I wasn't always a "health nut"...nor did I ever aspire to be one. All I knew was there were many areas of my life that were not where I wanted them to be and I was constantly searching for a magic solution to bring them all into one happy place. I was feeling depressed, overwhelmed, and out of sorts. My emotions were struggling, my health was struggling, my marriage and relationships were struggling, everything was in an upheaval. I was experiencing complete discontent, and nothing was "right".
When I finally tired of blaming everyone and everything for my problems, I began working on improving my health, where as a result, my eating habits changed, and I began to feel balance come into place in all areas of my life. Could this really be? Is my food affecting everything? Yes! It was. I slowly began to see the bigger picture that was surrounding my life. I was eating junk. And as a result, my life was full of junk...artificial relationships, less than stellar parenting, lazy attitude, lack of sweetness in my marriage, feeling dry and empty...it was an overall full-out funk. I discovered though, that the reason this was, is because I was feeding my self all the wrong things. I was using food to remedy every feeling I had! When ever I was upset and needed comfort, I made a heavy, satiating meal. Whenever I felt lonely or sad, or unloved or neglected, the sweet tooth kicked in. Stressed and burned out? Yep, you guessed it...crunchy, salty anything! I was noticing a pattern, and it was intriguing me!
Once I learned food wasn't the way to handle emotions, I knew I needed to reevaluate everything and figure out what was missing in my life. Was it friendship, love, creativity, security? All of these actually. While I was feeding my body food and food products, I wasn't feeding me. All the areas of my life that make me who I am. And all that neglect began to manifest it's way through my food.
Once I figured out how to handle me and maintain balance with my eating and in my life as a wife, mother, business owner, friend, sister, daughter, etc...I realized and knew there were others out there that struggle just like I had (and sometimes still do)! I began to desire to help these people find what they were looking for in life, while improving their health and overall wellness at the same time. With a little prodding from a friend, and full support from my husband, I enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to became a Holistic Health Counselor.
In my counseling practice, I now work with my clients in all the same areas I did to improve and balance myself, my health, my emotions, and my life. We talk about good nutrition practices, as well as all the other areas of our lives that need to be fed as well...relationships, physical health, spirituality, careers and roles, and proper self care. In addition to my health counseling certification, I have a BFA in Interior Design. I understand that the environments we work, live, sleep, and play in bear a crucial role in our health and happiness. This makes my counseling practice unique and different than any other because I use this knowledge to take my clients' health journey one step further. Together, we can transform any environment they spend time in into a place that nurtures them, feeds them, and supports them positively as they make new health and lifestyle changes.
I feel blessed to have gone through that "funk" and the struggles that I did. It led me to the most incredible and amazing journey ever towards health and wellness. I love sharing and helping others discover what they are missing in their lives. I learn so much from every client which only challenges and improves me more. Each one is such a treasured gift!
In your journey towards health and balance, do not be afraid to look to others for help or answers. Support is crucial whether in the form of a community or just one individual. Take time to care for yourself and be a part of a movement to help change your family, friends, loved ones, and even the world, by sharing what you have learned and discovered about yourself!
Luanne Gerrity, HHC
www.imhungryforsomething.com
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