I sit here again, reflecting on how I got on last week. This is turning into a therapy session for me! I hope it is helping you as much as it is helping me.
I thought about how I have used my expertise to help my clients over the years, and how I can fine tune this to help us through this uncertain time.
I am a "Holistic Therapist" and what that actually means is - I offer a range of treatments and classes to my clients but I treat each client as a whole person.
An example of this: If you come with a back ache, I will firstly have a chat to you about that and take a history. I will massage you but I will also give you stretches to do on the specific area. We will chat about what might be causing the pain, if it is stress related I might suggest breathing techniques, or another way of treating you may be trying Rahanni or Reflexology. This means I am treating the person as a whole unit, getting to the root and empowering the person to take control going forward.
This is what I want for all of you (and myself) who are struggling in any way, whether it is worry for a loved one, worry over your business/job, or feeling isolated. I want to help you holistically and remotely!
That brings me nicely on to my 5 Top Tips for taking control and helping you through this time of "Covid 19"
- Tip 1
Make a list at the beginning of the week, all the things you would like to achieve. Do not check it constantly but start doing some of the items on the list. (Most importantly, ticking them off)
Write all the things you have been meaning to do -
- Bake a cake
- Try a new recipe for dinner
- Basic yoga class (or look at Tip 4 for inspiration).
- De-clutter wardrobes or anything else you have been trying to get to OR you have been putting off!
- Some gardening (I have no more advice on that!)
DO NOT put too much on the list, if you get it done you will be delighted and you won't have put too much pressure on yourself. (Let's face it we have enough pressure on ourselves at the moment!)
Remember all plans and lists can be adjusted but it is good to have some structure. (Remember to schedule in cups of tea too!)
- Tip 2
Breath. I am a big believer in breathing properly. I know we breath all the time to stay alive, however, this is not what I mean. If you are feeling stressed and someone tells you to relax or calm down, have you ever actually calmed down? - No you haven't, it doesn't work like that. In fact it is the complete opposite. What annoys me most about the breathing techniques you hear about is; it always seems to focus on the in breath. There is very little focus on the out breath even though this is where all the magic happens and your body has the ability to calm down all by itself. It is all in the power of the out breath.
Below is a video that simply shows you what I mean by the deep breath in and the long controlled breath out. I would recommend doing it about 10 times. It also depends on how many times you need to use it through out the day.
- Tip 3
- Take yourself away to another room or outside (not a foreign holiday!)
- Do the breathing technique as above - Breathing in positive energy and breathing out negative energy or stress.
- Bring your awareness to how your body is feeling.
- I find writing them down helps with acknowledging these feelings and that is a good way for your body to process and let go.
- Go for a walk
- Have a good cry
- Read a book
- Watch a good film
- Finally, remember to be kind to yourself! As they say on all the flights - you need to put the oxygen mask on yourself first!
- Tip 4
Regular Exercise. There are so many forms of exercise out there and now, more than ever, there are home videos for every exercise routine.
But I want you to think about this - What are you looking for in this exercise session? Let's say you have 20 minutes set aside for your exercise:
- Are you wanting to stretch and/or unwind?
- Are you wanting to blow off some steam with high cardio (raise your heart beat)?
- Are you wanting to clear your head and raise your heart beat slightly?
- Do you want to tone a specific are of your body?
These are all questions you should ask yourself before you ever do anything.
I find at the beginning of the week I know I want to do all of the above, so I break it up. (But that's just me and my opinion). Take it slow and see how you feel. Start off small and be aware of how you feel after each day and build it up accordingly.
Always go back to being kind to yourself and go with how you are feeling. Even if you go for a walk in the fresh air, this will give you something to focus on, raise your heart beat and release endorphins to make you feel happier.
- Tip 5
Keep your Sense of Humour! Don't take yourself too seriously. The other day I laughed at myself for how excited I got about a cupboard I had cleaned out. It was - the medicine- slash- throw- everything- I- don't- know- what- to- do- with- it- cupboard. I know you all have one of those!! I even made a cup of tea when I had finished and sat and looked at it.....!! Look below to see for yourself....
I hope you enjoyed my 5 Top Tips to take Control and that you will find them useful. Please let me know what you think and any other bits of advice you can share with me, because we are all in this together.
Take care and please do follow all the latest guidelines, so we can get back to our everyday lives as soon as possible,
thanks Angela x