Dealing with Anxiety

It seems like most of my clients are bringing up the word anxiety or anxiousness during our initial sessions when we cover their overall health history.

I was talking to a client this week about the word anxiety and how I never identified with it. We discussed how it seems so clinical and not very personable. Anxiety sounds like it fits better on someone else. Doesn't it?

However, the more I discuss anxiety with my clients the more I relate to it and I realized I have had my fair share of it. Anxiety has the ability to affect our entire body and mind. When you struggle with anxiety it changes the way you feel, how you behave, and even affects your physical well being.

Are you experiencing any of these symptoms?

๏   Muscle tension

๏   Shaking

๏   Upset stomach

๏   "Butterflies"

๏   Headache

๏   Backache

๏   Rapid heart rate

๏   Numbness

๏   Increased perspiration

Here are a few ways you can start to reduce your anxiety/stress levels:

1. Talk to someone
2. Journal
3. Add some perspective on your perceived/real worries
4. Change up your day to day
5. Seek Advice from a professional
6. Try to look at things with a positive eye

PS - Check out the details on my upcoming Virtual Group Program and join me - Happy, Healthy Holidays without Losing your Mind or your Waistline

Time Management

Lately I have felt really strapped for time. How about you? I feel like there are not enough hours in the day and even if there were would I be more productive? Do I need to be? I know that Time Management has been tapping some of my energy & I wanted to share this article from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I thought it was helpful and I have changed the way I set up my priorities. The jury is still out to see if I like my new setup, but at least it is a start.

Have you ever wished for a few more hours in the day? Why is it that some people seem to get everything done effortlessly and others feel that time constantly eludes them? The secret to managing your time well isn’t working more hours. The secret is working smarter, not harder. It is about prioritizing the important things and learning to use the time you have more efficiently and effectively.

Some of us, by nature, organize and get tasks out of the way before we relax, while others of us play first and work later. It is important to first recognize which type you are and whether your style is allowing you to have the life you really want. Maybe you are super-organized at work, but burned out because you don’t know how to make time for yourself. Maybe you are naturally a less organized person who knows how to relax, but you are dissatisfied because you aren’t fulfilling your goals and dreams.

Rather than labeling yourself or beating yourself up, realize that time management is an area of your life that you can strengthen. Like a new muscle, it takes practice and repetition to make it stronger. To help you get started, here are some steps to streamline your days at work and at home. Try the first one or two that jump out at you:

• Allocate time for planning and organizing.
• Create to-do lists that are realistic, not intimidating. Use only one to-do list.
• Under-schedule your time: Leave time for the unexpected and for interruptions. When you estimate how long something will take, add on a third of that time.
• Schedule your time in a way that reduces interruptions that lower your productivity.
• Practice the art of intelligent neglect: Eliminate trivial tasks.
• Prioritize what is most important and do that first.
• Consider your biological prime time: At what time of day do you work best? Plan to do your most important work at that time.
• If you say yes to everything that comes your way, learn to say no.
• Ask for help and delegate.
• In the evening make your to-do list for the next day, so it will be out of your brain and on a piece of paper.
• Leave work with a clear head and a clean desk.
• Acknowledge yourself daily for all that you have accomplished.

Also take a look at the two biggest hindrances to using time effectively: procrastinating and lacking purpose. We usually procrastinate when a task seems too daunting, too large or too complex, or when we feel we won’t be able to handle it. When you get that “deer in the headlights” feeling, try “chunking”: break the large task into smaller, manageable action steps and start with the first one. We also often drag our heels or use our time inefficiently because we are bored, unengaged and uninspired. The most effective people will tell you that they love what they do and are aligned with a greater purpose. When it comes to managing your time, you may need to ask the larger questions, “Am I doing what I love to do? Am I doing something meaningful to me?”

As you strengthen your new time management muscle, keep your focus on getting organized so that you can live the life you came here for. Instead of being a chore, good time management can be your ticket to more fun, greater satisfaction and a vibrant, exciting life.

Blank Space, otherwise know as Meditation

Today I wanted to write a little bit about meditation. My goal is to help you understand that meditation doesn't have to be about completely blanking out your thoughts. I certainly used to think that way and therefore rejected the entire idea of relaxation & meditation. Let me tell you that I was never interested in quieting my mind. I'm a talker and if I am not chatting away my brain won't stop clattering either.


I was that kid in kindergarden that could not take a nap. I was wired. I would lay on my little woven nap and wonder why we had to sit and be quiet. The teacher probably wanted to hit me over the head and put me out. I even remember a high school gym class where we had to listen to a recording and follow the prompts. It was one of the longest 45 minutes of my life.  I have had a hard time being quiet, relaxing, and slowing down. Does this sound familiar? If you know me you probably know that I like to buzz around. I like to have something going on. I keep lists for the simple fact that I like to know I have something to do and then cross off the items - its gratifying. Isn't it? Always heading somewhere. Always planning out the next step. Or is it?


Well, a few years ago I was extremely stressed out and it was making me really sick. I was having intense digestion issues, back and neck pain and I couldn't sleep no matter how tired I was. Well I decided to consult my "team" of health professionals - Acupuncturist, Kinesthetic Doctor, Massage Therapists, Energy workers, Personal Trainer, Holistic Nutritionist, etc. As you can see I do not have an MD in my "team" but that is because I have never found a allopathic doctor that really seemed to understand the importance of taking a 360 approach to health. An MD who had the time and interest in helping me get healthy (recommendations please!). The verdict from these health professionals was that I needed to relax.


During this time I was getting a lot of advice and learning to take better care of myself. I was reading up on how diet & lifestyle play a huge roll in your health. I was forced to slow down so I started revisiting the idea of relaxation & meditation. I started to get back into Yoga. I took a class on the medicinal effects of Yoga. Learning that yoga has many aspects besides the asanas - the poses you see at the gym. Yoga means union and it is the union of our consciousness with the universe. Learning that Yoga was more than movements was fascinating.

Yoga is also about learning to breath. How many of us hold our breath for one reason or another? If you are doing it now - take a deep belly breath through your nose and then exhale at the same length as your inhale. Breathing in and of it self is healing and relaxing. Did you feel a change when you took a breath?


So if you are not too keen on quieting your mind. That's okay try breathing and just focusing on the breath. Close your eyes. You can do this anytime. At a meeting, at a stop light, while you are bathing, while you are eating, or if you are speaking to someone that rubs you the wrong way.


Look at meditation as a gateway to relaxation. Close your eyes and release your to do lists. Focus on breathing and think only of the breath. If your mind moves to thoughts of plans for another day or that you are hungry just return to the act of breathing. Do not judge yourself. Just be.


There are so many forms of meditation. Try any of them. This post does not even touch upon all the options you have; walking meditation, mantras, eating meditation, bowing, sitting, prayer, chanting, etc.


Here are a few places around the Minneapolis area that you can get started with a meditative practice:


http://www.commongroundmeditation.org/
http://www.themeditationcenter.org/jnana/index.php

Or just google meditation and you will find loads of fabulous YouTube videos, books, cd's, and other valuable mindfulness tools.

What forms of meditation have you tried? What works for you? Let me know.