Emotional

Move your body 

Moving the body is a great way to release emotions, especially the stressful ones. The best ways to move the body are the ones that are fun and easy to do on the spur of the moment. Here is a list of ways to release negative emotions:

• Swimming,
• Walking in nature,
• Running,
• Zumba
• Yoga
• Singing
• Bathing
• Listen to soft music when stressed or upbeat music when starting to feel blue.
• Dance it off
• Cycling in nature
• Swing in a hammock

Releasing Anger

Anger is one of the emotions that can do the most damage in the body. If you do not release anger, it turns inward as depression and can even lead to long term illness such a cancer. It is therefore very important to release any anger you may be holding. Firstly, you recognise you are holding anger, then you assess it and decide if there is a conversation or a confrontation that needs to occur. If confrontation is not your strong point, you can write a letter/e mail or remove yourself from that person(s) until you are clear on the way forward.

Signs that you are holding onto anger:

1. Depression. While it’s not the case every time, often, feelings of depression can go hand-in-hand with feelings of anger. Depression is simply the anger turned in on yourself.
2. Being triggered by little things. This one is a classic. If little annoyances upset you more than you think they should, it’s probably not that source of your frustration at all. Dig deeper.
3. Feeling stuck. Whether it’s a personal or a professional relationship, if you feel like you’re in a constant state of limbo with the other person, you could be holding onto anger.
4. Cutting yourself off. Sometimes, unresolved anger can cause you to want to cut yourself off from the person or people you feel angry at.
5. You keep telling the same stories which is usually a sign that you have not dealt with the anger. Venting the same thing over and over is something to look at deeper.

Ways to release anger:

• Withdraw and deal with yourself first
• Straighten it out using physical exercise
• Breathing is the ultimate trick
• Consider a different approach
  • Scream into pillow or punch pillow or in the car
  • Throw stones at a tree trunk or wall or even bean bags and say out loud what you want to say to the person/universe
  • Write it all down a piece of paper and burn it outside.
  • Try and get it out of your body without hurting another person first prior to conversation.
• Don’t let thinking come to a standstill.
• Write down your main points you want to express and then express to the person in writing if you are too anxious to do it in person. Do it gently and in a controlled manner. If you do not get the response you hope for straight away, wait a while before making a decision.
• Follow your heart and your gut and make the changes you fear to make. Anger is often frustration based on fear. Face the fears first, then the frustrations will subside and then take the action to change your situation.
• Prayer often helps at this time and asking for guidance from whomever you revere or have faith in. It’s important to talk to someone you can trust and if that does not include anyone in your close circle, find a counsellor for a while to talk about the feelings and find the source of the frustrations.

Inner Peace 

We cannot search for peace outside of ourselves, peace comes from you finding that calm and staying there no matter what is happening on the outside of you. We cannot just wait for people and situations to change to then say: I now have peace. “If I only had more money” “if this person would only do this”, those are all things we are looking to the outside of ourselves to change things. I follow this man Dr. Marc Cohen https://drmarc.co. He has some simple but very effective advice on how to find inner peace.

“There is peace even in the storm.” ―Vincent van Gogh

“World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not the absence of violence. Peace is the manifestation of human compassion” – Dalai Lama

• Stress comes from inside of us. It comes from our perceptions, thoughts, and ideas about the environment around us. This is how one person handles stress better than another. Stress is not real, it is something you can shift out of. You can change how you view the outside world and others, and then you finally learn to RESPOND AND NOT REACT:
• This is also called temperance. This is a gift you can receive from spirit, it is a state where your emotions do not control you. You can feel, but you quickly release and do not actbased off of those emotions. We all have to learn to deal with toxic people in our lives and around us, people can be mean. No matter what another person says or does, you can choose to either…respond or react.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Peace is the sound of your feet walking away from reacting. Walk away from the things that are not for your highest and best good. Walk away from what no longer serves you. Shifting into a higher vibration and a different way of viewing the world. You do not have to react to every mean, gossip, lies that people say or view about you. Let them have their thoughts, they are not yours.
• Learning to stop blaming everyone and everything else for our stress and hard life. Look inside and change yourself. Take ownership of why you do not have peace. There are a lot of things to do to help us achieve this state. It is a very personal journey of what each person needs to change, but like all things…it starts with ownership.
• Peace is a gift, a special gift that comes from a higher plane. When you practice and come to a state of non reactionyou are able to choose how you feel. We can then choose to respond from a place of love and compassion for one another or a situation..
• The things that throw us off our peace are called “triggers”. We all have triggers and things that set us off. The more we work to neutralize those triggers and allow the lessons to teach us, we become better people. We become more stable and not allow our emotions to control us. We are able to stay in that eye of the storm longer and longer.

One great way to find peace is to keep a POSITIVITY JOURNAL – Write 5 things to be grateful for or positive things about each day every night before you sleep…it trains your brain quickly to look for the positive rather than the negative in life and it shifts the focus within a short space of time.

Another way to find peace is to bring gratitude into your life on a daily basis, whether it be writing down the thing you are grateful for daily or getting each person to say what they are grateful for around the table before eating dinner around the table or just shifting other people from a negative view to a more positive one by reminding them of what they have to be grateful about. Write post it notes around the house to remind yourself of the things you can be grateful for, no matter how small they may be.

Our perceptions and understanding about words greatly affect how we see the world, and thus how we respond (not react) to our environment and the people in it.

• THE BREATH – Breath in through your nose & out slowly your teeth and make a “sssss” sound while breathing out. While doing this over & over, imagine black clouds of stress leaving your body.
• THE WRITTEN WORD – If someone is bothering you, write them a letter with no restrictions in what you want to say, give yourself total freedom to say what you really want curse words and all. Then score lines across it writing “I release you to the universe” across page, put tinfoil in a bowl & rip up your letter & burn outside. Ask the universe to deal with it for u. You can do your “hissing” breathing while writing letter to release negative energy. You can also write a note asking the person stay away from you for a while & fold up paper & put in the freezer with the persons name inside. It puts them on ice for a while
• KIND GESTURES – “Random acts of kindness” without telling others is a way to bring good karma to your life & make you feel good inside…just small things like help an old person across the road etc
• SELF SOOTHING – Do something nice for yourself every day – no matter how small, something that lifts your spirits or soothes you or makes your life easier.
• Other things you can try are energy healing, praying, crystals, essential oils, salt baths, massage, lie in a hammock, cooking, listen to music, read, nature walks, dancing, singing, cleaning frenzy, jump in a spa, bare feet in the sand or on the grass.

Fear is the opposite of love. Fear leads to separations and this leads to neediness and emotional mental pain which leads to energy blocks in the body which then turns to illness in the body. The road back to wellness therefore must include doing things that bring you pleasure, being in service to others, expanding your world physically, mentally and spiritually, going with the flow of life and trusting the universe. The most important influencer of course is connection to self and others and the tool for this is LOVE. This is the recipe back to wellness. See the connection here in this diagram designed by Dr Marc Cohen.

Mental and emotional exhaustion – Warning signs

• You’re easily irritated.
• You feel completely unmotivated- even to do things you normally enjoy.
• You’re experiencing anxiety or panic attacks.
• You’re having trouble sleeping. Either it takes you hours to fall asleep or your sleep is broken all through the night.
• You have almost no patience and you find yourself being short with colleagues and family.
• You’re experiencing indigestion. You have a low-grade stomach ache all the time or feel like there’s butterflies in your stomach.
• Start crying unexpectedly.
• You feel detached from reality- you go through your days without really emotionally responding or connecting to anything. You feel empty.

This happens when we let RUN US INSTEAD OF US RUNNING OUR OWN LIFE.

Say no to others

Sometimes is it a good thing to say no. We cannot do it all and we need to realize there are always more tomorrows, so do not push yourself to hard day in and day out.

A wise person once told me: There is a difference between service and servitude. The difference is that true service is when it is good for you and the other person – the balance of giving and receiving is stable. Servitude is when you say yes to everything out of obligation, it is not good for you, your hearts intent is off and you say yes for the praise, glory, because others are watching, or because you feel as though you have to. Learn to say no.

Say yes to yourself

The only way to treat the soul being tired, is to say yes to yourself. What do you need? Ask your heart what you want to do? What do you feel like eating? Taking NO time for self care, personal care is the reason we landed ourselves here in the first place. Take time to be quiet and do something for you like a nice drive, take a hike, walk in nature, take a nice warm bath or lie in a hammock, read a book or watch your favourite movie.

Self care for a tired soul

We have needs in each of these categories! If you need to eat and drink for your physical category, and that is NOT selfish, then how is taking 2 hours or all day to read a book for your mental health? Whatever your needs are for the rest of the categories, those are just as necessary as eating and drinking. Do not think yourself as selfish when you are taking care of yourself in the rest of what makes up you.

When does self care, if ever, cross over into selfishness? What I have come up with is: if you get to a point where all you think about, notice, or do is yourself without regard to others…then you might want to revaluate. You can do something each day to care for yourself, and something to care for another each day. In this way it stays balanced and you will not cross over into selfishness.

So what do you want to do for yourself today?! Or do you simply need to say no today to something you usually would say yes to? Remember you are saying no if it puts you in servitude, and to help stay in balance.

Meditation 

When we meditate, we inject far-reaching and long-lasting benefits into our lives. And bonus: you don’t need any extra gear or an expensive membership.

Here are five reasons to meditate:

• Understand your pain
• Lower your stress
• Connect better
• Improve focus
• Reduce brain chatter

It is important our DNA and our cells to have less stress and anxiety, less fear and judgement, more positivity and healthier beliefs and lifestyle.

Only you will know in which area of your life you need to work with first to do this. Whether it is negative thoughts, fear of the world, stress of life, emotions and drama you bring from your perceptions. We all need to find something more positive we can do instead.

The easiest way to reduce stress and anxiety is with deep breathing and meditation. When we meditate, we inject far-reaching and long-lasting benefits into our lives: We lower our stress levels, we get to know our pain, we connect better, we improve our focus, and we’re kinder to ourselves.

Mindfulness – In mindfulness practice, we are learning how to return to, and remain in, the present moment—to anchor ourselves in the here and now on purpose, without judgment.With this type of meditation, you engage in a repetitive activity or one where you can get “in the zone” and experience “flow.” Again, this quiets the mind and allows your brain to shift. Mindfulness can be a form of meditation that, like activity-oriented meditation, doesn’t really look like meditation. We “practice” mindfulness so we can learn how to recognize when our minds are doing their normal everyday acrobatics, and maybe take a pause from that for just a little while so we can choose what we’d like to focus on.

A Basic Meditation for Beginners

The first thing to clarify: What we’re doing here is aiming for mindfulness, not some process that magically wipes your mind clear of the countless and endless thoughts that erupt and ping constantly in our brains. We’re just practicing bringing our attention to our breath, and then back to the breath when we notice our attention has wandered.

• Get comfortable and prepare to sit still for a few minutes. After you stop reading this, you’re going to simply focus on your own natural inhaling and exhaling of breath.
• Focus on your breath. Where do you feel your breath most? In your belly? In your nose? Try to keep your attention on your inhale and exhale.
• Follow your breath for two minutes. Take a deep inhale, expanding your belly, and then exhale slowly, elongating the out-breath as your belly contracts.

Depression & anxiety

• Living the future brings anxiety
• Living in the past causes depression
• The best and easiest way to bring yourself back to the present it through the BREATH.

What is mental health?

Mental health is about wellness rather than illness, and means being able to take satisfaction and pleasure in everyday life.

Depression

There are different types of depression. Symptoms can range from minor (but still disabling) through to very severe. While we all feel sad, moody or low from time to time, some people experience these feelings intensely, for long periods of time (weeks, months or even years) and sometimes without any apparent reason. Depression is more than just a low mood – it’s a serious condition that affects your physical and mental health.

Signs and symptoms

You may be depressed if, for more than two weeks, you’ve felt sad, down or miserable most of the time, or have lost interest or pleasure in usual activities, and have also experienced several of the signs and symptoms across at least three of the categories below.

It’s important to remember that we all experience some of these symptoms from time to time, and it may not necessarily mean you’re depressed. Equally, not everyone who is experiencing depression will have all of these symptoms.

Behaviour

• not going out anymore
• not getting things done at work/school
• withdrawing from close family and friends
• relying on alcohol and sedatives
• not doing usual enjoyable activities
• unable to concentrate

Feelings

• overwhelmed
• guilty
• irritable
• frustrated
• lacking in confidence
• unhappy
• indecisive
• disappointed
• miserable
• sad

Thoughts

• ‘I’m a failure.’
• ‘It’s my fault.’
• ‘Nothing good ever happens to me.’
• ‘I’m worthless.’
• ‘Life’s not worth living.’
• ‘People would be better off without me.’

Physical

• tired all the time
• sick and run down
• headaches and muscle pains
• churning gut
• sleep problems
• loss or change of appetite
• significant weight loss or gain

Natural remedies for DEPRESSION

These tips can help you feel better – starting right now.

• Get in a routine. If you’re depressed, you need a routine. Depressioncan strip away the structure from your life. One day melts into the next. Setting a gentle daily schedule can help you get back on track.
• Set goals.When you’re depressed, you may feel like you can’t accomplish anything. That makes you feel worse about yourself. To push back, set daily goals for yourself. “Make your goal something that you can succeed at, like doing the dishes every other day.” As you start to feel better, you can add more challenging daily goals.
• Exercise.It temporarily boosts feel-good chemicals called endorphins. It may also have long-term benefits for people with depression. Regular exercise seems to encourage the brain to rewire itself in positive ways. How much exercise do you need? You don’t need to run marathons to get a benefit. Just walking a few times a week can help.
• Eat healthy.There is no magic diet that fixes depression. It’s a good idea to watch what you eat, though. If depression tends to make you overeat, getting in control of your eating will help you feel better. There’s evidence that foods with omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon and tuna) and folic acid (such as spinach and avocado) could help ease depression.
• Get enough sleep.Depression can make it hard to get enough shut-eye, and too little sleep can make depression worse. What can you do? Start by making some changes to your lifestyle. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Try not to nap. Take all the distractions out of your bedroom — no computer and no TV. In time, you may find your sleep improves.
• Take on responsibilities. When you’re depressed, you may want to pull back from life and give up your responsibilities at home and at work. Don’t. Staying involved and having daily responsibilities can help you maintain a lifestyle that can help counter depression. They ground you and give you a sense of accomplishment. If you’re not up to full-time school or work, that’s fine. Think about part-time. If that seems like too much, consider volunteer work.
• Challenge negative thoughts.In your fight against depression, a lot of the work is mental — changing how you think. When you’re depressed, you leap to the worst possible conclusions.
• The next time you’re feeling terrible about yourself, use logic as a natural depression treatment. You might feel like no one likes you, but is there real evidence for that? You might feel like the most worthless person on the planet, but is that really likely? It takes practice, but in time you can beat back those negative thoughts before they get out of control.
• Check with your doctor before using supplements.“There’s promising evidence for certain supplements for depression,” Cook says. Those include fish oil, folic acid, and SAMe. But more research needs to be done before we’ll know for sure. Always check with your doctor before starting any supplement, especially if you’re already taking medications.
• Do something new.When you’re depressed, you’re in a rut. Push yourself to do something different. Go to a museum. Pick up a used book and read it on a park bench. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Take a language class.
• “When we challenge ourselves to do something different, there are chemical changes in the brain,” Cook says. “Trying something new alters the levels of [the brain chemical] dopamine, which is associated with pleasure, enjoyment, and learning.”
• Try to have fun. If you’re depressed, make time for things you enjoy. What if nothing seems fun anymore? “That’s just a symptom of depression,” Cook says. You have to keep trying anyway.

Here you can find a checklist to measure the likelihood that you are depressed or anxious: Anxiety and depression checklist (K10 test) – Beyond Blue

Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition and there are many types of anxiety. There are plenty of effective treatments for anxiety and depression, and the sooner you seek support, the sooner you can recover. Recovery can take time and be different for everyone. While psychological and/or medical treatment can help with your recovery, there are many other things you can do to get better.

Signs and symptoms

The symptoms of anxiety conditions are sometimes not all that obvious as they often develop slowly over time and, given we all experience some anxiety at various points in our lives, it can be hard to know how much is too much.

Normal anxiety tends to be limited in time and connected with some stressful situation or event, such as a job interview. The type of anxiety experienced by people with an anxiety condition is more frequent or persistent, not always connected to an obvious challenge, and impacts on their quality of life and day-to-day functioning. While each anxiety condition has its own unique features, there are some common symptoms including:

• Physical: panic attacks, hot and cold flushes, racing heart, tightening of the chest, quick breathing, restlessness, or feeling tense, wound up and edgy
• Psychological: excessive fear, worry, catastrophizing, or obsessive thinking
• Behavioural: avoidance of situations that make you feel anxious which can impact on study, work or social life

Natural remedies for anxiety and stress

Natural remedies are generally safe to use alongside more conventional medical therapies. However, alterations to the diet and some natural supplements can change the way antianxiety medications work, so it is essential to consult a doctor before trying these solutions. The doctor may also be able to recommend other natural remedies.

1. Exercise

Exercise is a great way to burn off anxious energy, and research tends to support this use. Exercise may also help with anxiety caused by stressful circumstances. Results of a 2016 study, for example, suggest that exercise can benefit people with anxiety related to quitting smoking.

2. Meditation

Meditation can help to slow racing thoughts, making it easier to manage stress and anxiety. A wide range of meditation styles, including mindfulness and meditation during yoga, may help. Mindfulness-based meditation is increasingly popular in therapy. A 2010 meta-analytic review suggests that it can be highly effective for people with disorders relating to mood and anxiety.

3. Relaxation exercises

Some people unconsciously tense the muscles and clench the jaw in response to anxiety. Progressive relaxation exercises can help. Try lying in a comfortable position and slowly constricting and relaxing each muscle group, beginning with the toes and working up to the shoulders and jaw.

4. Writing

Finding a way to express anxiety can make it feel more manageable. Some research suggests that journaling and other forms of writing can help people to cope better with anxiety. A 2016 study, for example, found that creative writing may help children and teens to manage anxiety.

5. Time management strategies

Some people feel anxious if they have too many commitments at once. These may involve family, work, and health-related activities. Having a plan in place for the next necessary action can help to keep this anxiety at bay. Effective time management strategies can help people to focus on one task at a time. Book-based planners and online calendars can help, as can resisting the urge to multitask. Some people find that breaking major projects down into manageable steps can help them to accomplish those tasks with less stress.

6. Aromatherapy

Smelling soothing plant oils can help to ease stress and anxiety. Certain scents work better for some people than others, so consider experimenting with various options. Lavender may be especially helpful. A 2012 study tested the effects of aromatherapy with lavender on insomnia in 67 women aged 45–55. Results suggest that the aromatherapy may reduce the heart rate in the short term and help to ease sleep issues in the long term.

7. Cannabidiol oil

Cannabidiol (CBD) oil is a derivative of the cannabis, or marijuana, plant. Unlike other forms of marijuana, CBD oil does not contain tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is the substance that creates a “high.” CBD oil is readily available without a prescription in many alternative healthcare shops. Preliminary research suggests that it has significant potential to reduce anxiety and panic. In areas where medical marijuana is legal, doctors may also be able to prescribe the oil.

8. Herbal teas

Many herbal teas promise to help with anxiety and ease sleep. Some people find the process of making and drinking tea soothing, but some teas may have a more direct effect on the brain that results in reduced anxiety such as chamomile which can alter levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

9. Herbal supplements

Like herbal teas, many herbal supplements claim to reduce anxiety. However, little scientific evidence supports these claims. It is vital to work with a doctor who is knowledgeable about herbal supplements and their potential interactions with other drugs.

10. Time with animals

Pets offer companionship, love, and support. Research published in 2018 confirmed that pets can be beneficial to people with a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety. While many people prefer cats, dogs, and other small mammals, people with allergies will be pleased to learn that the pet does have to be furry to provide support. Spending time with animals can also reduce anxiety and stress associated with trauma.