As many of you know, I take my yearly goal-setting ritual very seriously—and yes, I’m fully aware that this level of enthusiasm for planners, color-coded lists, and January self-audits can be mildly annoying. If you need proof, you can revisit my post on that very topic here>>New Years Goal Setting
But goal setting aside, here’s the truth: as a healthcare provider, I genuinely try to “walk the talk.” I never want to be the person preaching lifestyle habits I’m not willing to live out myself. And this year… well, 2025 came in hot with a lesson in stress, grief, hormones, and perspective.
At the end of 2024, my dad was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, and in September of this year, he passed away. We knew what was coming. I watched my parents navigate Medicare, treatment options, and the emotional landscape of it all with tremendous grace—and I tried my best to be present and enjoy the time we had. It still surprises me the grief that hits me out of nowhere and one minute I look at Tyler and can sincerely say "I'm fine" (and wholeheartedly mean it).... and the next minute he's bringing me a tissue to wipe my tears and sweet hug because I got caught off guard and wind up in a moment of ugly crying.
I kept thinking of something Jordan Peterson wrote in 12 Rules for Life: by the time your child turns five, you’ve already spent half of the total hours you’ll ever spend with them. By 18? It drops dramatically. He calculated that he’d see his own dad fewer than 20 more times before he died.
That hit me hard when I first read that and then again hit me again this year—especially after realizing I’m registering one kid for high school and another for middle school. Suddenly the “sandwiched parent” season feels very real. Supporting aging parents while raising kids feels like a full-time emotional CrossFit class.
Then I’d walk into the office and have these sincere conversations with patients about “managing stress” and “taking care of your nervous system,” and I’d think… gosh, these recommendations can feel wildly unhelpful when life is in a season of hard, and I feel like a half hypocrite as I was/am trying to navigate a similar season.
But ironically, when everything feels heavy, the basics matter even more.
Stress & the Nervous System: The Uncomplicated Truth
Stress isn’t just a feeling—it’s physiology. And the cumulative load on our nervous system doesn’t care whether it comes from grief, schedules, holidays, relationships, financial pressure, or remembering to sign yet another school permission slip, or reply or like another group text.
Supporting the nervous system doesn’t have to be complicated. Often, it starts with the most boring—but most effective—habits.
Sleep: Your Nervous System’s Repair Shop
Sleep is one of the most important tools for supporting your stress response, hormone function, immune strength, mental clarity, and recovery.
Here are a few of the basics that make the biggest difference:
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Avoid screens 2–3 hours before bed
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Finish food 3 hours before bed
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If that’s unrealistic, add MPG Fiber with or after your last meal to help stabilize overnight blood sugar
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For falling asleep: Alpha GABA PM at dinnertime
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For staying asleep: elev8 CALM, 2–4 dropperfuls before bed
If sleep still hasn’t improved after 3–5 days, come in. We can build out an individualized plan.
Spinal Health & Stress: The Forgotten Link
Your spine isn’t just a stack of bones—it's the housing for your central nervous system. It influences whether you’re stuck in “fight or flight” or able to shift into rest, digestion, healing, and recovery.
This is why:
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chiropractic care
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mobility work
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strength training
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breathwork
…aren’t “extras.”
They’re nervous system regulation tools. Tiny resets with huge payoff.
And they matter most when life feels heavy.
And Then… I Turned 40 (A Plot Twist My Hormones, and EGO Did Not Prepare Me For)
As if this year weren’t already mentally strained, I also turned 40. And let me tell you… nothing quite humbles you like waking up on your 40th birthday, looking in the mirror, and whispering:
“WTH. Where did that belly fat come from?”
I’m convinced it assembled itself overnight like an unwanted surprise party.
And the internal spiral begins:
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“Is this stress belly?”
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“Is my thyroid mad at me?”
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“Am I having hot flashes, or is this just Iowa humidity?”
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“Did gluten seriously do all of this after one weekend?”
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“Is this perimenopause??”
Turning 40 with Hashimoto’s and high stress was a hormonal plot twist my body didn’t give me a heads-up on. Please note, in years prior, especially with the many wise women before me where asking me "WTH happened to my body.... I was absolutely ignorantly in denial. I thought "that won't happen to me, I count my macros, I strength train, yadda yadda yadda... God has a funny sense of humor that manages to humble me often.
But here’s what I had to accept:
Stress changes hormones.
Grief changes hormones.
Lack of quality sleep changes hormones.
Turning 40 absolutely changes hormones.
And yes—gluten can poke the bear when you have autoimmune thyroid disease.
It was a whole existential moment… but it was also a wake-up call. My body wasn’t betraying me—it was asking for more intentional care.
What I Actually Did to Manage Stress This Year
(a.k.a. My Survival Plan While Juggling Life, Loss, and… Everything)
Since we’re being honest, here’s what helped keep me functioning while navigating a terminally ill parent four hours away, running a practice, raising a family, and turning 40:
Nothing was perfect. But everything was intentional.
I went through plenty of elev8 CALM, and I tracked my sleep and recovery metrics using my Garmin so I could see how my system was handling everything in real time.
I also committed to moving my body. Not perfectly—consistently.
Some days it was a weighted vest walk.
Some days it was the gym.
Some days it was stretching and mobility.
Some days it was a real workout.
But something happened, every week.
Looking back at my Garmin data:
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January–May: 3.75–4.25 workouts/week
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June–November: 5–6 workouts/week
Not because the stress went away—because the habits got stronger.
The more I moved (June-November, I had better sleep scores, better recovery, more consistent HRV)
This is the point of goals: not perfection, but direction.
And yes, the perfectionists and Enneagram 8s blew through their January goals by 7:17 a.m. Good for them.
But the rest of us—the ADHD brains, the optimists, the big-feelers—we set goals we aim toward. We adjust, we regroup, we extend grace, and we keep moving forward.
That blend of consistency + compassion is one of the greatest nervous system support tools you can cultivate.
Drop the Doomscrolling, Pick Up the Journal
Most of our stress is worsened by what we consume mentally—especially late at night.
The doomscroll spiral? Pure cortisol fuel.
Swap 5–10 minutes, 2–3 nights a week, for prayer and gratitude journaling.
It shifts your brain.
It shifts your stress load.
It shifts your perspective.
Gratitude doesn’t have to be profound. It can be:
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Warm showers
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Eyes that see
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Hands that work
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A roof over your head
- The kind stranger that held the door for you, OR, you held the door for that stranger thet clearly needed help
- The stranger you made eye contact with and smiled at them and held a small conversation
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The strength to shovel your driveway
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And a team ready to help if you injure yourself doing it
These small recognitions matter.
So ... for the next New Year
Take your stress and health seriously—but we don't need to dramatize it. It's real, and some of us are in much more difficult seasons then others.
Prioritize your sleep like it’s one of the best therapies you could give yourself.
Respect your spine and the nervous system it protects.
Move your body with intention—not perfection.
Set goals, write them down, know why they matter—and give yourself space to grow into them.
Some days require surrender.
Some days require grit.
Both are valid. Both are healthy.
Both support a nervous system doing everything it can to keep you going.
Here’s to your resilience, rest, regulation, and intentional living for your health.
And here’s to a 2026 where we honor the season we’re in, support our health intentionally.
