Holistic Wellness Starts With A SMILE
The Doctors Kept Telling Me I Was Fine
With a stack of blood work 2" thick on the seat next to her, she parks the car at yet another doctor's office, hoping that this one will be the one to finally take her seriously and figure out why her body has been shutting down in every way for years.
Her husband has grown distant because she can't seem to control her biting attitude and irritability. She hates how she is acting, but can't seem to stop herself.
Her son is angry and disrespectful, and her daughter is retreating into herself more and more, and she knows that it has a lot to do with how she controls them, expects perfection, and snaps at them all the time.
Every time she snaps at those she loves, she can see them moving further and further away, and she just wants to be the wife and mom she always thought she would be, rather than this "monster" she has become.
The house is too overwhelming. Getting dressed is hard most days, let alone managing a household.
Socializing is out of the question now, too. It drains her to the point of utter exhaustion for days, and even sends her into panic attacks.
If this doctor can't seem to get to the root, she will lose everything, and she needs help.
This is what living with Chronic Fight or Flight looks like.
We don't look sick. We don't look tired.
We just need to deal with stress better or take a nap.
We are just getting older. Mom Brain. Lose weight. Exercise.
Except we have tried all the things and we are getting worse, not better.
Chronic Fight or Flight is not a disease, rather it is a dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system.
Medical doctors in general are not trained to look for and support a dysregulated nervous system. They are trained to identify disease and prescribe a corresponding corrective solution for the symptoms.
Dysregulation in the body is where disease starts, but it takes time.
Our bodies are amazing and able to handle putting things back together over and over again. But with CFF, the body spends years swimming against a current of cortisol (stress hormone), which leads to dysregulation of the gut brain axis, as well as other critical body systems.
In order to overcome CFF one major piece of the puzzle is to get all of that excess cortisol under control and start supporting your body back into balance.
Getting to the root at the system level, rather than addressing symptoms is the key.
We are not without hope in this story, even if it has felt that way.
There are tools and resources available to us that are simple and achievable.
Getting back to feeling regulated and hopeful is within reach for those who choose to take the steps needed.
We can start loving our families the way our hearts long to.
We can start repairing the damage done to our relationships.
We can start smiling and having fun again.
We can start dreaming again.
It won't happen overnight, but it is possible.
Why Do I Feel So Sick When My Doctor Says I'm Fine?
I Was Falling Apart And Taking My Marriage With Me - If It Were Not For The Grace Of God.
Hi, my name is Sahra White, and I am the master of ceremonies here.
God has called me to use my story to help other women who battle with symptoms they can't explain and doctors that can't seem to help, like I did, to find hope, community, and solutions.
My story is a lot like yours.
A SMILE With Sahra
There is a way through. It is simpler than you think.
When I was at my worst, I did not need more information. I needed a path. A SMILE is the framework God walked me through — and it is now the holistic approach I use to help women move from survival mode back to themselves.
A - Anchor in Christ: Before anything else, return to God. This is the foundation of everything we do.
S - Stabilize Your Body: Give your body what it needs to get out of crisis mode. Physical regulation makes everything else possible.
M - Mindset Renewal: Once your body is no longer in survival mode, your mind can finally engage. Renew it intentionally.
I - Intentional Living: From a place of stability and renewed thinking, you can start living with purpose again rather than just getting through the day.
L - Learn, Assess, and Discern: Now that you can breathe, you can grow. Understand what your body has been trying to tell you.
E - Encourage and Entrust To Others: From a full and regulated place, you finally have capacity for others again — and for the calling God has placed on your life.
You do not have to figure out where to start. The quiz will tell you.