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JOURNEY TO WELLNESS (Part 3)
By Nikki and Anne Heart ♥ May 22, 2025
*Although we wrote this post together, we have chosen to present the following through Mom’s eyes.
Mom's Story: Journey to Wellness (Part 3)
Looking outside for wellness
During the seven years Nikki was on a prescription medication treatment plan, I felt powerless watching as my daughter endured the consequences of an inadequate approach to her care.
Unfortunately, for years we placed too much trust in Nikki’s healthcare providers, believing both their diagnosis and their insistence that prescription medication was essential for her well-being.
But despite all the physical and mental challenges she encountered, my daughter persevered graduating from college with a degree in psychology and stepping directly into a career in the field.
Working in the field opened my daughter’s eyes to her own wellness and became the turning point for her treatment plan. Because it was at this time, she became aware something was fundamentally wrong with her treatment plan.
As she continuously struggled with her wellness, she now recognized her current treatment plan failed to bring meaningful relief. This recognition led her to make a life-changing decision: to take charge of her health and embark on a new path toward wellness.
Starting a new wellness journey
Each day, my daughter’s awareness deepened as she recognized that her current treatment plan was doing more harm than good.
Determined to understand its effects, she confronted her healthcare provider, questioning the effectiveness of the medication she had been prescribed. Despite her worsening physical and mental health, her doctor remained adamant that medication was necessary.
It was then that Nikki took control of her own healing, starting with the difficult process of withdrawing from the drugs.
The initial withdrawal lasted over a year, and the lingering physical and mental effects took several more years to fade.
During this time, she came to understand that self-awareness was essential to her wellness journey.
Through this newfound clarity, Nikki finally received the correct diagnosis: Graves’ disease, a glutamate imbalance, chemical sensitivities, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The biggest challenge my daughter had to face after prescription drugs was how she was negatively affected throughout the years.
- The drugs caused an unnatural state, a euphoric feeling that she no longer has.
- She became aware of how differently she dressed and acted while on prescription drugs.
- Most of the years Nikki was on prescription drugs, she cannot remember. Memories of her twenties are completely erased.
- Her biggest hardship to overcome is the realization of how many years were taken away from her. Years that Nikki went from being a teenage girl to an adult woman. A normal transition that Nikki did not have.
Helpful techniques for a wellness plan
1. Living in the Present
One of the most important techniques we have learned is to live in the present.
Yes, it is difficult not to look back, but it is also important to leave it in the past, The past unfortunately cannot be changed. The key is to not give up your future by dwelling on it even though you may never forget.
Equally important is to realize you cannot predict the future.
2. Self-Care
We have recognized how important it is to look after your own health.
- eating healthy
- get regular exercise
- making sleep important
- setting goals and priorities
- limiting alcohol and recreational drug consumption
- focusing on positivity
- staying connected
- practicing mindfulness
- utilizing meditation relaxation techniques
- dong things for yourself
These are just a few examples of self-care. The key is it is for you.
3. DBT and CBT
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are both well recognized, widely used programs.
Both programs are designed to manage strong emotions, coping with difficult situations, improve relations, decrease anxiety and depression.
Even though Nikki realized that a complete DBT or CBT program is not entirely for her, she has taken some parts and incorporates it into her daily life.
Personal technique for wellness
My sister recently told me a story of how she relaxes and unwinds.
She goes to the local beach and just sits in her car looking at the water.
When she is finished, whether a half hour or an hour, she feels more relaxed and more at peace with all negativities that may be surrounding her at the time.
This is her form of meditation.
A self-help technique can be as simple as my sister’s or more complex as a complete meditation program.
It can encompass an entire self-help program or just bits and pieces that work for you.
The key is that it helps with the goal you want to achieve.
With the end result being, living a happy and healthier lifestyle.
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Note: All information in “Nikki’s Story and Mom’s Story” are based on detail journals covering seven years of Nikki’s life on prescription drugs.
Medical Disclaimer: We share informational resources that are intended to help you with your self-care plan. We are not professionals. We write based on personal experience and personal research.
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