Holistic Rituals – with ARTEMIS

“Health is like a bank account, it’s really important to put in some deposits early. If something unexpected happens in the future you’ll want to draw from that account” – Sandra Clair (Artemis)

 

This is something Sandra, the founder of Artemis said to me during one of our recent skype calls, and it has stuck with me ever since.

Sandra’s back story is fascinating, and I’ve now had the privilege of chatting with her twice since I first began my 2019 decision to honour my health and well-being with a more mindful and holistic approach.

• Bad skin
• Smelly sweat
• Sleep disturbances
• Easily irritated
• Tiredness
• Brain fog
• Headaches
• Can’t lose weight
• Allergies

These are just some of the symptoms and signs of reduced liver function that Sandra mentioned to me, and in January when I first started taking the Liver Detox Tea from Artemis, I had all the above mentioned symptoms and then some!

I was tired and lethargic all the time, things easily got on my nerves and I had zero patience or tolerance. I struggled to concentrate or focus, and found this extremely difficult when almost all my work required me to be creative and think outside of the box. Heck, I was not even remotely close to living OR thinking outside of the box when I was feeling so “blah” and vanilla all the time – and that was incredibly frustrating! As a creative person by nature, feeling sluggish and uninspired all the time was as if the core part of my identity had been removed. It felt like all the colours in my life had disappeared and I was left with only the black and white coloured pencils to play with.

I was uninspired, unmotivated, lazy, and my depression and anxiety were constantly creeping in and trying to cramp my style big time.

In 2018 my focus was my partner Adam, and I poured all my energy into seeing him get back on his feet (click here to learn more about what we went through) and be well again. That was my priority and as a result I unknowingly put my own health and well-being on the back burner, and as last year came to a close I suddenly found myself running on empty.

Life was challenging last year but also full of the most incredible life changes that I consider to be such a blessing in disguise.

Both Adam and I got to experience tremendous growth, both as individuals and as a couple, and for that reason, if I had a chance to go back and do things differently, I wouldn’t change a thing.

We got dealt some pretty shitty cards in 2018 but I am so proud of the way we chose to deal with them. Last year we learnt to slow down, embrace the changes instead of fighting them, and trying to revert back to the way we had always done them. We had to step outside of our comfort zone, our routine, as the lifestyle we were so used to all got flipped upside down and we had to learn to reinvent a new normal for ourselves.

It was scary and hard but also humbling and now looking back I feel so lucky that we were able to experience what we did in order to create this new space in our lives where we realise how precious life is. How precious our health and the health of our family & loved ones is. It doesn’t matter how much money we are making, how nice a house we live in or how fancy the car we drive is if we don’t have our health. Material wealth means nothing if we aren’t even healthy enough to enjoy any of it!

“Health in the future is built by the health you have now” – Sandra Clair (Artemis)

These wise words from Sandra are literally my mantra for 2019 that I intend to honour and live by – so far it’s been an eye opening journey.

In the past I had done some pretty extreme detox rituals all promising that in no time my health would be back on track and I could go back to living my “normal” routine. My old approach to my health and well-being was basically anything that was fast and promised fast results. I was time poor and I didn’t see the point in having to commit to anything long term if I could cut corners and get to the desired results in half the time. My focus back then wasn’t so much about paying attention to how I was feeling but more so about how I was looking and how much I could push myself to achieve all the things I needed to get done everyday in order to be successful and keep up with everyone else around me.

It was a hell of a short sighted approach to life and one that had a lot of consequences and I paid, am still paying dearly for now!

When my body literally decided to take a vacation and stop working I had no choice but to slow down. The freedoms I was afforded before and took for granted were no longer even an option when my body was so tired, fed up and broken. Getting out of bed in the morning and being able to move my body suddenly became something to celebrate! Living wasn’t fun, it was exhausting . I felt trapped in a body that didn’t like me anymore.

My endometriosis had completely flared, my CFS was raging and my depression and anxiety were a constant unwanted companion. I was a hot mess and I knew I had only myself to blame for the state I’d allowed myself to get to before I sat up and paid attention.

I knew better, yet I chose to ignore all the warning signs my body was trying to tell me along the way because I saw them as an inconvenience and I couldn’t be bothered dealing with any of it.

So again with Sandra’s wise words….. ““Health in the future is built by the health you have now”

If I could go back and speak to my twenty y/o self I would shake her and tell her to open a “health account” and start making small regular mindful deposits so that later in life I had a nice fat balance in that account to draw from if I needed to.

I wish I knew about the powers of plant medicine then, and appreciated how simple and effective it is when you set aside a little time each day to invest in your health with a holistic approach.

I kick myself for not making adequate space in my life earlier to allow for these healthy habits and rituals that give my body and mind what they need in order to perform at their best.

I knew I needed to start this journey in a way that was gentle and that I needed to create a “safe space” for my body to start repairing and healing itself. No more quick fix diets, detox programs or boot-camp type concepts.

This is where Artemis and Sandra came into my life and boy what a GAME CHANGER it’s been since they arrived on the scene.

From the very first day of January I begun my Artemis health journey and I haven’t looked back since.

I was advised to start with the Liver Detox Tea first thing in the morning and to create a mindful morning ritual that allowed me to set myself up for the day ahead.

I love that Sandra created a way for people like me to actually consciously consume the benefits of plant medicine in tea form. Making a pot of tea is such a beautiful ritual in itself and instead of rushing through the morning and trying to down a handful of tablets that promise to detox my body, I have learnt that it is far more effective and powerful when the plant medicines are combined to make a herbal tea formulation as it’s more easily absorbed into the body this way.

Detoxification is a normal process that occurs in the body that we need to support every day and by introducing medicinal/herbal teas into your everyday rituals you are giving your body the support it needs.

As a little girl I remember always loving to watch my Malaysian Indian grandmother make chai and other medicinal Ayurveda teas. Watching her prepare and serve it was a beautiful ritual. I also loved (and still do) watching my Kiwi European mum start her day with her own ritual of making a pot of earl grey tea. Both my grandmother and my mum also believed in the power of natural herbal remedies and the benefits of having an “east meets west” upbringing and heritage meant I got to experience and appreciate the best of both worlds.

When I stepped into 2019 I set an intention to really focus on creating a morning routine that centred around my health and well-being. I wanted to honour the rituals that my grandmother and mother practiced by beginning my mornings in a more mindful way that allowed me to feel good BOTH mentally & physically.

MY 2019 MINDFUL MORNING RITUAL:

• I wake up & try not to check my phone first thing (this is a long time habit that’s gonna take time to break) and instead I lie in bed and list 5 things I feel grateful for.
• I then sit up on the edge of the bed and have a mini stretch session where I close my eyes and focus on my breath, breathing in through the nose whilst counting to 5 then exhaling through the nose counting to 5. I repeat this 5 times and as I’m doing that I begin a mini stretch. Wiggling my fingers & toes, rolling my shoulders, turning my neck from side to side and then I put both feet on the ground at the same time and say out loud “Today I am taking responsibility for all of my results”
• Next thing I do is head to the bathroom and use my Ayurveda copper tongue scraper. I have been doing this for years now and refuse to drink anything until this is done in the mornings and I get rid of all the yuck toxins that have built up on my tongue.
• I then make a big glass of filtered water, squeeze of lime or lemon juice, teaspoon of ACV and teaspoon of Himalayan rock salt stir it up and drink. This combination is a great way to start hydrating the body, the lemon/lime and ACV helps in alkalising and the Himalayan salt is full of minerals and electrolytes.
• Next I boil the kettle and make a pot of the Artemis Liver Detox Tea. I let it steep for 10 minutes so that the herbs have had time to work their magic, and while I drink my tea I will usually check my emails and messages and start working my way through replying to them.
• Then it’s time for me to move my body – whether it’s at the gym doing a HIIT workout, yoga or a swim in the pool. I have learnt that if I force myself to sweat first thing in the morning and get a good workout the effect it has on me both mentally and physically is so incredibly positive that the rest of the day I am moving with a lot more intention and purpose.

So there you have it, that’s what my new MINDFUL MORNING routine looks like and when I am intentional and stick to it I feel unstoppable! On the days where I have slacked off and haven’t applied this new approach to my mornings I definitely notice a difference to the way the rest of my day plays out and the energy I am putting out into the world is definitely not me at my best.

I have been astonished at how much this simple ritual of having a cup of medicinal tea every morning has affected me too. The Liver Detox Tea from Artemis is the only new “health” adjustment I have made to my lifestyle so far this year. I have not added any other new supplements, pills, or prescribed meds to my daily life as I wanted to slowly introduce things one at a time allowing me to really monitor and notice if things were actually effective and working the way they promise to.

Well, I can hand on my heart say that these are the improvements I have noticed in my own life since Artemis Liver Detox Tea has been a part of my routine:

1. I finally have been able to give up relying on prescription sleeping pills to fall asleep at night! This one was a major for me as sleeping pills were my absolute last vice since I first came out and admitted to having a problem with prescription meds two years ago. I quit EVERYTHING except sleeping pills. I honestly had started to feel defeated like I would never be able to have a deep restful sleep at night without drugs. I now just take a natural sleep pill from Zenwise called “Sleep Support” containing  melatonin, magnesium, Chamomile and a bunch of other helpful things that never used to work for me – but now does!
2. My mood swings and irritability have decreased and I feel a lot more in control. I noticed this especially during my last period cycle where my usual intense PMS symptoms that I was used to experiencing were way more manageable.
3. I had my first period in FOREVER where i didn’t have to take my usual pain medication to control the horrendous pain that had become a normal part of my periods. For years I have had to use tramadol to manage my pain during my periods, but this last cycle I just finished I managed without even needing to take a panadol! This was emotional for me and I am hoping this will become my new normal so fingers crossed.
4. I have less brain fog and find myself able to concentrate on things for a longer period of time which has also meant that I am feeling a lot more motivated to be creative again.

These are all such HUGE positive wins for me and I am officially an Artemis fan. I want everyone to be able to experience the magic benefits that start to unfold when you adopt a more mindful approach to your health and well-being. It’s so simple, gentle and effective and I get it now. That is the secret to true success and freedom in life. To be able to take ownership and responsibility over our health and well-being so that we give ourselves the chance to be the best version of ourselves possible.

I have just introduced the Artemis PMT Ease tea into my daily routine alongside the Liver Detox Tea and over the coming months I cannot wait to continue sharing my progress with all of you in the hopes that my story and experiences might help you on your own personal wellness journeys.

I will leave you with another pearl of wisdom from Sandra after our last skype meeting…..

“Build health step by step to perform to maximal potential. Teach your body to detox better, and give it the nutrients it needs. With plant medicine you should always feel better even when you stop taking it. Every ingredient has a purpose. It doesn’t need to be expensive, it just needs a commitment”