Sunday, December 28, 2008
Relax into the new year....
Through New Year's Eve, I'm offering a 20% discount on all spoken word meditations, videos or music collections through My Calming Mall. If you are considering a change toward health in the coming year, consider my EZWalk program at 25% discount. Simply enter the discount code of 'chmas2008' when prompted and receive your discount at check-out! Download and enjoy this gift of relaxation for yourself or someone you love.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Will you give yourself 2 minutes?
Ok, just to be fair, it is 2 minutes, 30 seconds! So splurge on the extra 30 seconds and see if you feel any differently.
Anyway, Christmas has come and gone for another year. This was truly a wonderful Christmas for us all. My family focused this year on celebrating all that we have in a changing world - we create and become the glue that holds us all together, giving comfort and strength \to one another when needed. We are truly blessed to have had great moments, wonderful memories (a graceful "bye-bye" ending), great food and hope for the coming year.
While I never want to wish Christmas to hurry, I was physically aware of the toll it took this year. For the past 2 weeks, I planned to rest my body and mind on the 26th and I did! And yes, I was the quintessential couch-potato queen and proud of it! I do not do that often and so, I'm proud of myself for taking it. Stayed in the jammies, never venturing far from the couch and the TV! Mindless, dribble. No laundry, minimal cooking and only walked outside for good phone reception when I spoke with my sister or grandmother.
Several gifts come to mind from my lazy yesterday - I got it out of my system! I relished it, enjoyed it and immersed myself in it. I feel good today. I don't feel deprived or lazy at all! And, today, I've pretty much gotten back on track and the house is quiet while I work. I've been up for a very long while (the joys of getting a few more years under the belt, I hear) and feel that I've accomplished a lot.
So, did you take time to watch the video? I am very aware that time is of the essence in our world and every moment is precious. I'm challenging myself to create more powerful, thoughtful, creative moments for myself in 2009. By creative, I do not necessarily mean task-oriented. I mean creative moments that nurture and guide and enliven our spirits! Will you join me on this journey? How many minutes a day can you ~ WILL YOU ~ commit to self-care? Perhaps you'll come back here and watch my relaxation clip? Perhaps you'll visit my calming mall and give yourself 7-10 minutes of spoken word meditation or music to fall back on. Today's video music is "Pure Drift", a new piece of music that will soon be available for download.
Nurturing. The Nurtured Heart Approach to parenting challenges that a mere 600 seconds a day can change your child's behavior patterns - that's a mere 10 minutes, folks and it does work! So, here you are, taking 120-150 seconds for yourself. Can you feel the change? Perhaps in your pinky finger, your left ear lobe, the shoulders that dropped a centimeter lower than the moment before? I'm asking you to consider the tiny changes that you can make toward your greater good, your greater peace.
I used to practice yoga and loved it so very much. I'm longing to return to it for all the good that it does a body, mind and spirit. On occasion, I remember that you can deepen a yoga pose by breathing into it, lengthening and strengthening the muscles gently, not forcefully. I invite you to gently move into some new practices this year. How many years have we 'resolved' to lose weight, quit smoking, do something and the force simply was not lasting, leaving us feeling tired, frustrated and failed. Go gently into this new year. So many things we cannot change in our greater world. Let me help you make the tiny, significant changes that allow you to better cope with all that we cannot change. Breathe deeply. Rest well.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Stress Free Shopping?
Sixteen shopping days remain for this year's holiday season. Have you finished your shopping? Do you dread the idea of even getting near a shopping mall just now? I know that I do. And yet, I love the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. It's as if the world comes alive in a little bit of a different way. I love the lights, the colors, the decorations, the Christmas carols, the smell of the trees. When I walk into a store selling trees, I get very close and breathe deeply - the smell of Christmas is in the trees, the cookies and even in the winter cold days. Ok, we don't have so many wintry cold days here on the coast so I hold the memory of each one dearly.
I have written before about relaxation music and mediations that I offer to my clients. I love the music that I offer and it can be heard in my office every single day, because it does calm and quiet the mind and soothe the spirit. Many of my clients comment on how good it feels to come in and just settle into the session.
I want to invite you to sample this for yourself. Throughout the month of December, I'm offering a 20% discount on all spoken word meditations, calming and inspiring videos. With savings like this, you might even choose a piece of music or two to add to the mix. Or, if you have difficulty deciding, you might opt for one of the compilations such as "Dream", "Breathe" or one especially for children is "Cool Days".
In addition to the above, I'm also inviting you to get a head start on that pesky New Year's Resolution by enjoying 25% discount on EZWalk, a progressive 6-week walking program that includes a companion booklet.
All of the above can be downloaded directly onto your computer or iPod. Or, you might choose one for a friend: once you've shopped for them, you'll receive an acknowledgement. If you've purchased a gift for a friend, teacher or hostess, simply forward the e-mail to them with a greeting from you. How simple and stress-free can that be?
I wish for you calm moments during the remainder of this holiday season. I know that times are challenging, and yet our homes can, and hopefully ARE, the place we can go at the end of the day to recharge our batteries. Breathe deeply and enjoy each moment.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Insomnia?
League City, Texas - December 6, 2008 - 60 million Americans suffer from some kind of chronic insomnia each year. 60 million. That’s an amazing number.
There are many causes, but recently, the economic climate and world events has led to an increase, as well the overall imbalance with our day to day lives…
Factors like too much work, not enough exercise and “downtime”.
While medications are one way to treat insomnia, there are other alternatives.
Let me outline these in this article and explain more about insomnia.
Insomnia is the sensation of daytime fatigue and impaired performance caused by insufficient sleep. In general, people with insomnia experience an inability to sleep despite being tired; a light, fitful sleep that leaves them fatigued upon awakening; or waking up too early.
Insomniacs often complain of being unable to close their eyes or rest their minds for any period of time. This author certainly knows what it’s like to have your mind racing at bedtime. In our stress-filled world, we are often plagued with unfinished to-do lists in our heads. When it’s quiet and time for sleep, many people have problems pushing those to-do lists aside in favor of dreamland.
The worst part of insomnia is wanting to sleep but being unable to. The mind races and is unable to rest and that makes you overly tired and barely able to function the next day. Sometimes insomnia lasts longer than just a few nights.
So what causes insomnia?
While there’s no one cut and dried reason why some people can’t sleep, most experts agree that insomnia is brought on by stress, anxiety, medications, and/or caffeine – among other things. Transient and short-term insomnia has many causes.
In one study, 20% of adults reported that light, noise, and uncomfortable temperatures caused their sleeplessness. Depending on the time of day too much or too little light can disrupt sleep.
Caffeine most commonly disrupts sleep. Nicotine can cause wakefulness. Quitting smoking can also cause transient insomnia.
Your partner’s sleep habits can also cause you to have insomnia. In one 1999 survey, 17% of women and 5% of men reported that their partner's sleep habits impaired their own sleep. Snoring can certainly be a factor in a partner's insomnia. In fact, in the same survey 44% of men and 36% of women reported snoring a few nights a week and of those who snored, 19% could be heard through a closed door.
Herbal remedies such as valerian root, kava kava, chamomile, lemon balm, St. John’s Wort, and passionflower have been used for insomnia for many years. However, the effectiveness and safety of these products has not been documented. Studies done on herbal remedies are often hard to interpret because they are inconsistent with standards of studies for regulated substances like prescription drugs.
According to the National Institute of Health, although the results of some studies suggest that valerian may be useful for insomnia and other sleep disorders, results of other studies do not. Interpretation of these studies is complicated by the fact the studies had small sample sizes, used different amounts and sources of valerian, measured different outcomes, or did not consider potential bias resulting from high participant withdrawal rates. Overall, the evidence from these trials for the sleep-promoting effects of valerian is inconclusive.
Even if studies report positive benefits from herbal remedies, the compounds used in such studies are, in most cases, not what are being marketed to the public. There have been a number of reported cases of serious and even lethal side effects from herbal products. In addition, some so-called natural remedies were found to contain standard prescription medication.
Using Stress Management and Relaxation…
Learning to be physically and mentally relaxed before going to bed will help you fall asleep more quickly. Additionally, many relaxation techniques can be put to use when you wake up in the middle of the night and need to get back to sleep.
Quieting your mind and body is not something that can be done immediately, so you should try to start winding down at least an hour before bed. Some people find that reading a book, taking a bath, playing solitaire or working a crossword puzzle are good ways to slow down from activity of the day.
Self-help strategies are usually effective and aren’t addictive. Using these alternatives to over-the-counter or prescription medication are less expensive than pharmacological treatment, have fewer side effects, and can provide longer lasting relief particularly when behavioral treatments are used as well.
Consider, too, altering your sleep environment. Put a board under your mattress if it sags or try putting your bed in a different position. Make sure your bedding is clean and that you are warm enough but not too hot.
If light troubles you, use thicker curtains or put a scarf or sleep mask over your eyes. If you feel more comfortable with a little light, leave the curtains open a little or use a night light.
A common cause of sleeplessness is noise. Use earplugs if it’s noise you can’t do anything about. Change your attitude toward the noise, too. People can sleep through high levels of noise. It’s not so much the level of the noise as it is how you feel about it that keeps you awake.
Use relaxation exercises to calm yourself and take your mind off of it. Take some diplomatic action to combat the noise that’s disrupting your sleep. If your family is being noisy while you’re trying to sleep, talk to them calmly about your need to sleep and ask them to please curtail the noise during bedtime hours.
Keep a radio or tape player by your bed and use it to mask other noise. Try playing a relaxation tape or CD such as nature noises that can put you in a calmer mood and make you better able to cope with distractions.
If you continue to have trouble getting to sleep for more than a few nights, you should speak to someone about it. Your local doctor or therapist can help, and provide you with a range of solutions.
Contact:
Delee D’Arcy, MA, LPC, LMFT
Delee@deleedarcytherapy.com
3027 Marina Bay Drive, Suite 110
League City, Texas 77573
713-302-6698
###
There are many causes, but recently, the economic climate and world events has led to an increase, as well the overall imbalance with our day to day lives…
Factors like too much work, not enough exercise and “downtime”.
While medications are one way to treat insomnia, there are other alternatives.
Let me outline these in this article and explain more about insomnia.
Insomnia is the sensation of daytime fatigue and impaired performance caused by insufficient sleep. In general, people with insomnia experience an inability to sleep despite being tired; a light, fitful sleep that leaves them fatigued upon awakening; or waking up too early.
Insomniacs often complain of being unable to close their eyes or rest their minds for any period of time. This author certainly knows what it’s like to have your mind racing at bedtime. In our stress-filled world, we are often plagued with unfinished to-do lists in our heads. When it’s quiet and time for sleep, many people have problems pushing those to-do lists aside in favor of dreamland.
The worst part of insomnia is wanting to sleep but being unable to. The mind races and is unable to rest and that makes you overly tired and barely able to function the next day. Sometimes insomnia lasts longer than just a few nights.
So what causes insomnia?
While there’s no one cut and dried reason why some people can’t sleep, most experts agree that insomnia is brought on by stress, anxiety, medications, and/or caffeine – among other things. Transient and short-term insomnia has many causes.
In one study, 20% of adults reported that light, noise, and uncomfortable temperatures caused their sleeplessness. Depending on the time of day too much or too little light can disrupt sleep.
Caffeine most commonly disrupts sleep. Nicotine can cause wakefulness. Quitting smoking can also cause transient insomnia.
Your partner’s sleep habits can also cause you to have insomnia. In one 1999 survey, 17% of women and 5% of men reported that their partner's sleep habits impaired their own sleep. Snoring can certainly be a factor in a partner's insomnia. In fact, in the same survey 44% of men and 36% of women reported snoring a few nights a week and of those who snored, 19% could be heard through a closed door.
Herbal remedies such as valerian root, kava kava, chamomile, lemon balm, St. John’s Wort, and passionflower have been used for insomnia for many years. However, the effectiveness and safety of these products has not been documented. Studies done on herbal remedies are often hard to interpret because they are inconsistent with standards of studies for regulated substances like prescription drugs.
According to the National Institute of Health, although the results of some studies suggest that valerian may be useful for insomnia and other sleep disorders, results of other studies do not. Interpretation of these studies is complicated by the fact the studies had small sample sizes, used different amounts and sources of valerian, measured different outcomes, or did not consider potential bias resulting from high participant withdrawal rates. Overall, the evidence from these trials for the sleep-promoting effects of valerian is inconclusive.
Even if studies report positive benefits from herbal remedies, the compounds used in such studies are, in most cases, not what are being marketed to the public. There have been a number of reported cases of serious and even lethal side effects from herbal products. In addition, some so-called natural remedies were found to contain standard prescription medication.
Using Stress Management and Relaxation…
Learning to be physically and mentally relaxed before going to bed will help you fall asleep more quickly. Additionally, many relaxation techniques can be put to use when you wake up in the middle of the night and need to get back to sleep.
Quieting your mind and body is not something that can be done immediately, so you should try to start winding down at least an hour before bed. Some people find that reading a book, taking a bath, playing solitaire or working a crossword puzzle are good ways to slow down from activity of the day.
Self-help strategies are usually effective and aren’t addictive. Using these alternatives to over-the-counter or prescription medication are less expensive than pharmacological treatment, have fewer side effects, and can provide longer lasting relief particularly when behavioral treatments are used as well.
Consider, too, altering your sleep environment. Put a board under your mattress if it sags or try putting your bed in a different position. Make sure your bedding is clean and that you are warm enough but not too hot.
If light troubles you, use thicker curtains or put a scarf or sleep mask over your eyes. If you feel more comfortable with a little light, leave the curtains open a little or use a night light.
A common cause of sleeplessness is noise. Use earplugs if it’s noise you can’t do anything about. Change your attitude toward the noise, too. People can sleep through high levels of noise. It’s not so much the level of the noise as it is how you feel about it that keeps you awake.
Use relaxation exercises to calm yourself and take your mind off of it. Take some diplomatic action to combat the noise that’s disrupting your sleep. If your family is being noisy while you’re trying to sleep, talk to them calmly about your need to sleep and ask them to please curtail the noise during bedtime hours.
Keep a radio or tape player by your bed and use it to mask other noise. Try playing a relaxation tape or CD such as nature noises that can put you in a calmer mood and make you better able to cope with distractions.
If you continue to have trouble getting to sleep for more than a few nights, you should speak to someone about it. Your local doctor or therapist can help, and provide you with a range of solutions.
Contact:
Delee D’Arcy, MA, LPC, LMFT
Delee@deleedarcytherapy.com
3027 Marina Bay Drive, Suite 110
League City, Texas 77573
713-302-6698
###
“Dream” CD - $19.95
To get your own copy of “Dream” including 4 meditations and 4 amazing and relaxing pieces of music, please call me or download directly from my calming mall.
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