Dr Libby Weaver is returning to Whangārei for the first time in four years next week.
Getting trapped in the ‘I’ll be happy when...’ predicament is an unfulfilling game. It’s like chasing the end of a rainbow; no matter how close you think you are, it continually eludes your grasp.
Consumed by milestones and fixated on distant goals, we risk blinding ourselves to the beauty that surrounds us - the gentle hum of nature, the spontaneous laughter shared with a dear friend, the simple moments in between our achievements that make life truly worth living…
And this is one of the traps Dr Libby Weaver will be addressing, along with strategies, when she returns to Whangārei for the first time in four years next week.
The acclaimed nutritional biochemist, best-selling author and international keynote speaker’s Bouncing Back tour arrives in Whangārei on Tuesdayaimed at enhancing the quality of life through small, simple steps.
“Because so many people feel like ‘winter’ has gone on for longer with everything they’ve had to face, I want to offer people ways to feel better when they might not know how,” says Weaver. “We might not have a disease - or we might - but we don’t feel great.
It’s not ‘normal’ to experience symptoms such as achy joints, temperamental hormones, recurring sniffles, anxiety that echoes through sleepless nights, headaches that plague you, insomnia, an underperforming thyroid, IBS that flares up with every dietary detour, or fatigue that feels like a never-ending hangover. I’ll be explaining why people tend to feel so lousy and lacklustre and what they can do about it.
“Beyond this, there’s also a big element of bouncing back emotionally. The past few years have come with enormous and unexpected upheavals for many people. I want to share with people how they can cultivate greater physical and emotional resilience so that they’re better equipped to handle anything life throws their way.”
Weaver approaches health from three pillars: the biochemical, nutritional and emotional aspects that may be contributing to the challenging symptoms and health conditions people are experiencing.
These include digestion issues, including IBS, and how they impact your health, the delicate balance between serotonin and melatonin, the critical role of the liver in all aspects of health, the signs of an underperforming thyroid, causes of constant fatigue, how to identify nutrient insufficiencies and deficiencies and why your immune system may be failing you.
“Since how we think and feel plays such a significant role in all aspects of our health, I’ll also be discussing techniques to pull yourself out of an anxiety spiral, strategies for a mindset reset, how to develop mental resilience to better handle life’s unexpected twists and turns, strategies for freeing yourself from the ‘I’ll be happy when…” trap and how to recognise the things that drain and deplete you.”
She says, in today’s hyper-connected world, we’re bombarded with messages convincing us that happiness is an external pursuit.
“Alluring advertisements peddling the next ‘must-have’ item, societal metrics that equate success with satisfaction, and the glamorous, airbrushed lives paraded on social media all paint a beguiling picture of what happiness should look like.
They also tug on the seemingly intrinsic human characteristic of constantly gazing beyond – the belief that the dawn of our contentment lies just past the present moment. This horizon of happiness forever tantalises yet it is a mirage that keeps shifting, driven by the deceptive allure of achieving ‘just one more thing’.
“While there’s nothing amiss with being goal-driven, there’s a distinction between using these objectives as guiding stars and allowing them to overshadow the constellation of our lives. To untangle ourselves from this web, we must first acknowledge our entrapment.
Reflect on the unspoken rules you’ve set for happiness. Scribble them down, and juxtapose them against the genuine, unfiltered moments of joy you experience – from the infectious laughter of a child to the serendipity of stumbling upon an enrapturing book. After all, real happiness doesn’t reside in some distant tomorrow but flourishes in the today, in the now, amidst life’s imperfections.”
There are some really simple and fundamental ways we can improve the quality of our life by increasing our energy and reducing niggling symptoms, Weaver says.
“Amping up our intake of food (whole real food) while reducing our reliance on ultra-processed package foods (the junk) or ensuring we get adequate movement and sleep each day, for example.
Yet, it’s just as important to consider how we might be getting in our own way via our thoughts and beliefs and preventing ourselves from finding contentment and experiencing joy in our lives.
It’s helpful to explore our mindset, examine the rules we have in our heads around what we need in order to be happy and begin to recognise the things we are committing to that drain our energy. Essentially, we need to cultivate and practice self-reflection as well.”
The tour, which kicked off in New Zealand in September, stopping at 15 locations, has received a warm response from attendees with many finding the content relevant. “Some get very teary when I hit a chord that really resonates and will share that with me afterwards,” Weaver says.
Attendees of Dr Libby’s courses, which offer a more in-depth look into the subjects touched upon in Bouncing Back, have also provided feedback claiming smoother skin, firmer nails, weight loss, snoring cessation, energy increase, de-stress, lower blood pressure, improved relationships, curbed sweet cravings, PMS cessation and lower cholesterol.
“I see far too many people struggling with fatigue, niggling or recurring health issues, and a general sense of lethargy. I want to help people understand common contributors to why they feel so lousy, and what they can do to regain their vitality and embrace life with renewed enthusiasm.”
The 49-year-old Queenslander remembers a time in her life when she was undergoing a rough patch and, by applying her own techniques, managed to ‘bounce back’.
She shares: “For three months in my 20s, I had significant bowel symptoms that meant leaving the house was tricky and that led me to eventually be referred to a gastroenterologist. The results were, thankfully, all clear from disease which was a huge relief.
However, the symptoms persisted, I felt lousy, and no one I’d found had any answers. So I set about resolving it myself. I made a significant dietary change and, four days later, was symptom-free. I’d become deficient in iron and zinc across this time so I also set about recovering my blood levels of those and, four months later, felt like I had my health and energy back.”
Bouncing Back is aimed at both men and women, though, during the two-hour show, there is a ten-minute talk on female sex hormones, which Weaver says may not overly interest the men in the room. “However, it would give them a deeper understanding of their beloved family members who are women.
“My hope is that people will learn it’s not as difficult as they believe to start feeling better again – that small, simple changes can make a major difference and enhance their quality of life.”
Dr Libby is bringing her new live event to Whangārei next week.
In the seminar, Dr Libby will be sharing education around physical and biochemical issues that can lead us to feel like life is ‘hard’, things like low energy, common digestive system irritations, a struggling immune system, thyroid issues, hormonal imbalances and perimenopause to name a few.
She will also provide insight and practical techniques for building mental resilience in the face of hardship and ways to feel better generally, when you don’t know how.
1. Mindful Moments: In the midst of your everyday rush, it’s crucial to set aside small pockets of time dedicated solely to mindfulness. Whether it’s a 5-minute meditation in the morning, a short walk in the park during lunch, or a moment of reflection before bed, these moments can help ground you in the present. By actively anchoring ourselves in the here and now, we begin to notice the beauty around us, fostering appreciation for our current state.
2. Gratitude Journaling: Begin each day by jotting down three things you’re grateful for. They don’t have to be monumental; sometimes, the most profound joys are found in the simplest of things – the smell of freshly brewed coffee, the sound of a loved one’s laughter, the feeling of a cool breeze on a warm day. By making this a daily practice, we shift our focus from what we lack or desire, to the abundance that already exists in our lives.
3. Intentional Consumption: With the constant barrage of ‘picture-perfect’ lives on social media, it’s easy to feel left behind. It’s essential to curate what we consume. This might mean unfollowing accounts that foster feelings of inadequacy, setting specific times in the day to check social media, or even taking breaks from these platforms. Fill your feed with inspiring, educational and/or uplifting content that encourages living in the moment rather than chasing an ever-elusive future.
Tuesday, October 24.
7pm – 9pm (doors open at 6.30pm)
Whangārei Boys’ High School, 245 Western Hills Drive Tickets from drlibby.com
Viva Local Life has three double passes to give away to Bouncing Back. To be in with a chance to win, email regionalcompetitions@nzme.co.nz with Dr Libby in the subject line. One entry per person. Entries close midday on Monday, October 23. Please include a daytime phone number.
By emailing to enter this competition, you agree to the NZME Standard Promotion or Competition Terms and Conditions and NZME Privacy Policy that can be viewed at: nzme.co.nz/about-nzme/terms-conditions/
The circumstances around the death are being treated as unexplained.