHHHH!!!!!

Nurture may not be my Forte; Healing in Nature is

June 4, 2024June 4, 2024 pammunkholm

When my boys were young and rambunctious we attended my cousin’s wedding. This was the stage when they expressed their emotions in karate kicks. I stole that quote from Amy Poehler. It is too accurate in the case of my boys. My three littles were hard to wrangle on a normal day let alone in the midst of calm and collected wedding folk.

Two of said rambunctious boys. One going up a waterslide and one coming down. A planned collision course with these glorious results. Kody’s goose egg was visibly growing in the hotel elevator as we went back up to our room. This picture is not from the trip I discuss in this post but an illustration on the subtle art of surviving young boys and all of their accompanying tomfoolery.

By the start of the first dance I was exhausted. I noticed wedding organizers handing out a small bottle of bubbles for everyone to blow towards the new bride and groom. Aw me. Such a charming tradition. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

That captivating moment with its twinkle lights all aglow and soft, romantic music was disastrously interrupted when my boys all ran to within an inch of the bride’s dress and spit bubble solution all over it. Not bubbles. Bubble solution. The type of spitting where no bubbles actually form and it just drips down in a gooey, sloppy stream. Plus their spit.

The next thrilling development on scene, a bottle was dropped and the sudden need for a bubble solution dam arose. One was promptly improvised by a few family members that took pity on me or more likely didn’t want to see the happy couple turn this scene into a slip ‘n slide type situation. I didn’t stick around to ask due to the fact while all this was happening I was in pursuit of another one of my brilliant spawn while he tried to drink from his bottle of bubble solution. The fact that he was giggling uncontrollably endeared him to the rest of the jostled guests he left in his wake. I on the other hand was less than endeared. I caught him. Tears ensued. Predominantly mine.

In a profusion of apologies I gathered my darling brood with offers similar to that heard during a hostage situation. I spent the next hour using up every drop of my bubble solution. I found the act of blowing bubbles very soothing. Maybe this is a good time to point out that I don’t drink. Of all the times I considered starting this was definitely in the top 3. The bubble blowing slowed my breathing. I could watch the bubbles float away. And bonus, my boys chased the bubbles instead of each other for that time. Much of the pain we suffer in this life though, cannot be gently blown away like those bubbles.

One book I recently read is titled, Forest Therapy, written by author, Sarah Ivens. She says, “Some things are too sad, too difficult or too painful to be blown away on the breeze. But things can be improved. Dull moments can be brightened. Sad moments can become lightened when we value ourselves and surround ourselves with things that we know are good for our mental and physical well being.”

I am learning that I need access to nature for my mental and physical well being. Forest therapy provides that access on a regular basis. It is where things start to improve. My pain level decreases. My mood lightens. My brain spinning slows. Why do you think it is then that I, like many others, view nature as a luxury and not a necessity? We all know children need that break in their day. They need to feel the breeze or sun or rain or cold often in their day to function at their best.

Do you recognize your own need to get outside through your day as much as you see it in your children? Would that perception change if you knew that cutting yourself off from nature is not beneficial to your overall wellness? Studies are showing it is detrimental to our mental and physical well being. But is it the first thing to go when your to-do list gets too long? We need to get outside for our daily dose of vitamin D (and so much more) as much as or more than our kids! So we can handle our kids. Ha! Make your own physical activity outside as much of a priority as you would your kids’! It doesn’t take much to make a big difference. Ten minutes of grounding (shoes off, feet on the grass/sand/gravel) will make a world of difference. Let me know in the comments if you notice a difference in your overall mood or pain level after trying this practice for a week.

I have a tree in my backyard. When it’s too muddy or cold or if I don’t have time to get on the ground, I will place my hands on the tree. I don’t hug it but I don’t fault anyone for wanting to hug a tree. To each her own. I read that Beethoven would literally hug a linden tree in his yard. He said the woods, the trees, and rocks give man the resonance he needs. That’s what I get from putting a hand on my tree. I connect with the earth and all its healing properties. And I very much view my time there as one of my needs. Where the chaos of my life can become sweet harmony.

Those boys of mine are getting all grown up. One of them is married himself now. They still get a little rambunctious at times. Though thankfully their karate kicks are not often directed at each other or to express emotion. I don’t need a bottle of bubbles (or booze) to survive a formal event with them. I just breathe deeply and know that I can go down in the woods “tomorrow”.

I was thrilled to see forest therapy becoming more mainstream in an article I happened upon this morning. Take a read https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/forest-bathing-what-it-is-and-why-some-alberta-doctors-recommend-it-1.6911598

I end with these words from American poet and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau. I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.

Anyone that wishes to live deliberately, I invite you to join me in the forest. Head over to my contact page to book a forest therapy walk.

I’d love to know what you think of all this sweet friends. Leave me a message in the comments.

The Deep Tones of Silence

May 28, 2024May 28, 2024 pammunkholm

My home runs at a low hum of constant, somewhat- organized chaos. My dad says it is slightly louder and busier than a train station. There is literally someone awake at all times of the day and night. You can find someone doing laundry at 2 am or making a meal at 4 am. This morning it was popcorn at 7 am for some hungry soul. To put this in perspective I’d like to point out that I live with young adults not toddlers.

It is so hard to find quiet these days. And almost impossible to find silence. Even on some of my forest walks there are trains around or traffic driving by. I’m finding out that silence is aided by a quiet environment but not required and not really what silence is about.

When I’m silent on a forest walk it is a body, mind and spirit kind of quiet. There may be noise around. I can initially recognize and be ok with its effect. I tend not to notice it much after that. The silence goes much deeper.

I can offer suggestions here, but to get the most out of silence or forest walks, head over to my contact page to book a walk with me. We take small groups out for any age or ability level.

To quiet your body may be to continue to walk but to focus on slowing your breathing and relaxing your body. It may be stopping to sit on a bench or the ground. It may be leaning on a tree for a bit. Find what works for you.

To quiet your mind is to breathe deeply. Count your breaths. Focus on what you see and not on thinking of the past or the future. When we stay in the moment we can relax. When we think of the past, we ruminate on things we can’t change. When we think of the future we worry about upcoming events. Focusing on what is beautiful and currently happening around you is calming. If you start to notice your thoughts drifting, don’t despair, that’s actually what brains are programmed to do. Just bring your thoughts back. Don’t be frustrated with your train of thoughts that keep derailing, just pick up the pieces and carry on down the track.

To quiet your spirit is a deeper level of peace. It is knowing who you are. It is having a connection to something bigger than yourself and being able to trust in that relationship. It is being your genuine, authentic self, and loving it. It is recognizing that some things are out of my control and that’s ok.

Chronic pain leaves a person feeling so out of control. I expect we each go on similar paths through the stages of grief. Can you can see yourself or your loved ones in these stages?

I was in denial for years. I knew I was in pain. I knew it was constant. I knew it had been ongoing for years. I knew it wasn’t going away anytime soon. But at a physiotherapy appointment, when my therapist looked at me and told me that’s chronic pain, I was shocked. No! Let’s not be silly. I’m not someone who should be labelled as a chronic pain sufferer, At times it wasn’t that bad. Some nights it didn’t even keep me up. For some reason I thought no matter how bad it was getting, someone else was worse off so my experience wasn’t valid.

For so long I felt angry about pain. I felt like it was in the way of trying to raise my boys. In the way of playing the piano. Of working. Of being me. Of using and sharing and developing my skills. It was maddening to think of how young I was and that no matter what I did, I could not strengthen my muscles.

I bargained. If I am so careful the rest of the year, I should be able to knee board a couple of times a year. If I don’t bend my back at all, scar tissue will form and hold me together until my muscles work again. If I don’t care about anybody or anything, I won’t be upset when it also is inevitably taken from me. Do you hear the depression building?

When I finally came to terms with the fact that this may be the best I can ever feel, I hit another rock bottom. Depression. To recognize this was what my body would always be meant letting go of dreams and goals. For the rest of my mortal existence. That is a hard pill to swallow. I was not able to rise up following this crushing realization. I could see that’s what I needed to do but I was stuck. I kept telling myself to get out of the pity party. To carry on even though things were hard. Just like I always had. But. I. Could. Not.

Acceptance is when I realized this may be the best I will ever feel but… here’s my but list (you know what I mean). I may not ever be pain free but- I can still move. I am finding therapies that work for my body. I see my boys learning things they would not have learned had I been pain free all these years. I would never have found forest therapy otherwise. You see what I mean. I may need to let go of some dreams but I can make new ones or adjust the old to fit this me. I can see things I am grateful for in this mess. I now know that my pain does not make other people’s pain invalid. The same way their pain does not play any role in how valid mine is. I can hold space for someone to feel pain. It may not be constant like mine. Or frustrating like mine. But pain is pain. A person in pain needs someone to hold space for them to go through these stages, I suspect it may be the only way to acceptance.

And that’s where we all want to be for any up or down in our life. Acceptance. That’s it my sweet friends. Work towards acceptance in all areas of life. And when you’re stuck, come see me in the forest. I’ll be here.

What’s the Rush?

May 21, 2024May 21, 2024 pammunkholm

I’m reading a book by Dr. Libby Weaver. She describes what she calls Rushing Women’s Syndrome, also the name of the book. She says, “Rushing Women’s Syndrome (RWS) describes the biochemical effects of always being in a hurry and the health consequences that urgency elicits.” Ironically, I’m listening to it on double speed because I have to get it done!

I see so much of myself in this description of a rushing woman and I wonder if you do as well. Dr Weaver says, “Imagine if you will RWS in action. It doesn’t seem to matter whether she has 2 things to do or 200. She’s often in a pressing rush to do it all. Wound up like a spring, she runs herself ragged in a daily battle to keep up. There is always so much to do. And she very rarely feels like she wins, is in control or gets on top of things.” (Can I get an amen? 🙌) “In fact her deep desire to control even the smaller details of life can leave her feeling out of control even of herself. Overwhelmed at times she feels like she can’t cope whether she admits it out loud or keeps it all inside adding to her wound up knotted stomach… Most women with RWS suffer terribly with their periods or don’t bleed regularly. Women who go into menopause in this state usually find it debilitating.” Next on the page should be a picture of me. Mid hot flash.

Does any of this feel familiar to you? I see myself in every detail. But that was past me. Now I recognize what it did to me and I would do anything to help even one soul from experiencing what I have. To turn someone back at the gate of being rushed to death.

Dr Weaver continues, “The majority of rushing women are wired and typically get very weary in the late afternoon to early evening but if they stay up after 10 pm they often get a second wind and it is then very hard to go to sleep until 1 or 2 am.” Holy smokes, yes. This is me, spot on. Does she have a live stream of my life? For real, where are the cameras? I had no idea this wasn’t just me.

If you are interested, she has a checklist to see if you are a rushing woman. I was not surprised when, based on who I was, I scored off the charts. If I were to add it up based on me today it would not be zero but it would be significantly better. From what I have read so far I would recommend this book to anyone feeling rushed.

Being a woman that was in a rush for everything, I know when Dr Weaver says it affects our nervous system, our endocrine system and the digestive system, she has seen first hand what I have experienced. I can hold my hand to the sky to bear my witness that not only does it affect these systems, it will squeeze the life out of those systems first. Watch for an overloaded nervous, endocrine or digestive system as these are hard to recover once they are pushed past a certain point.

I look forward to learning the tools and answers that will be presented in the book by Dr Weaver. I am always looking for what is next or what to add to my healing practices. I’m only on chapter 4 so if you’re also interested in her answers, you will need to purchase the book yourself.

But I feel blessed to have my own tools. I know Forest Therapy is a key part of healing for me.

Have you ever stood in front of rushing waters? I love to watch waterfalls or streams. If you have access to something of the sort I invite you to try this practice. Even laying in bed and picturing it will give you some of the benefits. Face the water as it runs towards you. Hear it. Sense the power, even if it’s gently moving. Picture the rush and the busy and the tension of your life letting go, let the water take it away. Allow the water to wash clean all the areas that have not been working and are taking their toll on you and your family. Let it go. Steady now, don’t burst into song on me.

Next shift your focus. Look at the source of the running water. As far as you can see the source. Picture it bringing you all the energy, peace, and guidance you need. My source is Jesus. Yours may be the earth. Family. But there is a source for all of us that is available to heal the physical, emotional and mental damage that’s been done. There is a way to better health starting at any age and any ability level. It will guide you to a better life. The one you pictured as a young child. Was it bright and beautiful? Mine was. And now I found it again. The forest has many healing measures. You just need a guide to help you find them. Head over to my contact page if you want to know more about booking a forest walk with me.

My sweet, tired, rushed friends, join me in the forest.

Regaining Control

May 14, 2024May 14, 2024 pammunkholm

Like most people I like to be in control. Have you ever felt completely out of control of your life? I have that feeling far less these days. Do you want to know what changed? It’s decidedly not because my life got easier. My life is actually a whole mess of mayhem. If you see yourself in this description and want to learn how to uphold control despite the daily dumpster fire, read on.

I was compelled to quit my life a few years ago. It had been overloaded for too long and my body and brain decided to quit their day job. They had had enough of this nonsense. If I wasn’t going to take care of them, they weren’t going to take care of me.

People say they can’t slow down or everything will fall apart. Especially as the mom. You are the hub of the family. Everyone comes to you for everything. To find the things. To remember the things. To carry the things. To get them and their things to the places. To talk things out. To orchestrate the things that need to happen. If you weren’t there, what would happen to all the things? It would be a disaster. Right? Of course right!

I had that feeling of impending doom when it was decided and my mom came to pick me up and take me to her house. I had suffered a serious breakdown. I learned something that felt like it was going to leave a permanent gash in my life, I kept picturing shards of glass ripping through me as I realized all the ways it would require me to adjust my life plans. It seemed as though it was leaving a hole not just in my life but in me. I had felt the pressure getting to be too much and this bit of information was the final straw.

Brent was working out of town so he couldn’t take care of me. My boys were old enough to take care of themselves but not to take care of their mother too. I started bawling as my mom and I were leaving my house. I didn’t want to leave my life. My heart was breaking as we were leaving my boys. So we brought Riley along as tribute. I was so tired. I was so overwhelmed. I was a 40 yr old going to her mom’s house to be taken care of. And my family and life would fall apart while I was away. And I just had to go. I had to let go and let it all fall apart.

Would *you* trust them? Just kidding, I love them and all of their crazy.

And oh boy, did it ever fall apart. My only son left in high school started failing classes. Handedly. I had teachers reaching out to me that I had to ignore. The thought of answering an email filled me with dread. The thought of trying to figure out or take care of anything was debilitating. Panic inducing. Add to that, not only was I not in my home to care for it, but there were three young adult/teenage boys living there. Molly maids they are not. The animals weren’t getting the care they needed. The yard looked like nobody had lived there in years with overgrown patches of yard the boys weren’t getting to mowing. I’d go home every two weeks when Brent was home. So I’d step back into my life and see how poorly it was doing without me. We would try to catch up and then head back out the door. For half a year we lived that way.

This sounds like a lot of complaining and it was really hard but that’s not why I’m bringing it to this audience. The reason I bring it here is to say that while you stop to take care of yourself, some things will suffer. That may be true and that has to be ok. Because if you keep not taking care of yourself, I am your cautionary tale. Life may come to a catastrophic juncture where stopping to care for yourself will be the only viable option. If you think you can’t stop moving or you will drop everything, you are carrying too much. Let some things go or do them differently to give yourself space to breathe. You need to be able to breathe. And everyone and everything will adjust. It may fall apart but it will come back together better than you can now picture in your weighed down state.

Maybe you don’t need to make a change as drastic as I did. Maybe you are not in crisis mode. In that case, recognize your needs and if there is no room in your life to fill those needs, make a change. Let go of something that might initially feel too important. But consider yourself. And make room for you!

Do you have your own thing? I’d love to see in your comments what your thing is. What brings you calm and helps you feel like you can step back into your life a stronger person when you’ve had time to do this thing? If you don’t have a thing, find one. We each need something that brings the stress level down and returns us back to who we are. I find I need to see friends often. I need to get out of my house and talk to someone else and laugh and complain and eat yummy food and then I can go home and enjoy spending time with my family again. I need my daily and weekly spiritual and physical strengthening practices. I am finding new uses of my time and energy that I wouldn’t even have considered, had I not been forced to make that mid- course correction.

Photo by Carlos Rubio Tristan on Pexels.com

One of those new ways to use my time that I have found to be of greatest benefit, of course, is forest therapy. I need time to ground and be still and immerse myself in nature and what she has to offer. Plus this hits some of my physical and spiritual practices for the day as well. Bonus.

If your new thing could be joining me in forest therapy, head over to my contact page to book a walk with me to learn how to take it all in. It can be your thing and it can move you to healing. In whatever way you need it. We all need some type of healing even if we don’t see it when we begin.

These days I am making an effort to slow down and recognize when a transition is happening in life. I try not fight it. I don’t stand in the way of change. I try to recognize the shifts that are naturally occurring and then decide what I will do moving forward based on the new information. I try not to stay too long in the this-isn’t-fair lane. That lane never moves forward and stays backed up for miles. Best to merge out of that lane asap.

I’m learning that there can be good in every change. Even the changes that hurt the most. That day was so painful for me. But in hindsight it was vital. It reminds me of the time I cut myself in the webbing between my index finger and thumb. I went to get stitches. After a week, the wound wasn’t healing. It was such a hard place to keep clean and dry while I had a mountain of toddlers and laundry. I kept hoping it would get better but I wasn’t doing anything to fix it. I just kept covering it up and ignoring the pain. But that wound just needed to dry out. I had to rip the band aid off and stop 👏 doing👏 the dishes 👏 and let the painful healing process take place. The process of healing in myself and my family after my breakdown required of me a different way forward than I’d expected to take. I needed to step away. I needed to uncover the wound and let it breathe. And in the process my boys learned great things. For one, a true appreciation for all that I do in just being around.

My life looks a lot different than I thought it would this many years later. But it’s pretty awesome. Some things I could not picture any better. Some things I’d still like to see improve. But overall I feel more in control now than I did when I thought I had it all under control and actually it just hadn’t fallen apart yet.

If you see yourself in this post, take care of yourself sweet friend.

The NERVE! of Nerve Pain

May 7, 2024 pammunkholm

My journey started with a bone spur. It wasn’t big but it was sharp enough to shred my superspinatis whose- a- ma- what’s- it and my something or other, every time I moved. So naturally I stopped moving. This isn’t good for any body. But it’s a sentence of doom to one with mobile joints. Part of the problem was that I didn’t know I had mobile joints. The other part was that it took years to find and remove the bone spur. So over those years my mobility was less and less and my muscles that had been holding me together became almost non-existent.

When I say my mobility was less and less, what I mean to say is, I was able to exercise less and less. I was still raising my boys, getting them to school, going to work, getting home to lay down and cry in pain. Then get back up, make supper, drive the boys to their karate or other activities, get home, get them to bed and then go to bed and cry in pain. Driving was the worst. We lived out of town and we had to drive a half hour to anything. The pain crept up into my teeth. Do you know that feeling? So when I’d lay down there was not relief but all the layers of pain I’d ignored all day trying to let go. I suspect I am not the only one who has had this feeling when laying down at night.

I’d try to move slowly for weeks at a time so that the area in pain that refused to be strengthened could scar tissue over. But inevitably I would look the wrong way too quickly or stoop down to get something out of the fridge drawer or sneeze while wiping the counter. And it would suddenly feel cold along the area. I would hope I was imagining it. But the effect was always my shoulder blade feeling like it was falling down my back. Because it was. And I didn’t have the muscle tone to hold it in place the way a typical body should. And the superspinatis and the whatever- it- was were not helping. It didn’t seem to matter how careful I was or how much I ignored it. It was a frustrating and never- ending cycle. Knowing the pain was coming no matter my efforts was hard to handle emotionally.

After years of specialist appointments and physio and ultrasounds and x-rays didn’t show anything I finally convinced someone to order the MRI my physiotherapist was pretty sure I needed. This angel, in the form of a rheumatologist that listened and ordered it even though her specialty had nothing to offer, was the answer to many prayers.

The results of the MRI showed a small bone spur. It was up to me whether to take it out or not. Um, yes please. The surgery recovery was not simple. It took years for all the inflammation to recede to have my normal use and years more for typical person normal use. But I cannot imagine not having gone through those steps and still being in the place where my muscles were shredding until I cried daily. Do you face something that seems insurmountable, yet you know the benefits outweigh the cost? Do it! Make the time for you. Even if it will take time to see results. We invest the time and money in a summer camp for our kids. Shouldn’t we also invest in ourselves?

Back to my story. From there my road to recovery showed the possibility, then confirmed my mobile joints.

No matter how big or small I started an exercise it would tighten a muscle group to the point it pulled out another joint. Like a spiderweb that constantly had someone tugging on it. This particular, pesky spider web tug was pulling my joints out. My body was constantly trying to compensate. It was never happy. I tried all the exercises. I love exercise. It has been so hard to just grin and bear it when someone says I just need to exercise to fix it. Try pilates! Yoga! Gentle stretches! Just push through the pain! Get a massage! Go to chiro! Nobody knows the lengths to which I have gone to solve this.

As a support person, validate pain, validate efforts, never push options. Suggest and let it go. If it is right for your person they will come back to it in their own time. You cannot compare your average body and what it needs to someone with chronic pain. They have to do what is right for them. Trust them. Being pushed too often is likely why they are dealing with this type of pain in the first place. My advice today is to share this information with anyone in your life that needs to know ☝

From mobile joints, to endometriosis, to hysterectomy, to weird nervous system symptoms, to a toxic and wasted body on the brink of major disease, this has been a journey I would not wish on anyone. And yet I know many women are on the same track. Their story is different but the outcome and the need for healing is great. I posted a hothouse (an infrared canopy that warms and soothes nerves) on a Facebook marketplace the other day. I mentioned that it helped with my fibromyalgia and my twitches. The response was vast and immediate.

I only had one hothouse. But. my dear friends, I have something else to offer that has soothed my nerves not only in the moment but its effects are long lasting, such that I didn’t need my hothouse anymore. My temperature is stabilizing. If this sounds anything like your story and you’d like to hear more about Forest Walks and the healing you can find there, head over to my contact page to ask about booking.

Take care out there.