71: How to Support Your Clients with Depression and Anxiety with Dr. Christina Bjorndal

[TRIGGER WARNING: Sensitive topics, including suicide]“Our thoughts drive our nervous system, and when you’re in a sympathetic state, it’s very difficult to achieve true healing.” - Dr. Christina BjorndalDiet and lifestyle are crucial elements of our overall health and well-being, but we have to consider that they’re part of a larger puzzle.  While you can help your clients make significant progress by focusing solely on the physical level, real, lasting change only comes when you start to incorporate the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects.Fewer and fewer people have the support and resources they need to be able to recover from mental health struggles. As health and wellness professionals, this is where we can really be of service. We need to start leaning into creating spaces for human connection. It's an essential part of medicine. By holding space and allowing your clients to feel, you are a form of medicine for them.Today, I’m joined by naturopathic physician Dr. Christina Bjorndal to further explore the connection between mind-body medicine and mental health. Dr. Bjorndal not only works with patients with mental health diagnoses, but she has also dealt with severe mental health challenges herself, which ultimately led her to discover the power of a holistic approach to healing.In this conversation, Dr. Bjorndal and I discuss her journey from corporate executive to naturopathic physician, the severe mental health challenges she faced, integrating mind, body, and spirit in healing, the power of community and recognizing love, how to start taking small steps in recovery, the role of movement and human connection in overcoming depression, why we need holistic approaches to supporting mental health and well-being, and more.Enjoy the episode, and let's innovate and integrate together!---Learn more or watch the video version of this conversation at https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/how-to-support-your-clients-with-depression-and-anxiety-with-dr-christina-bjorndal/.Connect with me and access our entire platform at IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/). Find and follow us @integrativewomenshealth on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@integrativewomenshealth) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/).

Om Podcasten

Welcome to the Integrative Women's Health Podcast with Jessica Drummond, your go-to resource for cutting-edge insights into women's health and wellness. Hosted by Dr. Jessica Drummond, DCN, CNS, PT, NBHWC, a renowned expert with over two decades of experience in pelvic health and clinical nutrition, this podcast is designed for health and wellness professionals specializing in pelvic health, fertility, perinatal, postpartum, perimenopause, menopause, and overall wellness. The "Integrative Women's Health Podcast" offers a unique blend of content formats to enrich your practice and knowledge. Expect enlightening interviews with innovative professionals in women's health, engaging conversations with students and graduates from The Integrative Women's Health Institute, insightful case studies with actual clients, and Dr. Drummond’s solo episodes on hot topics in integrative women's health practice. Our discussions will focus on the latest tools for supporting women's health, featuring functional nutrition, health coaching, exercise, sleep, and other therapeutic strategies. Through our episodes, you'll learn how to empower your clients to heal from complex health issues using evidence-based approaches. Dr. Drummond, founder and CEO of The Integrative Women's Health Institute, aims to provide practitioners with on-demand, evidence-driven continuing education. Our podcast mirrors this goal by offering valuable, practical information that you can apply in your practice. Stay connected and enhance your expertise in women's health by visiting our website, IntegrativeWomensHealthInstitute.com (https://integrativewomenshealthinstitute.com/), and following us on Instagram @IntegrativeWomensHealth (https://www.instagram.com/integrativewomenshealth/). Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform and join us on this transformative journey in women's health.