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5 Natural Ways to Relieve Pain

As someone who struggles with chronic pain due to my job, I’ve been desperate to find healthy ways to relieve that pain. Here, I’ll be sharing with you five different ways that I’ve discovered can naturally relieve pain. I like to combine deep belly breathing and mediation with each of these techniques. Breath work alone is so effective for physical and emotional pain relief. A simple breathing technique that I like to practice is inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 2, and exhaling for 8.

1. Spend time in nature.

This picture was taken at the most magical hot springs I’ve ever been to!

I know this sounds crazy but trust me, it works. Go out into nature far away from a major city and their telephone lines. Shut off your phone or put it on flight mode, and ground yourself. You can ground yourself by sitting or laying on the earth (naked or clothed) and absorbing the electrons, or energy from the earth.

The first time I discovered this, I hiked with a friend to some hot springs that were nestled in a deep valley with colorful trees scattered around the area. Our phones didn’t work there so we couldn’t use them for the whole day except for when we took a few pictures. We literally laid naked on the earth for 4 hours straight and after that, we went into the natural hot springs for 4 hours. I remember my feet were baldly blistered after I decided to walk barefoot down the hiking trail (I know, smart), but after being in the water for 4 hours, the blisters were gone. I had no tension or tightness left in my muscles and my back, neck, and hip pain was gone. Ever since then, grounding and spending time in nature has been an important part of my routine. Reducing my chronic pain by spending time in nature helps me to function better at work and feel better when I’m working out or doing yoga. Not to mention, it can also reduce anxiety!

2. Stretch!

I cannot stress this enough; stretching is so important! I used to underestimate it but even just spending ten minutes stretching in the morning and ten minutes stretching before bed can change your life! You will notice a difference after you implement this into your routine. I know how hard it is to find time to put something like this into your routine when you already have so many other priorities, but commit for at least a week, and then another week, and then another, and it will stick. Try to reduce Netflix, phone, and social media use. Sometimes we don’t realize that we’ve made those things our priorities and once we cut down on those things, it’s easier to implement healthy habits like stretching.
Below are a few stretches that I like to do every day. I hold each pose for 1-3 minutes but there is no right or wrong amount of time here. Do whatever feels right for you, as long as it is at least 30 seconds so that you can get the full benefit of the stretch.

Downward dog stretches your whole body, from your shoulders to your calves. It’s a great hamstring stretch and amazing for your back if you’ve been hunched over a computer all day. Remember to actually relax your neck too so your head hangs (unlike in this photo, sometimes I still don’t know how to relax, haha.)
Upward Dog increases spine flexibility and helps relieve lower back pain and improve posture. You can also go into sphinx pose by lowering your elbows the ground and keeping them beneath your shoulders for a milder stretch.
This stretch is good for warming up the hip flexors and stretching the legs, especially after sitting in a chair all day. I like to rock back and forth and then hold each pose for at least a minute.
Pigeon pose is a deeper stretch for the hip flexors and also can give you the sensation of the need to release certain emotions that are residing within the center of your body. It’s good for physical and emotional relief! Sometimes when I’m deep in a yoga flow, I’ll start crying after doing this…
Butterfly pose is good for hip flexibility, the glutes, and helps to stretch the hip joints after sitting for long periods of time. I also like to stretch my neck by rotating it a few times both ways to counteract from looking down all day when I’m working.
Cat/Cow Pose increases spine flexibility and relieves back pain. It also stretches the back, hips, and chest.

These will help with your neck/back pain, hip joints, leg muscles, and much more. All of these areas get extremely tight, especially if you have a job where you’re sitting in a chair/at a desk for most most the day. Another great stretch for releasing neck tension (not pictured) is a forward fold. Exhale down and place your forearms behind your calves, grabbing your ankles. If you can’t reach that far, grab your calves, but make sure your stretching. The most crucial part of this pose is to relax your neck completely. Let your head hang and take 5 big inhales/exhales. You will start to feel the neck tension release.

3. Drink alkaline water.

Ever since I started drinking ionized alkaline water, I’ve noticed my chronic pain has improved. So. Much. My muscles are more hydrated and less tight. Did you know that your body is 78% water? That’s why it’s so important that we put clean water into our bodies, our cells need it to function optimally! I drink antioxidant-rich 9.5 alkaline water because it keeps free radical damage and inflammation at bay! If you have any questions about which alkaline water is the best (not all water is created equal!) and what it can do for your health, post a comment below or message me and I would be more than happy to share more information with you.

4. Use CBD and essential oils.

I like to use CBD oil for my pain because it helps me feel relaxed as my tension melts away. Luckily, CBD oil does not make you high. THC is the active ingredient in cannabis that actually gets you high, so that’s why CBD is safe for everyone, pets and children included! I prefer taking CBD oil over ibuprofen when I have migraines, muscle pain, or an injury, because it actually helps to reduce inflammation.

I also like to use essential oils topically for pain relief when I have head aches or injuries. When I used to pole dance back in the day, I was always covered in bruises! I used helichrysum and arnica oil religiously because it helped so much with reducing my pain, inflammation, and bruising. Using peppermint oil topically also helps to cool the skin and reduce mild feelings of pain. Put it on your forehead when you’re hit with a bad migraine and it makes the pain so much more bearable! If you have any questions about what brands I like to use and recommend, leave a comment below or send me a message and I would love to help you out!

Also just a disclaimer, if you have any serious issues that can’t be solved by CBD or other oils alone, please seek professional medical advice!

5. Feel your feelings. Express creativity. Change your mindset.

You probably don’t get how this could possibly connect to relieving pain but hear me out! What you focus on, you give energy to. If you’re constantly focusing on the negative things in life and how much pain you’re in, you’re definitely going to feel that pain and have more negative experiences, because that’s what the universe thinks you want to attract. I used to feel so trapped and anxious about the amount of pain that I experience from my job and it made me a nervous wreck all the time, increasing my pain. But after I started only focusing on the positives of my job, my pain wasn’t nearly as bad anymore. I think about how I get to talk to so many amazing and inspiring women every day when I do their lashes and how we get to network with each other and help each other out. We get to rant to each other and laugh with each other. And there is nothing more therapeutic than applying volume lashes!

I also always make it a goal to express my creativity outside of work when I’m not doing lashes or brows. Painting and intuitive movement during yoga is how I get my creative energy flowing. When I don’t express this creativity within myself, the pain starts to build as the creative energy becomes stagnant. My mood goes down and I start to feel depressed (which increases my physical pain). Just think about it! When was the last time you expressed your creative passion? How did it make you feel after? I challenge you to try it after you read this. You will feel lighter and happier. The more you do it, the more effective it is for pain.

Lastly, when you change your mindset, that motivates you to incorporate other healthy habits into your life, like stretching and working out. After I changed my mindset about my chronic pain, I started doing yoga everyday and that helped me to combat pain and anxiety from my job. Just 30 minutes of working out and/or stretching a day can transform how you feel. We actually have so much to be grateful for every single day. When we take time to recognize those things, we can gradually shift our mindset to have a more positive outlook despite certain circumstances.

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Why I changed my DIET and how it changed my LIFE

Almost 4 years ago, I decided to change my diet. I was constantly inflicted with so many health issues and since then, I’ve overcome every single one.
Ever since I was little my diet basically consisted of milk + sugary cereal for breakfast, top ramen + msg for lunch, and processed, microwaveable, and nutrient-lacking dinners. I also ate a lot of packaged and processed items, candy, artificial foods, and so on. I ate hardly any fruit and vegetables, and meat and cheese made up a majority of my diet too. Plus, I never drank enough water, and I drank a little too much soda!
My whole life I’ve suffered from headaches/migraines, digestive issues, and anxiety.
When I was in kindergarten I actually had to be taken out of school for a year because my migraines were so bad that I had to stay home every day.

I’ve seen so many doctors in my lifetime I can’t even count! And none of these doctors ever told me that my ailments were connected to my diet. They never even asked me what I ate. I’ve been prescribed so many different meds and over the counters, all medications that only masked the pain I was constantly in. I remember I went to a doctor who told me to go to the store and buy an over the counter medication that you’re only allowed to take for up to 14 days. He said “…just take it every day… even thought it says to stop after 14 days. Just take it every day!” Then he sent me on my way. I remember after the fourth day of taking it, I was sick all night with crippling, painful stomach cramps. That’s when it hit me and I thought to myself… something has to change. The doctor was wrong and maybe if I change my lifestyle, I can improve my health issues.

This picture was taken on the first day that I changed my diet! The gelato was made out of 100% strawberries. 🙂

One day, when I was 18 years old, a kind woman and angel in my life simply told me that I needed to start eating healthier and stick with it. I had no idea it could ever have anything to do with my diet! I was so oblivious and naive. I listened to her and after trying out at least 3 different diets, I became vegan. I cut out all processed foods, fake sugar, meat, and dairy. Let me tell you, the detox was not pretty. I remember one time I actually started CRYING bc I wanted chocolate chip cookies and ice cream so bad!
However, It was all worth it, because my life started to change drastically.
Although I was detoxing hard from the lack of casein (component in dairy that makes it addicting) and fake sugar (which is also proven to be as addictive as cocaine), I had never felt better in my life. I remember in all my years of school, I could never stay awake in any of my classes because I was so tired all the time! Now I had all this energy, it was incredible!

It’s funny because a lot of people we’re strangely very unsupportive of my choice to change my eating habits and I got made fun of and ridiculed ALL THE TIME for eating healthy. Sometimes it made me feel weird, alone, and insecure; but there was no way I would ever go back to the way my diet was before.

During my first few months of eating healthy, I became so strict with my diet that I actually developed orthorexia. Orthorexia is defined as obsessively and strictly avoiding foods that the sufferer believes to be unhealthy and harmful, and if those foods are consumed, it will cause extreme anxiety. I remember one time my friend made grilled cheese sandwiches and I took a bite of one, chewed, and then literally spit it out so I wouldn’t have to swallow it. I want to address this because I’ve been through many ups and downs since I’ve changed my diet. Not everything is going to go perfectly when you change your diet on your own without any help. I also do not believe that there is a “perfect diet”. Everyone needs to eat what is best for their own body and what makes them feel GOOD. Conscious consuming of foods is very important. I always make sure that I am consciously consuming, putting things in my body that actually make me feel healthy, and always expressing gratitude for my meals.

I wanted to share this story because so many people tell me they don’t know where or how to start eating healthy. If you’ve been considering making some small or big changes in your diet and you’re feeling a little scared, please comment or personally message me! I genuinely wished that I had someone to hold me accountable, root for me, and give me support during that time, and I would love to be able to do that for someone else!


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What I’ve Learned About Love

Since it’s the month of love, I wanted to share a little bit of what I’ve learned about that four letter word! Love is the highest vibration, it is exciting and confusing. The most important thing I’ve learned about love is not to fear it. Fear cannot exist where there is love, and love cannot exist where there is fear.

In the past, I’ve experienced fear in relationships, fear of losing someone, and fear of being alone. I was scared of getting hurt, so I chose to stay stagnant in a place where I could never grow and learn. Now I’ve realized that it’s because I lacked love for myself, not to mention confidence and trust. That saying: “You can’t love others unless you learn to love yourself first”, is so true. I never realized how important it is to completely and totally love and accept yourself. I’m not saying that I’ve mastered the art of self love, it is a battle every day to fight the inner critic that wants me to be insecure. But when we become conscious of the inner critic, we become less hard ourselves. Love is patient, and this kind of work takes time!

When I realized that loving and accepting myself is crucial before committing to someone else, it forced me to think back on past relationships. I’m convinced that the reason why my past relationships didn’t work out is because we didn’t have love and respect for ourselves. So fear, jealousy, and insecurity took its place. When we place our need for love in the hands of someone else, we will never discover its truest potential. Everything that you need is already inside of you, in your heart. When you are complete in yourself and your heart is overflowing in love to give, you can thrive in a relationship with a partner. You will constantly be lifting each other up, instead of weighing each other down.

I used to have so many walls up around my heart, I was so scared of any kind of relationship. But after I learned that I could actually survive a broken heart, I wasn’t scared anymore. I broke down all my walls and I was no longer afraid of love. Heal and love unconditionally, and don’t be afraid to grow. When you open yourself up to love for all, you will inspire others to do the same.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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New Beginnings!

Hello! My name is Shanna and I live in southern California. I’m 21 going on 22 in 5 days! I am a business owner, artist, and licensed esthetician. I currently work full time doing eyelash extensions and microblading, but I dream of creating a successful online business too! I love skincare and I represent an amazing company with top-quality skincare and beauty products. What I love more than anything is painting and drawing. Art is my therapy! I plan to share more of my art on this platform and my other social media platforms this year.

I’ll be blogging about health, beauty, art, and life. I’m excited to share my thoughts, ideas, and express myself creatively and authentically!

About a year ago, I went through some pretty crazy, life-changing events. (But that will be a story for another time…) Since then, I’ve told myself that I will do everything that I’ve ever wanted to do in life. Starting a blog was one of them. I used to write all the time and I’m really excited to start again. Anyways, enough rambling! Here’s a few more facts about me:

  1. I’m an introvert.
  2. I have a cat who isn’t actually mine, but I love her so much. Her name is Yoyo.
  3. I eat mostly plant-based.
  4. I love cooking and making my meals look pretty.
  5. 2019 will be the year that I travel. Maybe this will turn into a travel and lifestyle blog, who knows, haha.
  6. Watercolor + ink pens is my favorite art medium. I also love colored pencils.
  7. I love plants.
  8. I believe in intuition and I think that you should ALWAYS trust it.
  9. I also believe that when you change your mindset, your whole life will change and you can more easily manifest your dreams.
  10. Self love and healing are two of my favorite things.
  11. I really want to start a youtube channel someday, I love editing videos!
  12. I love nature.

If you got this far, I just want to say, thank you for reading! I’m so excited to start this journey and can’t wait for you to see what’s in store.