Naturalmins

Find YOUR Joy: Why You Stopped & How to Get Back!

One of the most important questions I ask my patients is: What brings you joy?

Not the quick fixes or temporary escapes — but the things that genuinely make you feel alive, connected, and grounded.

So many people struggling with anxiety, depression, burnout, or chronic illness slowly stop doing the things they once loved. Dancing. Hiking. Creating. Spending time outdoors. Connecting with others. Life gets busy, stress takes over, and joy gets pushed aside.

But healing isn’t only about supplements, labs, or protocols. It’s also about reconnecting with the parts of yourself that nourish your nervous system and support emotional well-being.

Sometimes part of the healing journey is helping people rediscover the activities that once brought them peace, purpose, and happiness — and intentionally making space for them again.

Joy is not a luxury. It’s an important part of health.

IntegrativeMedicine AnxietySupport DepressionAwareness DrJaquelPatterson HolisticHealth

5 Simple Ways to Relax 🌿
🧘 Take 5 slow, deep breaths (inhale 4, exhale 6).
🚶 Get outside for a 10-minute walk in nature.
📵 Put your phone away for at least 30 minutes.
🎵 Listen to calming music or a guided meditation.
💛 Practice gratitude—write down 3 things you're thankful for.
Small moments of relaxation throughout the day can have a big impact on your stress, mood, and overall health.

From Lyme Disease to Anxiety: A Doctor’s Functional Medicine Journey

After more than 15 years in practice as a naturopathic physician, one thing became impossible to ignore: the growing number of patients struggling with anxiety, depression, and significant mood changes.

For me, this journey was personal. My own experience with Lyme disease — along with seeing family members and patients navigate it — revealed how deeply chronic illness can impact not just the body, but the brain and emotional well-being too.

In functional medicine, we’re trained to ask a different question: Why is this happening?

Instead of only managing symptoms, we look deeper for the underlying root causes — whether that’s chronic infections, inflammation, immune dysfunction, environmental triggers, or nervous system imbalance.

Mental health symptoms are often signals from the body that deserve a closer look, not just something to silence. Healing begins when we start connecting the dots.

IntegrativeMedicine AnxietySupport DepressionAwareness DrJaquelPatterson ChronicIllness