PRACTICAL SELF-HEALTH IDEAS DURING STRESSFUL TIMES

By Coralie Darsey-Malloy

David Malloy

While there are many out there who remember the spiritual significance of special occasions and gatherings it is important to approach them with moderation, balance and modesty there are some who are drawn in to media hype and marketing ploys.  Over extensions of time, energy and money combined with lack of sleep, disruption of normal routines, and too much food in strange combinations frequently lead to an emotional hangover after any big event, overeating at big events or using food to cope with unresolved emotional eating.

   1.  Maintain balance and moderation in all things.      Nothing throws the system off like sleep deprivation or over-loading the body with too much food.   After a big turkey dinner most can attest to the ‘sleepy’ feelings that come from protein overload and the calming effects of the amino acid tryptophan present in turkey.  Being mindful of alcohol and food consumption can also prevent the overloaded feeling that builds up throughout the season and leads to emotional lows after all the celebrating is done. 

    2.  Make time for fitness and fresh air and sunshine.   Many people have a difficult time fitting daily exercise in under normal conditions.  During hectic times like Christmas exercise is the last thing that comes to mind.  My message is a different one.  January is coming and the longer you stay away from your various routines,   the harder it will be to get back to where you were.   Why not start a new tradition with family and friends that includes some physical movement?   It  is a guaranteed  way to avoid feeling stressed.  

    3.   If you want to reduce the chances of a “blah or low time” try not to get hooked on ‘artificial  highs.’  Any great event can be managed well when they are  approached with realistic expectations, forethought and an ability to plan ahead.  Meaningful gifts do not have to over-extend the budget and even though it sounds trite … it is the thought and effort that goes into gifts that is the important thing.  Something baked or crafted with love and affection and exchanged with  nice card and/or heartfelt expressions of affection often mean far more to the recipient than an extravagant gift based on material value alone.  These types of gifts usually do not break the budget or lead to financial regret when credit card bills start to roll in after the artificial high and media hype of the holidays are over. 

    4.  Be prepared for the re-surfacing of buried emotions.  Family events often trigger buried emotions and can add to emotional lows.  The challenge for each of us is to be courageous and committed to reaching a point where we are able to accept people for who they are … whether we agree with them or not.    If a family member’s behavior is particularly upsetting, set boundaries.   In the event they are not respected or the situation does not warrant open confrontation do your best to separate yourself or ignore them.     Ignoring poor behavior is an effective way of disempowering it. 

5. Participate.   Make it your goal to experience the magic of giving because it truly is more blessed to give than receive.   Giving can take many forms other than just the material.  Giving can include visiting and offering support to a less fortunate family, volunteering  at  a food bank or soup kitchen, canvassing  for a favorite charity or cause or visiting a retirement home or hospital.  Any of these ‘gifts’ could really make someone else’s day.

6. Give yourself the gift of ‘self-health.’  The gift of self-health begins with your own actions.  Make a plan to eat less, (especially junk food, sugar, coffee and alcohol.)  Keep water intake high (two to three liters per day) get adequate amounts of  sleep, fresh air, sunshine and exercise.  Then to top it off rent some funny movies and laugh, laugh … then laugh some more.  Laughter releases endorphin that create a natural high and exercises the tummy muscles in ways that have been referred to as an ‘internal jog.’  If relationships need mending, forgiveness is a good place to start.  Couple all that with an ‘attitude of gratitude’ for all that you have.  

What greater gift can you receive than to function at a high level and to flourish physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually?  There is no monetary amount that will ever replace good health and a sense of well-being. Implementing all or part of the above suggestions will help maintain balance and prevent emotions from getting too high…or  low.  However, when all is said and done the  best way to create an emotional high that will keep on as long as we practice it is to focus more on what we can do for others and less on what is not working in our own lives.  The benefits will be yours to enjoy. 

SELF-HEALTH CHOICES FOR HEALTHY, DYNAMIC LIVING

By Coralie Darsey-Malloy

Everyone wants independent choice…
whatever that may cost…and wherever it may lead.
--Fyodor Dostroyevsky

When I began my quest for health and wholeness in the mid-eighties much of what has gained mainstream acceptance was considered ‘fringe new age thinking” and viewed with suspicion or flatly rejected. When David and I met in 1990 I made his head spin with my concern about the free radicals and the high glucose factor in his diet. I rambled on about that and the importance of low fat, moderate carbohydrate diet and using food combining as a way to lose weight.

There were many  that just patted me on the head and admitted that it all sounded a little too weird for them at the time. Now these ideas have been accepted and utilized by many because they are endorsed by researchers. The growing emphasis on healthy living has created less polarity within formal medicine and complimentary healing systems.

This trend has already started towards more sensitive patient care with a multitude of options that were not available even twenty years ago. The emerging changes in preventative health and wellness techniques can and does compliment today’s precision diagnostic services. Inevitably, professional patronizing, and obscure terminology will give way to cooperative educational approaches, and client-orientated therapies. Future medicine like future world politics, will increasingly acknowledge choice making and empowerment of the individual.

Even before these changes are fully implemented, there is much we can all do to optimize our health. Eating less and eating well are basic premises of preventative self- care. Avoiding the known health hazards of smoking, alcohol, fat, sugar, caffeine, salt and processed foods are another commonsense approach. Breakthroughs in health care reveal that many of the diseases and ailments being treated by symptom relief alone can be readily overcome with social and lifestyle changes.

A long, healthy life is a reasonable expectation under most conditions, and self-reliant health care involves one’s authority over their right to choose what they determine is best for them. As the paradigm of whole-person healing continues to evolve, the knowledge it brings not only liberates it unites people as well. Today personal fitness and healing practices once considered outlandish are gaining mainstream credibility—because they work. Large corporations are underwriting relaxation and stress management courses to reduce employee absenteeism. Insurance companies offer financial incentives to non-smokers and aerobic dancers. Healing in the 21st century will witness the final convergence of science, psychology, body, mind and spirit.

As  the science, medicine, the biology of emotion and thought, humor, health and healing attitudes are promoted as a plausible option to symptom relief, drug therapy, invasive procedures there will be more inclination to become well informed before choosing any course of treatment. New attitudes and modalities provide much hope in the form of simple, yet powerful whole-person self-care systems.

They are often equally or more effective than prescriptions and are cost effective, encourage self-responsibility, do no harm, educational, fun and provide positive outcomes! So the good news is…there truly are many ways to achieve health, wholeness and abundant living for those willing to explore options and think beyond symptom relief with prescription drugs rather than assessing core issuers and complimentary healing systems.

Some of the systems we value in our "self-health" care include Traditional Chinese Medicine, Young Living Essential Oils: Blog: http://whywelovebeingyounglivingdistributors.blogspot.com/ along with Chiropractic Care, Supplementation, Energy Work, Massage along with exercise, meditation and keeping life in balance.

We always remind our clients that good health is not a right but a responsibility. When we decide to live long and live strong and take the appropriate steps to do so healthy, dynamic living into advanced years truly is possible.