I tried a new therapy today

Lately, I have been thinking about getting some massage treatments to help relax and calm the stress and body tension and hopefully help my emotional down times. So today I did it. I chose to receive a chair massage. I asked the therapist all about what massages can do to help people. Basically it gets the circulation going and moves the blood more to the surface of the skin. It also breaks up areas of toxins within the body so that the body can eliminate them. And massage loosens up the muscles so that you feel more relaxed and flexible. It was wonderful and I felt so very good afterward. I plan on going once a week to receive my MASSAGE THERAPY.

A good laugh

I am always grateful to my friends and family who send me some of their forwarded e-mail fun things. No matter how down I happen to be on a given day...if I receive a “funny” from someone and it happens to hit me just right, I find myself in a good, loud, side hurting laugh over it. I consider a good hard lengthy tears in the eyes laugh to be very good medicine.....for anyone...and for anything that troubles you!

December is a magnifying glass

Yesterday as I was getting a treatment from my acupuncturist I talked to her about the very difficult December I had (worse than I ever remember), and a lot of other people I know.

She said that yes, December is the month that the sun is at its lowest peak, there is the stress and exhaustion of the extreme busyness that we get caught up in, there is the debt and money problems that is caused by the highly commercialized Christmas, and there is more irritability cause by all of the above. She also said that there are more suicides and murders in December. More people experience depression on this month of the year than with any of the other months.

I heard somewhere lately that Christmas is like looking at your life through a magnifying glass. Everything looms larger. If you are lonely.....you feel even lonelier. If you are sad....you feel even sadder. All our problems seem to be suddenly worse...with the effect they have on us.

So what then is the solution to our NEXT December. Do we want a repeat of what we just went through....or do we find a way to change it? For me....I say simplify, simplify, simplify!!!!. And find a way to expose our self to more light, whether by sitting under full spectrum lighting or sitting in the yard on days when Mr. Sun is out. I also just sit in my car on sunny days maybe when the air was a little chilly. I make sure the sun is shinning on me through the windows.

Music Therapy

We all have our favorite types of music. Stress, anxiety and depression are greatly soothed by the quiet, relaxing, and more calmer music.

If I can do something, anything, that will take my mind away from the sad, melancholy thoughts, and have it wash over me like a healing balm....music is just such a therapy.

This time of year we have such beautiful Christmas music with its powerful uplifting words and melody. Do we REALLY listen and ponder the words? Do we let the words of the song permeate our soul with hope and peace?

I have a good friend just recently tell me to try not to give in to the depression...to fight it off. Yes, I know sometimes it is more easily said, than done. But her statement is true, so true. So, play some of your favorite Christmas music or other type of relaxing music, lay on the couch with a soft pillow and warm blanket, close and rest your eyes for a bit, relax the muscles of your body, and just float along with the music. Such therapy!

What a beautiful day!

Here in St. George, Utah, we have the most gorgeous fall and winter weather. At 3:30 this afternoon the temperature was 72 degrees! The air was fresh and clean smelling with a slight hint of a breeze. The sun was a welcomed warmth against my skin. It was the kind of afternoon where you delighted in sitting out in the midst of this pleasure, and deep breathing of its magic. Oh what great therapy for the stressed and depressed soul!

Busyness Elimination Therapy (or letting things go)

Pure and simple....it is just eliminating, or letting things go from our time schedule. When I start having too many demands on my time and find myself dreading leaving the house all the time to be somewhere that I have a responsibility to be....that is when my body starts short circuiting. Little by little different symptoms begin to appear, showing an effect it is having on my body and nervous system. Some of these symptoms are high stress, feeling overwhelmed, depression, irritability, crying, and dullness of mind. A friend of mine told me that she was concerned because she was having trouble with her memory. When she told me all that she was involved in, I thought no wonder she is having trouble. Her brain and her body was in overload.

There is nothing wrong with eliminating some things from our schedule....we are NOT failures by doing so, and we SHOULD NOT feel guilty for having to do this. It is for our own health and well-being. We are no good to ourselves and to others if we allow our self to get mentally, physically and emotionally ill.

A Plug for Chiropractors and Acupuncturists

I don’t know what I would do without my wonderful Chiropractor and my gem of an Acupuncturist. I truly feel that I was guided when I chose these two particular individuals to use their very gifted craft to help my body to do it’s own healing.

My Chiropractor .....
Before August of 2005, I never understood the TRUE purpose of chiropractors or the importance of regular maintenance spinal adjustments. I just thought you go to them ONLY when you hurt your back real bad. But was I wrong! I really had an eye opener and an education, as my chiropractor has taken the time to explain to me the workings of the body as it relates to the spine and the multitude of nerves coming from all along the spine and going to all parts of the body. I never realized how important it was to do what we can to ensure and improve the nerve function of our body.

Through our every day activities, we are always moving, bending, turning, stepping wrong, falling, tripping, etc. We never know when this can cause vertebrae and discs to become misaligned and in time irritates the nerves.

If something is out of alignment anywhere along the spine, it can cause stress and irritation to those nerves that are in that area, which in turn messes up the communication of the nervous system with the brain. A free flow of nerve energy from the brain controls the pituitary, pineal, para-thyroid, thyroid, thymus, adrenal, pancreas and sex glands. Each of these glands is dependent upon the others. Just one out-of-order gland disrupts all the rest. The result is physical, mental and emotional problems.

A chiropractor locates the trouble spot, uses gentle adjustments to the back to realign an out of place vertebrae and get it back into its natural position. This then will relieve the pressure and irritation. With the proper nerve supply, the energy flows freely again and any miseries are eliminated by nature’s own healing power.

In regards to DEPRESSION.....because chiropractic adjustments increase energy flow throughout the body, we receive better hormone production. The body can then release it own pain killers, like endorphins…and it gives a little boot to the glands that produce dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine (the neurotransmitters in our brain). Lack of these causes depression.

My Acupuncturist.....
What a skilled and highly knowledgeable gal she is. Little did I realize about August of 2006, that I was going to receive another education, but in the area of acupuncture. I first started going to her to see if she could help me with my chronic leg problems. I have varicose veins real bad and of course that is caused by lack of circulation.

What a totally fascinating field acupuncture is. It is amazing. It is a centuries old Chinese method of bringing balance to the body so that you can achieve and maintain a state of health. Our body is in an ever-changing state of health and illness. It moves from one state to another throughout the day and night. Hormones rise and fall, melatonin waxes and wanes, insulin and blood pressure levels go up and down. When elements in the body are in balance, health is the result. When they are out of balance, dis-ease occurs.

Depending upon your symptoms, the acupuncturist will insert practically pain free, very thin and round tipped needles into one or more of the 361 acu-points located along one or more of the 14 meridians on the body. Each of these needles sends out an electro-chemical message to the brain, that asks your body to respond in a particular way. Acupuncture is a direct means of asking your body to heal itself.

Energy flow through the 14 meridians can become excessive, disturbed, reduced, or even stopped. Poor circulation, illness, and stress are among the many factors that can cause blockage or disruption of this energy flow. When energy flow is interrupted, disease in the form of pain, depression, illness or reduced organ function is the result. Balancing the energy and clearing blockage by way of the acu-points and meridians brings about health and well being, using the body’s own mechanisms to do so.

In regards to DEPRESSION… acupuncture treatments open up the receptor sites for dopamine to enter. Dopamine is the “feel good” hormone. I receive treatments very often because of my chronic leg problems, the torn cartilage in my knee and now for my depression and stress. The last two visits, the treatments were for my stress and depression. My goodness what a difference between the before and after feelings! After the treatment I kind of felt like I was in a sort of la-la-land for awhile. Very, very light and carefree feelings. And without medication! I highly recommend acupuncture treatments for what ails you. Anything you can do to put your body in a position where it can heal itself….that is the natural way.

My Plate is Full and Spilling Over

Sometimes I take on too many extra responsibilities, and say "yes" to too many things and people. In the beginning it seems to be ok and I can handle everything. But as time goes on I begin to notice all the little, more important things that need to be done and I don't have time to take care of them because of these "other" responsibilities. That is when the stress builds up. Then the stress leads to feelings of being overwhelmed. Then, for me, all that turns into depression and crying and a messed up nervous system I reach a point where I can't handle that pace anymore. I make myself come to a screeching halt, because I have learned the warning signs. It is now time to step back and take stock of my time schedule....and start cutting down on some of the things I am doing. I ask myself what is it that I'm doing that I feel that I am burned out on. I then eliminate those things. For my own mental, physical, and emotional health.....I have to do it!