Table of Contents
From Chronic Stress to Inner Strength: A Flight Attendant’s Holistic Journey to Healing Hashimoto’s
In This Episode:
- Amalia’s unexpected journey from acting to flight attending to health coaching
- The surprising connection between Hashimoto’s, depression, and anxiety
- Why traditional medicine might not always have all the answers
- The power of yoga and mindfulness for mental and physical well-being
- Simple holistic practices to incorporate into your daily routine
- Plus, Amalia’s favorite tips for managing anxiety and finding joy in wellness
Amalia’s story is a testament to the power of listening to your body and seeking alternative solutions when traditional methods fall short. What started as a quest to manage the chronic stress of a busy, entrepreneurial life led her down a path of self-discovery and healing. After experiencing a series of unexplained symptoms, Amalia was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition that often goes undetected. This diagnosis became a catalyst for her deep dive into the world of holistic health.
Amalia shares how she navigated the challenges of Hashimoto’s, including fatigue, weight gain, and depression. While medication played a role in managing her condition, she emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach that encompasses:
- Movement: Incorporating regular exercise, including yoga, for both physical and mental benefits.
- Mindfulness: Practicing techniques like meditation, EFT tapping, and affirmations to quiet negative thought loops and cultivate presence.
- Nutrition: Adopting a clean diet, specifically going gluten-free, to reduce inflammation and support overall health.
- Supplementation: Addressing vitamin deficiencies and supporting her body’s unique needs with targeted supplements, including magnesium and vitamin D3.
- Connection: Finding community and support through yoga studios, health coaches, and other like-minded individuals.
Throughout the conversation, Amalia stresses the importance of finding what works best for you and making wellness enjoyable. Her philosophy is that self-care shouldn’t be a chore; it should be a source of joy and empowerment. She encourages listeners to experiment with different holistic practices, be patient with themselves, and celebrate small victories along the way.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking a fresh perspective on managing stress, improving mental health, and embracing a holistic lifestyle. Amalia’s insights are both practical and inspiring, reminding us that true well-being is a journey, not a destination.
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BIO: Amalia May Valle
I’m Amalia – So nice to meet you!
Consider me your wellness life coach!
I help busy entrepreneurs and creative professionals fit healthy eating and fitness into their schedules in a way that is fun, easy and tailored to your specific needs.
I am a 500-Hour Certified Yoga Instructor and Certified Health Coach (and a mom to an amazing 6 year old!)
I do personalized Health Coaching 1:1 online – to anywhere in the world! Learn more about Health Coaching here
I also teach yoga privately in Miami (and sometimes in NYC as well!) and my yoga sessions focus on alignment, breath and tailoring the practice to the individual. I teach all levels but have a special fondness for beginners.
Head over here to learn more a little more about me and over here to check out my wellness blog.
I also host my YouTube channel – Busy & Healthy – with weekly wellness tips that are – you guessed it – fun and easy to do with a busy schedule!
Namaste!
Learn More About: Amalia May Valle and Holistic Health and Wellness
CONTACT AND SOCIALS:
Ready to jumpstart your own wellness journey?
- Download Amalia’s FREE “On the Go Healthy Jumpstart Guide”: https://www.yogabyamalia.com/freeguide/
- Connect with Amalia on her website: https://www.yogabyamalia.com/
- Follow Amalia’s fun and inspiring YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@amaliamayvalle
- Follow Amalia on Instagram: ttps://www.instagram.com/amaliamayvalle/
Watch The Interview
If you liked this episode, be sure to check out my full playlist of interviews here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnPL9gahfhWatKmy2YSyU0jt20h_jrj3H
Listen To The Interview
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Want to learn more? Check out my top picks for books on self-improvement and recovery HERE!
It is my mission to equip you with valuable and effective coping skills and clinical interventions, to improve your mood, be more productive and improve your quality of life, so you can do more, and worry less.
NEED CRISIS HELP? If you need immediate crisis help with your depression, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text “START” to 741-741
OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES: See International Suicide Hotlines
WHERE TO FIND MENTAL HEALTH HELP:
-NAMI Referral Helpline: 1-800-950-6264
-California’s Statewide Mental Health Helpline: 1-855-845-7415
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TRANSCRIPT:
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Hello Amalia, thank you so much for joining us on The Mental Health Toolbox. This is a special treat to have you on. I know we’re fellow mastermind cohorts, and I’m learning so much about the world of yoga and holistic care. Sharing information and bouncing ideas off of each other in our mastermind is fantastic, so I’m excited to have you on. Thank you for joining us.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
It’s a pleasure. It’s so great to be here.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
It’s great to have you. Okay, so today we’ll be sharing, or rather, you’ll be sharing your experience around holistic care as a certified health coach and yoga instructor, and how you’ve used that to manage the chronic stress that comes with being an entrepreneur. In your case, an actress and flight attendant.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
So you wear a lot of hats, as I think a lot of us do these days, which is great. It’s good to grow, it’s good to develop the self and learn new things and take on new challenges. And with that comes unexpected stress. I would say that self-care comes in a lot of shapes and forms, and we have to find out what works for us. So hopefully, today you can share some of the tricks around holistic care and managing anxiety that have worked for you. That would be fantastic. Do you want to share with us a little bit about your background and what got you into this world of holistic health and wellness coaching?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Absolutely.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Okay.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Definitely. So, I’m an actor, among other things. When I first started out as an actor in my early 20s, I moved to New York City, and I was waiting tables and auditioning and doing all the things. It was great in some ways, and it was also really stressful and exhausting in other ways. As an actor, you face a lot of rejection, which is not so easy, especially when you’re young. So I started doing yoga, and I wasn’t really sure why I was doing it at first. I was like, okay, it’s exercise, and it’s also kind of calming. I just started doing it, and I really liked it a lot. So I just started doing more of it, and I noticed it was not only calming but also invigorating at the same time. So I started a regular yoga practice, and then my yoga studio was offering a teacher training. So I decided to do the teacher training. There are two levels of yoga teacher training: 200-hour and 500-hour. So I did my initial yoga teacher training, which was the 200-hour.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Hmm.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
It was an intensive yoga teacher training, and it came at a perfect time. I had just gone through a big breakup with someone I had been with for several years, and I felt like I was at a turning point in my life. It was great; it was an intensive, doing yoga all day, every day, learning how to teach. Afterward, I moved on to the second part of the training, the 300-hour training, which took much longer. In the meantime, I started teaching yoga. New York is a great place for teaching, so I had a lot of private clients. I was teaching at gyms. I was teaching everywhere, running around again. During that time, I met someone who was working as a flight attendant, and you know, it had sort of been a childhood dream of mine to be a flight attendant. As much as I loved teaching yoga, at that time I wasn’t really business-minded, so I was just kind of freelancing everywhere. I didn’t have stability. In the meantime, I had gotten married, and both my husband and I have family in other countries. So I got excited about the idea of working as a flight attendant as well. Initially, I had thought, “Oh, if you’re a flight attendant, you can’t have a family, you can’t do anything else.” And she was like, “No, that’s not true. You can do a lot of other things.” So long story short, I applied to become a flight attendant, I was accepted, and I started doing both, working as a flight attendant and teaching yoga. It was great, but all of a sudden, all these kind of weird symptoms started to pop up. I gained a lot of weight right away when I started flying, like kind of mysteriously. Like I wasn’t eating anymore, I just all of a sudden gained a lot of weight. I was getting these bags under my eyes, like puffy eyes, which I’d never gotten in my life, even when I wasn’t sleeping enough. I was experiencing terrible fatigue. Like I remember one day, we were living in a walk-up in Brooklyn, a third-floor walk-up, and I had to physically push myself down the stairs just to get down the stairs. I was like, “Okay, this is not normal.”
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
What’s going on with me? Like this is…Yeah, it’s going in the wrong direction.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah, yeah, exactly. So I went to the doctor, and you know, I got my blood work done, and the doctor was like, “You’re fine. Everything’s fine. Your blood work looks great. Maybe you’re depressed.” And I was like, “Okay.”
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
They always say that.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah, it must be. So, I was like, “Alright, I guess it’s fine.” And I tried to just diet and, you know, do the things they tell you to do. Then, in the meantime, my husband and I decided we wanted to try to have a baby. So we were trying, and I didn’t expect it to happen right away, but, you know, it was a couple of months, and I was pretty young, and it wasn’t happening. So my doctor checked, and I was fertile. There was no problem, so why wasn’t I getting pregnant? The only thing they were able to find was that I was a bit low in Vitamin D, as they put it. I would later find out it was extremely low in Vitamin D.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Which is a risk factor for depression.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. It was also an indication that I had an autoimmune condition, but the average doctor is not necessarily trained to pick that up. An endocrinologist likely would, but not your typical family doctor.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
You said pregnancy; the first thing I was thinking was, “Oh,” because they start looking deeply at the hormone levels and everything, so more than your standard blood panel, right?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Exactly, yeah. And that was actually what helped me start to find the pieces of the puzzle. Luckily, my new insurance that came with my flight attendant job covered acupuncture. I had heard that acupuncture helped with getting pregnant, so I was like, “Okay, let me see the acupuncturist.” Luckily for me, my acupuncturist was not just an acupuncturist; he was also a naturopathic physician. He was covered as an acupuncturist, but he had a huge breadth of knowledge.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Sure.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
So I told him everything that was going on with me, and he was like, “Okay, we’re definitely going to do the acupuncture. However, there’s something deeper going on. Due to all of your symptoms, fatigue, weight gain, the bags under your eyes, not getting pregnant, it really sounds to me like you have a thyroid condition.” And I said, “Well, yeah, but my doctor tested my thyroid, and she said it’s fine.” He’s like, “Yeah, they always say that.” And I was like, “Oh, really?” He told me, “Listen, these are the tests you need to get.” He told me exactly what to get, and he said, “You’re going to have to insist a little bit with your doctor because they’re going to say, ‘Well, you’re fine, you’re fine.'” So I did exactly what he told me, and the results came back positive that I had Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune thyroid condition.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Mhm.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Even my family doctor was surprised. She was like, “Oh, I don’t know what to say. I didn’t expect that.”
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
She’s like…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
“I just did the test because you insisted.” So, you know, it was amazing information for me because we usually know when something’s off with our bodies. We…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Wow.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…know what it is. As frustrating as it might be to get a diagnosis that you didn’t really want, it can actually also be a huge blessing because that gives you the piece of the puzzle you need to start healing yourself.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Some sense of direction. Absolutely.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
So for me, it was a huge blessing because it set me down a path of healing my body, which ended up healing me in so many more ways than I would have imagined. That’s how I ended up becoming a health coach, rather than just a yoga instructor. Because I was already in the wellness world, I was already interested in wellness, but I wasn’t taking the whole picture of it seriously – you know, diet, exercise, supplements, all of it. I wasn’t taking it as seriously as the physical and meditative component. So with my diagnosis, I really went down a rabbit hole, learning how to properly take care of myself for the first time. Like, when you’re in your 20s, you’re not thinking, “Oh, I need to eat a clean diet.” You’re like, “Yeah, my metabolism is great, let’s enjoy life.” But then, when you have a reason that you have to start working on your health, that frames it in a different way. It really pushes you. What was incredible is in healing my Hashimoto’s, I was also able to heal another component that I had struggled with, especially in my early 20s, which was depression and anxiety. Because as I came to find out, for myself, they kind of go together. This is definitely not always the case, but there are many times that people are struggling with depression, and there’s a deeper physical issue going on. Sometimes it can be an autoimmune condition, sometimes it could be a simple vitamin deficiency. But depression is actually a symptom of Hashimoto’s. In my case, it was.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Mhm.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
It was interesting because when I was in my early 20s, I tried antidepressants, and I had really bad effects from them, which I ended up learning later was due to a gene mutation that I have, which is common in autoimmune conditions. If you have that gene mutation, it will be much harder to find an antidepressant that will work for you. I won’t say it’s impossible, but it’s definitely more challenging.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
That’s good to know. Absolutely. There’s a correlation between the two.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah, it’s fascinating. So that’s how I ended up getting into wellness in general, rather than only yoga. And I still love yoga. I still think yoga is an incredibly important component of wellness. But I just became fascinated by the human body in general, and that there are so many natural and holistic tools we can use to heal ourselves, in addition to the wonderful medications that exist. I’m not knocking medications that are helpful for people at all. I myself take thyroid medication, Armour Thyroid. But in my case, I wouldn’t have been able to heal myself on the level I have, with only taking thyroid medication every morning. It was really a holistic lifestyle picture.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
That’s fascinating. And how serendipitous, right? Because you couldn’t have planned things out this way. Like you said, you were pursuing…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…this is oftentimes how life works, right? We set our minds on one track, and we sometimes come across obstacles. Like for you, you were striving to be an actress, you were doing some stuff on the side to wait tables and whatnot, just trying to make ends meet, but you felt like you were hitting some bumps in the road health-wise. It didn’t quite make sense, but that didn’t stop you from pursuing things. But as you continued to take action, that led you to this flight attending job, which again highlighted maybe some of the stuff that was going on with you for whatever reason. But it also afforded you the health insurance which you didn’t know you would need, that allowed you to go to the acupuncturist who was also a wealth of information, who advised you on getting the blood test for your thyroid, which led to you getting a diagnosis. So that’s often what we see in life; we never quite know how we end up where we get, we just know that taking action is important.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
As we take action…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…oftentimes we get, like you said, other pieces to the puzzle. That doesn’t mean your doctor is always going to have the answer the first time. Like you did the things, you went to the doctor, you got the bloodwork done, you followed up, and still, it wasn’t making sense to you. But props to you for continuing to turn over stones and trying different things. And I think to your point, it’s not to say that Western medicine is better or worse than Eastern medicine and so forth, but it’s all a toolbox, right? Understanding what is at our disposal in terms of resources, and how we can leverage them, under what conditions and contexts they make sense, and how to apply those things. Which is why I’m so glad you’re here to share this information for anyone who might be wondering, “Okay, who might have some leads for me? Maybe not absolute answers, but leads. Who should I go to?”
Sometimes it’s like the guide leads you to another guide, to another guide, that has the answers, right? Oftentimes, that’s how life works. And if somebody’s wondering, “Okay, I’ve tried the traditional route, I’m not seeing the gains I want to see, what are some holistic routes I can take? What can give me some more ammunition in my personal development?” We kind of have an idea of what drew you to yoga, right? It was more of something you stumbled into; you learned, “Hey, this really helps with stress,” right? To the point where you decided you were going to start getting your hours and become a certified coach.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Absolutely.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Just to back up a little bit, when did that happen? When did you take such a deep interest in yoga? Was it before the Hashimoto’s, I assume?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah, I was already doing yoga before the Hashimoto’s. At that time in my life, I was dealing with depression, and it was…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Mhm.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…weird because it was a period of several years where, you know, sometimes the depression was more manageable than others. I mean, there were times when the depression was really rough. I did have days I couldn’t get out of bed. I think I’ve always been somebody who pushes myself a lot. Even in those days, I remember even in the darkest days of depression, there was a part of me that said, “Okay, I’m not going to resign myself to this.”
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Mhm.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
“I need to push myself out.” I had tried the medications, and for me personally, they didn’t work. What did help a lot was talk therapy. I’m still a very big believer in talk therapy. I think it’s wonderful. And I do think medication can be helpful for some people under the right circumstances, for sure. But for me, what was helpful was talk therapy and that internal fire where I said, “I can see something different for myself, and I’m not going to let this hold me down.” I found a lot of healing in the yoga world, and one thing that was great was it also had a physical component. It was also exercise, which we know is helpful for depression.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Absolutely. Exercise in general, for sure.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yoga was like a catalyst that just pushed me out of a dark place, helped me discover an inner strength. Yoga is such a beautiful, healing world. It pushed me into the right area. I really believe in healing yourself. I think doctors can be very helpful, medications can be helpful sometimes, but you also have to have a desire to heal yourself. Yoga put me in the right place to begin to do that.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Yeah. You dedicated yourself; I mean, you dove deep, right, to do 300 hours plus 500 hours. That’s no joke. You have to take it pretty seriously to leverage it. I have yet to get into yoga, so just off the cuff, what’s a good place to start?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
With yoga?
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Yeah, for a noob like me who has no experience doing yoga.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
It depends on what you want to get out of it. People come to yoga for different reasons. A lot of my private clients would come to me because…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Yeah.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…their back was bothering them, or they were very anxious. Sometimes people come to it because they want to start exercising, and it sounds more appealing than going to a gym. So it depends on who you are and what you’re looking for as your entry point. I think it’s always great to find a studio that you like, show up for a class. I’ll tell you, the first yoga class I ever went to, I didn’t like it.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Okay.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
And I’m glad I didn’t stop there. It was a class I took in college, and I think it was like an old-school, hippie kind of teacher, which is fine. But it was very low-key and zen, and it was like, “Open your fingertips slowly…” I was 18 at the time, and I was like, “Oh man, this is boring.” For me, that was not a good entry point for yoga. I wanted something more exciting, more active. When I ended up getting interested in it later, I think it was because the teacher was a little bit more athletic, and they were showing us some cool poses we could do, and I was like, “Yeah, I want to do that.” So it depends on who you are and what you’re looking for. If you’re looking to calm down and center, then you want to start with a relaxing kind of class. You’ll usually know from the class description. There’s a beautiful type of yoga called restorative yoga, and I do have a video on my channel all about a particular restorative yoga pose. It’s a deep stretch for the lower back and hamstrings, and it is very relaxing while giving you a deep stretch. So if someone is looking for that, that’s a good place to start, a more relaxing, stretchy kind of class. But if you’re more of an energetic go-getter, and you want something a little more challenging, then vinyasa yoga is usually a good place to start.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Vinyasa.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah. Vinyasa yoga is a great workout.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Vinyasa.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah. Vinyasa refers to, you know, when you do the sun salutations; it’s a flow. You’re flowing in and out of poses…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Okay.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…almost seamlessly, with little breaks. It’s almost like dancing. My whole life, I’ve always loved dance. It’s always been a part of my life, so for me, vinyasa yoga was like a type of dance with a spiritual component. That was my entry point into the yoga world.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Gotcha. So, somebody looking for a more active yoga practice, maybe vinyasa.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Exactly.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
That’s a good term to Google: vinyasa yoga near me, right?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Vinyasa yoga near me, right.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Okay, that’s what I’m looking for. That’s your entry point. I run very low energy. I can…I don’t need anyone to calm me down, like I need something to get my blood going. Because if you told me to lay down and breathe deeply, I’d be snoring in two seconds. I’d be taking a nap. That would be embarrassing.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
I was always like that, up until I became a yoga teacher. If you had told me to meditate, I would have run from you screaming! The last thing I wanted to do was sit in silence and meditate. Now, yes, I think meditation is awesome, but I had to get there from a different entry point. Sometimes our mind is just too activated to slow down, and we need another way to get there.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Mhm. I love that. It’s a lot of different entry points, right, depending on where you’re at, what you need, and what feels comfortable for you. So that being said, in your experience, don’t discount something just because you didn’t have a great first impression…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…be that yoga, or mental health, or anything else. Get some other experiences under your belt and then make an informed decision.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Absolutely. I think it’s similar to therapy in many ways. It’s not…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…everyone connects with the same therapist. Just because you have a bad experience with one therapist doesn’t mean therapy is bad. It just means that wasn’t the right fit for you. And it’s the same thing with yoga; you have to find a teacher you connect with, that you respond to. What might be a great teacher for one person is not necessarily the greatest teacher for another.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
True, true. So try, try again, as they say. Don’t rule stuff out just based on the first impression.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Exactly.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Alright, so fast forwarding to today, you’ve learned how to manage your Hashimoto’s.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes. Oh, and happy ending, I ended up getting pregnant and having my daughter.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Oh, yes, that’s fantastic. I thought you were a mom; I didn’t want to assume.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes, I am. Yes, I have a six-year-old daughter.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
That’s wonderful. That’s a great age. I love that age.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
She’s a lot of fun.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
It’s magical. Being a parent is the best thing in my opinion.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Oh, it’s amazing. I was working on my taxes yesterday, and I was feeling the stress creeping up, and she starts singing, and then she’s giving me hugs. I was like, “Oh, this is nice.”
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Right.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
To have someone singing to me and giving me hugs while I’m doing my taxes…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
You’re over here adulting, stressed out, and then there’s this kid. I think it’s important, as a parent… One of the reasons I appreciate having children is because it reminds me of the wonder of life and how to be present.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah, yeah.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
You were talking a minute ago about being activated, how activated we are as adults. We’re very activated because we’re stressing about the future. We’re stressing about our to-do list. We’re stressing about the future. We’re stressing about the past, shoulda-coulda-wouldas.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…and future-tripping. And as adults, we struggle with being present. As kids, it’s very easy to be present; that’s why time moves so slowly. If you remember being a kid, it’s like Christmas seemed forever away, right? As an adult, you and I are talking, and it’s tax time, and I’m like, “I can’t believe it’s already tax time. I’m so not ready.” That’s how it is as adults. Things move quickly, especially if you’re the entrepreneurial type, like the name of your channel, “Busy and Healthy,” right? The busier you are, the faster the clock goes. It’s great to have kids to remind us to slow down and be present.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
100%. I feel like… I try to remind myself to slow down. It’s a practice, it really is.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Absolutely. You know, yoga can really help with that, as we’ve learned, to be present.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yoga can help with that. Yeah, I think mindfulness in general, because I include yoga as a mindfulness technique. Mindfulness, in general, is so helpful with both depression and anxiety. I’m writing a book on this subject right now, not only about mindfulness, but in general about…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…holistic techniques that are helpful with depression and anxiety. One is mindfulness.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Fantastic.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
You know…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
That’s wonderful. I know that term gets thrown around a lot, and it might mean different things to different people. Could you share with us a little bit about your impression of mindfulness and what that looks like in practice?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Sure. It can be slightly different for everyone, but often with anxiety and depression, our own thoughts can be our worst enemies. We all have those loops that run through our heads, and they’re unique to each person. “I’m not good enough. I don’t have enough time. Nothing’s working. I’m a failure.” You know, all kinds of things. We get into that loop. And the problem is oftentimes we don’t even realize we’re in the loop. So, before we know it, we’re feeling awful, and we don’t even know why. One of the wonderful things about mindfulness, which to me is really just learning to tune into your thoughts and recognize when you’re having these thoughts, and then learning how to shift them. Things like meditation help you recognize when you’re in the loop. If you don’t know you’re in the loop, you’re going to keep going and then wonder why you feel awful.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Right. Reminds me of the Do Not Disturb button on the phone.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
I say that because I can sit down to be very intentional about accomplishing a certain task, like prepping for my taxes. It’s like, “Okay, I’m going to sit down and dedicate three hours to this because I’m not looking forward to it.” And then I get that bing on my phone, and I’m like, “Oh, that’s an email. Let me check my email real quick. Oh, is there anything important? Oh, no, but oh, look at this. I wasn’t expecting that email. Let me look at this email, and oh, I need to deal with this over here. Oh, what about that?” And before I know it, like two hours have passed, and I’m like, “Oh, my taxes. Why didn’t I get my taxes done? I had so much time.”
Our thoughts are like that, right? If we’re not careful, if we don’t put on that Do Not Disturb, that mindfulness…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…then our thoughts tend to stray, and those thoughts oftentimes gravitate toward concerns, worries, ancillary issues, pending concerns. And without any intention of drifting, our minds will naturally drift. So what you’re saying is mindfulness is often like the purposeful action of being present by turning off those distractions. What are some skills that allow us to do that? What have you found helpful to be present?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
So, I use a variety of different things. Meditation is definitely one of them. Believe me, I resisted meditation a lot.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Yeah.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Because, I mean, I have a bit of ADHD, and I am a very active, energetic person, and I found it hard to just sit still. My thoughts would race, and I was like, “This is terrible. I don’t want to do this.”
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
I had a wonderful teacher in the second part of my yoga teacher training, and she said something wonderful. She was like, “Listen, meditation is important. You probably don’t think you have time to do it, but you need to make time. It doesn’t have to be an hour; just do five minutes.” She’s like, “Just set a timer on your phone, do five minutes. You have five minutes.” And then, “If five minutes is going well, then you can increase it to six minutes.” But she’s like, “Just make a commitment to do five minutes a day.” That stuck with me because I’m the first person to tell myself I don’t have time. But really, it’s hard to argue that you don’t have five minutes.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Right. That’s the first objection, right? “I don’t have time! I’m busy enough! You’re telling me to slow down? I can’t even get the stuff I want done, done.”
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Exactly. But the funny thing is, and it’s something I constantly remind myself of…We’re all a work in progress, right? But I will actually get more done if I take the time I need for mindfulness. So be that meditation, or you know… Sometimes I meditate through my yoga practice. If I can turn off all distractions and just do moving meditation, if my mind is too activated, that can also be helpful. I love affirmations, as well.
There are many meditations you can listen to that are guided meditations with affirmations, which can be great if you’re having trouble in the moment doing a more silent meditation. There’s an easy mantra meditation that I like. I think that’s the easiest entry point for meditation. I have a video on my channel about it. You just pick a mantra and focus on it, and your thoughts are inevitably going to start popping up. You just come right back to that mantra. It’s very simple, but people get tripped up because they’re like, “I’m doing it wrong! I ended up thinking about everything else.” In the beginning, it’s really just about noticing when your thoughts wander and gently guiding them back because they are going to wander. That’s what they do. But you’ve got to notice it and bring it back. The better you get at noticing it, that’s when you’re really meditating. And that’s also what’s going to help with the negative thought loop because then you notice…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…noticing your thoughts.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…noticing them and interrupting them, and not being pulled away by them.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Absolutely. There are different ways to do it. There’s a wonderful technique called EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique, where you tap.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Mhm.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Once you notice what your thoughts are, you tap. And through tapping, you can start to release some of those negative thought patterns. There are breathing techniques, which are amazing. There’s one that I love for anxiety. I also have a video on that on my channel; it’s called nadi shodhana, alternate nostril breathing. It’s a yogic technique, and you’re just alternating breathing through one nostril, holding, exhaling through the other. You’re just alternating. That can be a really nice one, especially for anxiety, because it’s something physical you’re doing. It gives you something to do. There are moments you’re super anxious, and you’re just in it. Sometimes it can be hard to sit and meditate. I’ve been there, but this is a physical technique that you can do in the moment that immediately starts to slow things down and help you feel more grounded. I love its immediacy…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Mhm.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…how quickly it works.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Yeah
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Yeah, I think… What’s that saying? “Perfectionism is the enemy of execution.” Complexity, right? It kills progress. I think sometimes the simpler something is in terms of direction, the easier it is to have a touchpoint, to take action. Whether that’s box breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation, or, like you’re saying, positive affirmations. It’s funny you brought that up. I was going to ask you, when you think about meditating, is it more clearing the mind, or is it positive affirmations, or is it visualization? But it can be any of it, right?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
I think all of them are valuable. Ideally, it’s great to do a mix of all of them. You can also check in and see what you need that day. Some days you might need affirmations more than others. Some days you might need silence. I think it’s all valuable. With my health coaching clients, I try not to let people use it as a tool to beat themselves up. Like, if I’m suggesting meditation and then they’re not doing it, it doesn’t mean they’re doing things wrong, they’re messing up. Maybe that’s not what they needed that day. Maybe they weren’t ready for it that day. If you’re in a super anxious place, maybe you need a different entry point. Maybe you need to start with EFT tapping. Maybe you need to start with a simple breathing exercise instead. So I think these are all tools, and you can use them just like a toolbox. Select the tool that you need that day, what makes sense for you, and just take a moment to check in with yourself and see what you need.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Love it. Wonderful. Wonderful. Thank you so much for the background on mindfulness. I know we could have a whole episode just on that because there are so many ways to go about it. And I think the real message here is, do what makes sense for you that day. No pressure, start small, work your way into it. And you can even, like you said, combine it with things like yoga.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Right. Absolutely. I’ve been combining mine with red light therapy. I got into red light therapy, which is a great tool…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…for health. When I’m sitting in front of the red light, that’s my mindfulness time. It’s kind of built-in.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Oh, I like that. I’ve heard of those. Is that like infrared light?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah, it’s not infrared…well, my device, and most red light therapy devices are a combination of red light and near-infrared light. So you use them both at the same time. They’re both complementary, but they do slightly different things. Near-infrared light penetrates deeper than red light. The red light is better at helping with healing on the surface, building collagen. It’s great for the skin. Near-infrared light can do deeper muscle healing, which is interesting. I’m actually doing a month-long experiment right now; I’m going to do a video on it next month about my month-long experience because this is still new for me, too. But I think it’s really cool.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Wonderful. I can’t wait to hear the outcome. That’s wonderful. So, you’re a health coach…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…and I’m sure that encompasses a lot. You’re also a yoga instructor…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…and I’m wondering, what are your favorite techniques for managing anxiety? Because you have a wealth of information at this point; you have a lot of tools in your toolbox. What are your go-to’s when you’re feeling stressed?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
One thing that I do, and it’s one of the first things I recommend to pretty much every client, is to take magnesium. I’m not a doctor, but magnesium is wonderful for our nervous systems, in addition to many other things, and it’s something most of us don’t get enough of. In fact, it’s hard to get enough magnesium nowadays because our soil is depleted of it. Unless you’re eating magnesium-rich foods all day long and swimming in the ocean every day because the ocean is a natural source of magnesium, you probably…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…are deficient.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…don’t have enough. So I do take magnesium. That’s one thing I do, and I think that’s automatically helpful for anxiety. But in addition, I take my workouts seriously. That doesn’t mean every day I’m in the gym killing it with weights, not necessarily. I have days that I do more intense workouts than others. Exercise, in general, is a big part of my life. Even if I’m feeling a bit under the weather, I’ll at least do some light yoga. You can see I have a pole in my room.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Yes, yes, indeed.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
I do pole fitness for fun.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Fantastic.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
I laugh about that, but it’s a lot of fun for me. I’m a big believer in making fitness fun because if it’s not fun…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…you won’t do it.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…you won’t do it. So I always make it fun for myself. That’s how I make it fun for myself. In other ways, I incorporate mindfulness into my life, and I do what I recommend to my clients. I check in with myself and see what I need that day. I try to do at least a five-minute mantra meditation a day, but some days I want to do more affirmations, some days I want to do more EFT tapping. It depends on what’s going on because I’m human. I have days where I feel a bit anxious, and I find it helpful to just listen to inspiring talks.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
If you’re finding yourself in a negative thought loop, where it’s hard to get out of, and you’re ruminating and worrying, I think it’s helpful to do things that get you out of your head. Sometimes that can just be listening to an inspiring talk that helps you see a different perspective.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
100%. That’s how I ground myself. Put the podcast on, put in my earbuds, listen to a good interview, and go for a walk. That usually grounds me pretty good.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes. And there are so many things. I think if someone is experiencing serious anxiety or depression… There was something several months ago, an event that occurred, that was disturbing for me. And I went to my acupuncturist…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Mhm.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…and he was really helpful. Acupuncture can be an amazing tool for anxiety and depression. It’s one of the many tools you can add to the toolbox. Depending on how acute it is, there are so many wonderful things available.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Yeah, for sure. Acupuncture is on my list this year. Last year I started going to a chiropractor, which is fantastic. I think I’ll make an appointment today. I missed my last few. I’ve heard wonderful things about acupuncture, so why not? I’m willing to try it all.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Oh, it’s amazing!
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
I’m very much of that mind. I’m no expert in everything, and it’s important to try on different things and see how they work, how they help. These things are there for our self-care.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Definitely.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Amalia, are there any particular regimens that are musts for you? In a day, in your routine, what are the boxes you want to check? Is there a particular order to them in your week, in your day?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
For me personally?
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Yeah. For you to feel like you’re in a good space, to keep you in a good space.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yeah. I mean, I think sleep is really important and underrated. It’s…sometimes it can be challenging for us.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
I know.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
And I had to learn the hard way. I remember I started having some Hashimoto’s fatigue come up again about six months ago, and I went to my acupuncturist, and he was like, “Are you sleeping?” I was like, “Well, not really.” He’s like, “Well, how do you expect to not feel fatigued?” And I was like, “You’re right.” Sleep is a must. I have learned to prioritize sleep. I used to be one of those people who would stay up until three in the morning. It’s hard to do that when you have a kid, but instead of saying, “Oh, let me just read one more thing on my phone…” you have to cut it off and say, “Okay, I’m prioritizing sleep. This is important for me.” So, sleep is important. Fitness is important to me, whether that’s going to a class at a gym, doing a home workout, or even going for a walk. It’s super important to me. I definitely feel the difference when I have movement in my life and when I don’t. I’m big on vitamins. I take my vitamins every day. I do have that gene mutation that I mentioned, it’s called MTHFR, and it’s a gene mutation that affects 40% of the population.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Oh, really? Wow.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
There is a test to find out if you have it. In my case, I have a double mutation, which is a lot. Most people, when they have it, they just have one, but I have a double mutation, meaning my body doesn’t methylate properly. I’m not necessarily absorbing vitamins the way my body should; my body is not necessarily converting amino acids the way it should. So I take Vitamin B complex, and I take B12, and I take it in a methylated form, so like folate instead of folic acid. Certain brands do it that way. Because if I don’t, then my body won’t absorb it, and then I will experience fatigue.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Interesting.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
I try to be very mindful about my vitamins. I take Vitamin D3. Remember I said I was really deficient in that, which is a symptom often associated with autoimmune conditions. But the fact is, most of us are deficient in Vitamin D3. So, I find it really helpful to take a Vitamin D3 supplement.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Mhm.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
I give it to my husband, I give it to my father-in-law, we all take Vitamin D3 here. I also try to get natural sunlight, 15 minutes a day. I think a lot of us have been trained to be fearful of the sun. By all means, we should use sun protection, but 15 minutes of natural sunlight, especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., is good for us. It’s good for our mental well-being and our physical well-being because even with supplements, it’s great to also have that natural Vitamin D3.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Absolutely.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
So I’m fortunate with that. You can see all the sunlight coming in here.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Yeah, I love sunlight, too. I like having the windows open.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
I can’t even block it out that much. I’m in Miami, so luckily we have a lot of sunlight here. Even if you live in a place that doesn’t have as much sunshine, even getting outdoors is great for us. Fresh air, being in nature, even if it’s just a little park, is so helpful to our well-being. It makes a difference. I try to get some of that each day. Even if it’s just a few minutes, if I have a really busy day, I go outside for a few minutes, just to get a quick walk in. It makes a profound difference. I try to be mindful of my diet as well. I love food. I love to eat. I’m not into deprivation or eating carrot sticks all day, but I do aim to eat healthy. I eat gluten-free, for the most part. I think it’s good for everyone, but it’s especially good for people with autoimmune conditions because gluten can be inflammatory. So I’ve just naturally incorporated that into my life. Those are my go-to’s: a clean diet, mindfulness every day, movement every day, a bit of fresh air and sunlight every day…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…sleep, supplements.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Right. Yeah, absolutely. And I’m so glad I asked that question because I think it’s easy to sometimes think we have to do it all, all the time. But it really comes down to your core regimen. What are those low-hanging fruit, or levers, that are important to you for your wellness? Like you said, it’s important for you to feel like you’re moving your body regularly; it’s important to check off, make sure you’re taking those supplements.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
It becomes a habit, right? Like everything…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Mhm.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
…starts as a habit. When I first learned I should be eating gluten-free, especially because of my Hashimoto’s, I was not happy about that at all! Like, “What do you mean? I have to give up pizza? No!” But things become a habit. I learned how to make gluten-free pizza. I learned there are tons of places where you can get gluten-free pizza.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Right!
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
You learn little hacks along the way that make things easier. When you have a desire to start incorporating healthy habits, it becomes easier. You start to acquire those good habits, and then it becomes a natural part of your life. I do have a free ebook on my website where I talk about healthy habits and easy ways to incorporate them into your life. So that’s something to check out if someone wants to learn a little bit about the easy ways I started incorporating these things.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
That can be found at yogabyamalia.com/freeguide, right?
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Absolutely.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Wonderful. And that’s your website where listeners and viewers can learn more about you: yogabyamalia.com. I’ll be sure to include all of this in the show notes. Health coaching, yoga sessions, health coach, yoga coach, a free download of the “On the Go Healthy Jumpstart Guide.” Start feeling better today.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Absolutely fantastic. And this is your YouTube channel: “Busy and Healthy.”
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Wellness that is fun and easy. I love it. I love your YouTube channel. It’s so fun. All your thumbnails are so bright and…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
I’m all about fun because, I know for myself, if something is not fun, I don’t want to do it, right?
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
There’s that red light you were talking about.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes, there’s the red light. I love that thing. I’m so excited about it.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
That’s so fantastic. I think it’s important… One big takeaway from our talk today is the importance of incorporating fun and having fun as a core value of wellness. We’re talking about being children and being present. I remember as a kid, kids don’t think about…
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Absolutely.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…going to the gym. Kids just go play, they go have fun with their friends. When I was a kid, I used to go play in the forest with my friends, play football in the street, ride my bike three miles into town just to hang out. You know, we just did things…
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
…naturally. It came to us. As adults, we’re so used to everything being so prescribed. We feel like if we’re having fun, somehow there’s this guilt involved, like, “I shouldn’t be having fun right now.”
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
And actually, that’s what we should do more of because having fun lowers stress and anxiety and actually creates more space for what you want. You were talking about going out in the forest, playing with your friends, and riding bikes; you were already getting so many components of wellness: you’re getting exercise, you’re hanging out with your community, which is a great way to lower anxiety and depression, you’re getting fresh air and sunshine. Just by having fun, you’re naturally incorporating wellness. I’m not at all a person who thinks wellness should just be rigidly going to the gym and eating celery sticks. That might work for the day after New Year’s, but realistically, who wants to do that every day? We have enough chores in life. Wellness shouldn’t be a chore. Wellness should be a beautiful way to take care of yourself. It should be fun, and it absolutely can be.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Chasing your dog in the backyard.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Seriously, yes!
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Good stuff. Well, thank you so much, Amalia. It’s been a pleasure and an honor to have you on to share your history, your wealth of knowledge about wellness. You’re always welcome back, and let us know how your book is going.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Yes.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Once that’s finished. You’re always welcome back on the show.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Thank you so much. It’s been a pleasure.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Absolutely. The pleasure is all mine. It’s great to have you. The sun’s peeking out here in California. I hope it’s shining over there in Miami. Enjoy the rest of your sunny day, and I’ll do the same.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
You, too.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
Alright, take care. Bye-bye.
(AMALIA MAY VALLE)
Thank you. You, too.
(PATRICK MARTIN L.C.S.W.)
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