Stress Less- Getting a different perspective with homeopathy and flower essences

My mum was the person that first introduced me to natural health remedies. As a child, whenever I had a cold, tiny icing sugar-like tablets would be placed on my tongue to help with my blocked nose. I didn’t know it, but that was my first experience with homeopathy. My mum still swears by these tablets to this day. In my late twenties, as I was starting to discover the wonderful world of complementary health for myself, but before my training as a life coach and Amatsu practitioner, I met a homeopath who offered me a discounted treatment. I felt in pretty good health so wasn’t sure what we would work on, but in the end I was amazed by the results. At the time, I was very indecisive about my next step in life. I felt overwhelmed by possibilities and options and felt unsure which step I needed to take. During the session, the homeopath’s questions went deeper than I expected – into emotions, thoughts and feelings and he decided on a remedy that could help me. I took the tablets daily as suggested and sort of forgot about why I was taking them. It was only some weeks later talking to a friend that I told her I was feeling content. ‘What?!’ she said. ‘I’ve never heard you say that! You’re always wondering and questioning and searching’ And I knew she was right. Something had definitely changed. It might have been gradual and subtle, but it was immensely powerful. I met Julia some years later when I was looking for a treatment room and again, I was so impressed by her knowledge and the power of homeopathy. I hope you enjoy her guest post!

 

‘Stress’ is one of those words that has become almost meaningless with overuse. If a client tells me they are ‘stressed’, I know what they mean in general terms – but to help them I need to know the specifics. Two different people may, for example, be caring for an elderly parent with dementia but the stress they experience could be completely different – one could be exhausted from constant caring, never getting a break, and feeling guilty about wanting one, the other could be engaged in unwanted conflict with siblings and feeling deep unexpressed grief at the loss of a parent who they never really got to know, and feel that now it’s too late.

It is commonly the case that different people will have their own individual pattern of physical symptoms as a result of their emotional stress. Many of us know our weak points – maybe you always get a sore throat when you don’t get enough sleep, or you suffer digestive disturbances when something makes you angry. Headaches, high blood pressure, insomnia, depression, skin complaints, breathing difficulties and heart palpitations can all be treated with homeopathic remedies by choosing a remedy which fits the underlying emotional state, rather than directly treating the symptom. Stress induced ailments can become chronic, so a healing system like homeopathy which aims at the deeper cause is priceless as a form of preventative medicine.

Old homeopathic remedies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Personality characteristics can be another factor in stress related illness – we all have some traits we know we would probably be better off without. You may be too self-critical, under-confident, fearful of the future, unable to delegate, too quick to anger, or you may be the sort of person who has to tidy up the house before they can relax. Edward Bach who pioneered the Bach Flower Remedies wrote about changing our vices into virtues using flower remedies. This seems like very old fashioned language now, but it is still true – his remedy Impatiens for example supports a busy hurried person to become more relaxed and easy going, or Hornbeam helps the person who can’t face the days challenges to become more cleared headed and self assured.

Homeopathy and flower essences are both selected on the basis of a person’s individual and unique personality, life situation, emotional state and physical symptoms, and can therefore be an accurate and personal way of gaining perspective on the stress in your life and your physical and emotional responses to it.

Julia Linfoot BSc RSHom is an experienced Homeopath practising at Bellenden Therapies in Bellenden Road, SE15. She teaches homeopathy and flower essences on professional homeopathy training courses and also runs short seminars at Bellenden Therapies.

020 7732 1417

julia.linfoot@bellendentherapies.co.uk

http://www.julialinfoothomeopathy.co.uk

Foods for stress relief!

I’m really enjoying asking some of my favourite practitioners to contribute to my month-long exploration into stress relief. I’m learning a lot! I spent last weekend on an intensive course with Emma Lane, a naturopath and naturopathic nutritionist and I learnt so much about how our digestion can be disrupted and some of the things we can do about it. It really renewed my enthusiasm for understanding this most essential of systems and I will be exploring it more in later posts. So,  I was really delighted when I received nutritional therapist, Gemma Davis’s post about what foods help us to stress less because this really is one of the biggest factors when it comes to digestive issues. Enjoy!

Foods for Stress Relief

Stress appears to be a way of life.

And as we all start to understand some of the negative effects long-term stress can have on our health the pressure is ON to find ways to relax, switch off and de-stress.

An oxymoron perhaps.

I find the hardest part of the sometimes endless battle against stress is how to do so on a regular basis. As part of my everyday life. I am very good at relaxing when I take a holiday or go away for a weekend. But in between these times it can be very hard for me to switch off. This is where the challenge lies.

Eating is one of my favourite things to do and as it is something we all do on a daily basis it seems to me a good tool if we can use it to help. What we eat, when we eat it, and how we eat it can really play a part and can either contribute to our stressy lifestyles or help to combat it.

So, WHAT do we eat to help us deal with stressful times?

Brazil nuts come from a South American tree (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Spinach (preferably organic) and basil are great sources of Magnesium. This helps to relax muscles and nerves.

Brazil nuts are rich in Selenium, and Selenium is a magnificent mineral which has been found to help reduce anxiety, depression and fatigue. Munch on 2 or 3 Brazil nuts as a snack each day.

Dark chocolate and almonds are good sources of trytophan. Tryptophan creates Serotonin, a chemical which relaxes the brain. How lovely. If dark chocolate is your thing choose one which is high in cocoa and low in sugar.

Complex carbohydrates such as oats, brown rice, wholegrains help the body to absorb tryptophan.

And what to avoid? Well certainly try to avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame), caffeine and alcohol. These are all stimulants which can cause your poor stressed adrenal glands to work too hard.

Replace some of your teas or coffees with liquorice tea, which supports adrenal function, and valerian or camomile tea which can help with relaxation. Green tea contains L-theanine, which is an amino acid that encourages the production of Alpha waves, the brainwaves you produce during relaxation.

WHEN we eat is important – try to eat little and often (and that really does mean little and often. Not just eating the same amounts more frequently). Eating regularly and avoiding drops in blood sugar levels can reduce the amount of the stress hormone Cortisol being released into the bloodstream. This can also help with weight control because Cortisol is a nasty piece of work when it comes to holding onto fat.

Also, don’t skip breakfast. There are endless reasons why this is sound advice. Not least that when our blood sugar is low after a night without food – of fasting (break – fast. Get it?) if we don’t supply a wholesome meal it can be harder to concentrate, we can get irritable, and slightly irrational. And we can start to create stress out of thin air. Never a good way to start the day.

And HOW we eat can be a game-changer. So many of us eat on the run, or while we are doing one or more other tasks. Or we gulp down our meal so we can get on with something else. Time to stop. Let at least one mealtime a day be a relaxing event in itself. Take the time to sit and savour a meal. Experience its taste and smells, even if this is just ten minutes. Chew the food slowly and thoroughly. This in itself can have wondrous results for anyone with gut issues such as bloating or indigestion. A well chewed meal is easier to digest, so you should also be able to absorb its nutrients better.

In between all of this feasting on nuts and chocolate and oaty spinach, take a moment to try to put many of your everyday worries into perspective. Stare at the stars and consider our position in the universe. Give your partner a kiss, give your dog a hug, smile to yourself. Enjoy the feel-good chemical reaction your body gives you. It just can’t help itself. We are hard-wired for pleasure more than we are for stress. Just give it a chance.

—–

If you’d like to speak to Gemma about your nutritional needs, please email her at gemma@gemmadavisnutrition.com.

September Stress Less – Me and meditation

Meditation (Photo credit: Moyan_Brenn_BACK_FROM_ICELAND)

As we are looking at ways that we might be able to ‘stress less’ this month, I wanted to share an insight I had on my own personal journey only last week.

I have been working on my self – emotionally and spiritually – for almost ten years now. It has been an intensely enriching and interesting path and I have found many great teachers and new practices along the way. However, the one practice that has always eluded me is consistent meditation. I have tried so many methods, styles and teachings, some of which I have stuck with for months, but inevitably I have lost interest, told myself I don’t have time and eventually the habit has been broken. But something always pulls me back. And what is it that pulls me back? Well, it just feels so good inside my head when I do it – and all the times in between the sessions. So even though I have lost my way again and again, I keep coming back, trying again.

I live a full and busy life with lots of different facets, quite like a lot of people I know or treat as clients. It can feel hard to carve out time for meditation – I know that. There’s always something to be done, someone to see or talk to, work to finish, emails to check. It’s easy to just keep going on this treadmill frantically trying to do and be all the things that we think we have to to live well. Thoughts (and actions) leap from thing to thing, our brows are constantly knitted as our mind tries to navigate all of the different pathways that make up our life. Phew. It’s exhausting just writing about it!

Anyway, around 2 months ago, tired of being at the mercy of my busy mind, I decided to start mediating again and committed to doing so at least 6 times a week. To begin with, it was hard. My mind buzzed and pinged with all of the things that I was juggling at the time. Trying to watch my breath made me feel anxious, so that sometimes I came out of the meditation more anxious than when I went into it! But I stuck with it. I had been here before and I knew that the rewards were greater than this initial discomfort.

It took 6 weeks of this before I started to feel the bliss. And I’m not exaggerating when I say bliss. That moment, even if it really only is a moment, when all thinking ceases and your mind rests and hovers in your head like a cloud, when you feel a huge sense of expansion and a deep unexplainable peace.. That is bliss. It had taken a while, but oh, was it worth it! Each day, I kept practicing and things still popped into my head, but I could step back from them more quickly and just let go of that really engrossing train of thought. Some days were better than others. And then a few weeks later, I realised that the influence of the meditation was creeping into my life. I could be caught up in planning and thinking and then feel ‘ That’s enough of that’ and let it go. It felt wonderful!

When I was reflecting on this some days later, I had a little ‘Aha!’ moment that I wanted to share with you as it seemed so simple and yet so profound to me. I realised that I am at my happiest when my mind is peaceful. Of course, there are certain people, situations and places that make me feel happier than others, but I also know that I can feel unhappy or irritable or frustrated or any number of negative emotions when I am with those people or in those same places or situations. There is no specific, guaranteed external thing that can make me feel happy and nothing I achieve, do, become or have will give me lasting happiness if my mind is not peaceful.

Of course, I am not the first person to say this – it’s the central teaching of all contemplative practices – but actually feeling it for myself was huge. I realised that this having this daily practice actually meant I could give more, be more and live more joyfully. It was training my mind like we might train our bodies, but instead of strength, flexibility and endurance I was encouraging peacefulness, clarity and calm.

I prefer the me that meditates. I prefer being inside the head of the me that meditates. I prefer how life looks when I meditate. So this time, I’m sticking with it. Feel free to ask me if I’m still on track – and maybe give it a go yourself. It’s bliss.

Stress less in September

I am still reveling in the joy of the beautiful summer we have just had. The blue skies and long days, warmth and a sense of ease. I went outside early this morning and for the first time in a long time, my breath formed a cloud as I breathed out. I felt the tang of autumn in the air. Summer is over. Luckily, I adore autumn but I also always feel a sense of ‘back to school’ in September. It’s time to put my thoughts towards what I would like to achieve or do before the end of the year. That indolent time of summer is put to rest for another year and pencils are metaphorically sharpened and lists are drawn up. What more can 2013 offer to me? It’s an exciting, productive time but this desire to do, to achieve, to get things done.. It can sometimes get too much.

I ask all of my new clients to rate, on a scale of one to ten, the levels of stress in their lives with one being no stress at all and ten being about to explode! Most people tell me that their stress levels are above five, many are above seven. So although in my treatments, I am focusing primarily on the physical aspect of a person’s pain, I am also very aware of the mental and emotional issues too, and how they manifest themselves. Certain muscles and meridians are particularly affected by stress and the digestive system is a real indicator of how tense we feel.

It was this is mind that I decided to compile a short blog series about stress – and how to do it less! I am lucky enough to know and collaborate with some wonderfully knowledgeable health practitioners and I have asked some of them to help me with this. 

This week, Kat Heuser, a very talented yoga and meditation teacher and Thai Yoga Massage therapist talks to us about her experience of busyness and how she is changing that and helping others to do the same:

Busy as ever…

“There is no match for the tremendous intelligence of the body. Rest.” (Top of the Lake, BBC)

We live in a culture that celebrates busyness. We constantly pride ourselves on our many accomplishments, hobbies and responsibilities and wear our busyness as a badge of honour.

We believe that we are at our best when we are over committed and under pressure.

I used to live up to that culture rather well. A few months ago, I met a bunch of friends I hadn’t seen for a while, and the first thing they asked me was ‘How are you? Busy as ever?’ After the third person asked me exactly the same question, I realised that the image these people had of me was someone always busy, always slightly stressed. And that’s because for years and years, when someone asked how I was, I would always say how busy I was. It became a standard answer. We let our busyness define us, without realising it. And even these people, who are my friends, couldn’t see beyond that layer and the real me.

 Yet I had changed since those friends had seen me last. I had given up my career in digital media and had become a yoga teacher and Thai Yoga Massage practitioner. I had been on an incredible journey finding my real passion and turning it into my profession. Believe me, that process can be rather stressful in itself, and I was definitely busy, but I no longer looked at my busyness as an accomplishment, nor did I let it lead to stress. Through my yoga, meditation and bodywork practice I managed to change my relationship with stress.

 We are the only species that can create stress by a mere thought. Stress is a physiological process, and a useful one at that. The fight and flight response has kept us alive for thousands of years. But our genius ability to make it arise from a thought has lead to one of the most popular diseases of our society.

 This is something I started to notice more and more in my students and clients. Regardless of the problems they may present to me, very often the underlying issue is stress. This is how breathe & de-stress came about, a five-week programme I put together with yoga teacher/friend, Eden Mendel. Our inspiration comes from the ancient teachings of yoga. And it’s easy, as they don’t tell us anything new. We have just lost the ability to see what is really important, as the celebration of busyness has clouded our vision. In our course, we simply help people to reconnect with the wisdom of their own bodies and minds.

 In the Yoga Sutras, the text which outlines the principles of yoga, we learn about Kleshas (obstacles). Imbalance in our lives, for example caused by stress, can lead to sickness, which might result in lethargy. Irrational behaviour arises often with results opposite of those intended. Sometimes this leads to dangerous reactions stemming from panic. Before we know it, this process spirals out of control. We try to compensate by giving in to sensory and sensual cravings. This doesn’t tend to involve anything healthy or that useful though, so we end up feeling worse, getting more stressed, fuelling the never-ending vicious cycle. Sound familiar?

 A key value taught in yoga is Ahimsa (non-violence).  Again, nothing new here. But we forget that non-violence has to begin with ourselves. Satya (truth) is another value taught in yoga. Satish Kumar says in his book ‘No Destination’: “[Truth] is a way to face things as they are.” Busyness gets in the way of truth as it allows us to avoid facing our inner selves and prevents us from finding peace and stillness. Kumar also writes: “The greatest task is to be free from all fears.” This requires an enormous bucket of trust, in ourselves, in life and the people around us. We need to learn to live life, rather than stressing about it.

 Kat and Eden’s next five-week breathe & de-stress programme in East Dulwich starts in November, details can be found here – http://www.yoga-gestalten.co.uk/breathe-and-de-stress-programme-in-east-dulwich.html

 

 

Leaky boat!

I was talking with one of my clients last week about the importance of maintaining health as opposed to dealing with illness or pain in a form of crisis management, only taking care of ourselves when our body ‘let’s us down’. The thing is, the human body is always looking to be in balance – equilibrium forms the cornerstone of most of our internal systems so a life of feast and famine, whether that is in how much we sleep, eat, exercise or rest, is never going to suit us.

The very next day, I was reading a novel and came across a wonderful passage that I wanted to share with you. This lovely book is called The Universe versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence. It’s a wonderfully clever, funny and heart-warming tale about an unconventional young boy finding his way in the world and his unlikely friendship with an old man. He suffers from epilepsy, brought on by stress, and his doctor suggests meditation might help to reduce the frequency of the seizures:

‘Dr Enderby was concerned that I was applying my meditation exercises too irregularly and too late – that I was relying on these techniques as ‘crisis control’ when ideally they should have been seen as long term preventative exercises. He gave me an analogy to explain what was going wrong.

‘It’s like you are trying to bail water out of a leaky boat in the middle of a storm’ Dr Enderby informed me ‘There’s water coming in from every direction – from the leaks and the rain and the waves – and at the same time you are having to contend with..the thunder, the wind, the floor rocking beneath you. In these circumstances staying afloat is almost impossible. What you need to do is ensure that your boat is always in a good state of repair: then when the storm hits you’ll be ready for it. Do you understand what I mean?’

‘Yes I think so’ I told him ‘ My brain is the unseaworthy boat and the storm is stress or adversity. And I guess my meditation exercises are the hammer and the nails and the planks and the tar that I’m going to use to fix the leaks before I go sailing’

Dr Enderby smiled. ‘Yes that’s right – although I wouldn’t describe your brain as unseaworthy. Not exactly. But you get the general idea: you need to practice your exercises regularly – every day if you can – to give yourself the best possible chance of staying afloat’

I loved this passage! In a full and busy life, it can be so hard to maintain health-giving practices. When we don’t have pain, or we are riding the crest of a productive and exciting wave, it’s easy to put these things aside and think that we don’t really need them. Whether it’s our regular swim, getting to bed early enough, taking time out in Nature, having a body treatment – whatever it is that keeps us on an even keel – they can go out of the window when other more interesting or stimulating things come our way. I can apply it to my own meditation practice as a wonderful reason why I should carve out time in my day, every day, for it.

What is it that keeps you in balance? How do you make sure that you keep a regular self-care routine going? What part of you (and this could be body, mind or spirit) needs consistent care and attention so that you can continue to live a full and active life?