My name is Ericka Ventura, I am 42 years old, and I grew up in the state of Veracruz. I came to the United States to help my sister with her first child…and now I have more children than her! I was a single mom with my first baby, and then I met my husband. Now I’m a mother of three.
The health challenge that has been most present in my life has been anxiety. In fact, I was struggling with my mental health when I first joined The Rojo Way. I found out about ROSAesROJO thanks to my friends from the Bachman Lake Together group and the Community Action Network. I remember two or three months before I joined The Rojo Way, I had my first panic attack. I was very scared. As I progressed through The Rojo Way program, I realized that my diet had a lot to do with my well-being. I realized that my mental health was proportionally related to my nutrition. Honestly, I didn't know anything about eating healthy. At first, it was difficult for me to realize that what one thinks is “healthy” is not always good for you. In ROSAesROJO, I discovered and learned wonderful things about nutrition, exercise, and mental health.
I think that one of the things that changed my life the most was the breathing exercises we learned to do. I was diagnosed with anxiety, and these exercises, accompany me daily and help me remain calm and healthy. My breaths have been key in this process. Something that I now see with a different perspective now would be my trips to the supermarket. Thanks to ROSAesROJO, I now read nutritional labels and try to buy only organic products (or at least those found in the dirty dozen). Now I am much more interested in knowing what exactly enters mine and my family’s bodies. Today, I make conscious decisions and see life through different lenses.
The first person with whom I began to share what I learned on The Rojo Way was with my sister, and today I feel a great responsibility to share it with my community. Every time ROSAesROJO visited the center that I was a part of, we saw how more and more people changed their lifestyles, and that filled my heart. I have noticed that when our husbands and children get involved in this path to wellness, everything becomes much easier. Today, not only do I have better nutrition, mental and physical health, but I also have a family and a community to lean on.
Sometimes change is difficult, but ROSAesROJO helps you make these changes step by step and at your own pace. This brought me great benefits. Even though I took the workshop more than two years ago, I still keep everything we learned in my mind and close to my heart. I encourage everyone to participate in this program, it will change your life!
Ericka, SuperVivor
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