What should you do if your mental health is suffering during self-isolation? Here are some tips: 1. Maintain routine. It helps to manage anxiety and will help you to adapt more quickly to this current reality. 2. Engage with Nature. Make the most of any private outdoor space you have. Getting sunshine is imperative for a healthy mind. 3. Try something new. Now is a great time to learn how to sew or tackle a DIY project. 4. Limit your news intake. A near-constant stream of news reports about an outbreak can cause anyone to feel distressed. 5. Stay connected. Download a video chat app and have fun chatting with friends and family.
Community News
The Mind-Body Connection
We live in a mechanical age where the connection between your mind and body is little recognized. For most people, this means little more than diet and exercise, but the power of your mind goes much further. Hypnosis can significantly change your white blood cell count and vary the ratio of your immune cells either way, depending on your focus. At MindStrengthBalance.com we specialize in medical support and performance enhancement. We’re offering a free self-hypnosis audio file to boost your lung health. Download it from: https://bit.ly/healyourlungs
Acceptance & Adaptability
The Yoga tradition supports us in life by teaching us how to stop fighting with circumstance and to become adaptable. The many and varied practices of Yoga not only support us through difficult times but also offer a practical way to infuse our lives with greater ease, clarity and presence. Numerous practices of Yoga teach us to hone our inner life as well as our relationships with others and with the world at large. Such practices teach us how to cling less, resist less, observe our fears in order to be less reactive and to not buy into our ego-driven thoughts. They also encourage us to live with greater acceptance, compassion and gratitude, no matter the external circumstance. For some FREE Practices for Difficult Times and upcoming Deep Self Care online program go to YogaAndHealing.ca
We are Here for You
The BC Responsible and Problem Gambling Program continues to provide free services to citizens of British Columbia through this period. We are working to provide virtual options (telephone and videoconferencing) for the delivery of our services, including counselling and outreach support. For more information, please contact the Gambling Support Line at 1.888.795.6111 or email Problem.Gambling@gov.bc.ca. If you need to renew your VSE agreement, please contact BCLC’s Customer Support Centre at 1-866-815-0222. A BCLC Investigator will set new ‘temporary’ agreement renewal and contact you when venues are set to open to obtain your documentation.
Rejuvenate Your Relationships During Covid-19
Are you feeling afraid, isolated, and desperate for connection? Try connecting with friends and family through online platforms like Zoom, Facetime, or Whatsapp. Although we have the limits of social distancing and the request to self-isolate, this gives us an opportunity to connect with our loved ones to a greater degree. Too often we get too busy with our lives that we do not spend the time so essential to building our closest relationships. Finding ways to rejuvenate your relationship with your loved ones is such an important aspect for self-care, and for loving connectedness that builds resilience in such uncertain times.
Optimize Your Immune System
We must all focus on the importance of a healthy immune system as the real protection against any virus or bacteria. A healthy immune system requires a healthy nervous system, removing stress and preexisting trauma to achieve a balanced state. Also, making sure to eat healthy and natural foods so you have all the required minerals, vitamins and a good pH balance in the body. A remote NES scan can show the priorities to focus on in order to achieve and maintain a healthy and balanced state. Get well – Stay well!
New Superberry: an Antioxidant Powerhouse
In the spectrum of nutrition, berries rank near the top, and among berries, none are more nutritious than the Aronia berry. That’s because powerful antioxidants (proanthocyanidins) in Aronia berries remove harmful free oxygen radicals from cells. Research shows that in diabetics, Aronia berry juice reduced blood glucose, and its extracts reduced inflammation and improved immunity. An extract of Aronia berries injected into highly malignant brain tumor cells killed malignant cells within 24 hours without harming healthy cells. And in hard-to-treat cancers, combining Aronia with chemotherapy improved the effectiveness of conventional drugs.
Words to Live By
“You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes every day – unless you’re too busy; then you should sit and meditate for an hour.” Zen Proverb
Fear of Falls Causes Unsafe Behavior
When someone is fearful of falling, they start to avoid everyday activities by staying at home and doing less. This lack of activity leads to loss of strength, reduced muscle tone, and loss of coordination and balance. This physical deterioration increases the risk of falling and if a fall does occur, it further heightens the fear. Turn your fear of falling into positive actions; remain active, exercise regularly, use assistive devices such as walkers or grab bars and wear sensible shoes. Consider joining a group session designed especially to teach balance exercises for fall prevention.
Product Review: RELEAF Stick
ACTIVE RELEAF aims to encourage active wellness through the use of nature’s most powerful ingredients. With a synergistic blend of coconut oil, shea butter, essential oils, and broad spectrum cannabinoid-rich hemp plant extract, ACTIVE RELEAF’s topicals offer a natural alternative for pain relief. Try the Original Formula RELEAF Stick as a reliable remedy to soothe everyday aches and pains. For extra stubborn discomfort associated with joint stiffness, and inflammation, the Extra Strength RELEAF+ Stick is specially formulated to soothe quickly and be long lasting. Apply liberally to affected areas 3 – 4 times a day or as needed.
Understanding Yoga Therapy
In the unfolding of the Human experience, we are in a constant interplay of cause and effect, of outer events and our reactions to them. This unfolding is complex and unique to each one of us. Throughout our lives we may bear injuries and/or illness (short, long term or chronic,) and have an ongoing flow of experiences to some of which we may have challenging emotions. Whether you’re seeking relief from struggles in the physical body, in difficult thoughts and emotions, or (often) both, a Yoga Therapist works with you to create an individualized practice that empowers you to support yourself through recovery, in creating greater ease and/or in establishing meaningful transformation.
