Category: Mental Health and Wellness

Health and wellness for the mind

Spring Cleaning for the Body, Soul, and Mind

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Spring is here. Sort of. I live in Michigan so spring is a relative term. Monday it snowed. Tuesday it was 60 degrees. Michiganders have learned to go with the flow. After this never-ending winter, spring really is on the horizon. Birds are chirping. Days are getting longer. The sun is getting warmer. All good things!

We spend time cleaning our homes and cars, but what about us? Spring is the perfect time to give yourself some TLC.

Spring Cleaning for your BODY

If you live in a harsh winter climate, your skin is probably showing signs of suffering. Cold weather does a number on our skin. If you don’t already, this is a great time to start dry body brushing. You can read more about that here. Slough off that dry, dead winter skin!  After sloughing, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Coconut oil is my favorite body moisturizer. Putting on a thick layer before bed from neck to toe makes for a great night’s sleep. Warm it up first to make it feel even better!

Don’t forget about the rest of your body. Remember your toes that haven’t seen the light of day in 3- 6 months? Treat them to a pedicure. I have a history of ingrown toenails (gross I know) so I get pedicures regularly.  But the first one in spring is always the sweetest.

Sunscreen. We have a love/hate relationship. I love sun-kissed looking skin, but I hate wrinkles, lines, and sunspots. If I could rewind life and fix one bad habit, it would be my lack of sunscreen in my youth. Now I wear it every day and you should too! The sun is starting to feel warmer and the damaging rays are intensifying, so find a sunscreen you like and apply at least once a day. I like Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion with Broad Spectrum SPF 45, 3 fl. Oz (Pack of 2). In the winter I use SPF 30, in the summer SPF 45. I have extremely oily skin and this is the one sunscreen I’ve found that doesn’t make me look extra greasy.

Get back on track with good habits. Get outside. Your whole entire being will thank you! A little fresh air goes a long way! Cleanse. I love the idea of a cleanse, but I hate doing them! So, if you’re like me and don’t want to jump in with both feet, try a modified cleanse. Cut out refined sugar and add lots of water. If you think water is boring, spice it up by adding lemon wedges or orange slices. Simply making those 2 small changes will benefit your body immensely. If you need help reducing sugar, try Sweet Defeat. It works great at reducing sugar cravings. Even if you cave in and eat something sweet, it changes the taste and I promise you won’t want more!

Spring Cleaning for your SOUL

It’s no coincidence that Easter falls during springtime. This is a great time to renew your focus on what’s really important. If you haven’t already, find a routine that works for you. Start praying. Make a list of things you are grateful and thankful for. Read the Bible. I promise this is time well spent and you will reap the rewards. When springtime rolls around, you don’t simply step outside and plop flowers into the ground. You must take time to cultivate the soil and prep. A healthy routine will form the perfect foundation for the seeds you wish to sow.

Find a church. If you don’t already have one, start searching. Big. Small. Contemporary. Traditional. With all the choices today, there’s something for everyone. It doesn’t matter as long as the message is the same – Jesus died for us to pay the price for our sins, then rose again. Believe and you will have eternal life.

Let go of past hurts. This can be a toughie, but you can’t move forward into tomorrow when you are dragging all of yesterday’s baggage. If you don’t feel like you can do this alone, find someone to talk to. I am a firm believer that the whole wide world could benefit from therapy. Just saying.

Spring Cleaning for your MIND

Oh, what a downer a cluttered mind can be! Spring is the PERFECT time to rid your mind of the negative thought patterns that have found a home. Kick them out. Turn OFF the negative voice and turn UP the positive voice. For some of us (ok fine, for me) this can be a full-time job. Don’t give up. It IS possible. My mind can’t rest when things are a mess, so for me, spring cleaning my mind is a by-product of spring cleaning my home. Get rid of things you don’t need. The less clutter, the more room to relax, literally and figuratively.

Find a mentor. When I hear the word ‘mentor’ a few names come to mind so I am extra lucky. If you don’t have one, pray for one! I would say “find one” but I’ve found from past experience it rarely works that way. Mentors tend to find YOU instead of the other way around.

Detox from social media and technology as much as possible. If I added up all the time I spend, or should I say waste, on social media, I would probably be shocked and ashamed. Put your phone down and read a book instead. My goal is 12 meaningful, helpful, educational books this year. So far I am on track to exceed my goal. I love learning and reading is a great way to learn.

“Your mind is a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or weeds.” -Unknown

The bottom line

Spring is here. Plant the seeds of change now and watch your healthy habits bloom!

“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed…Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.” -Henry David Thoreau

What are some other ways you can get your whole self ready for spring? I’d love to hear your ideas!

What is Tapping (EFT) and how does it work?

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Have you heard of tapping? I hadn’t either until recently. It is also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)

What is Tapping?

Tapping is a holistic healing technique proven effective for a whole range of issues, from stress and anxiety to weight loss and chronic pain.

It’s an ancient practice of tapping on certain meridian endpoints on the body. By tapping on these spots and focusing on emotions and sensations, you can reprogram your brain to respond differently to situations.

This sparked my interest since I get acupuncture on a regular basis. Like acupuncture, tapping follows meridian pathways in the body to release blocked energy.  Acupuncture uses needles, tapping uses your fingertips to tap on the area. Same concept just a different method.

Does it work?

Most of the holistic things I try draw a major eye roll from skeptics. While these things may seem weird, they do work for some people. Like anything – some things are effective for some people and not others. We are all unique and wired differently. It’s a matter of finding what works for YOU. There is research that backs the belief that it does in fact work. If you are like me and want to see the proof behind the pudding… visit www.thetappingsolution.com This website has a lot of helpful information.

How do you do it?

Tapping is very simple. You tap with your fingers on certain parts of the body. To get started, I would highly suggest downloading the app on www.thetappingsolution.com website. There are a lot of free, guided sessions to walk you through tapping along with a short instructional video.

You can click here to watch the video.

The main tapping points are:

  • Eyebrows
  • Side of the Eye
  • Under the Eye
  • Below the Nose
  • Below the Mouth
  • Collarbone
  • Under the Arm
  • Top of the Head

 

The guided sessions take you through the points in that particular order.  At the beginning and the end of the session, you rate the intensity level of the problem, which I kind of liked. It makes you really stop and think about the issue at hand.

The hardest thing for me is not feeling extremely silly while tapping. Once I got past that, I found it very relaxing. The other night I did a “wind down” session. I would suggest sitting up while you do it, because a couple of spots are hard to reach laying down. I fell asleep quicker than I normally would have, but not sure my sleep was any deeper or better. Like acupuncture, the more you do it the more effective it is. You probably won’t do it once or twice and notice phenomenal results! So stick with it.

Once thing I found interesting was during the guided sessions, it spends some time focusing on the problem at hand and takes you right through the negative aspects of your feelings before it redirects you to the positive perspective. It seems as though tapping really deals with the issues at hand instead of skipping over them.

So – are you going to try it? The nice thing about tapping is that it really can’t hurt you to try it and you can do it anywhere. The only thing you have to lose is a few minutes of your time!