Stress

What is stress?
Stress can show in many different ways in people; some may show it as anger, an actual physical health complaint, irritability, depression, anxiety - the list is endless. Short term stress can be useful as it helps us to get things done, but it becomes a problem when it is long term or chronic. This is when it can affect our health and well-being.

Think you or someone may be stressed? Some possible signs are:
An increase in alcohol intake
Increased anger
A lack of motivation when relaxing
Changes in eating patterns
Increased frustration
An increased use of stimulants

There are many recognised methods of self help, none of them are the right or wrong way. It's important to take responsibility in helping your stress levels and finding something that works for you. One person may find it easy to make small changes, while another person may need some prompting or gentle encouragement from friends and family.

Need ideas on how to manage stress?
Regular exercise can be useful - for some this may be a team sport, for others it may be walking the dog, yoga, swimming, running.
Healthy eating can help to reduce cravings and energy slumps
Doing something creative can help to forget about the stress
Increased contact with friends and family can help relaxation
Laughing
Meditation or deep breathing
Reducing stimulants such as coffee, cola, smoking, recreational drugs, alcohol, tea, energy drinks
Have a complementary therapy, as it allows for personal time and relaxation

Be aware of your stress levels and don't allow them to build to problematic levels - take steps to stay in control, rather than letting stress control you

I saw something on the internet, is it safe?

As a member of a few facebook aromatherapy sites, I keep seeing posts by exasperated American aromatherapists. This advice is being given by marketing companies about ingestion of oils and the neat application of many essential oils.

What's the Problem?

While I'm an aromatologist and so qualified in advising about internal routes, I would certainly not suggest some of the oils and some of the quantities being made in the pictures I'm seeing. I would also never suggest giving neat essential oils to babies or children.

Essential oils are natural and can be synthesised by the body, but quantities and routes into the body are important. If essential oils are placed on the skin they are processed in a different way to the internal route; ingested essential oils go through the liver to be processed.

Essential oils should never be placed directly on a tongue or in water for ingesting, as this can cause irritations in the mouth or throat. Ingested oils should always be monitored carefully, as under correct supervision they can be helpful for several health complaints. Incorrect long term internal use of essential oils, however, could cause internal damage, such as cirrhosis of the liver, kidney issues, stomach or intestine irritations.

If you're taking an essential oil internally you really should be listening to a suitably qualified aromatherapist, not a post you've seen on the internet. Things an aromatologist will consider are: is the internal route the best option for what you want to deal with, what chemicals are in the oil, what is the LD50 of the essential oils, how are the oils going to be ingested? All of these are important, as the chemicals may affect the blend, dosage, frequency, length of time, and how they are going to be applied.

So, if you see a post saying the essential oils are of purest quality and can be taken internally, please, please don't take their word for it. In the UK, there are strict advertising regulations on what can and can't be said, however in America the advertising laws seem to be different, and of course, with the internet this information is now available globally.

Please remember these companies are marketing their products and selling their goods. If they're recommending an internal route, please take professional advice or do your research - look for background information, check the facts and make sure what is being recommended really is safe. Don't just look at the company who is saying it, look for people who don't have anything to gain from you buying the oils and who are suitably qualified.

Who are you loving?

February has crept upon us and it's that time of year when commercialism tells us to show our loved ones how much we care. That's great if there is a significant other in your life, but if not, are you going to spend time disheartened and depressed at being alone?

Out of everyone you'll ever meet, you are the only one who's guaranteed to be with you from the start to the end – so why not love yourself?

This Valentines Day (which is falling on a weekend), why not book a date with yourself? You don't have to spend a fortune unless you want to, but it could help you feel happier. If you do have an other half, maybe schedule one of the below in on another day, or think about including them.

Ideas on how to have a great Valentines Day:

1. Take yourself off to your favourite haunt for a few hours – whether it's shopping, a favourite location outside, or a coffee shop with your favourite book
2. Consider doing a few hours charity work, it'll take your mind off things and it's always great to know you're helping someone else
3. Book yourself in for a therapy – while I'm a little biased about this one, it is still an option to consider!
4. Pop to a shop and buy some luxurious bubbles, then head home and enjoy a lovely luxurious bath
5. Buy yourself some beautiful flowers and when you look at them - smile!
6. Treat yourself to an afternoon of a small box of chocolates, a favourite drink & a favourite film
7. Try a random act of kindness – it may give you a warm fuzzy feeling & someone else will be happier as well
8. See some family or friends whose company you enjoy. Ensure there's laughter and not too much serious talk
9. Head to the cinema to see a film you want to watch. In the dark no one will see you on your own and if you go to a daytime viewing you're less likely to see lots of couples!
10. Head off to a local place of interest: museums, outdoor places of interest or local historic parks can often be free. Otherwise you could check out what's on at the theatre or a local arts venue.

Whatever you find yourself doing, remember to show yourself you care – you are special and it's important you take time to acknowledge it!  

Resolutions Anyone?

Once again we're finding ourselves at the beginning of January with hope for another year. Have you made any resolutions? Have you already broken them and beaten yourself up about it yet?

Over the festive season I read an interesting facebook post by Dr Wayne Dyer. He suggested forgetting about resolutions and thinking more about living in the moment. While it's a good idea to have a plan and goals for the year so many people worry and agonise over how they've made a mistake with their difficult resolution, which is currently pretty alien to their lifestyle.

Slipping up doesn't make you a failure, it doesn't mean you have to write it off for the whole year. It just means you're a human and at that particular point in time your choice was not in line with a new habit you want to form.

New habits are made by practice; would you be so harsh on a child learning to walk or trying to master a new skill? No, you would say, 'that's OK, let's give it another go.' Each moment is a new moment, a chance for a new start. Treat yourself kindly, and instead of being so harsh on yourself, draw a mental line, accept you've made a mistake, take a deep breath and start again.

Forget the last few minutes/half hour/hour and focus - are you OK in THIS precise moment? If not, why not? If it's because of something that happened half hour ago you're still not living in the present - try again. Breathe, focus and think about THIS moment. If you're not on fire, you're not in the middle of a medical emergency or you're not in the process of falling off a cliff, the chances are at this exact moment things are possibly not as bad as you think. Check in with your body, lose the annoyance/anger/frustration with yourself and give yourself a bit of love - you've made a mistake, and you know, it's OK.

So this year, why not make it a goal to be a bit kinder to yourself? Your resolutions are not set in stone, you can move the goalposts, adapt, restart or lose the ones that really aren't working for you. You are an adult in control of your life. Make little steps, celebrate those little steps and make more....then at the end of the year you can look back and discover how far those restarts, little steps and self-love actually got you.

On 5 Days Of Christmas

(to the tune of that famous song, but with a condensed version as I don't find myself as creative to find 12!....)

On the 5th Day of Christmas, suggestions made for me:
5 acts of kindness,
4 mins of mindfulness,
3 happy smiles
2 hot baths
& a gift voucher for a therapy!

Whatever you are planning over the festive season, may it be peaceful, happy and perfect for you.
Wishing you a wonderful 2015, where your dreams and goals all become real.

Have a great one!
Louise

No Pain No Gain

As a massage therapist this is something I hear a lot, but it's not something I'm into myself. Over the years my massage toolkit has begun to grow and I now use a combination of deep tissue, trigger point, Swedish massage and other massage movements. Sometimes I may use hot stones, but none of these techniques make me want to subscribe to the no pain, no gain mantra.

I know there are therapists out there who do advocate this approach, and if you really do believe it, then I would recommend you book a visit with one of them. Am I telling you to go elsewhere? If you feel the need to scream in agony, be left bruised and battered after your session in order to feel you've had a 'proper' massage, then yes, you do need to visit someone else.

Personally, I prefer a 'nice pain' approach, This sounds a bit strange, but I always say it should feel like things are loosening and releasing, rather than being pummelled into submission. What does this mean? Well, I may rest a while with some pressure on a muscle, waiting for it to release, so I can sink in further and work deeper. It may mean I hold a trigger point for a few seconds, to release the constriction in the muscle fibres - and while you may experience some pain, I never want you to feel your discomfort levels going above your personal 7 pain scale.

Personally, I prefer to work with the body - maybe it's because I'm lazy (you have to put a lot more pressure into fighting) or maybe it's because I'm an holistic therapist and at the core of that is that I listen to each person and treat them as an individual. Throughout a session I feel what a body is telling me and I work with it to create an optimal outcome. Whatever the reason, I am a great believer that people will find what works for them and that is especially true for massage, which is a very personal thing...but please, please, don't believe you have to suffer to get the benefit - your body sends pain signals for a reason!

Exciting courses for a boring requirement

Did you know therapists carry out Continuing Professional Development (CPD)? Now before you yawn & quickly leave, trust me, CPD is more exciting than the name suggests.... for you it means your therapist is serious about their profession; they're signed up to a professional membership which wants to ensure they are staying updated of current training methods and not stagnating doing the same thing all the time. For me it means I balance CPD requirements with courses I've seen that I just have to do because they sound so great! So, what have I been up to?

Recently I completed a lower back pain course. As a therapist I found it absolutely fascinating and it really helped me feel more confident about treating various muscles involved in lower back pain. To make sure I'm feeling confident when I've got a paying client on my couch, I'm also carrying out some case studies - so in about 10 weeks time I'm going to be happy dealing with problems with the piriformis, poas, quatratus lumborum & other associated muscles (Don't worry, you don't have to know where they are - you just need to know where it hurts & be able to point to it!)

The other training I've recently carried out is story massage. I initially went on this training as I facilitate baby massage classes and was asked about a possibility of a class for toddlers. I thought this would provide parents with more tools to try to engage with their children who aren't that keen on traditional massage. Well, the story massage day blew my mind with the versatility and the realisation the only limits on this are your own! I came away with my mind wandering with lots of possibilities and I've managed to rein it into two ideas I want to progress in my private practice.

So, what is it? Story Massage is based on the idea that children love a story - whether its a book, something they're doing with their teddies or a game they're making up with their friends. It's having your child fully clothed (something different to traditional massage) & using massage moves while a story is being told. This means it can be done anywhere (we saw pictures of teenagers massaging each other in a supermarket!), can be adapted to any situation (it has been used to help Japanese parents reach out to their children affected by a tsunami), any age (& during the training it was fascinating to hear how the other attendees were thinking of using it in their own environments for different ages & how it has already been used with adults suffering from dementia).

For me, I plan to use it with younger children who need help calming down, whether it's for sleep, anxiety or another issue. Depending on the age, it may involve making a story before the child arrives, or a collaboration to produce a story they can own and which can help empower them. Like a lot of my business I'm expecting this to develop as time goes on, but I'm excited by where this CPD has taken me & what I'm going to be planning from October!

So, if you see your therapist has been completing Continuing Professional Development don't switch off - look at how their new skills can help you & know they're serious about their business, passionate about learning more & hopefully inspired to try doing things differently!