Know Better, Do Better! A Guest Post by Dawn Forbrick
I’m so unhappy! But everything I’m doing now is just fine…
Three years ago, I was your average wellness skeptic. Anyone who did something different than the mainstream was being unreasonable. My own friends and family who embraced a healthier lifestyle through eating natural foods were being ridiculous from my unknowing point of view. Try essential oils to stay healthy? No thanks, I’ll pass. Eat clean to lose weight? Nah, I’m happy with my current eating arrangements. Jump on the green cleaning bandwagon to save the Earth? But what’s wrong with my Free and Clear detergent, fancy bath and body products, and orange scented dish soap?
And then a dear friend, who saw all my frustration with never ending sickness and stress, pleaded with me to ‘just try it’. So I did. I took the plunge into a life of wellness with Young Living, a wellness lifestyle company. And for the past two years, I’ve done my research and learned why I need to eat clean and eliminate all those processed foods and chemical-laden products. I learned about toxins and how they are affecting my body, my emotions and my hormones. No way, no more! I decided that if we could make small changes in the items we brought into our home that would have a big impact on our health, then we would do it!
The next best way to protect yourself from germs is….
Immune support was first in line. I’m an elementary school teacher, married to a Nurse Practitioner, with a school-aged child. You can imagine the germs we bring home! Every viral and bacterial infection out there, every stress induced headache, all of it! So we started using essential oils that would support our immune system. Thieves (a Young Living oil blend that contains clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus radiate and rosemary) is our primary line of defense. Frankincense and oregano oils are also oils I turn to in times of need for an immune boost. We apply these oils topically, and will also use them in the diffuser.
Young Living also offers us a Vitality line that allows us to safely ingest our oils for added support. This proactive wellness has suited us well. We are sick less often, with shorter illness duration when we do catch something and have seen a decrease in medical bills! We incorporate essential oil infused supplements that fit our needs and are better absorbed into our bodies. And most importantly, we focus on getting antioxidant rich foods to support brain health and strengthen our immune systems. Our go-to for an antioxidant rich supplement in Ningxia Red, a sweet and tangy drink that contains wolfberries from the Ningxia province of China and is packed with superfoods to support overall wellness.
Next up, personal care! Have you ever researched the ingredients that are in your make-up, skin care, or personal care products? Yikes! There are hundreds of unregulated chemicals and toxins that we are putting on our skin, our largest organ, daily! All of which are absorbed into our bloodstream, affecting our organs and hormones. We are talking about carcinogens, hormone-disruptors and allergens. A scare at the radiologist’s office after my first routine mammogram sent me running from store-bought aluminum and fragrance filled deodorants. Slowly but surely, we replaced everything that goes on our body with natural products, free of fragrance/parfum, parabens, phthalates, and all the other chemicals that were wreaking havoc on our body systems. It turns out we didn’t need those chemicals to experience effective and enjoyable products!
Time to clean the kitchen! Hmm, something seems off here….
Finally, household products. There are so many toxic cleaning products I could hardly believe we were using those to clean our homes. We had already ditched paraffin candles for pure therapeutic grade essential oils in the diffuser. But when you know better, you have to do better. Googling ingredients, or entering products we were using into the Think Dirty app was, and continues to be, eye opening. So we stepped it up and replaced all our cleaners with Thieves Household Cleaner from Young Living. One cleaner that literally does it all, top to bottom. No more cleaning wipes, sprays or disinfectants that give us headaches every time we take them out. No more detergents that leave chemicals on our skin or the dishes off of which we eat.
And I certainly didn’t fall for the ‘greenwashing’, with all the companies out there claiming to be natural, yet still covering up toxic ingredients under the guise of fragrance/parfum. With a daughter entering puberty who is even more susceptible to hormone disrupting toxins and a dog who didn’t know better than to lick her paws after walking on the freshly washed floors, we knew we needed to give them better! So we did. Not only did we want peace of mind, we wanted to know we were making the right choices.
Life really can be clean, green and beautiful!
Nearly three years later, we have finally come full circle with ditching toxins and switching to a lifestyle of wellness. We are learning and living better every day. Whether it’s what we put in our body, what we put on our body, or what we inhale into our body, we are more conscientious of the products we choose and use. We don’t do these things just because someone said we should. We do these things because when we do, we feel better. Physically. Emotionally. Hormonally. Our whole body reaps the benefits of these lifestyle changes! Know better, do better. That’s our mantra, and that’s our lifestyle choice.
Dawn Forbrick
I’m a mom of a tween girl, wife of a Nurse Practitioner, and teacher of some awesome elementary school kids! I was also the proud pet mama of a Shiba Inu until she recently crossed the Rainbow Bridge after a long, happy life!
Two years ago, my life collided with Young Living essential oils, thanks to kid germs and an awesome friend who knew I needed immune support, pronto! I haven’t looked back since! Young Living has brought such an amazing amount of physical and emotional support to my home!
I have developed a passion for health and wellness that I am driven to share with others. Know better, do better! Blessed to say we have ditched the toxins and chemicals for more natural and effective personal and home care products.
Visit Dawn’s website and follow her on Facebook!
