Health and wellness practices are constantly evolving and merging with new disciplines. Functional medicine is the name of this emerging holistic based patient-centered health care field. We are here with Marie Barker, founder of Marie Barker Wellness, to discuss the importance of the growing concept of mindfulness and holistic living.
With all the buzz over functional medicine and holistic approaches, there are some common misconceptions about what health truly is now. Through our interview with Barker, we get to know her wellness journey and insight into the holistic world.
Diving into Mindfulness and Holistic Living
“When you put a bandaid on something, a bandaid falls off. You just keep putting bandaids on and it doesn’t address the root cause. Eventually, that bandaid is going to fall off. And I think that is one of the issues that people don’t recognize with wellness is, you got to really recognize the root.” Marie Barker specializes in meditation, mindfulness, stress reduction, and holistic health supplementation.
Growing up, Barker says she was very mentally unwell and faced many health problems including allergies, celiac disease, and PCOS. After years of dealing with these issues and being prescribed various treatments, she realized she had to self-advocate. Barker says she was in a “true survival mode at that point”. This is where her interest in the holistic approach came to fruition.
Your Body as a Mirror
What is going on inside your body is the main concept of holistic functional approaches. Think of your body as a mirror. When a physical illness or concern is presented, it stems from something internal.”What’s going on in the outside is literally what’s happening on the inside. Why is your body giving you these signs and symptoms of an illness? Are you pushing it too hard? Are you intolerant of certain foods? Do you have something underlying with your hormones or your mood or your digestion?”
These are questions Barker addresses that highlight applying a holistic approach to health and wellness. After years of battling her diseases, this was one of her biggest realizations that led her to focus on mindfulness and holistic living.
Barker’s Definition of Wellness
When it comes to your wellness, “most people assume that they have to be all in or not at all”, Barker says. “Living a life of wellness starts off with the small habits you do every single day”. Start off slow and compound healthy habits.
The Psychosomatic Connection to Your Wellness
The psychosomatic connection (mind-body connection) plays a huge role in the holistic approach to wellness. “Your mindset is connected to your approach of well-being because the intention behind how you do anything is so important”. This is where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness is living with intention and purpose for the best of your well-being.
How it works
To demonstrate an example of the mind-body connection, Barker explains to us, “When you were in grade school and your teacher calls on you to read out loud, or you knew that you were going to get called on to read out loud. What happens? Your palms start to get sweaty, right? You’re not ready. And so you have this reaction in your body, but what is the reaction come from? Well, it comes from you taking in the information, your amygdala panicking and your reptilian part of your brain panicking and saying, ‘Oh shit, we’re scared'”. Your mind goes into fight or flight mode.
Barker says it is important to address the intention behind your actions. “Am I working out and eating well so that I can be smaller? Or am I working on and eating well, because I love and respect myself?” Your mind, body, and intention create a mindful way of living.
Overthinking Mindfulness
When it comes to mindfulness, many people tend to overthink it. “Mindfulness isn’t this extra practice, like a Tabatha workout or like reading a book, mindfulness is the way you live your life. Mindfulness is how you react to your children, it is how you’re driving in traffic, it is how you were approaching your boss or a coworker, it is how you treat yourself and speak to yourself. Mindfulness is how you do the thing”.
There is no special secret key to accessing mindfulness. It all starts with the way you approach life. To apply mindfulness, Barker says to be as present in the moment as you can. “When you’re doing the dishes, actually do the dishes, be there, feel the soap and water. When you’re eating dinner, don’t be on your phone, don’t watch TV. Just eat your dinner, be with your food, be with yourself. When you’re with your partner, don’t be scrolling through Instagram, be with your partner, and talk to them”. This is the key to mindfulness.
How to Create A Mindful Life
Thankfully, neuroplasticity exists in order to “re-train” your brain. This includes provoking new thoughts, habits, and actions. By doing this, you can create a more mindful life that benefits your well-being.
Affirmations and meditation are great ways to introduce mindfulness. Meditation doesn’t have to look like the pictures on the internet where you sit with your hands on your knees. “You can walk and meditate. You can watch the pond by your house and meditate. You can sit with your eyes closed and meditate, there are so many different ways to do it. But it’s just being with your breath in this moment”.
The Most Powerful Tool You Own
Every single human possesses a very powerful mindful tool. Your breath. Learning how to utilize your breath to combat stress and implement mindfulness will help dramatically in putting mindfulness into play.
Barker explains how important breath work is in mindfulness. “Anytime I get overwhelmed or stressed out, or I let myself get triggered by something or whatever, I just take a huge breath in through my nose and sigh out my mouth. Instantly you can see my body language shift”.
We asked each of our five women interviewed the same question:
Is there anything you have learned on your journey that you wish you could go back and tell your old self?
Barker responds with the following.
Maybe, but I always struggle with this question because I truly believe that wherever you’re at right now is exactly where you’re meant to be on the path to where you’re going. And, I’ve been in the lowest, darkest pit. When I was 19, I was struggling with PTSD from a rape, anxiety, and depression. I was down, I was really down mentally and physically, my health was in the gutter. If I could go back and give that person a hug, maybe, but at the same time, I had to experience that in order to become who I am today. And if I wouldn’t have experienced all of the crap, I would be a different version of myself today.
I wouldn’t, it’s not that I would ever change anything if I could go back and tell my younger self something, I would just say, trust the process. The universe has your back. It’s always going to work out you’re okay. And I love you.