What we're talking about in this episode! How to manage your mind when dealing with your chronic symptoms Recommendations to help you find the right person to help you get better Tools for long term healing, self-empowerment and future self-planning Ways that you can alter your fight, flight and freeze responses to actually benefit you Using an elimination diet to decrease your inflammation and find your root problem   Episode Summary We've talked a lot about the important role your gut health plays in almost every function of your body, but did you know that your mindset is equally as powerful when it comes to healing your gut issues? Victoria Albina is a family nurse practitioner, herbalist and cognitive behavior life coach who has over 20 years of experience using the power of mindset to heal the body, and today she's sharing her knowledge with us. Our emotions and hormones are chemical messengers in the body that have the ability to make powerful changes in our health and wellbeing. A lack of energy, anxiety, weight gain, and chronic stress can all be attributed to your gut issues, and it is up to you to change your mindset and get your body back on track through some serious self-love. Victoria believes in taking back control of your body, mind, spirit, and soul to restore the holistic integrity of your life. Today she shares ways to identify your toxic thoughts, how to engage your neuroplasticity to cement new lifestyle choices, and highlights the importance of other women sharing their stories to help others heal. Once you believe that you are worthy of healing and love exactly as you are today, you can accept your chronic symptoms and improve them from an objective perspective. Learn the importance of the language you use around your symptoms, which essential oil you should be using while journaling, the major role your Vagus nerve could be playing in your condition, and so much more. When you take self-love as your first vitamin every morning, it can alter the way you think about your body, and how your body reacts to you. Are you ready to stop choosing to suffer and take the steps to become more in touch with your bodily intuition? Share what inspired you most about Victoria’s story on the episode page!   Quotes “We just get the big brush off, and I’m pretty sick of it. So I am out here to help women to really deeply heal themselves and get back to their best health through functional medicine.” (8:50) “I think about and I talk about my mental health struggles, my IBS, my chronic pain, all the everything I went through, as one of the greatest and most beautiful gifts of my lifetime.” (13:01) “You are worthy of love exactly as you are today. With your belly ache, with your suicidal ideation, with your ADHD, with all of it, you are worthy and whole and so loveable.” (15:47) “All of the ways that we think about these situations creates emotions, these sensations that are a movement of energy through our bodies. That can send us into this fight, flight or freeze response, which does the opposite of helping us thrive and actually sends our healing backward.” (24:33) “You can always make the choice to continue to be sick and continue to suffer. That is always available to you. If the work feels too hard or doesn't feel like something you want to do right now, you get to choose to keep your symptoms.” (34:08)   Resources Mentioned Download your Free Body Scan Meditation Here Victoria Albina's Website Feminist Wellness Podcast Follow Victoria on Instagram | Facebook The Institute for Functional Medicine Practitioner Directory Chris Kresser ADAPT Academy Practitioner Directory   Other Resources: The Essential Oils Hormone Solution by Dr. Mariza Check out the full show notes page Keep up with everything Dr. Mariza Follow Dr. Mariza on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube