Get your rest

I've been thinking about what to write in today's self care blog. I've had several things run through my head. Relieving shoulder tension and low back stretches were the two at the top of the list. But, to be honest I'm really tired. Literally. I had trouble getting to sleep last night and I feel whupped.

So, I thought I'd write about that. Getting your rest is a very important part of taking care of yourself. There are lots of chemical & physical reasons why a full night's sleep is important, but as my brain is a bit fuzzy, I can't remember the details. (Ironic, isn't it?)

Basically less sleep = more stress. When we don't sleep we can be cranky, forgetful, and less able to think clearly. And stressed. And prolonged stress dows nasty things to the body. Every thing from weight gain to compromised immune system has been linked to stress.

So, so your body a favor and take time to get your rest. It'll thank you for it.

Self Care: Stretching the Neck

If I had a nickle for every time I've heard, "I've got allot of tension in my neck and shoulders," I'd...well, I'd have allot of nickles, that's for sure. We store so much stress in our neck and upper shoulders, especially if we are heavy computer users (or work with our hands, or carry a child around allot, or...the list goes on and on.) It's really important to keep the neck muscles flexible. It not only feels good to stretch them, but it can help prevent or relieve neck pain and headaches caused by muscle tension.

Allot of times, you see people stretching their neck by rotating their head around in a circle, but this is not always the safest option. It can aggravate neck injuries, and as it's really easy to stretch too far with this method you could even create a new one.

When I stretch my neck, I like to imagine that my head is smack dab in the middle of a compass. North is right in front of me, east is my right shoulder, south behind me, and west my left shoulder. I usually sit in a chair with a low back, close my eyes and take a nice deep breath. As I exhale, I slowly let my chin drop towards my chest (towards north.) As my head lowers, I'm aware of the stretch in the back of my neck and I am conscious not to stretch to far. If I feel pain, I let up a bit. I take another breath and return my head to center with the exhalation. I then follow this process for the east point on the compass, bringing my right ear towards my right shoulder. I can feel the stretch on the left side of my neck and upper shoulder and I'm conscious not to let my right shoulder "help" by lifting up to touch my ear. I then take another breath and return to center. I repeat that for both the south and west points. If I'm feeling really tight, I'll incorporate the in between points (north & south east and north & south west) into the routine. To finish off, I'll slowly turn my head to look over each shoulder, making sure that my shoulders stay still, not coming forward to try to meet my chin half way.

So, they next time you find yourself imitating a scared turtle (head tucked down and shoulder up around your ears) you may find taking a few moments to stretch those neck muscles can help a bunch. Please listen to your inner guidance when stretching the neck, though. No over stretching, and don't push it if you feel any pain. When done correctly, a neck stretch is a great way to reduce allot of that stress tension we generate on such a regular basis. Hope it helps!

This information is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or disorder. Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about starting any exercise or stretching routine.

Self Care: It all starts with the breath

The breath is the most important stepping stone on the path to wellness. Learn to harness the power of the breath and you're on your way to creating a new you.


This may sound like an exaggeration, but just the simple act of taking a deep breath has an immediate effect on the body. A deep breath from the belly stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic is the opposite of sympathetic, or "flight or fight" reaction. Instead of getting the body ready to handle an emergency, it's the body's "all clear" signal. The heart rate slows down and digestion is stimulated, giving it the nick name "rest and digest."

"Ok," I hear you ask, "what does this mean to me?" Well, it means that you can consciously tell your body to relax, that every thing's going to be alright. You want to try it? Great! (Um, if you answered no, ignore that last bit...but keep reading, maybe you'll change you mind.)

The best way to take a deep breath is with your belly, or more precisely, your diaphragm. Place a hand on your belly and slowly inhale, pushing the hand out and away. Now relax and exhale slowly, feeling the tension drain out of your muscles and noticing how your hand moves back to the starting point. Once you've gotten the hang of it, you can drop the hand and take a few belly breaths when ever you feel the need to be calm. Remember to inhale and exhale slowly. We're trying to relax here, not huff and puff and...well, you get the picture, I'm sure.

So, try the belly breathing next time you feel tense. Just a few breaths should do the trick. And remember what they say, "Practice makes perfect." The more you concentrate on letting the tension just drain away, the easier it will become. The breath becomes the signal to let the body know that it's ok to relax now. Nifty, huh?

Here's another take on belly breathing from an organization that promotes it as a way to quell feelings of anxiety and panic. http://www.paniccure.com/Approaches/Meditation/Belly_Breathing.htm

This information is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or illness. I am in no way associated with paniccure.com. (The little cartoon on their Belly Breathing page is really cute, though. ;)

Ix-nay on the Ailing List-May

wow, it's really hard to write in pig latin. What I was trying to communicate is that I've dropped the idea of a mailing list. Instead, I'm going to do a daily blog about self care. Yes, I mean daily. Unless I'm somewhere where there's no internet access, like camping or something. So let's get started: urm, in the next post.

Oh! I almost forgot...whacha think of the new look? I stumbled across this nature-y template and really liked it. :)

Website working!

I worked with a client today that found me through my website! yea!

I also signed up for search marketing a few days ago, a pay per click advertising service. My ads are getting viewed a good bit, but it's only generated one click. So, we'll see how that goes.

Well, it's late and I'm a bit tired, so I'm gonna make this a short entry. G'night.

Webring & newsletter

Well, the webring is helping my hit count! Yea! This weekend I'm going to take some time and visit some of the other sites on the ring. Spreading the love, that sort of thing. ;)

I haven't had anyone sign up for the newsletter yet, though, so in light of that (and the fact that finals are approaching at an alarming rate) I'm going to postpone that until next month. I've got some ideas about doing a series of stretches for before and after all those fun outdoor activities going on right now. Now if I could just find someone who would model the stretch for me, I could include pictures...or even start a youtube channel. Hmmmm....

Spirit Women taking off

The women's spiritual activism group (a millionth circle group) my mother started is growing slowly, but surely. We've had more people show up at each meeting, and this month's meeting was a good one. We had fun with the roles of both sound and silence in a spiritual practice, and came up with some great ideas about how we can make a difference in the community as a group. I'm getting really excited about it and am planning to participate in it more and more. One of the members mentioned the Standing Women movement. It's women (and men) who stand in silence for five minutes to help bring awareness to the goals of creating a safe world for our children. It's happening May 11th, at 1pm local time all over the globe. Because of conflicting schedules we didn't decide to meet as a group, but there are women standing in the Dallas area. You can check it out at standingwomen.org. I'm going to be in a continuing education class that day, so I'm going to e-mail the school and let them know about it. Maybe the class would like to participate!

If you are interested in attending a Spirit Women circle, please let me know. We had to move the meeting day and place for May. We are meeting at a member's office and she asked me not to post it online. I think we'll be back at the Spiritual Fitness Center in June, but I'll definitely post any changes here and on out website: spiritwomen.bravehost.com.

It's not a diamond...

...but it is a ring! Ok, so it's a webring, not a piece of jewelry. (I really want to make some sort of pun about "my precious" here, but I just can't quite think of something that would make sense. darn.)

anyway, I submitted my website to an alternative health webring today. It's still in the pending stage, but I've got the code on the home page for all to see. Keep your fingers crossed. :)

Where's Merry?

ok, so maybe that title would work better if my name started with a W. But, it's the best I could come up with at the moment. ;)

I've got a couple of events coming up in May. On the 3rd, I'll be giving parafin dips and hand massages at a "healthy spa day" type thing hosted by New Directions Chiropractic. I'm not quite sure where it is being held (I should know these things if I'm gonna be there, huh?) but I'll post them here as soon as I find out. Or you can e-mail Dr. Neidrich for all the gory, er um, fun details through her website NewDirectionsChiropractic.com.

Also, on the 19th, I'll be doing free, yes I said FREE chair massage at a Dallas MetroMoms event, "Getting Strong! Hop, Skip, and Jump to Family Fun!" It's at the Wiggly Play center in Frisco. If you're interested, you'll need to register through MetroMoms at this website: http://www.metroplexbaby.com/MetroMoms/2008/20080518_GettingStrong.htm According to the site, one lucky family will win an orbit baby stroller.

So, anyway, hope to see you there. (oh, btw, be on the look out for my new newsletter, Take A Moment, coming out on the 15th of every month. I'll post it here, but you can sign up for the HTML e-mail version on the left hand side of the blog, or at the contacts page of my website.)