BENTONVILLE, Ark.- One woman found a holistic approach to help with her mental health struggle and a chronic disease.
Life changed for Jay Amargos nearly ten years ago.
She was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety, and found relief through mediation.
Six years later she was diagnosed with lupus. And it brought a lot of pain to her body.
“I was researching for ways to really help cope with the pain that it wasn’t so much based on you know drugs and medication, so i was looking for other ways to help me and i came across mindfulness base stress reduction therapy, ” Amaragos said.
According to experts, mindfulness is about one thing how to be in the present moment.
The practice helped her so much and she saw a big difference, she said.
“It taught me to be grateful and passionate toward myself,” Amaragos said.
Last year, Amarargos opened up “i’mindful studio” because of positive results the practice brought to her. she wanted to teach other.
It was important for each person to learn to listen to their body especially in this fast pace society, she said.
“There’s a reason why we are called human beings right we’re not called human doers so that perception that you have to be doing constantly, constantly, constantly you know i think is really has taken away the ability for us to keep focus on the things that are really important, ” Amaragos said.
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Jessica Fowler was a register nurse in a psychiatric setting for over ten years.
In that role she realized many people were looking for something more than medication, so she decided to look for a holistic approach, trauma informed yoga therapy, she said.
“Yoga will relax tense muscles and help you, you know, with your breathing and target those things that like the sympathetic nervous system is always turned on and reacting to stress and then targeting the brain, so using mindfulness and helping to replace the automatic negative thoughts, ” Fowler said.
Fowler said it was important to address the stigma toward mental health problems that was happening in the nation.
“You are not alone if you’re dealing with a mental health struggle that there is help for you,” she said.
A study in 2016 showed over 16 million people suffered from a least one major depressive episode and 350 million people worldwide.
On Wednesday Amaragos launched a talk show called “Mental Health and Pie”.
The goal of the show is to eliminate the stigma that is attached to mental health, Amaragos said.