Self-Care & Mental Wellness: Alysia Makhani Of Flor Verde Healing On The Top Five Selfcare Practices That Improve Mental Wellness
An Interview With Maria Angelova
Using plants and foods to nourish and heal your body.
Let’s face it. It seems that everyone is under a great deal of stress these days. This takes a toll on our mental wellness. What are some of the best self-care practices that we can use to help improve our mental wellness and mental well-being? In this interview series, we are talking to medical doctors, mental health professionals, health and wellness professionals, and experts about self-care or mental health who can share insights from their experience about How Each Of Us Can Use Self Care To Improve Our Mental Wellness. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Alysia Makhani.
Alysia Makhani MSN, MPH, RN is a registered nurse, endocannabinoid system educator, and meditation teacher at Flor Verde Healing where she helps clients reach their health and wellness goals through holistic practices.
Before starting her own business Alysia worked as a nurse for 15 years providing care to families and their children. When she’s not working, Alysia enjoys spending time in nature, practicing yoga, and creating art.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us. It is a great honor. Our readers would love to learn more about you and your personal background. Can you please share your personal story? What has brought you to this point in your life?
Self-care was never a concept that was discussed in my family. Part of the reason is that it wasn’t discussed in generations prior either. I was raised by my father’s family, who are of South Asian ancestry. They immigrated to the United States in the 1980s. A large part of their lives in America was dedicated to providing for their families, building businesses, and going to school. Self-care wasn’t always at the forefront of their minds, because survival was. If there was anything that my family even remotely connected to as self-care, it was being a part of their religious community as Muslims.
In my late 20s, I lived in New York City. I had a partner that liked to go out to parties just as much as I did, stay out all night, and have many drinks. Eventually, I slowed down on the nightlife activities. I became more interested in traveling the world and improving my overall wellness. At a certain point, my partner and I had grown apart and were interested in different things so we separated. It felt strange being “alone” after living and constantly spending every waking moment with someone for 6 years. Being single was new again, and it was time for me to create my own life. This is when I began to explore self-care. I was alone and could do anything that I wanted.
It was in 2015 that I traveled to Thailand and attended a three-day meditation retreat at the University of Chiang Mai where I learned about meditation and Buddhism from monks. When I went back home, my meditation practice bloomed when I joined a yoga studio. It was a consistent place where I could practice. The yoga teacher that I resonated most with connected her knowledge of Buddhism with yoga.
Over the past 7 years, my yoga practice has only deepened and I currently practice through the lens of Ayurveda. I now realize that the self-care I’m engaging in via yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda is very similar to the practices that I engaged in with my family. My family is from India so many practices are already ingrained in their culture although they are Muslim. The specific belief systems of Yoga and Islam may differ, but the practices of movement, meditation, and chanting are analogous.
Yoga has been important to me because it has helped me navigate the challenges of life, including my career. I chose to go to nursing school when I was 17 because I wanted to, “help people.” When you’re 17, it’s hard to understand exactly what it means to take on the decision to choose a career path. What I didn’t realize as a teenager was that I would eventually feel like I was limited in how I could help people as a nurse. Hospital politics, non-profits, healthcare legislation, pharmaceutical company practices, and insurance or lack thereof were barriers that prevented me from feeling like I was helping anyone once they left the hospital. I became disgruntled with the way healthcare in the United States worked. I felt like I didn’t align with being a nurse but I wasn’t sure where I would go from there. After much self-inquiry, meeting with career coaches, and therapy, I realized that I wanted to share with others the practices of self-care that I implement in my own life.
What is your “WHY” behind what you do? What fuels you?
As a child, a question that I was constantly asked was, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answers that were expected always related to career goals. This continues to happen in our society today. I’m even guilty of having asked children the same. Most of the time, no one expects a child to say, “When I grow up, I want to be happy, healthy, safe, and supported.” That’s what we would all want for our children though, right?
Moving into adulthood, many of us aren’t happy, healthy, safe, and supported. The burdens of adulthood weigh heavy on our lives. We must work so we can survive and provide for others that we care about. Sometimes people aren’t in alignment with their work, but they have to make money to pay the bills. In school and many households, people aren’t always taught how to integrate self-care into life. With so much focus on providing for ourselves and others, people often lose track of themselves and what they truly enjoy in their lives. I’ve asked people numerous times what they like to do outside of work, and the most common answer I’ve heard is, “I’m not sure.”
Our healthcare system isn’t even entirely focused on making us healthy. Too often, patients are prescribed medications for ailments that could be treated with mind-body therapies and plant medicine. Although I am a firm believer that western medicine has its place, I also believe that health is nurtured through holistic practices and doing things that we enjoy and resonate with our authenticity.
What fuels me is my personal experience with wellness. I have incorporated many healing modalities into my life, including yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, and plant medicine. I continue to embrace activities that bring joy to my life, like spending time in nature, painting, and making music. All of these practices give life purpose and I know that they can work for others.
Sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake or failure which you now appreciate has taught you a valuable lesson?
It’s difficult for me to label my experiences as failures or mistakes because each experience brings a lesson that I may not have otherwise learned. In 2017, I had been a nurse for 11 years. At the time I was working at a foster-care prevention agency for medically fragile children. I had given much effort to this agency and even started my projects to improve the health outcomes of our patients. The Director of Nursing had decided to leave the agency, and I was very interested in the position. She was the first nurse practitioner in the role. I told the Medical Director and CEO that I was interested in the position, but they told me that they only wanted a nurse practitioner, even though the role did not encompass provider duties. At that moment I was disappointed. I already had a Master’s Degree in public health and I had been an RN for over a decade. I knew that being a nurse practitioner wasn’t necessarily my dream, but I started to consider that maybe I should go to school to become a nurse practitioner if it would give me more opportunities. So that’s what I did.
In the end, going to school to become a nurse practitioner truly helped me become a more knowledgeable nurse, but I didn’t love the idea of working in that profession for the rest of my life, especially not in primary care. Most of us have been to a primary care provider for healthcare. They spend 10–15 minutes with a patient, diagnose, treat, leave, and spend hours charting. I prefer to spend more time with my patients, helping them work on their personal wellness goals. After much self-inquiry, I decided that I wanted to work with patients and educate them on how to live holistic lives.
Choosing to go on a career path of becoming a primary care nurse practitioner was a bit misaligned for me. Eventually, I found my true calling in holistic health. From this experience, I learned what authenticity and living in your purpose truly meant.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Inquisitive
Be curious about who you are and what you align with in life. When I realized that I didn’t want to work in a traditional healthcare setting anymore, self-inquiry was extremely important in helping me find my way. I journaled about the things that I love in life and what could help me achieve my goals. I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I also wanted to learn from other entrepreneurs and hear their stories. I reached out to multiple people who took entrepreneurial paths in their careers and learned so much. It inspired me.
2. Committed
Being an entrepreneur is no easy task. I stay committed by scheduling out my days, meeting with mentors and like-minded entrepreneurs, and most importantly, incorporating self-care into my days.
3. Flexible
Life throws curveballs at us all and plans don’t always pan out accordingly. When something doesn’t go as I planned, I accept it and move forward from there with a new plan.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now? How do you think that will help people?
I am the founder of an integrative health service called Flor Verde Healing. We provide practical tools that promote healing and wellness naturally through holistic health, endocannabinoid system education, and mental health therapy.
What’s most exciting is our cannabis therapeutics offering. Cannabis has been at the forefront of plant medicine for some time and is becoming increasingly accepted as a treatment for numerous conditions. Many patients are interested in using cannabis, but don’t necessarily want to experience euphoria. They have to live their daily lives without becoming intoxicated, but still be free from pain, anxiety, or other symptoms. What many patients don’t know, is that they can use cannabis without experiencing euphoria — it’s possible.
My role is to help patients safely learn how to use cannabis for their bodies and get the benefits that they are seeking safely. There is a lot of misinformation about how to use cannabis therapeutically and patients often give up when it doesn’t work for them. Even dispensaries and hemp stores don’t always offer education. Remember, cannabis is a medicine. When a patient is starting any new medication, it’s essential to know if there are any potential drug interactions or conditions for which cannabis should not be used. Lifestyle changes are also important when using cannabis as a medicine. Self-care makes the medicine work more effectively.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, about the interface between self-care and mental health. From where you stand personally or professionally, why are you so passionate about mental well-being?
When we have clarity about the importance of our mental health, we can learn to accept both the challenges and the joys of life. Mental health isn’t just about being happy. It’s learning to deal with our emotions effectively and therapeutically. It’s also learning how to intentionally respond to all situations in life that may rise.
I feel strongly about mental-well being because it helps me get through my everyday life. It also helps me when I’m interacting with others. I have an understanding that everyone in life has their problems and joys.
I know that our bodies and minds need rest. We aren’t robots who were only created to work. Many of us are providers, whether we’re providing for ourselves, or our families. Providing for others can be seen as a task of love and necessity. However, it is also an expenditure of energy that can lead to stress and anxiety.
Self-care offers a reset, and self-care can be implemented daily into your life. Even the most seemingly minute acts can be forms of self-care. For example, I try my best to make my bed every day — but I don’t always do it. When I do make my bed and come home from work at the end of the day, seeing my bed neat and in place is a small thing that sets the tone for clarity and rest if the evening. When I leave my bed messy, my mind feels a little messier.
As an endocannabinoid specialty nurse, I’m passionate about mental wellness because I know that our bodies need it. We have an entire body system called the Endocannabinoid System. This system exists within our bodies to help us maintain balance. Maintaining balance allows us to better deal with stress — both emotional and physical. When we do activities that promote self-care, we can create molecules within our body that assist us in achieving balance, or at least getting closer to it.
Based on your research or experience, how exactly does self-care impact our mental wellness?
Self-care offers us refuge and safety in a busy stressful world. It helps lower our stress levels and anxiety. It helps us create boundaries within personal and professional relationships.
Self-care even impacts our physical bodies. Our bodies have a stress-response system that when activated in times of high stress, the hormone cortisol is released within our bodies. Cortisol impacts nearly all the systems in the human body and is necessary for moments of extreme stress or danger. When in danger, it helps us
- Stay alert
- Use fats, carbohydrates, and proteins for energy
- Suppress inflammation
- Regulates blood pressure
- Increases blood sugar
It essentially pauses any body systems that aren’t necessary in a “flight-or-flight” or dangerous moment. Increased cortisol levels usually level out after an immediate danger.
When a person has consistently high cortisol levels it impacts several body systems, and can also lead to anxiety, depression, and even PTSD. When we engage in self-care, it can help us decrease our cortisol levels.
Here is our primary question. Can you please share your “Top Five Selfcare Practices That Each Of Us Can Use To Improve Our Mental Wellness”?
- Meditation
- Movement
- Using plants and foods to nourish and heal your body
- Grounding yourself in nature
- Financial wellness
Can you please share a few of the main roadblocks that prevent people from making better self-care choices? What would you suggest can be done to overcome those roadblocks?
People often report that they don’t have enough time for self-care. Self-care doesn’t mean that you need to take an 8-hour spa day every week, or even work out every day for an hour. Those things are great, but when people have limited time in their lives, they can make better self-care choices by choosing to engage in self-care in small ways. Taking deep slow intentional breaths, and making your exhales longer than your inhales is a breathing technique that helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system and helps calm the body. I encourage anyone to try this at any moment of the day, and complete 5 rounds. See how it makes you feel. It might not feel like anything initially, but when repeated consistently, it can help calm the body immensely.
Resources may come up as a roadblock to self-care as well. People may feel that they don’t have enough money to engage in self-care. Self-care can be free. As I described above, you can use your breath as a tool for self-care. That’s free. A five-minute walk or mild stretching are also forms of self-care that don’t cost money. It just takes effort to engage.
Don’t try to jump too intensely into self-care. When newly implementing self-care activities into your life, it can be overwhelming if you choose too many and can’t keep up. Choose one thing and stick with it. If it doesn’t work for you, then explore more.
In one sentence, what would you say to someone who doesn’t prioritize their mental well-being?
In a world of struggle, we cannot control external circumstances, but we can attempt to balance struggle by caring for ourselves and looking inward to create balance and find joy in life.
Thank you for all that great insight! Let’s start wrapping up. Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does this quote resonate with you so much?
“The world gives you so much pain and here you are making gold out of it — there is nothing purer than that” ― Rupi Kaur
I resonate with this quote because I know that there is pain and suffering in this world. It’s part of the human condition. I also know that although pain and suffering exist, we still have the capacity for self-care. We can use our breath as a tool for self-care. We can have gratitude for even the small things, like appreciating the beauty of blooming flowers in spring. We can make intentional decisions to connect with our inner selves. Once we do that, our connections with others will also strengthen. Balancing your life in this way is gold in and of itself.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? They might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
I would love to meet Tracee Stanley. She is an entrepreneur and a Yoga Nidra and meditation teacher. Her teachings are based on Himalayan traditions and often focus on self-inquiry and nature. It would be amazing to learn more about her personal and professional journeys.
I truly appreciate your time and valuable contribution. One last question. How can our readers best reach or follow you?
Instagram: @flor.verde.healing
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alysiamakhani/
TikTok: Nurse Alysia
Email: info@flor.verde.healing
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
