The following is a guest post by Dr. Amy Spoelstra from Coeur d’Alene, ID.
There’s a ton of stress right now. We can acknowledge it – we don’t want to just ignore it.
It’s just like feelings in our brain-based parenting.
We’re like, “Hey, you’ve got to have the feeling. You’ve got to feel the feels, and you’ve got to acknowledge them, and you’ve got to connect with them.”
Then you ask, “What can we do about it?”
That’s what we’re doing. We’re admitting there’s a lot of stress right now. There’s a lot of unknown; a lot of “Ooh, what do I do?”
The fact is, we can control the controllables. That’s all we can do. We talk about this a lot in our office.
What can we control?
One: We’re doing absolutely everything we can to support ourselves, our families, our practice members, and all the people in our community that we love.
Two: We’re supporting our community on a broader scale.
That’s why we’re doing a lot of giving, and we know a lot of you guys are, too. We love you for that.
There’s a lot of families that are in a lot of need right now. We know that, so we’ve got some things going on for that – and we’re keeping our office open, just like we’ve done this whole time.
We are opening up tabs with our local small businesses because we want to support them, spread some joy by giving our amazing community free stuff, AND make a positive impact on our community during a uniquely challenging time.
The holidays can be stressful, so we thought some self care would be perfect. We worked with the owner of Earthly Beauty Bar in downtown Coeur d’Alene to purchase beauty masks for the whole community.
We also helped Coeur d’Alene warm up with some hot tea after some fun in the snow when we opened up a tab at The Spice & Tea Exchange in Riverstone. All they had to say was, “put it on the chiro’s tab!”
Three: We are taking care of our bodies and helping others take care of theirs. There are things that you can do for you and your family’s bodies to help adapt to stress, and to help build resilience to whatever stressors are out there. Taking care of yourself now is so important because we have a lot of stress.
You may be thinking,”I’m doing okay,” but the reality is that stress can have a big impact on what’s going on in your body. Ultimately, we want to be able to get through this and not have challenges in the future.
It’s so important to take care of yourself now – concentrating on what you can do, controlling those controllables, and having these action steps.
It’s actually not a choice right now. We’re not just talking about physical stress – we’re talking about physical, chemical, and emotional stress. The emotional stress in the last eight months – and even now – has been one of the most harmful things.
All of what we do is about building resilience and adaptability, resilience, and adaptability. It’s not just about being in stress, and it’s not just about right now- it’s about the future.
We support our physical, chemical, and emotional well-being, reduce stressors, and improve resilience and adaptability by having our nervous system balanced.
The reality is, we’re living in this world right now, and there are stressors. There’s always the question of what we’re putting into our bodies.
That’s what we are here to support you with. We’re happy to help our community in every way we can.
The following is a guest post by Dr. Mike Merkt from Hartland, WI.
When the pandemic hit early last year, it felt somewhat novel – almost like it was going to be a 2-week vacation from work for most of us, then back to life per usual.
At this point, we are all well aware that is not the case!
Lake Country Chiropractor Dr. Mike Merkt of The Specific Chiropractic Centers decided to help out in his own way. He says he is used to helping people on a daily basis with the chiropractic care he provides to people, but felt like he wanted to do more for his community during this time of need.
“I grew up in the area, and, with my dad owning Tom’s AutoBody in Delafield, small business has always been important to me. I knew there was something I could do to help other small businesses in the area,” Dr. Mike said.
“I decided to go around and start opening tabs at local coffee shops and restaurants. It wasn’t only about helping the businesses a little bit, but also helping people that needed an extra pick-me-up, or had hardships from everything that was going on. I also want to believe that it helped businesses get some exposure.”
Dr. Mike said that would tell others about the tab in his Feel Good Lake Country Facebook Group, as well as in the Lake Country Restaurants Facebook Group.
He said he plans on continuing to help his community in showcasing businesses on a weekly basis on social media by making videos to spotlight them, opening tabs, and giving away gift certificates.
Although it is costly and does take time, Dr. Mike says that it is 100% worth the energy, and that he’s fortunate The Specific Chiropractic Centers has been able to stay open during the pandemic.
One of the purposes for him to showcase businesses is to have an event some summertime. He was able to have an event last year that had multiple businesses as vendors – it had a decent turnout, and he plans to do a couple this year as well.
If you know of a business that would be interested in being featured or helping out, reach out to Dr. Mike, who would love to help in any way he can.
Be on the lookout for these giveaways on the The Specific Chiropractic Centers Lake Country Facebook page!
The following is a guest post by Dr. Casey Sanders from Fort Worth, TX.
There is always something internally satisfying about unsolicited smiles. Those that are unexpected – yet when they occur, they light up the entire room. The kind of smile that blindsides you. The smile that bleeds joy, relief, and thanks.
When I set out with an initiative to pour into my community out of abundance, I never expected to see this kind of smile. Yes, I expected to see SOMETHING, I was just unsure of what. After all, $100 just does not seem like much to any business… or so I thought.
When the coronavirus hit, many businesses in my area struggled and even closed. As an upper cervical doctor, my practice was seen as essential, and therefore allowed to stay open. Others were not as fortunate. They were forced to reduce occupancy, stall necessary sales, or even close entirely.
There was an unfulfilled need that ultimately led to the death of many small business owners’ dreams. There was nothing they could do about it, apart from hope things got better.
A discussion amongst members of The Black Diamond Club community sparked an idea to lend a hand. For me, Rally Keller was born.
I spent the next months scouting local businesses in need and going to them directly. I stepped in, slapped $100 on the counter, and asked them to open a tab under my name.
I would invite the community to come in and say, “put my food on Dr. Casey’s tab,” to increase awareness of the business, draw in new customers, and – above all else – aid in providing relief to those businesses in need.
After all, it was only fair to me. If I could have my doors open, then it was my duty to give back to the community I love.
I started shooting 1-minute-long videos and spreading them over various social media accounts using Dennis’ lessons, and BAM!
Not only were the $100 tabs disappearing in noticeably short periods of time, so many people were seeing the videos that they were making orders, dropping in to grab their own tabs, or even adding to mine!
Because of these social strategies, an entire community was afforded MASSIVE benefits.
And the smiles – the smiles on the faces of the business owners who were quite literally saved by the very people they served… that was worth every bit of effort.
