One study shows that 8 out of 10 adults are stressed ₍₁₎

Stress causes a variety of health issues, including insomnia, PTSD, heart issues, and more. Some causes of stress in our daily lives come from relationships, work, or finances. Stress isn’t always caused by significant events, but rather from the accumulation of smaller events and larger events.

Throughout my life, I have found myself in stressful situations that have caused several health issues.

I’m sure there were various stressor events involved, but I do remember several significant ones. Those include being held at gunpoint, living in New York City during 9/11, not understanding my mental health, my father passing, and several difficult work situations.

I finally found a place that I loved to work, but it came with very stressful situations that I never thought I would be in. I started being consumed by my work at the neglect of my own self-care. My stress increased to the point where I could no longer sleep, and my mind raced with thoughts of the future and the past. I was at a breaking point.

Insomnia is a health crisis: 1 in 3 of us suffer from it₍₂₎

It is estimated that 50 to 70 million Americans chronically suffer from a disorder of sleep and wakefulness, hindering daily functioning and adversely affecting health and longevity. There around 90 distinct sleep disorders; most are marked by one of these symptoms: excessive daytime sleepiness, difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, and abnormal events occurring during sleep. The cumulative long-term effects of sleep loss and sleep disorders have been associated with a wide range of deleterious health consequences including an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke. After decades of research, the case can be confidently made that sleep loss and sleep disorders have profound and widespread effects on human health. (iii)

 

Wellness Folk: THE BEGINNING

It was while working for this stressful job that I began to research and subsequently discovered several modalities that have helped me on my journey. I finally revealed why my mind and emotions seemed like they were on a roller coaster.

Most likely due to stress, insomnia, and poor diet, I started having major pains starting in my back but coming around to somewhere on my left side.

While on a ghost hunting trip, Melissa Carey, my dear friend and the owner of “Into the Spirit Healing,” explained that she was starting a reiki practice. When there was a lull in hunting, I told her about the pain I was experiencing. She started a reiki session and almost immediately was pulled to the pain in my back. As soon as she found that area, every other affected area started to generate heat. It was at that moment that I knew I had to seek professional help.

I ended up finding a practitioner at a clinic near Pittsburgh. At an office visit over the Christmas holiday, my physician ordered blood tests and casually mentioned that it could be pancreatic cancer. This sent my head into a downward spiral, and I kept the visit’s potential outcome from my family . . . thinking that I needed to figure out the best course of treatment on my own and not burden them with worry if it was not cancer.

What options are there to relax and maintain focus in this crazy world?

Determined that I would not seek treatment to try and “cure” myself if the diagnosis was cancer, I started looking for ways to manage the pain and figure out end of life treatments and plans for my family. I have a healthy relationship with the notion of dying, but still I felt grief over who I would leave behind.

It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.

JOHN STEINBECK

During this same time, I stumbled across a healer who would change my life and start me on a journey of destressing. In addition to the Reiki offered by my friend, I found that acupuncture was an effective pain management option. I had tried acupuncture before and found it less than helpful, but this time I was lucky to find an amazing acupuncturist not far from home. Quong Wang Acupuncture showed me that western medicine is not always the way, but it should not be shunned either. Everything in moderation. Dr. Wang, with an MD from China, also has her doctorate in Oriental Medicine. Not only is she well versed in western medicine, but she learned acupuncture from her grandmother and aunt.

Dr. Wang’s care is truly amazing, and she quickly took the pain away from my back. At the same time, I finally received my test results and was overjoyed to learn that they couldn’t find anything. So, no cancer! Dr. Wang encouraged me to continue to seek out the cause of the pain. After several more tests, MRIs, and exploratory procedures, the only thing the doctors could tell me was to keep doing what I was doing.

Dr. Wang’s care is truly amazing, and she quickly took the pain away from my back.

As the stress of everyday life continued to take hold, I started trying to find ways to deal with the lack of sleep. I looked at natural remedies, massage, breathwork and more. My sleep patterns became even more effective and I was envious of people who could take a nap and sleep well. My racing mind became unbearable, and I slipped into a major depression. The depression was different than before. I couldn’t see the light, even though I have never been affected by thoughts of suicide. I was just walking around like a zombie and became even more irritated even with the people I loved. Please note: Please seek medical attention right away if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts. This site and our company should never replace medical help and your medical team should always be consulted before experiencing our labs.


Around this time, I had a chance encounter that would help me understand what I was dealing with in my mind. I had dinner with a friend, and I commented on how relaxed she was. She shared her own struggle with depression and out of character actions and told me she was diagnosed, after several misdiagnoses, with Bipolar II. As she talked about her symptoms, my brain was checking off things on the list of my own symptoms. I too had instances of acting totally out of character, problems concentrating, and several attempts at finishing school.

She told me about her successes after finding someone who finally diagnosed her correctly. Determined, I went to the same person to see if I would have the same diagnosis. I definitely checked off a lot of the indicators. I met with Dr. Brittney before meeting my therapist. I found her candor and matter of fact attitude calming. After taking my history, she diagnosed me with Bipolar I. With that diagnosis in hand, I immediately thought about calling my friend to let her know I had also been diagnosed with bipolar.

Happiness consists of getting enough sleep. Just that, nothing more.

ROBERT A. HEINLEIN

While this diagnosis made sense, it still hit me that this disorder had shaped my life up until this point. However, after meeting with Dr. Brittney, I met with my therapist. He observed I was presenting as having depression and suggested it might not be bipolar. 

Two weeks later as I was dealing with a very difficult work environment, I went back to see my therapist. But this time he quickly asked me if I was in my manic state. I paused and realized that I was indeed on the manic side.

What I have found is that therapy has brought to attention my thoughts and actions. I am recognizing how much bipolar had affected me in the past and in the present. It is hard to live with and amplify the feelings of both depression and mania. In fact, I quickly cycle to depression now when I realize I am in a manic state—usually after several days of impulse buying.

One of the impulse buys was two purchases that started the creation of Nap Lab. I found that several of these items were effective in quieting my mind. One, forced solitude; two, sound therapy; three, acupuncture; four, massage; five; sauna and steam baths; six, meditation, ritual, mindfulness, gratitude, and prayer; and seven, multimodal support and therapy.

Wellness Folk was born around the hypothesis that others could also benefit from my experimentation and experiences. Think of Wellness Folk as a place where you can try out as many paths as you want and find out what works for you. We never consider ourselves medical professionals and expect you to have a team to help you navigate life. But we do believe that you can find out what works for your particular chemistry to experience a more fulfilling life or at least make it more tolerable.

I look forward to being on this ongoing journey with you. Nap Lab was born out of necessity but has already helped others. My calling is that of a listener, helper, and healer. 

Wellness Folk: THE STORY CONTINUES

Where should you begin? 9D Breathwork or Distance Reiki is a great place to start. While you are scheduling your session, purchase our line of essential oils, created because of my bipolar disorder, meet with one of our life coaches, and attend our mindfulness training. If you like what you experience, go all in with our Relaxnation society where you can attend group meditations and gain access to more exclusive items and services. 

The Search for Euthymia and relaxation techniques for all

My team and I actively seek out opportunities, products, and labs to introduce that will enhance relaxation. While my Bipolar episodes often cause havoc and hurtful experiences, they also sometimes contribute to the quest for euthymia. I have had less than a handful of these experiences, where I felt focused, calm, and present. But they always happen when I have control over my stress.

Paying attention to the here and now requires intention, not force.

ECKHART TOLLE

Today’s connected world helps us have instant access to information but it may also contribute to the stress we as a society are facing. Not one modality works for another. For instance, I know that silent meditation  does not work for me and our sound therapy lab doesn’t work for the maker of our tea products, Tupelo Honey Teas. We can’t wait to learn about what works for you and follow your own trek.

One of my favorite musicals is the 90s hit “Rent” in which the story of “La Boehme” gets a makeover. One of the best songs about finding help and living your life is the song “No day but today.” This song, as well as “Will I,” show the usefulness of living in the moment and finding out what works for you. Songs help me, nature helps me, and the services at Wellness Folk help me. I’m hoping they help you, too. Come with me on this journey and book an appointment today.

I can’t control my destiny. I trust my soul, my only goal. Is just to be

JONATHAN LARSON

i  news.gallup.com/poll/224336/eight-americans-afflicted-stress.aspx 

ii sleephealthfoundation.org.au/pdfs/Insomnia.pdf

iii https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/nbk19961/