Healing
with Vitamins By The Editors of Prevention Health
Books
YOUR ABILITY TO SWITCH OFF AND RELAX
Behavioural
research has revealed that ideally we should rest for approximately 20 minutes
during any 90 minute work period.
The origins of this requirement stem from our tens of thousands of years
of development as a species during which there was no such thing as a contract
of employment with fixed 10 minute breaks in the morning and the afternoon. Instead, people worked and rested
according to how they felt. This
natural cycle of work and recovery is called our ‘ultradian rhythms’ and they
apply to us just as much today as they did to our caveman ancestors. If we are to maximise our energy we must
recognise the need to pace ourselves and balance our work and recovery
periods.
For most of us
the idea of 20 minutes rest during every 90 minute work period, is pie in the
sky. If we insisted on working this
way it would be hard at first, but would get much easier, after our employment
had been terminated! This is not
therefore what we suggest. What we
do recommend is that you accept the importance of work and recovery periods and
ask yourself if you can better pace yourself.
A useful skill
to develop, which can help you to pace yourself better, is the ability to
switch-off and relax for short periods of time. Although this involves physical
relaxation the main purpose is to give our brains a rest. The term ‘switch-off’ means that we
literally want to switch our minds off, to allow real recovery time to
occur. This is a skill which, like
any other skill, has to be learned and practiced if you are to perfect it and reap the
benefits.
One way to
switch off effectively for a relatively short period of time is to make use of
diaphragmatic breathing. Even if
you have only 5 minutes during which you won’t be disturbed, try the
following:
With practice
you should find that you will gain a real boost from regular short periods of
quality relaxation of this kind. In
addition to feeling more alert and energised, many people report their mood and
enthusiasm also improves.
IT’S SOCIAL LIFE JIM BUT NOT AS WE KNOW IT.
We’ve got a lot to learn from gorillas about stress. Don’t take my word for it, I was surfing the other day and tried ‘gorilla wisdom’ on the search engines. You wouldn’t believe the stuff you can find. For example, I found a gorilla dating site (“Young, rampant ‘Prince Kong’ chest-beating alpha male g.s.o.h. own copse, seeks submissive demure female for nights of frolicking fun in the forest” “Utterly bored female seeks replacement for clapped-out old grey back with halitosis, any Kong with a bit of life will do”).
However, the real gem was greybackshaman.com. Here, I found a description of the ‘four-tree way.’ This is the essence of the gorilla philosophy of life and is founded on the ‘four trunks’ of:
·
Community
·
Relationships
·
Rest
and relaxation
·
Play
Well,
I sought out Shaman Grey Kong, founder of greybackshaman.com, and amazingly he
agreed to an interview. I asked him
what advice he had for stressed out humans. This is what he said. I have left it unedited to preserve its
raw power.
“Banana. Human play with human. Dominoes good, and ludo and
dancing. Monopoly bad. Never play monopoly. Cause fights. Banana! Invest friends. Human social animal. Human forget need humans social
life. Human work,
travel, go home, work. Where
play? Where rest? Where groom? Human need groom, same gorilla. Human need give groom need receive
groom. Where bananas? Human promise
bananas. Give bananas now!”
At
this point I had to terminate the interview. I had forgotten to bring
bananas.
What
can we learn from the wise words of Shaman Grey Kong? Gorillas like bananas for one thing, and
dominoes. But apart from that, Kong
reminds us of the importance of social life for wellbeing, and that of the need
to invest in relationships. Wise
words as well about the need to rest and the need to play sometimes.
Social
support has been shown to be an excellent buffer against stress. However, it is something that can
benefit from a bit of effort and planning.
Doing something you enjoy and meeting new people is pretty easy these
days with evening classes, sports, voluntary work etc. Alternatively, taking some quality time
out with people you already know might be even
easier!
So
let’s heed Shaman Grey Kong’s advice and invest in a spot of mutual grooming
this month.
A New You in 2002 – 10 Tips to Stop Smoking
Stopping smoking is something that anyone can achieve but here are
some tips to help you get there:
1. There are 3 stages of stopping: 1. Preparing to stop,
2. Stopping,
3. Staying stopped!
Remember it is easier to get motivated if you are stopping for your benefit. Ask yourself ‘Do I really want to stop?’ Be clear about your reasons for stopping and write them down.
2. Write down how much money you have been spending on cigarettes per
week and then multiply by 52! Then
think of what you really, really want this year and start putting your cigarette
money in a jar or better still a savings
account!!
3. Take a few moments to close your eyes and visualise yourself as a
non-smoker. Become aware of the changes you notice in yourself: What has changed
in the way you look? Do people react differently to you? Do you feel differently about yourself?
Perhaps you have got that attractive healthy glow that has been missing for some
time! (This is a technique that
will feed your motivation throughout the
process.)
4. Visit the dentist and have your teeth cleaned to get rid of
tobacco stains. Make a contract
with yourself to keep your teeth white.
5. Drink fruit juice and eat fruit. Vitamin C helps the body to get rid of
nicotine more quickly.
6. Become aware of your smoking triggers, avoid getting into
situations where you used to always have a cigarette. Try to avoid alcohol when
you stop at first. Temporary
changes will get you through the withdrawal period. Then you can go back to normal – as a
permanent non-smoker.
7. Remember: Withdrawal symptoms are temporary. They are healthy signs that the body is
repairing itself after a long exposure to nicotine, so rejoice in experiencing
them!
8. The actual craving for a cigarette usually lasts only 3-5
minutes. When cravings strike try
going for a walk, doing some sit ups or engage in any activity that can take
your mind off cigarettes. (Use your
imagination!)
9. Taking a deep breath can help. Take a deep breath into your stomach,
say the word ‘relax’ to yourself and feel any cravings vanish as you
exhale.
10. Follow Lena Martell’s advice and take ‘One Day at a Time’. This may be a cliché but it works! Make it your goal to get through TODAY without smoking.
For additional support try calling Smokeline on 0800 84 84 84. They are available 12 noon to midnight.
You could also try Quitline on 0800 002200. They are available 9am – 9pm.