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Guest Blog By Iyémote, Tasha Ina Church ESDP, owner of ElleLiveAction Aloha! If you’re reading this, my guess is that you’ve survived something that shook you, shattered a piece of your life, and possibly made you feel broken. I started searching for Empowerment and healing at 17 years old and have tried a multitude of ways to make that happen. It was exhausting, lonely, and exasperating. I wanted to give up a million times over and, sometimes, did, but I’d always make my way back to myself and my mission. It’s hard being a survivor; it’s challenging living when it...

If you've noticed a hump forming at the base of your neck between the shoulder blades, you're not alone! This accumulation of fat is known as a neck hump, and it causes discomfort as well as self-consciousness for anyone affected by it. It's important to know though, that having a neck hump is not your fault. While there are multiple causes of why you would form a neck hump, one often overlooked cause is due to elevated cortisol levels. Cortisol, the hormone produced in your body in response to stress, can lead to fat accumulation in multiple areas of the body — including...

Physical Signs You're Living in Fight Or Flight Mode Feeling bloated all the time. When your body is in fight or flight mode, it diverts blood flow away from the digestive system, leading to slower digestion, which can cause bloating. Additionally, the stress hormones released during fight or flight mode can affect the muscles in your gastrointestinal tract, leading to increased gas and discomfort.  Bruising easily. When your body is in a heightened state of stress, you releases stress hormones that can weaken blood vessels and make them more prone to breaking. This can lead to easy bruising even from minor...

If you've ever experienced stress, anxiety, or trauma in your life, you may have turned to traditional methods of healing like taking certain prescribed medication or going to talk therapy to alleviate your symptoms. But have you ever tried somatic exercises? What are somatic exercises? Somatic exercise is a form of body-centered therapy involving gentle movements that target the body's central nervous system. This kind of somatic therapy focuses on unlocking sensations and releasing repressed emotions and physical experiences by encouraging and utilizing the innate connection between the mind and body. Essentially, somatic exercises are repetitions of simple movements that can provide...

So everyone on social media is telling you that your cortisol levels are high, yet your blood work says they're normal... 😵‍💫 If this sound like you, then let's talk about why! We understand how frustrating it can be to know you have so many of the signs and symptoms of having high cortisol levels. And we understand how even more frustarting it can be to then only have a blood test come back normal! So you are NOT alone in this feeling.  In fact, it's actually quite common to have high cortisol levels even when your blood test says you don't. But why...