One of the dumbest and funniest comments I recently read on Facebook was a guy who when asked why more of us aren't sneezing into our elbows replied, "Because elbows are harder to wash than hands!" Was he being real? I don't know. He could have been making a silly joke. But, the comment hit me. People are always commenting to me - "Oh, you are one of those!" One of what? "One of those who sneeze into your elbow!" I have also been part of heated discussions about when and how to wash your hands. I am going to share my personal practices here, not because I know I am right, because I have no idea how many germs I am touching, avoiding, washing away, or keeping from spreading, but because I do know that I don't get sick very often anymore when I once was sick multiple times a year. All I know is something works and if my sneezing and hand washing practices are part of that, I am going to spread the word - NOT THE GERMS!
Let's talk sneezes and coughing first. Being a visual person, this is what I imagine. Someone lets out a big sneeze or cough- there's a cloud of gray mist that spews out from his mouth, widening and spreading as it gets further from his face until it is a fog of germ-laden mist slowly dropping and spattering on everyone and everything in its path. Imagination? Exaggeration? A little, but only a little. Studies have found that a sneeze can travel 100 mph. Pretty sure mine are that powerful! For the small, quiet, mumbling voice I have, people are always shocked at the loud force of my sneezes. That's a lot of ground and surface coverage, no matter how big a sneeze or cough it is!
Ok, so we know we should cover that sneeze or cough. But, why the elbow? Well, it turns out germs like to hang around, lingering on surfaces much longer than we thought possible in the past. Depends on the germ/virus, of course, but these little one-celled beings are so darned good at evolving to fit the environmental requirements for survival why be cavalier about how long they will last on that door knob? If we sneeze into our elbows, we won't then touch our money, the door handle, the phone receiver, the desk, etc. with the body part that's full of germs. Just try to answer the phone or turn the door knob with your elbow! It's simple, the elbow spreads fewer germs. I also like how muffled those big giant sneezes of mine sound in the elbow versus my hand! Not sure how to do this? Let Elmo show you. Anytime, I can get The Muppets involved, I'm happy !
Ok, so you only managed to sneeze or cough into your hand. It happens. We can't all be perfect. How to wash so you don't contaminate everything you touch and grab hold of a few extras left there by your co-worker or family member: I grab a clean tissue, if I need to open a door or touch something with my germy hand. Once at the sink, I get my towel first. I use the toweled hand to turn on the faucet. This is the same thing I do after using the restroom. Towel first, turn on the sink. I've seen other people supposedly wash their hands - not much effort and likely not much result. So, if I am making the effort to wash my hands, then I am not going to touch the surfaces these not so conscientious folks have touched. If the sink is automatic, I still grab my towel first. That way once my hands are clean, I am not touching the towel button.
Washing the hands is just 15 seconds of water flowing and rubbing. Warm water is best. Soap is helpful. But, the true benefit comes from the rubbing and the flowing - think of it as clearing away those germs! I then use a towel to open the door or my hip. No need to touch my now pristine hands to a questionable surface. Do this many times throughout the day. Those alcohol-based gel hand cleaners are NOT as effective as a good hand washing. Really! And, the anti-bacterial based gels are actually creating stronger, resistant germs. Please stop using them!
I read through this and start to think I sound a bit like a germophobe. I'm not really. In general, I try to just live through the day with as few worries as possible, taking good care of my body, so it can just fight those things I am exposed to in normal activity. However, there is always someone in our midst with a cold or the beginnings or endings of a flu bout, touching things we touch, sneezing or coughing into our space. With a small amount of time and a little conscientiousness, these are the germs we can avoid spreading. And, these are the germs we can wash away!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
The "V" Word- Vaccinate!
I am going to admit here that I have not yet gotten a flu shot this year. Nor did I get one last year. The last year I truly remember getting a flu shot was in 2009. I do know that the last time I had the actual flu was in the spring of 2010. It lasted about a week and I remember I was really, really miserable and missed 2 days of work. Because I am independently employed, when I am sick, I don't work and when I don't work, I don't get paid. So, you'd think I would rush out and get immunized immediately right? well, maybe not... Let's weigh the pros and cons.
We'll start with the cons. I am not one of those that fears the possible side effects of vaccines. Although, there is plenty to fear - seizures, brain swelling, fever, rash, pneumonia, hepatitis, and more, according to the CDC. However, all of these are rare and all are usually not serious. I do not believe vaccines cause autism or other such claims, but you will find these claims on the internet and in publications. I don't completely discredit the claims, but it seems very unlikely. However, when one rarely gets any type of illness (colds or flu in my case), these side effects seem an unnecessary risk or possible annoyance. Is it really necessary? I guess the question here is, is the risk of the side effects greater or less than the risk of actually getting the flu?
Then there's cost. My insurance doesn't cover my flu shot. Not sure why. So, I have to go to the clinic or to the local pharmacy and pay for my vaccination. Alright, it is $30 and I can most likely manage that, especially if it prevents the loss of income for a day or 2 of work, right? Maybe, but there seems to be a bit of a gambler in me and the odds of NOT getting the flu are in my favor, according to the history of my past 10 years.
Finally there's the pain. Sometimes there's not much to it and other times, I feel it every time I lift my arm! I really have to steel myself for the actual shot which is way more effective than the nose inhaler and much more available. Rumor has it that the inhaler is no longer available in my area anyway. Something inside me, maybe that 2nd grader who had to stand in lines at school with the talk and the fear and the distress, is saying NO! Maybe it's time to let that 2nd grade fear go....
The pros are pretty well balanced with the cons. There is little chance I will get the flu this year, if I am immunized and little chance of any side effects. Of course, various strains are out there and they have to predict what's possible and make the vaccine months in advance to have enough supply, so this isn't an exact science. I still could get some other strain. If I don't get sick, I don't miss work, I don't lose income. Plus, I don't have the misery of being sick! It goes back and forth like this in my head.
Where things go astray on my pros and cons is that vaccines prevent the spread of the flu. This isn't just about me, my health, and my income. Thousands die every year from the flu. This number ranges from 3,000 to 49,000, according to the CDC. The severity of the strain varies each year. Those with compromised immune systems due to illness and chemotherapy, plus the elderly and infants can not get immunized. Preventing the flu from being contracted, prevents its spread. This means one person at a time.
There are various ways to boost the immune system through supplements and healthy foods. Supplements are pricey and so might undo the cost factor argument I made earlier. Healthy food is a definite must, but how much is enough? Washing your hands also works, but make sure you are 100%. It just takes one exposure. Dr. Andrew Weil recommends weighing the risks, the lifestyle factors, and the concerns each individual has and make your decision.
I am still undecided, but I feel like I am leaning toward yes, I will get myself immunized. If you have yet to get your flu shot, ask yourself these same questions and make a decision that is best for you and those around you!
We'll start with the cons. I am not one of those that fears the possible side effects of vaccines. Although, there is plenty to fear - seizures, brain swelling, fever, rash, pneumonia, hepatitis, and more, according to the CDC. However, all of these are rare and all are usually not serious. I do not believe vaccines cause autism or other such claims, but you will find these claims on the internet and in publications. I don't completely discredit the claims, but it seems very unlikely. However, when one rarely gets any type of illness (colds or flu in my case), these side effects seem an unnecessary risk or possible annoyance. Is it really necessary? I guess the question here is, is the risk of the side effects greater or less than the risk of actually getting the flu?
Then there's cost. My insurance doesn't cover my flu shot. Not sure why. So, I have to go to the clinic or to the local pharmacy and pay for my vaccination. Alright, it is $30 and I can most likely manage that, especially if it prevents the loss of income for a day or 2 of work, right? Maybe, but there seems to be a bit of a gambler in me and the odds of NOT getting the flu are in my favor, according to the history of my past 10 years.
Finally there's the pain. Sometimes there's not much to it and other times, I feel it every time I lift my arm! I really have to steel myself for the actual shot which is way more effective than the nose inhaler and much more available. Rumor has it that the inhaler is no longer available in my area anyway. Something inside me, maybe that 2nd grader who had to stand in lines at school with the talk and the fear and the distress, is saying NO! Maybe it's time to let that 2nd grade fear go....
The pros are pretty well balanced with the cons. There is little chance I will get the flu this year, if I am immunized and little chance of any side effects. Of course, various strains are out there and they have to predict what's possible and make the vaccine months in advance to have enough supply, so this isn't an exact science. I still could get some other strain. If I don't get sick, I don't miss work, I don't lose income. Plus, I don't have the misery of being sick! It goes back and forth like this in my head.
Where things go astray on my pros and cons is that vaccines prevent the spread of the flu. This isn't just about me, my health, and my income. Thousands die every year from the flu. This number ranges from 3,000 to 49,000, according to the CDC. The severity of the strain varies each year. Those with compromised immune systems due to illness and chemotherapy, plus the elderly and infants can not get immunized. Preventing the flu from being contracted, prevents its spread. This means one person at a time.
There are various ways to boost the immune system through supplements and healthy foods. Supplements are pricey and so might undo the cost factor argument I made earlier. Healthy food is a definite must, but how much is enough? Washing your hands also works, but make sure you are 100%. It just takes one exposure. Dr. Andrew Weil recommends weighing the risks, the lifestyle factors, and the concerns each individual has and make your decision.
I am still undecided, but I feel like I am leaning toward yes, I will get myself immunized. If you have yet to get your flu shot, ask yourself these same questions and make a decision that is best for you and those around you!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
A New Resolution for Intention
What would happen if you were to begin each day, each activity,
each special event, each New Year in your life with an intention? Not a to-do list, not a goal, not a
resolution, but an intention……..
What the intention does is set a purpose. It lets you know a direction, an idea of what's to come in your day, your year, your life. It is like an introduction to a paper or a book -"here is what I plan to share with you in my writing......." it creates the feeling and the mindset right off the bat.
An intention is like a resolution or goal in some ways, but very different in 2 important ways. A resolution or goal requires strong acts of will toward a purpose, while an intention is a strong, but gentle, state of being. A resolution is focused on a future outcome. An intention is focused on the present.
When you set an intention, you create the mindset or state of being you wish to cultivate, you create the emotion you want to feel, you find the connection to spirit you desire. If you desire a happy life, you set the intention to be happy - right now, you create the mindset immediately. What we create in the present then creates the future.
Arguments with that: But I can't be happy the way my life is now, I will be happy when...... I lose 15 lbs., I get a new job, I am done with this training and get that promotion...... It goes on and on. The problem is we don't get happy. We find another requirement to our happiness and always a new requirement after that.
An intention comes from an internal space. When we create what we are seeking from within - without requirements from the outside world - we won't be disappointed. Yes, we are human, so we will fail sometimes and lose track of our intentions, but continually practicing, continually setting intentions trains our brains, our nervous systems, our spiritual presence, and our thinking patterns into an automated mode that returns to the intention regularly and with increasing speed as we practice, until it becomes permanent.
Set your intention daily: Sit quietly with some music that sets the tone for your intention, if desired. Close your eyes and let yourself feel the intention - I want to be happy with my body - don't talk yourself out of it, just feel the happiness, not judging or criticizing. All we're doing here is creating what it is you want to feel and let yourself feel it, know it, soak it in! I want to be successful - let yourself feel success, know it, soak it in! I want to feel happy. Do this for a few minutes to longer each and every day. If you'd like, you can set the daily intention in the morning and then sit with it at night seeing how the day went. Give the practice a month and notice how life changes for you!
What the intention does is set a purpose. It lets you know a direction, an idea of what's to come in your day, your year, your life. It is like an introduction to a paper or a book -"here is what I plan to share with you in my writing......." it creates the feeling and the mindset right off the bat.
An intention is like a resolution or goal in some ways, but very different in 2 important ways. A resolution or goal requires strong acts of will toward a purpose, while an intention is a strong, but gentle, state of being. A resolution is focused on a future outcome. An intention is focused on the present.
When you set an intention, you create the mindset or state of being you wish to cultivate, you create the emotion you want to feel, you find the connection to spirit you desire. If you desire a happy life, you set the intention to be happy - right now, you create the mindset immediately. What we create in the present then creates the future.
Arguments with that: But I can't be happy the way my life is now, I will be happy when...... I lose 15 lbs., I get a new job, I am done with this training and get that promotion...... It goes on and on. The problem is we don't get happy. We find another requirement to our happiness and always a new requirement after that.
An intention comes from an internal space. When we create what we are seeking from within - without requirements from the outside world - we won't be disappointed. Yes, we are human, so we will fail sometimes and lose track of our intentions, but continually practicing, continually setting intentions trains our brains, our nervous systems, our spiritual presence, and our thinking patterns into an automated mode that returns to the intention regularly and with increasing speed as we practice, until it becomes permanent.
Set your intention daily: Sit quietly with some music that sets the tone for your intention, if desired. Close your eyes and let yourself feel the intention - I want to be happy with my body - don't talk yourself out of it, just feel the happiness, not judging or criticizing. All we're doing here is creating what it is you want to feel and let yourself feel it, know it, soak it in! I want to be successful - let yourself feel success, know it, soak it in! I want to feel happy. Do this for a few minutes to longer each and every day. If you'd like, you can set the daily intention in the morning and then sit with it at night seeing how the day went. Give the practice a month and notice how life changes for you!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Take Charge of Your Brain by Taking Charge of Your Thoughts
I have been covering the ways we can control the brain which then can have tremendous effects on our health and well-being in all ways, not just mental health, but physical as well. Diet, physical activities such as exercise, sleep, and breathing, and finally self-regulation as was discussed in the last 2 posts are a great start. In this post, I will discuss thoughts or cognition.
I have covered previously how the brain creates connections to what we are spending our time doing and thinking. The more time we spend thinking about math, the more connections the brain creates for math functions. In essence, the density in areas of the brain where math functions take place, increases. This then makes some math tasks automatic, maybe even unconscious. What I am saying is that the more time you spend thinking and doing something, the easier the brain makes it to think about or do!
Another good example is learning to drive. The first few times we get behind the wheel require conscious thought for every single basic step - put the key in the ignition, which foot goes where, where's the blinker?, the headlights? Etc. Now, the only time you think about those things is if you are driving someone else's car. If we had to consciously think through every activity we did throughout the day, we would get very little done!
This is important to understand, because it brings home the message - if you spend a lot of time thinking about negative things, reading and doing negative things, the brain makes it easy, unconscious and automatic even, to be negative. Not only that, but the brain is automatically better at finding stressful, difficult, dangerous stimuli, because it is in the business of survival! So, it more easily tunes in to and tracks those things that cause stress, fear, or anger. We have to work harder to train the brain toward the positive.
Is it realistic to think positive? This is a common question that baffles me. I am not talking about walking down a dark, scary alley at 3am singing, "zippity doo dah" and thinking safe thoughts. On a daily basis though, we expose ourselves to a great deal of unwarranted danger signals that the brain is unable to distinguish - is it real danger or the usual stress? Is it real danger or is it news of some far off place? Some political shanannigans? The bad behavior of a co-worker? All of this is information that might be important to know, but spending too much time worrying, reacting, and getting frustrated about it isn't serving you. Letting your brain hang out with all this bad news and negative input compromises mental health and physical health.
How so? When the brain thinks a stressful thought, it floods the body with stress hormones. These feel yucky and creates poor physical health over time. Plus, this stress reaction gets to be automatic (as explained above) and these hormones and messengers are always in your body, messing with your health, your sleep, and your sense of well-being. It becomes your norm to be in this state and gradually your digestion, circulation, heart activity, and more are compromised. Not to mention, depression and anxiety disorders become easier to slide into and from there addictions....
So, what to do? Change your thinking. Change what you spend your time on. To begin, journaling can help. It helps to take the thoughts that tend to go 'round and 'round in the head, move them out of the cyclic pattern and into a new space in the brain. This can help us let go, re-frame or see things in a new light. For some who struggle with cyclical thinking at bedtime, journaling the thoughts and closing up the journal to let those thoughts go for the night is helpful. Journaling can be used to help us see our thoughts as separate from who we are. When we think a certain way, we sometimes see that as something that defines us. YOU ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS! Journaling helps create distance. If I can think about my thoughts enough to be able to write them down, that is evidence that who I am is separate from my thoughts.
Another way you change your thinking is to create affirmations. Yes, this sounds hokey. However, it is easy to automatically wake up in the morning and groan about how tired you are, how you wish you had the day off, etc. We easily create complaints. Wouldn't it be nice if it were easy to smile at seeing another day? To start the day feeling an expanded sense of gratitude for life, for your job, and for the health of your loved ones? It's easy to point out flaws in ourselves and others. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to see the strengths? I often ask clients to list their strengths. Most often this is a really challenging task. They can list 5 flaws for every strength. Why is that? It's not more realistic. We are not inherently more flawed than we are gifted. Why not focus on the strengths and the gifts we carry?
Gratitude is an easy cognitive focus to make. I wrote about this in a previous post as well. Use gratitude to change your brain in a positive direction! Instead of the constant focus on what is NOT right in your life, gratitude helps us to see all that IS right. Very important, because there are things not right, but why spend so much time on them? There are many things that are right. Coming from a place of strength allows us more power to then deal with those things we think need fixing in this world. A "cup half empty" focus lowers the energy to take on the changes we need and want to make. I see clients all the time completely overwhelmed by their focus on all that is wrong in their lives and in the world. Is it more realistic? Absolutely not, because there are many things that are wonderful and right in the world as well and paying attention to them serves us much better!
One of my favorite cognitive change tasks is to wear a bracelet each day. Some people choose a specific bracelet that stands for something like those bracelets that we can buy to support breast cancer or heart disease or other causes. Set a goal: I will not gossip all day. I will not refer to myself negatively in my thoughts or my words. I will not engage in thinking that undermines my success. Then, every time the negative thought happens, the bracelet moves to the other wrist. The goal is to get through a day without moving the bracelet. Then, get through a week. Then a month. It is a great reminder and a life changing exercise!
Changing your brain requires changing your thoughts. It is easy to begin, but challenging to maintain. However, it may take just a few weeks and the results can then trigger a domino effect in which you see multiple thinking patterns topple and fall to the strength and power of your new positive mindset!
I have covered previously how the brain creates connections to what we are spending our time doing and thinking. The more time we spend thinking about math, the more connections the brain creates for math functions. In essence, the density in areas of the brain where math functions take place, increases. This then makes some math tasks automatic, maybe even unconscious. What I am saying is that the more time you spend thinking and doing something, the easier the brain makes it to think about or do!
Another good example is learning to drive. The first few times we get behind the wheel require conscious thought for every single basic step - put the key in the ignition, which foot goes where, where's the blinker?, the headlights? Etc. Now, the only time you think about those things is if you are driving someone else's car. If we had to consciously think through every activity we did throughout the day, we would get very little done!
This is important to understand, because it brings home the message - if you spend a lot of time thinking about negative things, reading and doing negative things, the brain makes it easy, unconscious and automatic even, to be negative. Not only that, but the brain is automatically better at finding stressful, difficult, dangerous stimuli, because it is in the business of survival! So, it more easily tunes in to and tracks those things that cause stress, fear, or anger. We have to work harder to train the brain toward the positive.
Is it realistic to think positive? This is a common question that baffles me. I am not talking about walking down a dark, scary alley at 3am singing, "zippity doo dah" and thinking safe thoughts. On a daily basis though, we expose ourselves to a great deal of unwarranted danger signals that the brain is unable to distinguish - is it real danger or the usual stress? Is it real danger or is it news of some far off place? Some political shanannigans? The bad behavior of a co-worker? All of this is information that might be important to know, but spending too much time worrying, reacting, and getting frustrated about it isn't serving you. Letting your brain hang out with all this bad news and negative input compromises mental health and physical health.
How so? When the brain thinks a stressful thought, it floods the body with stress hormones. These feel yucky and creates poor physical health over time. Plus, this stress reaction gets to be automatic (as explained above) and these hormones and messengers are always in your body, messing with your health, your sleep, and your sense of well-being. It becomes your norm to be in this state and gradually your digestion, circulation, heart activity, and more are compromised. Not to mention, depression and anxiety disorders become easier to slide into and from there addictions....
So, what to do? Change your thinking. Change what you spend your time on. To begin, journaling can help. It helps to take the thoughts that tend to go 'round and 'round in the head, move them out of the cyclic pattern and into a new space in the brain. This can help us let go, re-frame or see things in a new light. For some who struggle with cyclical thinking at bedtime, journaling the thoughts and closing up the journal to let those thoughts go for the night is helpful. Journaling can be used to help us see our thoughts as separate from who we are. When we think a certain way, we sometimes see that as something that defines us. YOU ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS! Journaling helps create distance. If I can think about my thoughts enough to be able to write them down, that is evidence that who I am is separate from my thoughts.
Another way you change your thinking is to create affirmations. Yes, this sounds hokey. However, it is easy to automatically wake up in the morning and groan about how tired you are, how you wish you had the day off, etc. We easily create complaints. Wouldn't it be nice if it were easy to smile at seeing another day? To start the day feeling an expanded sense of gratitude for life, for your job, and for the health of your loved ones? It's easy to point out flaws in ourselves and others. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to see the strengths? I often ask clients to list their strengths. Most often this is a really challenging task. They can list 5 flaws for every strength. Why is that? It's not more realistic. We are not inherently more flawed than we are gifted. Why not focus on the strengths and the gifts we carry?
Gratitude is an easy cognitive focus to make. I wrote about this in a previous post as well. Use gratitude to change your brain in a positive direction! Instead of the constant focus on what is NOT right in your life, gratitude helps us to see all that IS right. Very important, because there are things not right, but why spend so much time on them? There are many things that are right. Coming from a place of strength allows us more power to then deal with those things we think need fixing in this world. A "cup half empty" focus lowers the energy to take on the changes we need and want to make. I see clients all the time completely overwhelmed by their focus on all that is wrong in their lives and in the world. Is it more realistic? Absolutely not, because there are many things that are wonderful and right in the world as well and paying attention to them serves us much better!
One of my favorite cognitive change tasks is to wear a bracelet each day. Some people choose a specific bracelet that stands for something like those bracelets that we can buy to support breast cancer or heart disease or other causes. Set a goal: I will not gossip all day. I will not refer to myself negatively in my thoughts or my words. I will not engage in thinking that undermines my success. Then, every time the negative thought happens, the bracelet moves to the other wrist. The goal is to get through a day without moving the bracelet. Then, get through a week. Then a month. It is a great reminder and a life changing exercise!
Changing your brain requires changing your thoughts. It is easy to begin, but challenging to maintain. However, it may take just a few weeks and the results can then trigger a domino effect in which you see multiple thinking patterns topple and fall to the strength and power of your new positive mindset!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Self-Regulate? Yes, You Can! Continued.....
What did you learn over the past week?! Did you try some self-regulation techniques? Last week I wrote about ways to regulate the mind and body, adjusting to internal and external stimuli with awareness and skill. Self-regulation is being aware of the nervous system, thoughts, and physical reactions enough that you can make adjustments and take some control. It is knowing what triggers reactions in the mind and body enough to control the reactions, cope with them, and/or turn them up or down. Whatever reaction is triggered in your body or mind, you are aware and ready with a skill or tool to react in response.
One topic covered in the last blog was meditation, which teaches us to control the mind. It can be in many forms, so don't assume you know what meditation is until you start trying all the variety of forms. Another topic from last time was breathing. Breathing is an involuntary physical function that we have some voluntary control over. So, it is especially powerful in helping us to control our physical reactions. Learning to control the relaxation response can involve the breath and other techniques as well and teaches us to shut down stress reactions.
This week, let's move on to other techniques with the exact same goal in mind. Grounding techniques are great self-regulators. These are strategies we use to detach from the mind and the physical reactions we are having. Once the detachment is created, there is a clarity and a relief that then allows for better coping mechanisms to be used. It can be done anytime, any place, anywhere. It is very "present moment" which is similar in that way to mindfulness (discussed in the last blog). It is also similar to relaxation in the response the body often has.
Grounding can be physical or mental. Some mental grounding techniques are to look around the space you are in and describe. Describe the shapes, the colors, the smells, etc. You can also play a categories game similar to the car game some families play on long trips. Think of a song for each letter of the alphabet. Come up with a list of every car you can think of or food or TV show. Think of some mundane activity you do and walk yourself through a step by step process of that activity. Create a safe and present moment state: I am _____. I am here at ______. Sitting on the _______. The date is ________. And, go on until all the details of the present moment are covered and you feel better. Read something backwards - there's no meaning, no interpretation, just an activity to focus on and get the mind busy elsewhere. Count or say the alphabet, slowly, or backwards. Create a mantra or affirmation and repeat it to yourself over and over.
Physical grounding brings the body into awareness. Run water over your hands or take a shower or bath and just be aware of the feel of water on the skin. Squeeze something - a squishy ball or the arms of the chair and feel the tension, then let it go. Press you feet firmly into the floor and feel a connection to the ground. Rub a stone or soft fabric. Jump up and down! Do some yoga. Walk mindfully, noticing each and every step. Once you are focused on the physical sensation, your awareness on the body allows you to change and control the reaction the body is having.
While a walk or yoga practice can be used as a grounding technique when needed, they, and other exercise, can be powerful self-regulators. 30 or more minutes of exercise 3-5 days a week alleviates anxiety and stress, helps with depression symptoms, and creates a physical awareness and sense of well-being that can aid in self-regulation tremendously. See the "Let's Get Physical" blog.
Begin to think about yourself as that furnace or faucet and regulate the temperature throughout the day. Take the techniques from previous blogs and insert them into your daily life. Make some techniques something you do every day, no matter what you feel. The routine is like maintenance. You are keeping the system in good running condition with a regular routine. Make some techniques the ones you use when needed. These are the quick and easy grounding or breathing techniques typically. Make them a habit. Every time I feel stress, I take 5 long, slow breaths, for example. Finally, make some techniques what you use after the fact. Let's face it, sometimes life is hard and stressful. We get through it and use a self-regulator to help move the mind and the body moving forward. Some of techniques might work for more than one, some might overlap. Try to have 5 or more go-to self-regulators, gradually building your skills and your routines to include the most effective techniques until it is a habit. Your awareness grows, your coping improves, and your daily life becomes do-able, easy even until you realize that you are happy and joyful most of the time on most days!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Self-Regulate! Yes You Can!
In the past weeks, I have been covering the chapters of my ebook which just happens to follow the same process that I use with my wellness coaching clients and mental health therapy clients. Perhaps the most important aspect of the plan I use for health and healing in mind and body is self-regulation. This is the process of adjusting your mind and your body as needed, according to internal and external stimuli. Think of it as you being able to control the thermostat on your furnace and air conditioning. Things get too hot, you turn down the heat or turn up the air conditioning. Too cold? Turn up the heat or turn down the air conditioning.
Self-regulation is the ability to read what is happening with the nervous system, the mind, and the rest of the body and do something about it. It doesn't include everything, but it includes more than you might guess. Thoughts and senses trigger reactions of the nervous system. You might think of a beloved pet or child and feel a sense of love which is the release of oxytocin, among other hormones and chemicals. You hear the voice of a certain co-worker and feel the stress and tension in your body immediately. A song reminds you of a difficult time in your life and suddenly you feel sad. Again this is a chemical reaction in the body - the nervous system responds, hormones and chemical messengers are released, and digestion, immunity, muscle tension and more are affected!
One way to self-regulate is to be able to control your thoughts, to create thoughts that make you feel good and avoid thoughts that make you feel bad. I will address this more in a future blog on cognition. However, changing thoughts through meditation needs to be addressed here. One of the most powerful self-regulators is meditation. People tend to freak out when I use the "m" word, but there are many ways to meditate and some are really enjoyable and not all that hard. The goal of meditation is to quiet the mind. In doing so, you learn to actually control what goes on in your mind, which, in turn, controls how you feel.
This can happen by learning mindfulness which is a powerful and simple meditation technique for beginners. The goal is to be present and focused on exactly what is happening now. This can be done with mindful breathing, walking, or whatever you happen to be doing. The goal is to keep the mind from wandering into worries about the future or regret about the past. The more the brain connects to worry and regret, the easier it is to stay there.
Also, you can learn to use imagery. Imagery takes the brain into imaginary territory, invoking the senses - see it, hear it, smell it, feel it, and/or taste it. Choose actual memories or create something completely unreal, doesn't matter. What you create triggers the brain, creating a feeling. The brain sends out different messengers and hormones in response to the sensory input you've imagined. And, the brain now finds it easier to connect to all this good stuff!
Breathing techniques are another way to control the nervous system. I spoke briefly about breathing in the previous blog "Let's Get Physical..." Let me say a bit more here about what's actually going on. We have a sympathetic nervous system and a para-sympathetic nervous system. To make it really simple, think about the sympathetic as your hot water and the para as your cold water. Stress, anxiety, frustration, anger, etc. turn on the hot water/sympathetic nervous system - you might feel sweaty, your heart races, your blood pressure rises, etc. It is then the job of the para-sympathetic/cold water to balance things out as needed. Let's say you have a physical activity or a competition, a little adrenaline is helpful initially, so the cold water isn't necessary until later or perhaps not until the competition is completely over. The energy of the sympathetic nervous system is necessary for motivation. It helps us get things done and keep out of danger. However, the cold water needs to be turned on so we can relax and sleep, so we can slow down and do low energy activities.
When the nervous system gets out of balance, as it is for so many of us, the para-sympathetic doesn't balance out as needed. We can, however, turn it on ourselves, by using the breath. Various breathing techniques can be used to get the para-sympathetic turned on or turn it down when you need energy. Deep breaths are relaxing. Quick inhales create energy. Retaining the breath between inhales and exhales can do both. Experiment with breath and use it as a tool for manipulating these two aspects of the nervous system.
Relaxation is a general term for a variety of ways to turn on the para-sympathetic nervous system and keep it low for the sake of releasing the tension so prevalent in the mind and body. Practicing relaxation techniques such as savasana in yoga, yoga nidra, Yin yoga, guided relaxation audio or video, and progressive relaxation (tensing the muscles on the inhale and releasing on the exhale) all teach you to understand and control your nervous system. Spending more time in a relaxed state keeps the brain familiar with relaxation and makes it easier for the brain to turn toward a relaxed state of mind.
The goal is that you begin to learn to be in charge of the body's responses to stimuli, you learn to create your own stimuli, and you learn awareness of the brain's triggers and the body's reactions. There are more ways yet to do this. I am going to stop here this week. More to come in future posts. In the meantime, try these techniques and see what you learn!
Self-regulation is the ability to read what is happening with the nervous system, the mind, and the rest of the body and do something about it. It doesn't include everything, but it includes more than you might guess. Thoughts and senses trigger reactions of the nervous system. You might think of a beloved pet or child and feel a sense of love which is the release of oxytocin, among other hormones and chemicals. You hear the voice of a certain co-worker and feel the stress and tension in your body immediately. A song reminds you of a difficult time in your life and suddenly you feel sad. Again this is a chemical reaction in the body - the nervous system responds, hormones and chemical messengers are released, and digestion, immunity, muscle tension and more are affected!
One way to self-regulate is to be able to control your thoughts, to create thoughts that make you feel good and avoid thoughts that make you feel bad. I will address this more in a future blog on cognition. However, changing thoughts through meditation needs to be addressed here. One of the most powerful self-regulators is meditation. People tend to freak out when I use the "m" word, but there are many ways to meditate and some are really enjoyable and not all that hard. The goal of meditation is to quiet the mind. In doing so, you learn to actually control what goes on in your mind, which, in turn, controls how you feel.
This can happen by learning mindfulness which is a powerful and simple meditation technique for beginners. The goal is to be present and focused on exactly what is happening now. This can be done with mindful breathing, walking, or whatever you happen to be doing. The goal is to keep the mind from wandering into worries about the future or regret about the past. The more the brain connects to worry and regret, the easier it is to stay there.
Also, you can learn to use imagery. Imagery takes the brain into imaginary territory, invoking the senses - see it, hear it, smell it, feel it, and/or taste it. Choose actual memories or create something completely unreal, doesn't matter. What you create triggers the brain, creating a feeling. The brain sends out different messengers and hormones in response to the sensory input you've imagined. And, the brain now finds it easier to connect to all this good stuff!
Breathing techniques are another way to control the nervous system. I spoke briefly about breathing in the previous blog "Let's Get Physical..." Let me say a bit more here about what's actually going on. We have a sympathetic nervous system and a para-sympathetic nervous system. To make it really simple, think about the sympathetic as your hot water and the para as your cold water. Stress, anxiety, frustration, anger, etc. turn on the hot water/sympathetic nervous system - you might feel sweaty, your heart races, your blood pressure rises, etc. It is then the job of the para-sympathetic/cold water to balance things out as needed. Let's say you have a physical activity or a competition, a little adrenaline is helpful initially, so the cold water isn't necessary until later or perhaps not until the competition is completely over. The energy of the sympathetic nervous system is necessary for motivation. It helps us get things done and keep out of danger. However, the cold water needs to be turned on so we can relax and sleep, so we can slow down and do low energy activities.
When the nervous system gets out of balance, as it is for so many of us, the para-sympathetic doesn't balance out as needed. We can, however, turn it on ourselves, by using the breath. Various breathing techniques can be used to get the para-sympathetic turned on or turn it down when you need energy. Deep breaths are relaxing. Quick inhales create energy. Retaining the breath between inhales and exhales can do both. Experiment with breath and use it as a tool for manipulating these two aspects of the nervous system.
Relaxation is a general term for a variety of ways to turn on the para-sympathetic nervous system and keep it low for the sake of releasing the tension so prevalent in the mind and body. Practicing relaxation techniques such as savasana in yoga, yoga nidra, Yin yoga, guided relaxation audio or video, and progressive relaxation (tensing the muscles on the inhale and releasing on the exhale) all teach you to understand and control your nervous system. Spending more time in a relaxed state keeps the brain familiar with relaxation and makes it easier for the brain to turn toward a relaxed state of mind.
The goal is that you begin to learn to be in charge of the body's responses to stimuli, you learn to create your own stimuli, and you learn awareness of the brain's triggers and the body's reactions. There are more ways yet to do this. I am going to stop here this week. More to come in future posts. In the meantime, try these techniques and see what you learn!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Thanksgiving: Make Every Meal a Meal of Gratitude and Mindfulness
Mindful
eating is getting some attention recently as a weight loss tool. The
unconscious eater is prone to over-eating, while the mindful eater, chews slowly
and enjoys every bite. What isn't often included in our Western variation of
mindful eating is gratitude.
Mindful eating is not just meant to make the process of eating a very conscious event, but it also helps us to be more aware of our food's origins. In addition, we should have a relationship to food that is not so fraught with love/hate, should I/shouldn't I? Wouldn't it be nice to have a healthy and respectful relationship to food? We take our food for granted which allows this neurotic relationship. Think about where it came from. How it got to the store or the market and who all had to participate for you to have the food in front of you? It is a sad state of affairs that some children are unaware that a carrot grew in the dirt, that hamburger comes from a cow, and even worse that the food in the box is a mish mash of often unknown origin!
Start by being really grateful for the meal in front of you, whatever it is, wherever you are. It doesn't need to be a formal prayer of thanks, any statement that recognizes how great it is to have a meal in front of you will do. You can evolve this into whatever you like. Occasionally, I like to thank everybody that was a part of some meal - if it came from my garden, I see that whole wonderful growing process. If it came from the store, who all helped it get to me? The farmer's market? Who is the farmer and what methods is she/he using to grow? This way I am thankful for sunshine and rain, the bees, the workers, and so much more! It's really hard to be neurotic about the food I am eating when I am filled with so much gratitude!
Next, while you are eating, biting, chewing, allow yourself to enjoy the smells, the colors, the textures, the subtle flavors of each bite and be grateful for all this deliciousness, all this nutrition and health! This will allow for more enjoyment and more of the good feelings we all want to feel when we eat. Begin your meal by looking at all the colors and shapes of your food. Then smell your food. The sense of taste is greatly enhanced by the sense of smell, so really take a nice big whiff! Next, take a bite a vary, vary slowly let the food roll around in your mouth. See if you can notice layers of flavors. Now, say what you are thinking: "Yum! This is delicious!" Or, maybe it needs something - a dash of salt or pepper, a pat of butter. Make it perfect and enjoy!
Mindful eating is not just meant to make the process of eating a very conscious event, but it also helps us to be more aware of our food's origins. In addition, we should have a relationship to food that is not so fraught with love/hate, should I/shouldn't I? Wouldn't it be nice to have a healthy and respectful relationship to food? We take our food for granted which allows this neurotic relationship. Think about where it came from. How it got to the store or the market and who all had to participate for you to have the food in front of you? It is a sad state of affairs that some children are unaware that a carrot grew in the dirt, that hamburger comes from a cow, and even worse that the food in the box is a mish mash of often unknown origin!
Start by being really grateful for the meal in front of you, whatever it is, wherever you are. It doesn't need to be a formal prayer of thanks, any statement that recognizes how great it is to have a meal in front of you will do. You can evolve this into whatever you like. Occasionally, I like to thank everybody that was a part of some meal - if it came from my garden, I see that whole wonderful growing process. If it came from the store, who all helped it get to me? The farmer's market? Who is the farmer and what methods is she/he using to grow? This way I am thankful for sunshine and rain, the bees, the workers, and so much more! It's really hard to be neurotic about the food I am eating when I am filled with so much gratitude!
Next, while you are eating, biting, chewing, allow yourself to enjoy the smells, the colors, the textures, the subtle flavors of each bite and be grateful for all this deliciousness, all this nutrition and health! This will allow for more enjoyment and more of the good feelings we all want to feel when we eat. Begin your meal by looking at all the colors and shapes of your food. Then smell your food. The sense of taste is greatly enhanced by the sense of smell, so really take a nice big whiff! Next, take a bite a vary, vary slowly let the food roll around in your mouth. See if you can notice layers of flavors. Now, say what you are thinking: "Yum! This is delicious!" Or, maybe it needs something - a dash of salt or pepper, a pat of butter. Make it perfect and enjoy!
Food is not so plentiful in other parts of the world. Nor is there so much variety. Maybe this is part of our country's inability to create healthy food relationships. Try some mindful eating for a month, not every meal, but one meal per day and see how big the change will be!
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