Decades ago, in the 1990’s, Peggy Huddleston, author of “Prepare for Surgery Health Faster,” demonstrated the relationship between a patient visualizing their healing after surgery and a decrease in the need for pain medication and subsequent shorter hospital stays.
Huddleston conducted numerous studies at Boston area hospitals and, without exception, the use of healing visualization before and after surgery resulted in measurable improvements in the recovery from surgery. This also resulted in a decrease of costs related to hospitalization length of stay, medication, and the absence of complications after surgery. Thus, guided imagery is a useful tool.
Until recently, it was only nurses, social workers, and pastoral counselors who were advocates of guided imagery as a healing modality. But due to health consumers now educating their doctors about the healing benefits of guided imagery, physicians are also getting on board. Many are now recommending the use of guided imagery not only for pre- and post-operative benefits, but also as adjunctive therapy for chronic pain and disease.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the well-known cardio-thoraic surgeon at Columbia Presbyterian Medical center, recommends imagery for his patients. This trend can now be seen at all major medical centers and hospitals. In addition, with studies, explored in the health coach certification program, showing that imagery saves money, has no clinical risk, and can be administered without a practitioner, companies like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California have incorporated the modality into its paid services for its members.
In June of 2000, Blue Shield began a pre-surgery program involving Guided Imagery for its members who were approved for a major surgery. This established the first health plan to develop such a program.
Apart from its use with surgery, guided imagery can facilitate relaxation and reduction of stress. By imagining your body healing and growing stronger, messages are sent to the amygdala portion of the brain, which “automatically” sends messages to our immune system to create chemistry that will assist in the recovery or healing process that is desired.
Specific imagery learned in health coach certification for specific conditions can also greatly enhance the healing, but just visualizing the immune system sending out “messengers” to heal whatever part of the body is ailing can result in improved outcomes.
One of the frustrating aspects of health information is that just when you think you’ve got a handle on what you are supposed to do to be healthy – the information changes.
For example, not long ago those of us who were over 50 were assured that if we moderately cut back our portions, decreasing our calories, and exercised for a half hour 4-5 times a week, we could keep the extra body fat that creeps in after menopause, at bay.
How many women dutifully reduced their calories and did their daily half hour exercise routine, only to feel that there was “something wrong with them” because this formula didn’t work for their body, even though the “experts” said it was the right way to control weight after the age of 50.
The weight loss wisdom has now shifted for women past the age when our estrogen is dramatically lower than pre-menopause. Estrogen, as every woman knows, is that amazing hormone that is a metabolic calorie burner as well as a reproductive hormone. It keeps us heart healthy; keeps our skin healthy and it produces “pheromones” for attraction, among other amazing and important body functions
No longer is a half hour of exercise deemed adequate to increase the metabolic furnace that is slowed down by the loss of estrogen and the creeping weight gain around the middle. We now have to exercise a minimum of one hour per day and really watch everything we put in our mouths, especially carbohydrates, which we want more than ever for the serotonin surge they give us. This new information comes from the simple fact that women over 50 generally do not lose the weight they want with just a half hour of exercise.
What is important regarding losing weight and keeping it off after 50 is what our individual body tells us is right for our metabolism and body type. We need to ask ourselves what do we know about ourselves, and our own weight loss and weight gain pattern? Thatt should be more important than the “weight loss expert’s” advice.
The big question is, now that we are past the age of reproduction and our body no longer is protecting us against many of the maladies that come with getting older, what are we willing to make the priority in our lives and what do we know about our own metabolic profile and how food and exercise affects our body weight? What also happens past 50 that can liberate us from this body syndrome and how can we harness it for our whole health and well being?
After 50, we lose our inhibitions, accept ourselves for who we are more, surprise ourselves with finding new interests and passions and throw off the yoke of being so concerned with success and achievement. We may lose some physical passion, but mentally and spiritually we are “off and running” in a whole new way.
Important questions to ask ourselves about what we know about how to lose weight:
1- What do I know about how I gain weight? 2- What do I know about how I lose weight? 3- Do I eat when I’m stressed? 4- Do I lose weight when I’m stressed? 5- Do I use food for emotional soothing? 6- Does eating play a dominant role in my daily routine? 7- Is losing weight more important than eating what I like when I like it? 8- What am I willing to give up to get the body weight I want? 9- Do I feel my food choices need to improve? 10- What is my personal experience with exercise? 11- What works best for me, what kind of exercise do I enjoy? 12- What do I know about how my body responds to exercise? 13- Am I willing to make the time to take care of myself? 14- What are my health priorities? 15- What are my ego priorities? 16- What keeps me from being the weight I want to be- REALLY?
We know that the issue of weight loss is intimately connected with our relationship with our mental, emotional and physical energy. Rarely do we see an energetic, productive, organized individual (man or woman) who struggles with weight issues, even after 50 because they are often focused on their external interests and passions. Ironically, these folks often suffer from not taking the time to eat when or as much as they should.
One of the weight loss “secrets” I have learned over the years from my patients is that when they are excited, creative, interested and passionate about their work, their relationships, learning, doing or being, the issue of a naturally right body weigh solves itself. We are often over focused on the sensory experience and pleasure of food as a main stay for satisfaction and fulfillment.
However, when something else captures our attention and energy, the issue of fulfillment and gratification can come from a totally unexpected and different source. Something to consider ~ Let’s find our passion and joyfully burn those calories!
For more whole health discussions, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama. Also available on iHeartRadio.
Referred to as the “root chakra” in yoga circles,
the reproductive glands are in the most primal sense, the survival component
of Maslow’s Hierarchy and in fact, they are essential to the survival of the
species – which is their primary purpose. They are, of course, part of the
organs and system of reproduction which includes various accessory parts that
are necessary to support the reproductive function.
That the Reproductive Glands belong to the physical aspect
of Whole
Health is very straight forward and evident. When we look at them in terms
of Selye’s Stress Model we can see that they are connected to the
“survival stressors” of:
Reproduction (Yes, sadly sex is another stressor
for our bodies.)
Trauma
Exertion (too much exercise or over work)
Weather (excessive heat, sun, cold)
Surgery (very stressful to the entire body and
nervous system but sometimes necessary to save out life)
These stressors have a strong effect on the reproductive
system. Stress decreases drive and impulse to reproduce as the body wisely
knows to conserve its energy until there is a well balanced system ready for
reproduction.
So far, we have gone over five of the Seven Aspects. The
last two are fun because they really clarify the emotional and behavioral
aspects of these important and influential glands.
The virtue of the reproductive glands is spirituality
– seeing the profound divine and unfathomable nature of reproducing and
bringing forth, from the co-joining of two human beings, new human life. (If
you’ve had children you know that they really do smell like they just came from
“heaven” – what we imagine heaven to be anyway)
The deadly sin of the reproductive glands is – we all
know this one – its all around us. Yes, indeed, good ‘ol lust, which of course
is about self-gratification and not the co-joining of a partnership resulting
in a new life.
Understanding this information is important when we look at a person’s physical presentation or dis-ease from a Whole Person perspective. What are the cause and effect factors at play that create disease? What is out of balance in the person’s seven aspects that is creating problems in this part of the body? Hope you’re enjoying this series because I’m having a great time with my favorite subject-the endocrine system!
For more whole health discussions, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama. Also available on iHeartRadio.
There are three parts of the human brain, referred to as the “triune brain”. Paul D.MacLean, an early research director for the National Institute of Mental Health, postulated his Triune Brain Theory what states that the human brain is a product of three stages of evolution and is actually three separate brains which have evolved into one brain over long periods of time.
The first section [the lowest portion of the brain] which is comprised of the top part of the spinal cord, the medulla oblongata, the pons, and the cerebellum, MacClean calls “the reptilian brain” as he stated “at its base [the human brain] was a variation in the elaboration of the reptilian brain.”
The limbic system [located in the mid-portion of the brain] states MacClean, “was an elaboration of the new mammalian brain from the Jurassic period”. He termed it the “mid-brain” or the neo-mammalian brain (new mammal).
The upper most and largest part of the human brain, the
cerebral cortex, encompasses our logic centers, our “intellect”.
MacClean termed this portion “the neo-cortex” (new cortex).
Viewed thru the perspective of MacClean’s “Triune
Brain” theory, this is the time line on which the human brain evolved:
1. Reptilian portion = Triassic period – 248 to 206 million
years ago. Regulates hunger, body temperature control, fight or flight
responses; is shared with reptiles
2. Limbic Portion = Jurassic period – 206-144 million years
ago. Regulates mood, memory, hormone control; is shared with older mammals =
dogs, cats, mice.
3. Neocortex = Eocene & Oligocene Epochs – 55 -24
million years ago. Regulates logic and thought required for complex social
situations, etc; is shared with monkeys and chimpanzees.
The Reptilian or “vegetable brain” [recall the
autonomic nervous system functions], is fundamentally concerned with
homeostasis, which is involved in regulating all of the body functions that
allow each of us to be human, get up every day and live our lives. If you do
not have a well-functioning lower brain, if you have a tumor, if you have a
trauma, if you’re in an accident, if something happens to your brain stem, you
may no longer have the capacity to control the day to day homeostatic functions
to maintain your life.
Embedded inside the Limbic System is a structure identified
as the Reticular Activating System which has pathways as well as neurons
traveling throughout the lower brain, up through the medulla oblongata, across
the Limbic System into the Neo-Cortex or the “thinking brain”.
The Limbic System and Reticular Activating System interpret
sensory motor messages that are “incoming” from the person’s
environment and it is in this portion of the brain that we not only interpret
the “incoming stimuli and information” but we also select methods for
survival and adaptation.
Here is where it gets exciting to put the anatomy and
physiology of brain function and the psychology of personality together!
We know the neo-cortex is our thinking, intellectual brain –
our “smart brain” and most of us know individuals who are brilliant
academically or intellectually yet they are emotionally dysfunctional in the
extreme. Our thinking brain would presume that being “smart” or
intellectually capable would exercise dominion over one’s emotions, however,
the missing piece of information here is that our emotions actually are a
survival adaptation mechanism that each of us individual develops as we process
our early environment and social conditioning. Nothing is more powerful in the
human being than its drive to survive! Hence, our emotions win the day in the
battle between thinking and feeling.
It is critically important for each of us to understand that
our emotions represent how we learned to adapt in our surroundings and
environment, especially during the first 0-5 years of our development. Our
familial “input” taught us, as did Pavlov with his dogs, how to
respond to the stimuli we received as infants and toddlers.
This embedded neurological conditioning is not overcome by
the thought process, as the thought process for humans is the
“newest” component to our primordial brain. It is in the survival
adaptive portion of our brain where we form our “personality” and
where we become conditioned to create and interact within relationships.
When we understand the possibility that interpersonal issues
that frustrate us may come not from “being difficult” or “bad
intent” but rather from our drive to survive and our interpretation of the
stimulation and environment we were conditioned by, then we can begin to be
“kinder and gentler” towards ourselves and others.
In summary, our emotions are the way we learn to live and survive in our world. We cannot “think them” into changing, but we can step back and appreciate the service and challenge they offer us in our daily lives.
For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.
In a study published in the Journals of Gerontology, researchers found that people with fewer age lines had lower blood pressure, a lower risk of heart disease and stroke, and a greater chance of outliving their more wrinkled friends. This takes a new meaning to the age old saying, “Age before beauty,” and gives everyone more of a reason to take care of their skin. So, take into consideration these helpful tips to rejuvenate your skin and create better whole person health when planning your patient education.
Drinking More Water Makes Beautiful Skin Drinking water has been known to lead to radiant, healthy and younger-looking skin. It rejuvenates the skin and adds moisture to make your face truly glow. However, an adequate amount of water is also essential for whole health. Drinking at least 8 glasses a day can rid the body and skin of toxins that are poisoning our health. It also aids in digestion, circulation, absorption, and excretion to provide whole person care and the necessary functions for a longer life.
Avoiding the Sun to Avoid the Hospital Our skin begins to wrinkle over time, but harmful things in the environment can also make our skin less elastic. UVA rays account for 95 percent of the UV radiation reaching the Earth’s surface and penetrate the skin to play a major role in skin ageing and wrinkling. However, the issues of the rays aren’t only skin deep, they also get under the skin and disrupt the body’s whole health. UV radiation damages the immune system and prevents the body’s ability to fight against bacteria and infections. It can also lead to skin cancer, cataracts, and even blindness. It is important, therefore, to take care of your skin when you’re outside. It’s our first line of defense, and by advocating for sunscreen, you can practice proper patient education and protection from danger. You should also wear enough clothing to cover your skin and sunglasses to shield your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays.
Smoking Wrinkles the Skin and Destroys the Body Another environmental aspect that can have harmful effects on the skin and whole body health is smoking. The nicotine in cigarettes causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the outermost layers of the skin. This ultimately impairs blood flow to the skin and disrupts your skin’s ability to receive essential oxygen and nutrients. Overtime, this causes the skin to sag, age prematurely, scar, and stain. The smoke also seeps into your body and can affect just about every organ in your body. Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States and increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 2-4 times, stroke by 2-4 times, and lung cancer by 25 times. It diminishes overall health and leads to more hospital visits and increased health care utilization.
Our skin is a representation of our whole health. We wear our health on the outside, making it hugely important to take care of our skin as well as the rest of our body. Exercise proper patient education as a nurse or health coach, and also protect your own skin and body from the dangers of the environment.
Join the conversation. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow NIWH on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates filled with useful accredited health program information for holistic nurses and health coaches.
The Thyroid, in yoga and energy circles is often referred to as “the throat” chakra. The thyroid gland is located in the neck. It differs from other endocrine glands explored in our accredited whole health program in that its hormones are stored for future use, as well as secreted for immediate metabolic needs. The hormones produced by the thyroid, Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3), are responsible for stimulating cellular metabolism throughout the entire body as well as growth and energy. It is important for health coaches to understand how the thyroid controls the quantity of calories we burn, our body heat, and how much we weigh. If the Thyroid was removed and there was no hormone replacement, the cells would cease to function metabolically and death would occur within a relatively short period of time.
As a nurse, you might be surprised to discover that the thyroid is also the personal power and self expression component of Maslow’s Hierarchy. This is easily understood when we think about how our throat is “our voice” and when we speak our truth and express ourselves in the world, we own our personal power and experience self-expression. Under functioning Thyroid problems are believed in many healing circles to be caused by “not having a voice” and not expressing ourselves in the world. Physically the Thyroid is intimately connected to our Brain Cortex – and our interpretation of Self.
Regarding Selye’s Stress Model, the Thyroid can express the
Fear, Worry and Lack of Trust dynamic. The Thyroid is the mental-cortex-intellect
component of the Whole Health Five Aspects.
So far we have gone over five (5) of the seven (7) aspects. The last two, as we saw with the reproductive glands, the adrenals and pancreas and thymus, clarify the emotional and behavioral aspects of each specific endocrine gland.
The virtue of the Thyroid is Fortitude or strength. Often the force of will of an individual determines their fortitude or strength. The “throat chakras” – which relates to our voice in the world and how we express our WILL in the world, is what the Thyroid represents. People who have Graves disease, where their eyes are bulging from their sockets, is the result of a hyperactive thyroid gland and appears very clearly as a forceful expression of will or anger. If you have ever witnessed anyone becoming intensely angry about not getting their way, you can see this eye bulging occur.
The deadly sin of the thyroid is once again the opposite of its virtue. The opposite of fortitude and strength is weakness, fear and angry willfulness. When we are too focused on getting our way or imposing our will onto others, we suffer from aggression that ultimately can become expressed through the symptoms of chronic conditions, such as Graves Disease.
Once again, we can see the value and importance in understanding how the body works as a whole integrated being. The thyroid is another important gland in the endocrine system, enabling us to function well metabolically to keep us healthy or if malfunctioning can make us sick.
The function of our thyroid gland is in our hands. The way we think, treat ourselves and others play a role in the health and function of our Thyroid gland.
For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama. Also available on iHeartRadio.
Fibromyalgia is an inflammatory condition that is related to chronic fatigue syndrome. People with fibromyalgia experience fatigue, sleep disorders, and muscle pain which tends to be located at specific points in the neck, shoulders, back, and buttocks. The underlying cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but at least three important abnormalities have been found in people with fibromyalgia.
One of these is that there appears to be an underlying disorder in the metabolism of serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with mood. The second is that many people with fibromyalgia have an underlying thyroid problem. The third is that abnormal sleep patterns, specifically something known as alpha wave intrusion, occurs in many people with fibromyalgia. Fortunately, there are whole health methods to correct these abnormalities.
Tryptophan is an amino acid (a type of nutrient that is a building block for protein) that has been used for years to treat depression. It is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has potent effects on mood. Many prescription anti-depressants such as Prozac and Zoloft act by modifying the metabolism of serotonin, resulting in increased levels of serotonin in the brain. Vitamin B6 can also increase serotonin levels, and certain forms of vitamin B6 can be very helpful with sleep.
Several studies have found low serum levels and decreased intestinal absorption of tryptophan in people with fibromyalgia. Inadequate levels of tryptophan in the body can lead to decreased levels of serotonin in the brain, whereas supplementation with tryptophan can increase brain levels of serotonin. This is the same thing that many of the antidepressants used in fibromyalgia do. Because tryptophan isn’t absorbed well by people with fibromyalgia, an alternate form known as 5-hydroxy tryptophan is recommended.
Several studies have demonstrated that many people with fibromyalgia have a sleep disorder known as alpha wave intrusion. This type of sleep disorder prevents the body from getting adequate rest during sleep. Experimental subjects who have had this type of sleep disorder artificially induced experience symptoms similar to that of fibromyalgia. Correcting this disorder has also been shown to help people with fibromyalgia.
Natural therapies that help to normalize sleep include tryptophan, certain forms of vitamin B6, melatonin, and herbs such as valerian and scuttelaria.
S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) is an amino acid derivative that has analgesic (pain relieving), anti-inflammatory, and anti-depressant effects. It is relatively free of side effects and has been found to improve depression, anxiety, and fatigue, and to reduce the number and severity of tender points in people with fibromyalgia.
Magnesium is deficient in the red blood cells of many people with fibromyalgia. Oral supplementation of highly absorbable form such as citrates, malates, aspartates, or Kreb’s cycle chelates can help correct this deficiency. Intravenous administration of magnesium is especially helpful. Epsom salt baths (1/2 – 2 cups of Epsom salt and 1/2 cup of baking soda in a hot bath) taken before bed time can also be useful. Epsom salt is high in magnesium.
Other nutrients which may be of benefit include Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and vitamins B1 and E. CoQ10 is a vitamin like substance which may be deficient in people with fibromyalgia. It is a cofactor in the energy producing pathways in the body, and hence fatigue is a common symptom of deficiency. Some research has also shown abnormalities in the metabolism of vitamins B1, B6, and E in people with fibromyalgia.
Capsaicin is a compound found in the cayenne pepper. Topical creams are now available that have been standardized to contain .025% capsaicin. This cream has been found to decrease tenderness when applied directly to tender points.
There is some belief that the accumulation of acidic and nitrogen containing wastes in the body promote fibromyalgia. Acid wastes tend to aggravate muscle inflammations and spasms, and may eventually lead to arthritic changes in the joints. Acid wastes are produced by the digestion of animal proteins (especially pork, milk, and cheese). Other acid forming foods are wheat, sugar, tea, coffee, alcohol, vinegar, pickles, processed and tinned foods, tomatoes, rhubarb, gooseberries, red and black currants, cooked spinach, margarine and all processed fats, eggs, chocolate, cod liver oil, and peanuts.
A maintenance diet would avoid all of the above foods and concentrate on fresh fruits and vegetables with limited amounts of cereals/grains, occasional fish and chicken, and no processed or artificial foods.
Fibromyalgia is a complex condition which is best managed using a comprehensive approach which includes dietary modifications, the appropriate use of herbal and nutritional supplements, and the treatment of any underlying conditions which may be exacerbating the condition.
Whole Health Approach To Fibromyalgia:
The most effect approaches to treating fibromyalgia based on the whole health model includes the following:
movement or aerobic exercise to assist in flushing out the tissue
behavior focused therapy to assist in reducing tension in the body
mild relaxants that do not cause secondary symptoms
information and education that can offer options for individual to choose from
Fibromyalgia is viewed as a stress-fueled condition. Therefore any approach or techniques directed at reducing stress and muscle tension are highly effective.
For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.
Most of us take our breathing for granted. We generally do not think about how our amazing brain automatically regulates the most urgent and important bodily function we have. If we do not breathe we do not live beyond a few short minutes. The ability to breathe and the quality of our breathing clearly has an important impact on our ability to live, but also expresses a great deal of information about the state of our nervous system and emotional health.
Breathing is such a critical function that in addition to being under the automatic control of our brain stem it is also a physical function we can control at will. We know that our breathing is affected by and directly affects our emotional states, exertion levels, nervous system fluctuations and overall whole health.
The affects of emotion on the respiratory system can readily been seen during an asthma attack, which can be very frightening and further reduces the individual’s ability to “catch their breath”. Many of us do not breathe freely. We are breathing freely when we breathe in and out through the muscles of our bellies. We tend to breathe through the chest muscles because we are tense and “holding our breath,” which starves our cells of energizing oxygen.
Deep breathing or relaxed breathing exercises can make an enormous difference in our health and vitality. By changing our breathing from shallow to deep, we can experience many whole health benefits:
> Breathing deeply rather than shallowly creates detoxification within our cells, bringing oxygen rich blood into our cells and cleansing out carbon dioxide.
> Breathing deeply into our bellies rather than our chest muscles produces a greater sense of calm and relaxation brought about through the increase of oxygen to the nervous system.
> This form of cleansing, nourishing breathing is conducive to whole body health and brings about a sense of inner peace.
> Deep breathing can help you sleep better and also feel more energetic because of the increase of oxygen to the brain
This is a great subject to review in your patient education. If you would like to re-train your breathing so that you derive the most benefit each day from this life-sustaining, automatic body function – start slowing. Take just five minutes twice a day to sit quietly in your chair with eyes closed, body relaxed. Allow yourself to focus on your breath. Rather than tensing your shoulders and back muscles, let your breathing rise and fall from your belly muscles. Slow, relaxed breathing for five minutes each day, twice a day, can re-train your automatic breathing patterns and help you to feel better, sleep better and be healthier and more energetic.
Join the conversation. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to follow NIWH on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates filled with useful accredited health program information for holistic nurses and health coaches.
The Merriam Webster definition of self esteem is “a confidence and satisfaction in oneself; self respect.” Self-esteem and self-respect are two important aspects of whole person care at any age. During the years of adolescence, however, personal and social differentiation is at an all time high, with peers playing a significant role in how our self-esteem expresses itself. As you are probably very well aware, your self-esteem is especially a front and center issue from middle school through high school.
According to Marilyn J. Sorensen, PhD, author of numerous books on self-esteem, our self-esteem is formed in childhood, when we develop an initial conscious and unconscious impression of ourselves. What we hear said about ourselves has a lasting impact on the messages our brain records as being our worth or our value in the world. It is these messages or neurological records that get “triggered’ when our peers either respond positively or negatively to us.
During the adolescent years, as you are physically developing and becoming young women and men, your appearance and how others respond to you can certainly become important. Other peer related issues such as belonging or being part of a particular group or activity are, as well.
It may surprise you that current statistics show seven in ten females believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members. And for males, the statistics over the past 25 years have gone from 15% dissatisfaction to 45% dissatisfaction regarding how they feel about their physical appearance.
The developing and confusing years of adolescence are filled with exploring and identifying what you think of yourself or what social direction you may wish to go in. It is also a time that you can begin to know yourself outside your family environment and develop who you are in a more meaningful and realistic way. This means sorting through the many reflections of “who and how you are” in relationship to the large world around you.
It is during this time, no matter what kind of earlier conditioning you have received, that you can take control over your self-esteem and self-respect. I would like to share with you a story about one of my children. She has happily given permission for me to share this with you because she feels it is an important story to tell.
At the age of 15, my daughter was very unhappy and struggling with feeling badly about herself. That whole year for her was filled with tears and poor grades. One day, we took a walk and talked about what she was experiencing. She said many times during that conversation, “I hate myself. I don’t want to be me.” I gently asked her why and she said that she “she didn’t think she was a good enough person because of the problems she was having with her peers.”
Not wanting to pry, I did not ask for details and she did not offer them. Rather, I shared something with her I learned about whole health and self-esteem when I was much older than her 15 years of age. I shared with that what is important, at any time in our life for us to feel good about our self, is that when we behavior in a way towards ourselves and others that is in agreement, or congruent, with our personal values – we feel good about who we are. Bottom line: No matter what anyone else says or does towards us, when we act in concert with our personal values, we feel good. Our perception and expression of ourselves can largely impact our whole health, which is far more important than what others think. We many not like the way others treat us or how they hurt our feelings, but our self–esteem and self-respect are high.
When we do not act in agreement, or congruently, with our personal values and inner beliefs of right and wrong, then we feel badly about ourselves; no matter what positive or flattering things someone else may say about us. Self-esteem and self-respect, like beauty, start from the inside out. No one can make us feel badly about ourselves when we know, and are confident, that our behavior towards ourselves and others is from a place of our values and of respect.
If you are working through this natural adolescent sorting process, reflecting on this information may assist you in changing how you feel about yourself, how your treat yourself and how you create relationships with others. My daughter, who is now in college, told me our walk together that day was the most important thing she has ever earned about how to feel good about herself. I hope it is helpful for you as well.
Most people identify themselves as a “glass half full” kind of person. We don’t intentionally set out to wreck our moods or think ourselves into unhappiness… do we? However, we can feel like tumbleweeds in the wind, our moods – which can create stress — may quickly shift from the impact of a difficult work environment, a nagging spouse, or even something as seemingly benign as the weather. And all these mood stressors impact us on a physical level too – by increasing the body’s production of a stress hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol initiates a vicious cycle of food versus mood, wherein we crave sugary, carb-laden foods and shun healthier alternatives like fish and vegetables. Of course, eating all this garbage makes us feel more depressed and more negative, which floods the body with more cortisol. But the good news is that you can break the cycle – and it all starts with something as simple as a thought.
As it turns out, the more frequently you have negative thoughts, the more depressed you feel [1]. Conversely, the happier you feel, the more your health and your mood improves. Classes in understanding happiness have even sprung up on college campuses. Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., an associate of the Harvard Psychology Department teaches the single most popular course on campus – a course about how our levels of happiness and unhappiness are rooted in our thoughts, deeds and words.[2]
But can we really learn to be happy? A new school of thought put forward by psychologist Martin Seligman, former president of the American Psychology Association believes that we can all be happier by recognizing how our thoughts and words contribute to our moods. The good news is that you can start feeling better today by following a few proven steps that boost your body’s natural “happiness chemicals”.
According to an article by the Cleveland Clinic,[3] you can quell a bad mood almost instantly by:
Holding hands or hugging – A 20-second hug with your spouse releases the feel-good brain chemical oxytocin, which in turn helps you relax and feel calmer.
Get social – Resist the urge to hibernate in your home alone and grab a pal (or two, or three) for an evening out. When women are emotionally close to their friends, the hormone progesterone is increased, which subdues anxiety and reduces stress. Men get the same benefits whether they’re with their buddies or with women.
Enjoy more of nature – The fresh air, the trees, the crisp leaves under your feet, the warmth of the sun on your face… getting out into nature revitalizes your body and mind while clearing out the cobwebs of too much time spent indoors.
Laugh out loud – Rent a comedy movie or listen to your favorite comedian. Boisterous laughter releases endorphins which help you feel happier and more at ease.
Feeling happier is not a matter of willing your body to do so. Your brain is smarter than you think, and no amount of telling yourself “I am happy…I am happy” is going to change your mood. Instead, combine your affirmative statement with a reason – such as:
Today I am going to feel happy BECAUSE…(I’ll finish that big project at work / I’m grateful for my family / I’m taking better care of my health, etc.)
Back to the cortisol culprit – how do you slam the breaks on a seemingly never-ending cycle of cravings that can disrupt your mood? Follow these tips, from the Food and Mood connection by the Mayo Clinic [4]
Keep your blood sugar levels even throughout the day by consuming more whole grains, fruits, and leafy green vegetables
Avoid alcohol as it can interfere with your body’s natural ability to get a good night’s sleep
Eliminate caffeine as you’re likely to experience a “crash” later when your blood sugar takes a nose-dive
Consider eating 5-6 smaller meals per day rather than 3 large ones as this also contributes to better blood sugar levels.
Overall, you can learn to improve your mood and well-being by taking these simple steps. Try it out and let me know your results in the comments below!
For more whole health discussions, listen to Dr. Georgianna Donadio’s radio show Living Above The Drama.
