The theme of gut health is showing up in all sorts of places in my life. I am doing gut health support with Oshi Health for my endometriosis. My dog Charlie is doing gut health support to help with his behavior (test results are still pending, but his poop successfully made it through customs to the testing company in the UK!), and then he’s signed up with the Shouty Barky Dog Lady to look for hidden pain. At the end of 2024, I completed my pediatric sleep certification with Palm Pediatric, and a core principle is the link between gut health and sleep (and everything else!).
The gut is our second brain. “Our gut is home to over 100 trillion microscopic organisms. In recent years, emerging science has made significant strides in understanding the role these gut microbes play in our and our children’s overall health—and it’s more significant than you might realize. Our children’s gut microbiome is responsible for not just how our kids digest and absorb food but also how their immune systems function; how they think, feel, and behave; and even how their genes work for or against them!” Excerpt From Healthy Kids, Happy Kids by Elisa Song M.D.
Our gut health influences our behavior, our attention, our sleep — everything! What fascinates me too is that during my grief classes years ago, I learned about the importance of DEER: drink water, eat something nutritious, exercise, and rest. And now I am reading Healthy Kids, Happy Kids by Elisa Song, MD. What does she say influences gut health? Drink water (hydrate), eat something nutritious (nourish), exercise (move), and rest (breathe and prioritize sleep).
Recently I was talking to a dear friend about DEER (ha!), and her response was that it sounded overwhelming to have to do all those things all the time. As part of my self compassion mission, I’ve been listening to the audiobook for Meditations for Mortals, and I thought that it addressed this beautifully:
“Treat your to-do list as a menu. In the striving-towards-sanity mindset, a to-do list is always something you’ve got to get to the end of before you’re allowed to relax. But in any context where there are more things that feel like they need doing than there’s time available in which to do them – which is the normal state of affairs, after all – a to-do list is by definition really a menu, a list of tasks to pick from, rather than to get through. And operating from sanity means treating it that way: starting with the acknowledgment that you won’t complete everything you might wish, then making your selections from the menu. Obviously, not every task on every to-do list will be as appetizing as the restaurant analogy suggests. But it’s surprising how many things do become more appetizing once you’re encountering them not as chores you have to plow through, but as options you get to pick.” (excerpt From Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.) I encourage you that when you pause to decide what you are going to do next, consider using a menu mentality that includes DEER on your list of options, and listen to your body as you pick something from the list! And what might be something from the DEER menu that would benefit someone else in your family?
Join me on the journey!
So this year I am focused on choosing from a menu that includes celebration, self compassion, and guts (including drinking water, eating something nutritious, exercising, and resting). What are you focusing on this year? Who is up for joining me on the celebration, self compassion, and guts journey?
Who do you know who would like to be included on my “wins wall” to celebrate feeling more rested, connected, and/or thriving? Text me before you get distracted, and let me know! 916-579-4013. (Just tell me who you are and how you found me, because I don’t answer to just “Hello?” That’s creepy!)