Working with talented, unique, and compassionate individuals and brands is something we strive to cultivate within our community here at The Healing Rose. Many of these entrepreneurs have amazing stories to tell and wise words to offer. We are pleased to shine a spotlight on Rachel (Roo) who goes by, “RooGetsLifted” on social media where she bravely shares her journey with endometriosis and how she uses holistic approaches to treat her chronic illness and find happiness.
Q: For those who don’t know you Roo, please introduce yourself, and give us some insight into your healing journey and what has brought you to where you are today.
Hey there! I’m Roo, a late twenty something living in Western Maine with my pup, cat, and boyfriend. I enjoy spending time paddling on the river, walking through the woods, watching horror films, and baking up delicious goodies in the kitchen. I’m my happiest when I’m in nature or working with my hands.
I’ve been chronically ill for as long as I can remember really. I got diagnosed with Lyme Disease at age 14 after a several year battle of trying to get that diagnosis. Years later, I was diagnosed with endometriosis through an emergency appendectomy. As a result, I’m no stranger to chronic pain.
With my Lyme Disease I had been treated largely with Chinese medicine. I had a Naturopathic Doctor who combined different healing modalities with the antibiotics I needed. That was my first look into the healing power of plants and what they can do for our body.
After getting diagnosed with endometriosis, and getting put on a slew of pharmaceuticals that had horrendous side effects, I turned to plants again. Someone suggested I try cannabis regularly for my pain and at that point I would have tried anything. I was skeptical at first but cannabis, both in THC and CBD, has been a key to my pain management.
Q: What influenced you to share your experience with endometriosis and personal development? What growth has this inspired?
I would say my main motivator to share my experience with endometriosis was having absolutely no one who understood it around me. At the time I was diagnosed, the online community was small. There was no real information, no community to confide in or ask questions, no support. The Doctor I had seen post surgery gave me wildly incorrect information on the disease and I felt so alone.
I wanted to share what I was going through, as well as up to date information on the disease, so others didn’t have to feel so alone as well. 1 in 10 people have endometriosis and it takes 8 years on average to even get your diagnosis. That’s a large portion of the population that has been suffering in silence for far too long. I considered myself lucky to have had an emergency surgery, knowing that if I hadn’t the symptoms I was experiencing would have just been brushed off as “normal” for many more years.
As for personal development, I’ve always been someone who wants to help lift others up. We all struggle with personal development, mental health, self confidence, etc. at one point or another. If I’m learning about something that is benefiting my mind I want to share that with others. In general, I think these topics have seemed taboo over the years when they really shouldn’t be. Chronic pain, reproductive health, mental health, and more should all be discussed freely.
The amount of information we could share, resources we could pool, and healing we could do together is greatly multiplied when we open up about what struggles we’re going through.
I can say that every single time I’ve posted something I have had multiple people echo with a “me too.” If you think you’re alone and others can’t relate, I can promise at least one person out there does.
Q: What creative or entrepreneurial projects have manifested since growing your platform that you’d like to share? What is lighting you up?
I’ve always had a camera and been into photography. In starting my platform I’ve realized how much I loved doing product photography and styling. At first, I started doing it just to challenge myself and make content. As a result, I’ve been able to work with great companies for various projects here and there. Most recently I was able to tour a larger Massachusetts Recreational Garden and get a first hand look at the cannabis industry out there.
Currently, I’m working on a few different projects. I’m definitely a gal who likes to dip her hands into multiple things at once and feel them out. My big focus right now is on launching my online shop Rainbow River Market. This is a little passion project of mine focused on providing socially and environmentally friendly self care and home good items from small businesses. Home and self care is a huge part of my healing and general well being and I want to share genuinely good products that make you feel good and support our communities in return.
My secondary project right now is working to connect with brands within the wellness space and provide product photography that goes beyond just showing the product on a plain background. It’s so fun to challenge myself creatively and try to capture the essence of a brand and their products in a unique way. I want to help companies show off what they do in a way that feels connected to their audience and true to their mission and vision.
Q: How has CBD impacted your healing journey? What Healing Rose product is your favorite and has helped provide some relief?
CBD has been an incredible tool for me over the years for both pain and anxiety. It took me quite a while to find the CBD products that worked due to such a saturation in the market. It was actually The Healing Rose who truly got me turned on to the healing power of CBD.
I had tried CBD and cannabis topical products prior and found that they didn’t do much for me. After trying the Healing Rose Extra Strength Salve I was shown just how well CBD can work when a) it comes from a quality source and b) it’s made by people who care and partner that with other healing plants. Since then I’ve become a huge fan of the entire line. My favorite products being the Extra Strength Salve, Lavender Roller, Massage Oil, and honorary mention of Lip Balm. (Seriously, get the Lip Balm y’all. Winter is coming.)
CBD has been a great tool for managing my pain during the day while I’m at work. Topicals or edibles help to calm my nervous system and inflammation without giving me the “heady” psychoactive effects of THC. I’ve found CBD flower and tincture is a huge tool in calming my anxiety and allowing me to slow down. Lastly, CBD suppositories (as well as THC/CBD blends) have been a KEY to helping relieve my endometriosis pain. Without these I wouldn’t be able to get through bad flare ups, and this is coming from a gal who has been on many prescriptions for pain management with limited to no relief. The power of CBD is real, it gets even more real when you involve your mucous membranes.
Q: What are 3 self-care practices that you cannot live without?
Practice 1: Journaling/Self Reflection. I can fill up a journal quite possibly faster than anyone else I know. I’m not always good at talking out my feelings and my journal is an integral tool in sorting through my thoughts. I have journals for the regular purpose of recording what’s going on in my head, journals for my billions of business plans and creative projects, and journals for lists and planning. It helps keep me organized and focused.
Practice 2: Self Massage and Trigger Point Release. I’ve been through several surgeries, and as a result I have a lot of scar tissue, adhesion’s, and pain. Even if you haven’t gone through multiple surgeries, you should be practicing self-massage. Your fascia is a thin connective tissue surrounding pretty much everything in your body. It responds to physical and emotional stimuli tightening with stress or physical trauma. If one area of the fascia is constricted it impacts another as a chain effect. After going through physical therapy for my pelvic floor I’m convinced that this massage and release work is a major key in healing pain.
Practice 3: Meditation and Soft Belly Breathing. I am undoubtedly a better person when I meditate. I admit I don’t always remember to get a good session in but I try to connect with myself and my breath at minimum a few times a day. Meditation can seem so scary at first, especially with the idea that your mind has to be totally blank to “succeed.” Meditation, for me, is about connecting with my body and my mind and observing what’s going on internally. It helps me to respond rather than react to what is going on.
Q: You share so many wonderful posts about mindfulness and how to be present on your social media platforms, especially on your Instagram. It’s safe to say that it’s very hard to stay grounded and present in 2020…What tools and advice can you share for others who are dealing with extra stress and anxieties this year?
It’s so true, mental health for everyone has really declined during 2020. I see it on social media, with friends and family, and my clients at work. It’s been a difficult year with everything going on in the world.
1. Prioritize your mental health and well being. It’s cliche but true, you cannot pour from an empty cup. You cannot do the work you are meant to do, help others, or improve your community if you are not giving time to yourself for rest and healing.
2. Stop doom scrolling. There is so much to consume on social media and news outlets. Do not let yourself doom scroll. It’s one thing to be aware and up to date on what’s going on in the world. It’s another to torture yourself day and night with the heaviness of the news. It also doesn’t help the situation at hand in the end.
3. Talk, or write, it out. Therapy isn’t for everyone, it’s also not accessible for everyone. It doesn’t mean you can’t process what you’re going through. There’s a good chance you have a friend that you’re close enough with to talk to, and at minimum you have access to a piece of paper and a pen. I often find that even in just releasing what’s been racing through my head I have more space to breathe. We often don’t need others to provide us with a solution, we just need a way to get it all out.
4. Check in with yourself regularly and breathe through it. I’ve personally been struggling with far more anxiety than I normally have. As a result I’ve implemented a system of check-ins throughout the day. I have alarms on my phone during the work day prompting me to take a minute to check in with myself mentally. When the alarm goes off I know it’s time to breathe for a minute, release what’s going on, and refocus my intentions.
Q: What is one impactful quote or mantra that has helped inspire you?
I recently got a deck of cards from Tarisha Clark, they’re called I Am Everything, it’s an affirmation deck. All of the cards in there are incredible and it’s a part of my morning routine now. However, one card in particular has really stuck in my brain. “I am worry free. I release worry over things I cannot control. Instead I choose to focus on things that are pleasing to me. When I release worry I allow room for solutions to enter my life.” This affirmation has really resonated with me and I think it’s one we can all use. So often our focus is on what is going wrong when we could be focusing on what is going right and where we can actually make improvements.
A secondary impactful quote is from my main man Edward Abbey, “Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.” Especially now, I find great comfort and healing in nature. Ed’s writing always reminds me to get a little more wild to feel a little more free.
Q: Where can others connect with you?
I can be found through Instagram @roogetslifted and my website RooGetsLifted.com as well as my new shop RainbowRiverMarket.com
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