Are you Flourishing?

I have lately really been thinking a lot about well-being and happiness. Everyone in the world wants to be happy. I want to be happy. However, I have learned that happiness is fleeting. As one of my new best friends says “Moments of Bliss are Not Free.” Moments of happiness come and go. They don’t last long. I have learned that happiness is an actual chemical reaction that happens within our minds and within our bodies that releases hormones and chemicals. Oxytocin is considered the human relationship hormone. The love hormone. Your brain will also release dopamine, which is the happy hormone. These hormones can organically be created from the things we experience.

However, moments and experiences pass, and we are then faced with the mundane world that we live in.

I love this quote below:

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just like people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is just like an old time rail journey … delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”
― Jenkin Lloyd Jones

In my Functional Medicine Coaching Course I have recently read about the Well-Being Theory. It is outlined as follows:

Well Being Theory includes

PERMA

Positive Emotion (of which happiness and life satisfaction are all aspects.)

Engagement

Relationships

Meaning

Achievement

Our lives have to be well rounded in all of these areas to be considered to be flourishing. I think this is going to be my new measurement for my life’s success. Because I can’t be happy everyday. There will be days that I am exhausted and frustrated and maybe even agitated. But am I thriving? Am I trying to generate positive emotions for myself and for the others around me? Am I engaged in my work and the things that I am involved in? Do I have good sound relationships? Do I have a sense of meaning and purpose in my life? and finally, Am I working to achieve something significant and important?

This is what I know for sure this week. My family and I are extremely blessed. We are working to help each other and the people within our circle of influence. Our collective family, people who support us from around the world have really come together to help us. That is flourishing.

We leave this Saturday to go and get the Fecal Microbiota Transplant for Theo next week. We had 300+ people donate to Theo’s cause and procedure. Theo is so loved by so many people.

Here is a video interview of Dr. David Perlmutter explaining Gut Health and why the FMT procedure can be so beneficial:

If you want to learn more about our experience with this procedure you can follow myself and my wife on Instagram. My Instagram handle is @ShawnBlymiller and my wife’s is @angelablymiller.

Here is a video that we put together for our fundraiser for Theo. We met our goal so don’t feel like you need to donate.

View this post on Instagram

Asking for help is always humbling. Asking for help in a world as volatile as ours isn’t easy, but friends, we do need your help. Theo boy can’t wait. PANDAS is a chronic, autoimmune condition that leaves Theo’s immune system at war with his own body. The result is painful inflammation on his brain called autoimmune encephalitis. Until now we have used cyclical antibiotics to keep Theo as happy and healthy as possible. This is not a long-term solution and this is why we need your help. PANDAS is a new diagnosis, it first appears in scientific literature only 22 years ago. Treatments are limited and expensive, even the most effective options are often not covered by insurance simply because they are so recent and innovative. We plan to travel with Theo in July so he can undergo FMT, a procedure to help combat the inflammation ravaging his little body. We believe this procedure is 100% necessary but it will not be covered by insurance, coupled with travel expenses, it is a costly endeavor for our family. We are blessed to have our dear friend, @garrettjonsson , conquering a triathlon in Theo’s honor on June 20 and we’d be honored if you would consider donating to our cause. Any amount helps and we are so grateful for our amazing community. A Venmo has been set up under Theo’s name @theoblymiller, the link is in my bio. We will keep everyone aware of our progress using #triforTheo. We cannot thank you enough for helping our Theo boy. #trifortheo #theoboy #pandasawareness #weargreenfortheo #weargreenforpandas #theosfundraiser #specialneedsfamily #utahfamily #ourspecialboy #spreadawareness #pandastreatment #spreadkindness

A post shared by Angela (@angelablymiller) on Jun 11, 2020 at 11:29am PDT

Much Love! Thank you for everything

#flourishing #guthealth #Dr.DavidPerlmutter #FMT #FecalMicrobiotaTransplant #GutBrainConnection #totalwellness #depression #anxiety #functionalmedicinemodel #healthegut