A is for Aromatherapy - a healing art which can be traced back more than 6000 years.
This complimentary therapy is the practice of using naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants - known as essential oils - to balance, harmonise and promote the health of body, mind and spirit.
It can help to relieve some of the symptoms of stress including; skin problems, poor digestion, lack of energy, general aches and pains and anxiety. It can increase vitality and give the immune system a boost and it can also encourage peaceful sleep.
Aromatherapy can be particularly beneficial to those who have long term health conditions as it can help to support recovery during flare ups, maintain optimum health, and promote physical, emotional and mental well-being.
There are many ways to enjoy the benefits of essential oils from a full body massage by a qualified Aromatherapist (the most soothing and relaxing method—which has the added benefit of the human touch), a few drops added to your bath water, or used in a vaporiser.
A simple hand massage is a treat which you can give yourself any day you like and there is nothing quite like soaking your feet after a long hard day using some soothing essential oils.
And if you are feeling stressed out by life, try this tip: take a lemon or a lime, cut it in half and stand it somewhere near to you, so that you can pick it up and get a lovely citrus burst – it really is natures handy pick me up!
Don't wait until the next time to get B-Z, just go to http://bridienelson.com for a free copy of my e-book!
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Monday, 22 March 2010
Isolation, loneliness and fear
One of the awful things about living with any long term health issue – apart from the health issue itself, is the feeling of isolation. It’s very difficult when you are no longer the healthy, fit and active person you used to be. You feel different to all your friends and family, and they in turn, often get frustrated when you are not able to function in the way that they might expect (or want) you to. You find yourself having to cancel appointments at short notice when your energy runs out or your pain levels are too high and you become a very ‘unreliable’ friend. So it isn’t much of a surprise to find that one by one, your friends start to disappear off the radar.
And so you are left with the awful feeling of loneliness that often goes hand in hand with long term health problems. No one is there to understand, to sympathise or appreciate what it really feels like to live with a chronic health condition. Your life seems to be one long cycle of doctor’s appointments, visits to the hospital and tests, so you don’t feel much like socialising even when you do have the energy.
And then there is the fear, it’s all too easy to have thoughts such as; “What if my partner finds someone else, someone who is more like the person I used to be – what if he/she gives up on me too” and “if I feel like this now, how will I manage with all the normal health issues which coincide with growing old” or “how can I get through another day of this”.
One thing you can do to help with these feelings is to have a more positive mindset. Patient support groups can be really helpful – both online and face to face and they are not all dull and dreary. Being around people who face similar problems to you can be a great comfort, so choose to live with gratitude for all the things you can enjoy, if you look hard you will find many things to bring a touch of happiness to your day.
Get your FREE e-book "A-Z of Feeling Great Every Day of the Week" go to http://www.bridienelson.com
And so you are left with the awful feeling of loneliness that often goes hand in hand with long term health problems. No one is there to understand, to sympathise or appreciate what it really feels like to live with a chronic health condition. Your life seems to be one long cycle of doctor’s appointments, visits to the hospital and tests, so you don’t feel much like socialising even when you do have the energy.
And then there is the fear, it’s all too easy to have thoughts such as; “What if my partner finds someone else, someone who is more like the person I used to be – what if he/she gives up on me too” and “if I feel like this now, how will I manage with all the normal health issues which coincide with growing old” or “how can I get through another day of this”.
One thing you can do to help with these feelings is to have a more positive mindset. Patient support groups can be really helpful – both online and face to face and they are not all dull and dreary. Being around people who face similar problems to you can be a great comfort, so choose to live with gratitude for all the things you can enjoy, if you look hard you will find many things to bring a touch of happiness to your day.
Get your FREE e-book "A-Z of Feeling Great Every Day of the Week" go to http://www.bridienelson.com
Thursday, 4 March 2010
living with chronic pain
The road to being an expert by way of experience in any particular health issue is a long one.
I have plenty of experience and still I forget to do all the things which I KNOW will help me. So last week when I had the tiny beginnnings of a flare up in pain levels... did I do what I knew would help: rest, look after myself, say NO... or did I plod onwards hoping that it would all be okay.
Yes, you guessed, because I didn't want to let people down, I carried on without stopping to remember that increased pain is my body trying to tell me something! It is a small cry, a gentle reminder that if I carry on doing what I'm doing then my life will become very unpleasant indeed.
Now that I am feeling the full force of a major pain flare up, it's easy in hindsight to say "if only I had listened out for the warning signs, if only I had taken notice when I first felt the twinges". But looking back with regret won't change the fact that today, I have to look after myself, that today, I have to choose to be selfish, that today I will have a duvet day and let my poor hurting body recover.
So next time my body tries to tell me to slow down, I will listen and I will be committed to taking appropriate action, whatever that might be at the time and I won't forget how it feels to be hurting like this... a bit like those drinking sessions I had in my youth when I said... never again... and then a few weeks later...
Stay well and happy!
I have plenty of experience and still I forget to do all the things which I KNOW will help me. So last week when I had the tiny beginnnings of a flare up in pain levels... did I do what I knew would help: rest, look after myself, say NO... or did I plod onwards hoping that it would all be okay.
Yes, you guessed, because I didn't want to let people down, I carried on without stopping to remember that increased pain is my body trying to tell me something! It is a small cry, a gentle reminder that if I carry on doing what I'm doing then my life will become very unpleasant indeed.
Now that I am feeling the full force of a major pain flare up, it's easy in hindsight to say "if only I had listened out for the warning signs, if only I had taken notice when I first felt the twinges". But looking back with regret won't change the fact that today, I have to look after myself, that today, I have to choose to be selfish, that today I will have a duvet day and let my poor hurting body recover.
So next time my body tries to tell me to slow down, I will listen and I will be committed to taking appropriate action, whatever that might be at the time and I won't forget how it feels to be hurting like this... a bit like those drinking sessions I had in my youth when I said... never again... and then a few weeks later...
Stay well and happy!
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