Posts Tagged ‘Tips’

Friday, November 18, 2011

3 Simple Ways To Calm Your Fear

It’s amazing how much fear can come up when our physical health is challenged. We may entertain all the worst-case scenarios, calm seaworry how our illness will affect the ones we love, or suddenly find ourselves ill at ease in the world. While a certain amount of fear is healthy and can motivate us to create needed lifestyle changes or go after the medical care we need, a lot of it is not helpful and can actually stress our bodies further.

So, here are 3 simple ways you can get some leverage on the fear and restore yourself to calm:

1. Get a Leg Up. You don’t need to wait for the fear to become overwhelming. Plan to take 3, 5, 10, or 20-minute breaks every couple of hours for the purpose of calming your mind and centering your heart. You can take several deep breaths, meditate, walk outside, or listen to your favorite song. These short intermissions from your life will help you stay connected to yourself and make it less likely for you to spin out in fear. You may wish to set a few alarms in advance to help you remember.

2. Avoid Fear Inducers. If you’re with someone who starts telling you negative stories about how bad someone else’s similar situation turned out, or if they look at you with pitying eyes and speak with an implied “poor you” in their voice, WALK AWAY – FAST. Do not force yourself to hear them out just to be polite. You have enough on your plate without having to make someone else feel better about their negativity. Instead, engage with people who remind you of your strength, your great support system, and the possibility of Grace filling your life.

3. Take Control. Health challenges can have us feeling panicked with a lost sense of control. So what can you still control, even now? It may be the doctors and specialists you go to, or the people you choose to spend time with, what to focus your mind on, or even little things like how you are cleaning your house or cooking your food. If you can put yourself in the driver’s seat in some areas, it can decrease feelings of helplessness.

And here’s a bonus tip that no one really wants to hear, but it’s so important: Lay Off the Sugar, Caffeine and Junk Food! As hard as it is, these things tax the system and will keep you in a cycle of highs and lows. Unfortunately, these are usually the easiest things to grab when you don’t feel liking eating or cooking healthy meals for yourself. But see if you can reach for something a bit healthier next time. It really will help you stay more in charge of yourself and your ability to manage fear.

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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Letting the Light In

If we’ve just gotten a diagnosis about our health that scares us, we may feel like our world has gone dark. We may be unable to see past our present situation and remember that life truly does go on. And while there’s no guarantee about what the future holds, allowing the spark of hope to enter our hearts will make us much more available for the love and grace that await.

If you find it difficult or scary to entertain hope, here are a few ideas to help:

1. Consider the Possibilities. Just because you are afraid does not mean that you’re headed on a track towards the worst Hope after cancer diagnosispossible outcome. Rather than miring yourself in negative projections, try opening up to the many possibilities that lay before you.

2. Focus on relationships. While everyone needs some alone time, isolating is a sure path down a slippery slope. Spend time with people who accept and love you the way you are. Share meals with friends and family. The more you can feel connected with others, the more naturally hopeful and positive you will become.

3. Choose to Feel. If you try to repress or ignore your emotions, they get stuck and eventually shut you down or cause you to lash out unfairly at others. If you can instead feel whatever comes up (e.g., fear, sadness, confusion, anger, jealousy) when it arises, you’ll remain much clearer to see the goodness in your life.

4. Trust Yourself. Believe in your own resourcefulness and creativity to handle whatever comes your way. This will help lift anxieties about the future and give you confidence in your ability to turn things around.

5. Make a plan. Find out all the information you need and start setting up a plan. It’s much easier to relax and feel hopeful when the most pressing or nerve-wracking decisions have already been dealt with.

6. Accept What Is. And sometimes what is, is difficult. Hope isn’t about avoiding what’s real. It’s about knowing that good is still possible, no matter what things look like at the moment.

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The Power of Questions

questions healing cancer

When we’re faced with a cancer diagnosis, challenging treatments, or eczema that isn’t healing as quickly as we would like, we may find ourselves asking some variation of the questions, “Why me?” or “Why is this happening?” And really, we may never know the answers. We have to assume we’re good people, living in the best way we know how or are able to. By asking, “Why me?” we’re never going to get an answer that lifts us up, helps us to heal, connects us more deeply with loved ones, or helps us make the most of the lives we have.

So, what other kinds of questions can we ask that will direct our minds in a more helpful and healing way? Here are some good places to start:

What can I do to positively influence this situation?

What are my next steps?

What do I need?

How do I want to feel?

What resources do I have at my disposal?

What do I need to do differently?

Who has gone through a similar situation? What worked for them?

By asking ourselves some different questions, we can gain a greater sense of power over what we are experiencing. We can begin to see solutions and find support. This isn’t about ignoring our distress. It’s about approaching our challenges in a way that will help us instead of keeping us upset and stuck.

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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

6 Most Important Things To Help You Heal

We did some research. We wanted to know: What gives the body the best shot at healing and staying well? There seem to be six main tips the experts keep giving over and over for help in keeping our immune systems at their best. These tips may come as no surprise and hopefully reading them here all together will remind us to make them a priority:

1.    Drink lots of water. Sodas, coffee and wine don’t count. Pure water helps remove toxins and wastes from our system, and helps transport oxygen and nutrients throughout our body.

2.    Get plenty of rest. This means sleeping a solid 6-8 hours a night, taking naps when we’re tired, and taking off our superhero cape from time to time.Healing

3.    Move your body. Circulation in our blood and lymph system are vital to good oxygenation and fighting disease. Working some exercise and movement into our weekly schedules is a must.

4.    Stay connected. Feeling the support and connection with others holds tremendous value in our outlook and ability to face the challenges that come our way. Love for and from others can help us feel our best.

5.    Cultivate inner peace. An angry or resentful heart or a fearful, troubled mind causes stress and can be harmful to our health. Do what you can to make peace with your life so that your body can begin reflecting your inner state of balance and calm.

Healing Apple6.    Nourish yourself well. Every body is different, but the general rule is to eat a balanced diet with lots of whole foods like whole grains and vegetables. A diet rich in varied vitamins and minerals gives our body a better array of supportive nutrients with which to draw from.

Try an honest evaluation to see if you are weaker in certain areas over others. Today could be a great day to start giving your body the most basic things it needs in order to heal.

Here’s to your health!

Note: This is not an attempt to give medical advice. Make sure to speak with your physician about any specific medical protocols you might need.

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Friday, April 23, 2010

3 Easy Tips To Help You Say NO

When we’re trying to heal, we need to focus a lot more attention on ourselves than we may be used to. In order to find saying no to help heal cancer, eczema, psoriasismuch-needed time for body care and emotional wellbeing, it’s vital that we learn how to say, “No”—even when it’s uncomfortable.

Here are 3 tips to help make it easier for you to say, “No,” when you need to:

1. Get clear on your priorities. Write them down. Who and what are the top 5 most important things in your life right now? When you know what these are, you’ll feel less pressured by other people’s agendas.

2.  Let yourself be clumsy. Many of us have been programmed from a young age to people-please. So saying, “No,” gracefully and feeling comfortable about your decision is going to take some practice…but the payoff is well worth it.

3. Prepare a few statements in advance, so you don’t have to think on your feet. Try, “I’m sorry. I can’t do that right now,” or “No, that doesn’t fit my schedule.” If you’re feeling pressured or aren’t sure whether you want to do something, try saying, “Let me think about it and get back to you.” This will give you some time to get clear.

The better you get at saying, “No,” to what you don’t want, the more energy you’ll have for what you do want. And that helps to make a healthier you.

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