Archive for the ‘Stress Management’ Category

Personal Wellness

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

After returning from a great weekend at a spa resort, relaxation and wellness  are definitely on the top of my mind.  I am an admitted spa-junkie.  I love the calm, quiet atmosphere and the luxurious feeling of being pampered.  I love to take care of my skin and my body, with facials, body treatments and massage. It is what relaxes and centers me the most. I believe that everyone has a different definition of  wellness, and this is how I define wellness for myself..

Wellness can be defined in many ways. Some see it as physical well being, or medical health others think of mental well being and state of mind.  Tranquility, peace of mind and an overall healthy feeling are what make up wellness to me. At the spa I can indulge in some pampering, get some much needed R&R and eat delicious well prepared healthy food.

A weekend without stress is just what I need to make me feel balanced again. Especially now, during this busy holiday season, with shopping and parties and work and kids; a little “detox” time is perfect to promote a peaceful state of mind and mental wellness for me.  A trip to the spa, or any resort, all alone may be just the thing you need if you’re feeling totally overwhelmed and like you are spinning out of control.

If massage and spa treatments don’t do it for you, maybe a weekend in the country is a better idea.  Consider a log cabin in the mountains, or possibly a relaxing weekend on the beach. Even a big highrise hotel can be a place where you find your center again.  Lock yourself away from the world, stare out the window for hours, take naps, enjoy a good book or a few movies. Any of these activities, or lack thereof,  are a great way to unwind and get yourself  back on track again. Taking time for yourself can help promote wellness within anyone.

Find what interests you and makes you your most comfortable you, and take some personal time to create your own wellness, however you might define it.

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Effects of Food Dye

Monday, December 1st, 2008

Are you struggling with hyperactive behavior in your child, or in yourself? My recent research leads me to believe that food dye could be the cause of this behavior.  Red # 40 seems to get the most bad press, but yellow food dye is right up there on the undesirable list.  There is an epidemic of overly diagnosed and overly medicated children, being treated for ADHD, when they in fact may have a red dye allergy or a food dye allergy.

The “sugar rush” many parents fear after their child consumes a lot of sweets actually may be caused by the dyes found in a lot of the candies they consume.  While sugar may be the culprit, in many cases it it the effect of the food dye which causes this out of control behavior. Many of the children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD may just be on “dye overload”.

If your child is diagnosed with one of these conditions, try making dietary changes before you resort to prescription medications. Start by avoiding all foods with food dye.  Especially reds and yellows, starting with red #40 as it seems to be the leading cause of negative reactions in children. Within 3 days you will likely notice a dramatic difference in your child’s behavior.

As you begin the elimination process, you will notice that  food dyes can be found in all types of foods.  They are everywhere. They are found in “healthy” foods such as granola and even as an additive to some fruits to improve the appearance of the skins.  It’s best to avoid any processed foods.  Shop the perimeter aisles of the supermarket and read labels of EVERYTHING.

Food dyes are also known to cause other allergic reactions such as skin rash, and  anaphylactic responses.  They are becoming a hot topic overseas and banned from many popular foods in England. The dyes are only added for appearance, and are very harmful to many people.

Food dye reactions cause learning problems as well.  The fidgety behavior and inability to focus, (often diagnosed as ADHD), will certainly cause a child to fall behind in school. Many children begin to recognize the changes and know exactly what foods to avoid.  Some are even reported to recognize and dislike the way they feel after consuming the food dye.

It may be a bit inconvenient, but you will be doing your child, and yourself a big favor by removing it from their diet.

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Posted in Diet, Food dye, Healthy Eating, Mental Health, Stress Management, Testing | No Comments »

Stress and Your Health

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

We all deal with stress at some point in our lives.  For some of us it’s daily, for others, not as often.
We all seem to talk about having stress in our lives, but often it is unclear what stress really is. Many people believe that  stress is something that happens to them,  like an event a particular happening. Others believe that stress is what happens to our bodies, minds and behaviors in response to the event such as a pounding heart  Stress is in most cases, both.It  involves both the stressful event and our physical and mental response to it.Our thoughts about the stressful situations are the important consideration

It is very important to your health to learn stress management.  It is a proven fact that too much stress can cause the body’s immune system to become weakened and therefore become susceptible to all sorts of illnesses.

When something out of the ordinary happens it is human nature to automatically evaluate the situation in our minds. Quickly we determine if it is a threat or not. And begin to develop a plan for dealing with it, and try to sort out what skills we can use to do so. It is when we decide that the demands of the situation are much greater than the skills we have, that we then label the situation as “stressful” and react with our natural stress response. If we find that our personal coping skills are capable of handling the demands of the situation, then we don’t see it as stressful.

Everyone is different.  We all see things through a different set of eyes and we each bring our own personal backgrounds into every situation.  We also all have a different set of coping skills.  This is why we often bounce these thoughts off out close friends and loved ones, and often get a totally different prospective on how to handle the situation. No 2 people will respond exactly the same to any given situation. Talking it out is one way to help manage your stress level.

Many situations that are equally stressful are not always negative situations.  Weddings, and births and moving are three very stressful, but usually happy positive times in a person’s life. We can’t be totally prepared for these situations and there is some amount of uncertainty involved, so these situations are stressful as well. Some situations in life are just stress-provoking, no matter what,  but it is our thoughts about all situations situations that determine whether they are a problem for us.

How we view  a stressful event and how we react to it determines how it will impact on our personal health. While some events may motivate us and others we view as stressful, we have to learn to handle them all with a sense of calm.  Some stress comes from not being able to control a situation.  Stress does and will have a negative effect on our physical and mental well-being if we do not learn to handle it more effectively.  Finding some help with stress management is a great idea for everyone. By understanding ourselves and our reactions to stress, we can learn to handle stressful situations more effectively and stay healthier mentally, physically and socially.

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