In order to try to be mindful of the times we live in and reduce spread of the COVID 19 virus I am transitioning to telehealth. At this time how we transition is an individual process for each client and I will work with all of my clients to come up with a plan that suits them. For webinar I use Zoom and I subscribe to their package that is HIPAA compliant. Please feel free to contact me with any questions and/or feedback about this process.
Category: Wellness topic
Renewal
Spring seems like a great time to start back up with my blog posts. This Spring we are all in desperate need of some renewal. So far 2020 has been challenging. We are all experiencing something quite unique for our time. Humanity of course has seen and endured other pandemics but enduring a pandemic in the informational age is filled with easy access to ongoing death tolls and news that makes the calmest of us a little on edge. It is also, however, filled with easy access to all sorts of positive resources. After a week of seeing clients since schools and restaurants were ordered to close I have been able to gather suggestions from clients of things that are helping to keep them renewed and not drained with all the alarming aspects of what they see online. Here are some of the ideas I have heard this past week.
- Yoga with Adrien is a continued recommendation from my clients, https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene
- limiting social media to only an hour a day
- Having friends call up and give them the news instead of hearing it on line.
- You tube projects
- Pinterest projects
- Online parties and meetups with friends
- Looking up old friends online and catching up.
- Starting an Etsy shop
- Getting rid of clutter by selling items on Ebay
- Online yoga classes and fitness classes that are being offered for free through gyms and places like yoga journal
- Online free virtual tours of museums
- Replacing 30 minutes of social media time with a podcast
- Finding online support groups via NAMI and local hospitals
- mindfulness courses and meditation through apps like “Insight Timer” and “Head Space”
This is the current list and I will continue to collect ideas and do a follow up post on this later. As we try to follow guidelines and stay safe, I ask you to take a moment to ground yourself and try to find some positivity for the day. It does appear that this may be a long haul for us and we are going to need some ongoing renewal as we keep moving forward.
Take Care and wishing you peace.
Blocking blue light for a good night’s sleep
My husband came to bed one night with these orange tinted safety glasses as he scrolled thru You Tube. Of course this led to me laughing at him and then to him sharing with me his research. So apparently too much blue light which is what is artificially illuminated from most of our lamps and devices can inhibit melatonin production so your body doesn’t know when it’s bedtime. Yellow to orange tinted blue light-blocking glasses and lens filters help block these blue lights and can help a person fall asleep on time despite late night screen usage. There’s a study out of the University of Houston College of Optometry that showed that wearing them for even an hour before bedtime had a positive effect in their study showing people whom wore the glasses slept 24 minutes longer and had 58% higher melatonin levels during the study than before they started wearing the glasses.
I have since started recommending the glasses to those clients having difficulty sleeping. I have had all positive feedback which is unusual with product recommendations. This past month I have started keeping a supply in the office to sell at a minimal price. Generic safety glasses – $3 and fancier more aesthetically pleasing frames for $15.
Resources: https://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2017/july/07242017bluelight.php
The Gut and Depression
I am fascinated about all the research in the gut biome and our relationship with the microbes that live inside of us. I am motivated to figure out how to guide clients in improving their mood through their nutrition. I am not a professional nutritionist but I try very hard to stay up on the latest research. Subsequently I ran across this article in Psychology Today, October 2017 issue, pg 31-32 on how the microbes in your gut affect your mood.
There were 2 studies mentioned that as I scanned the information grabbed my attention. The first one was on the transplanting fecal matter from depressed patients into germ-free rats. The rats then began to develop symptoms of anxiety and anhedonia (not taking interest in the usual things one finds interesting). The other study involved giving patients prebiotics (material that enhances the grown of beneficial microbes in the gut.) The researchers discovered one particular type of prebiotics ( galacto-oligosaccharides – GSOs) to decrease cortisol and increase a patient’s attention to positive events.
However what was most intriguing as I looked deeper into the article was the theory of how important fiber is to our gut biome. Apparently fibrous material from plants which are more difficult to digest help feed beneficial microbes. This fermentation that occurs releases energy, gases, and metabolites called “short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs are one of the ways our gut communicates with our brain, signaling molecules throughout the body to mobilize hormones and activate nerve pathways to everything from body weight to mood states. Apparently the material present from these prebiotics in the fiber is extremely important for wellness and something our general Western diet lacks. Per article our ancestors consumed around 100 grams of fiber while we consume currently around 15 grams of fiber a day. This is just another added point toward why nutrition is so important to limiting our stress and increasing well-being.
Back Pain and Exercise
In sessions, I hear a lot about chronic pain, particular back pain. Many folks are becoming more and more skeptical to the use of pain killers with all the headlines about the opioid epidemic. They want to look at other options for pain and/or reduce their personal use of opiates and other pain killers. Exercise comes up with mixed thoughts and feelings. On one hand they hear that the increase of exercise can help with circulation, healing, and tension related to pain. On the other hand, the wrong exercise or the wrong amount can cause serious damage and create more problems.
A recent article in the October 2017 edition of Scientific American highlights some research on this topic. The research looked at over 300 individuals with chronic back pain and prescription painkillers. They assigned these individuals to either a program of yoga, physical therapy, or a program of educational materials. What they discovered is that the individuals in the yoga and physical therapy groups were able to significantly reduce their use on pain killers than the control and education only group. The author described the yoga that was prescribed in the group as gentle stretches including cat/cow and child’s pose.
The article spoke to the evidence that what seems to work best is an overall combination of tools, which could be medications and movement. When speaking to one’s primary care physician or pain treating provider, asking about other options for pain relief in addition to medications is recommended. If there are no structural reasons for the pain or damage to any vertebrae many times movement is preferred over medications. Although even with structural problems with someone’s skeleton, increasing flexibility and circulation is beneficial and necessary for healing. Muscle relaxers may help obviously with muscle tightness, but you may get much more with exercise such as overall increase in circulation, relaxation and strengthening of muscles.
Bottom line seems to be that there are benefits to medication but much more for adding the right exercise with or without the medication. Figuring out the right exercise may take a little research and time. Speaking to qualified professionals familiar with one’s unique health history and getting a list of options to choose from is the best place to start. A physical therapist is also a great place to start but if you want to try something at home, one could always begin with asking their healthcare provider to explain first off which exercises they shouldn’t do and why. Then at least an individual is able to stay safe while they sample different exercises to try at home. As with any exercise program, when you find something that works, it’s the consistency that will give you the most benefit. It’s better to start small and keep going than start too big and feel like you can’t keep it up due to time or energy.
Brain Health
Research on Alzheimer’s was again in Scientific American this month. This particular article was reviewing research based on a clinical trial by “FINGER” (the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability) between 2009 and 2011. The results of the clinical trials and the study show that it is never too early and in this case never “too late” to intervene with cognitive decline through changes in the way one lives.
The changes they were referring to were eating a Mediterranean like diet, getting exercise, and challenging the brain through learning new things and memory challenges. These recommendations are by no means new to the public but just validates even more this life style. To be clear the exercise that showed positive results in memory and organization was 2-3 times a week of 60 minute periods of exercise like muscle strength training, aerobic exercise and postural balance and the Mediterranean diet was fruits, vegetables, whole grains, rapeseed oil, a fish meal at least twice a week. The only supplement given was Vitamin D.
Of course the groups started slow and built up to this goal which is encouraging. They started at 30 minutes. The exercise sometimes is the most difficult to work in. It’s important to note that the time they give is not straight cardio work, it combines strength building, cardio, and posture improvement such as in physical therapy, physiotherapy, and some types of yoga.
Motivation for change can be a slow process but building up reasons to change is one of the steps. Looks like this study gives us more to add to that list of pros and cons. Hopefully also it will also help us to work through the ambivalence.
Local Support
It can be overwhelming seeking support outside of your friends and family when you have an addiction. This is usually a significant step that needs to be made when you have multiple relapses; however, I see many people try to reassure themselves that this time it’s going to be different and not take this step.
They have their plan. It usually is a decent plan. We have worked on either a Wellness Action Plan, Crisis Plan, or Relapse Prevention Plan. In therapy we have also came up with wonderful “tools” to use in their daily maintenance and their “emergency kit”. We have practiced, role played, and brought in family and friends. But yet they’ll be another relapse. Another lie told. Another promise broken to self or others. They show back up sometimes beaten down, ashamed, and lower in spirit and energy. Or they’ll show up determined that this time will “be different” only to end up like the previous scenario eventually.
The piece that is missing is support outside of treatment, friends, and/or family. It is tapping into something positive that is larger than oneself. This could be in the form of a religion/faith. It could be in the form of AA/NA. I have seen people invest themselves into a close knit wellness communities, like with Rock Climbing or Yoga. I have seen folks begin to invest in service communities, like with Habit for Humanity, Urban Ministries, etc.. It doesn’t seem to really matter what it is as long as it has a higher principle and has other people to connect with. This step of participating with something outside of our individual community touches on the “spiritual” side that so many addictions counselors will talk about. It touches on this piece of us that is sometimes very difficult to conceptualize. People think they have to go to church or start praying. Although this could be a path for some, it doesn’t mean it has to be the path of all searching for that “higher power”. But one key element in this is the “investment”, the “participation” that makes it work. Just visiting a community or group is not enough. One must get involved so that an investment is made. This investment will bring returns though.
In order to help with this connection, I want to provide some resources below for AA, NA, Al-Aanon. These are by no means the only I recommend but they are the main ones folks can access easily in our community and have shown to be reliable supports and places people can become involved and invested through working steps, finding a sponsor, sharing story, etc…
Greensboro Al-Aanon
Al-Anon General Site
Greensboro AA meetings
Greensboro NA meetings
How Meditation Affects the Brain
I’m facilitating a new class, Monday Yoga /Wellness Class, that starts Monday June 20 at 7pm (space is limited so contact me if you are interested.)
This class is aimed at developing an individual wellness/meditation practice. We will do yoga postures to let go of any tension and to open the body up for relaxation for the first part of the class. The rest of the class is focused on progressive relaxation, breathing, and a variety of meditative techniques. (Props, chairs, and mats are available).
I have many people who come to see me that want a meditation or a yoga practice at home. I created this class to help with that. We will be exploring not only how and why to prepare before meditation but also will practice different meditative techniques for students to “try out”.
We will also discuss how meditation affects the brain.
The research is suggesting that a regular meditation practice (15-30 minutes a day) can increase gray matter in the brain, build new connections, clean out plaque that causes dementia, reduce the size of the amygdala which causes the fight or flight response, and increase our resiliency to cortisol (stress hormone).
There are many reasons to work on a meditation practice, especially if you are trying to be healthy and/or reduce stress and its effects. Of course this should be easy enough, right? Why is sitting 15-30 minutes every day so difficult to maintain (and for some even start)? One is that sitting in general can be painful and uncomfortable. Two, establishing any new habit or change is difficult. Consistency, consistency, consistency. The mantra for true success ……Oh if developing consistency itself was easy.
Even if you practice now and then, it is better than none at all. I would encourage everyone to try for 5 minutes and go from there. You may surprise yourself that you can actually develop your own practice if you keep coming back to it when you think of it, no matter how long the in-between.
One also does not have to just “sit”. I’m also hoping this new class will educate students on what is meditation by research standards vs other definitions.
Here are some links that discuss the effects on the brain from meditation and the research behind it:
Making “Not-So-Good” Habits Work for You
“A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.” – This is SAMHSA’s working definition of recovery. this could be recovery from Mental Health or Physical Health concerns.
Recently I have seen a good many clients that have come in reporting very similar symptoms. They feel somewhat down or even distressed. They are functioning relatively okay with work and home but feel like they have lost their way. They report feeling empty, tired, anxious. Most of these individuals have been very involved in family and/or community. They have been the family coordinators, the church volunteers, the community activists.
When looking at the above working definition of recovery, these folks are definitely self directive, but somehow the other two areas of health and wellness and full potential have been overshadowed by others needs (others in their own family and others in the community). When using the needs assessment tool I incorporate into my practice (the DLA20), it is clear that many facets of their life have been neglected and continue to be drained. There’s just not enough nourishment and recovery built into their lives to keep pace with all the other routines in their life.
We live in a society of go, go, go. Ample supplies of caffeine and energy supplements. Ample supplies of foods and other items to grab quickly from moving to one activity to another. We more and more are getting out of habits of nourishment and allowing for our bodies to recover. Recovery is not just a mental feat but very much a physical feat as well. We have to develop healthy routines to nourish our bodies and brain. These routines have to be consistent in order to make an impact. Just like we consistently go to the coffee pot, check Facebook, or volunteer to help another, we need to consistently eat nourishing foods, take time for some quiet, and get some stress relieving physical activity. But how? It sounds simple but if it were that simple we wouldn’t have this problem of course.
The trick is to begin by connecting one activity to another. The activity can be good or bad. If you drink coffee every morning or check Facebook before bed on a consistent basis, then these are great activities to link with more nourishing habits like 10 slow breaths or eating an apple. Once you have successfully linked these habits consistently you can build in more healthy habits like a walk or some yoga. It’s better to start small though. Later you may decide to even phase out the original activity, especially if it was doing more harm than good. Getting overwhelmed and not doing anything at all is not an option if you want to stop the cycle of constant drain, low energy, and feeling like you’re in a fog.
Sometimes we need reminders, so setting timers, getting others involved are great ways to ensure more consistency. Also subscribing to a blog whether it is mine or another wellness author could also be a good way to get a tickler to continue to work on developing healthier practices. As with much in life persistence against failure eventually develops consistency regardless, so keep trying.
How to Get a Good Night’s Rest
The above chart comes from the National Sleep Foundation. It suggests that an adult my age needs 7-9 hours of sleep. Like good diet and exercise, sleep is a critical component to overall health.
The sleep foundation explains:
“One of the vital roles of sleep is to help us solidify and consolidate memories. As we go about our day, our brains take in an incredible amount of information. Rather than being directly logged and recorded, however, these facts and experiences first need to be processed and stored; and many of these steps happen while we sleep. Overnight, bits and pieces of information are transferred from more tentative, short-term memory to stronger, long-term memory—a process called “consolidation.” Researchers have also shown that after people sleep, they tend to retain information and perform better on memory tasks. Our bodies all require long periods of sleep in order to restore and rejuvenate, to grow muscle, repair tissue, and synthesize hormones.”
Many of us have difficulty sleeping. Here are some general guidelines to follow in order to have a good night’s rest.
Stick to a sleep schedule , even on weekends.
Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual .
Exercise daily.
Evaluate your bedroom to ensure ideal temperature, sound and light.
Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.
Beware of hidden sleep stealers , like alcohol and caffeine.
Turn off electronics before bed.
For those with an overactive mind:
Keep a notepad/journal and a pen near your bed to write down thoughts or things you want to remember.
You can also use this method to write down worries or concerns and if you’re having a hard time letting them go after writing them down, remind yourself you can just deal with it in the morning after you wake up.
At my practice:
Sleep problems are a common co-occurring issue that I see with my clients. I usually help each person develop their own individual bedtime routine. Many times we look at the therapeutic effects of yoga postures and breath techniques. We practice these techniques in the office to figure out the right practice that will help calm the mind and body enough to allow sleep to take over at night. Many times coming up with an answer to the individual’s problems will occur after tracking one’s schedule and diet over a week. It is amazing what “hidden” sleep stealers we encounter throughout our day. Sometimes changing something like when you have your last caffeinated beverage will be the miraculous fix. Other times, what might solve the issue is long-term work on developing and keeping more healthy habits like exercise, balanced diet, and meditation.
If you would like to talk about finding your solution, please contact Amanda.