Stress and Grief Part 1

Yvonne Thomas is an ACCN member and Marriage and Family Celebrant living on the Gold Coast.

1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of feelings (See Introduction to Stress and Grief)
   
2. BREATHE – and I truly mean breathe, take deep long pragmatic breaths!
3. TALK TO SOMEONE – find someone to share your feelings with. Someone who will truly be there for you in these times
4. TAKE A WALK IN NATURE – Read the section below on negative ions.
5. EVERYDAY FIND 5 THINGS TO INSPIRE YOU OR THINGS OF BEAUTY AND WRITE THEM IN A JOURNAL – build on these 5 things
6. MEDITATION
7. JOURNALLING
8. MASSAGE
9. BACH FLOWERS
10. AROMATHERPY
11. PREPARING FOR OUR OWN DEATH AND LIVING A CONSCIOUS LIFE
12. ASSISTING THE DYING

BREATHE – and I truly mean breathe, take deep long pragmatic breaths!

Have you ever wondered why it is you feel so great after a walk along the beach, or a walk into the mountains or a simple walk with nature? Why does the air feel so clean and invigorating after rain?

The atmosphere around us is filled with electrically charged particles. These particles consist of positive and negative charged ions. Our environment today with all its chemical and electrical interferences through technology  have resulted in imbalance in the air that we breathe, resulting in an overbalance of positive ions – as a result it does effect our bodies and our sense of well being. These ions are also called free radicals. This imbalance (free radicals or positive ions which are active forms of oxygen) are produced by high voltage networks and the discharge of energy i.e. computers, mobile phones, heaters, air conditioners, tv’s, radio, exhaust fumes  – you get the picture! So all of these elements are giving us an over abundance of positive ions into the atmosphere.

Negative ions on the other hand will help to counteract this – electrons will help to neutralize these free radicals. Negative ions are more concentrated in fresh air, they can be produced by lightning, the ocean, waterfalls and plants.

Dr Albert P Krueger a microbiologist at a University in California found that an astonishing small quantity of negative ions could kill bacteria and quickly take them out of the air so they were less likely to infect people. Ionized air which are machines to generate negative ions into a room has been shown to assist the recovery of asthma patients and it was also discovered that it affected serotonin levels in the bloodstream – often low serotonin levels are believed to be the reason for many cases of mild to moderate depression, anxiety, fear, feelings of unworthiness, fatigue and insomnia.

Negative ions can have many health benefits for example;

• Increase alertness
• Increase concentration and work productivity
• Enhance the immune system
• Relief from sinus, allergies, headaches
• Reduce the severity of asthma attacks

So if you are feeling tired or depressed, suffering from headaches etc.,

• Avoid working or living in a space with no fresh air, unless the air conditioner system has an ion generator – easier said than done! There are solutions
• Take regular breaks outdoors in fresh air
• Place a waterfall indoors in your office or somewhere in your home
• Himalayan Salt Lamps are believed to emit ‘negative ions’ – the jury is still out on this particular belief, but they do help particularly next to tv’s, computers etc.

I have only just discovered a new Air Purifier called ION-70 AIR PURIFIER which is pretty impressive – it has a 9 stage purification system with long life filters for under $500 I have yet to invest in one but from what I do know about it, I cant wait to invest in one.

There are personal ionisers on the market that can be taken with you, worn around your neck or placed next to your desk at work.

Invest in an ioniser machine for your home, take a brochure to work and perhaps raise money through your social club to purchase one, alternatively show the facts to management – it will not only decrease sick days but help productivity in the workplace!

Taking time out to bring yourself back to the centre of your being, learning to quiet the mind of the constant chatter. For those of you who are not familiar with Meditation – let me tell you a little about meditation…

MEDITATION IS . . .

• Allowing your mind to be alert and attentive
• Allowing your mind to be calm, concentrated without strain and focused
• Increased awareness of the world around you
• Being in the moment – not worrying about the past or the future
• Meditation is Pleasant
• A process more than a goal . . . a beautiful, inspiring journey rather than just a destination

BENEFITS

• Decreased stress, tension, depression, anxiety
• More balanced emotions
• Strengthened immune system, improved health
• Sense of Identity and connection,
• Improved Confidence and concentration
• Peace of Mind
• Optimism and self worth
• A sense of greater spiritual connection

MEDITATION IS NOT . . .

• Falling asleep
• Going into a trance
• Shutting yourself off from reality
• Becoming lost in thought and or forgetting who and where you are

The average person has approximately 15,000 random thoughts every day. For most people, a significant percent of those thoughts are negative . . . SCARY THOUGHT! Most of the time we are not even CONSCIOUSLY AWARE of the THOUGHTS RACING THROUGH OUR MINDS!

While the forms of meditation vary, they are all ‘tools’ to help bring the mind back to the centre – to the moment – to the NOW – relieving the mind of the constant blaze of thoughts.

The mind is like a fan that blazes around and around all day long. All it takes is ten minutes a day, in the morning then in the evening – or anytime of the day that suits you. Just give yourself 10 minutes to simply enjoy meditation.

Some of the methods for meditation can be simply:

• A walk in nature
• Breathing and being consciously aware of your in and out breath
• Yantra Meditation – focusing on an ancient geometric sacred symbol - even focusing on a candle
• Mantra Meditation – using a sacred mantra or any word that is of a high frequency such as love, God, Peace when this is recited over and over it can calm the mind in as little as 10mins.
• Guided Meditation – following with the mind the voice of a guided meditation – there are many CD’s available now for guided meditations.
• Transcendental Meditation – using a secret Mantra

We can however, just simply listen to our favourite music, walk along the beach, be out in nature and receive similar sense of well being, calmness of mind as can be obtained through adopting some of the Eastern meditation practices, however it is not always possible to ‘listen’ to our favourite music, take a walk in nature, so having access and practicing various meditation practices at any time of the day we can tap into these tools and be in meditation anytime we wish!

Bringing about a sense of peace through the turmoil of a frantic busy day and relieving your mind of the constant thoughts!.

• Do you have a special place you can go to for solace or quiet meditation?
• Maybe it is a quiet corner in your lounge room or a quiet space in the garden
• Create a ‘sacred space’ for yourself, it can be a simple place where you sit on a beautiful cushion on the floor in a sunlit window.
• Hang a crystal sun catcher in a sunny window and feel the magic of rainbow’s dancing around the room – it makes for wonderful chi in a room and really energises a room

Create a sacred space that you can go to for energising your body and mind, whether that be through journaling, listening to a beautiful piece of music, meditating  - just a quiet place that we can retreat to from our everyday lives – the opportunity to take an inner journey and relieve our minds from the pressures of the outside world.

This ancient old remedy is a wonderful way to calm, rejuvenate tired aching bodies either mixed with oils for use in massage, added to a hot bath or breathing in the vapours in an oil burner. Having essential oils burning in the workplace is beneficial and can assist with clarity, creativity.

Always seek professional advice on the use of essential oils and any contradictions particularly in pregnancy

“Essential oils reawaken odour awareness and the connection to individuality, and greater independence improves the ability to take responsibility for ones own health. Self confidence and well being are influenced, providing an improved flow of biological information through the psychosomatic network of body and mind” . . . by Schnaubelt extracted from The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy by Salvatore Battaglia

Lavender – assists with anxiety, assists with calmness and sleep. Generally Lavender is one of the safest essential oils and great for babies for calming.

Jasmine – can be a powerful antidepressant, often known to really lift your spirits, beneficial for emotional dilemma’s particularly around relationships and sex.

Lemon Myrtle – is invigorating, uplifting, refreshing – and full of anti bacterial agents. I keep a spray bottle of lemon myrtle in my car for times when I am feeling a little fatigued and also spray around my home as a natural room deodoriser and antiseptic.

RECIPE’S using ESSENTIAL OILS FOR STRESS & RELAXATION

3 Tablespoons sweet almond oil:  50 drops mixed essential oils from following list.
Massage few drops on pulse points such as throat, inside wrists
Carry bottle and sniff from bottle
Add 2 teasp of blend to a warm bath
Can be used as an air spray and in oil burners

There are lots of cheap oils on the market – many which are not pure essential oils and mixed with chemicals!  I would definitely not recommend buying cheap oils from ware house outlets.

Invest in quality essential oils using reputable brands, there are price differences in essential oils and you are better off paying for premium oils as the quality and essence is far superior to the cheaper brands and they last a long time. Just like good wine, essential oils are graded and the quality grade essential oils should be sourced from around the world e.g. Bergamot from Italy, Black Pepper from India, Lemon Tea Tree from Australia. Different plants are renowned for the quality by the area they are grown in so be weary of brands that advocate ‘we grow and make our own essential oils’ – the fact is you will probably not be getting quality grade essential oils.

The brand of essential oil I would recommend is Springfields which is available only through health food stores, this is an Australian owned company which has been operating for over 19 years and I know they source the best quality ingredients and have been suppliers to practitioners for many years. They are renowned for quality products. 

NEXT ISSUE: PART 2

* BACH FLOWERS
* JOURNALLING
* FIND 5 THINGS TO INSPIRE YOU
* Dealing and preparing for our own death – what can we do?
* ASSISTING THE DYING
* Tell Me How You Really Feel? Tell me how you really feel?

Yvonne Thomas ©