It takes practice to set your own slower pace in a world that is hurried, stressed and frantic. Part of our collective stress can be found in driving patterns and increased volumes of traffic. (Bravo to those who don’t own cars and use public transportation).
hurry slowly
If you own a car and drive / commute to work or drive in traffic at any time of day or night there is an increasing tendency to drive faster on interstates and secondary roads. There is a tendency to run lights that are yellow and red. It could be built-in to the predatory capitalism and a me-first attitude on the roads.
Rush hour is no longer just an hour. Weekends and holidays exacerbate traffic and impatience to get their first. “Half an inch, half an inch,” out of a Monte Python sketch or a Jerry Seinfeld bit of inching ahead in traffic at a stoplight. This is all a part of the out-of-breath frantic rev-up for more stress and anxiety fixed by a pill.
Smile and make eye contact
Breathe, slow down, hurry slowly, and practice patience.
Allow yourself 5 to 15 minutes extra time in traveling to your destination so you are ensured of being on time without a frantic dash to the finish line. Add extra time if you are traveling with someone else or with children. Begin by practicing slower breathing in tense situations, or in heavy traffic, especially bumper-to-bumper.
In lines of any kind such as the supermarket, the post office or in picking up your coffee shift your weight from one side to the other, bend your knees slightly and practice breathing slowly. Strike up a conversation with your line-mate if it seems right. Smile and make eye contact.
Injuries – In dealing with injuries our first reaction is to avoid the pain especially during and immediately after a fall, like a twisted angle, elbow or knee. This is a natural reaction. And if you can remember to try this you may heal more quickly.
inflammation / swelling and pain is the body’s response to injury and indicates a healing response.
Don’t resist the pain. Relax your body especially around the site of the injury. If you can put one or both hands on the site of the injury and tell yourself that the healing energy of touch is gong to the pain to relieve it. Spend a few moments sitting at the site of the injury (if possible – ie out of immediate danger) relaxing into the pain and reminding yourself not to tense up. Next try some movement. If the pain is excruciating you may need some help getting up or an ambulance perhaps. But if the pain seems less as you rise, try walking especially if you have twisted an ankle or knee. It may be a good bet to get an X-Ray / medical treatment.
Mind with Matter enters
If you go to a Doctor, of course follow their advice.
Here are some alternative pain reduction techniques to help reduce pain that may help:
These techniques follow the lines of cold and /or heat as one way to reduce inflammation. Remember that inflammation / swelling and pain is the body’s response to injury and indicates a healing response.
This is where Mind with Matter enters. Mind Over Matter implies the magic of our Wills over reality. Using our mind to ally with what is happening in our bodies we can provide a mindful and somatic response that may help with healing processes.
Preparation:
Active your body by drawing your attention to your life force of your chi located in an electromagnet vortex about and inch or two below your navel. If it helps your attention to focus on it, touch with your fingers. Breathe into that spot. Allow a sensing or special attention to reside there. Activate your mind at the level of your Pineal Gland above your eyebrows and centered over the bridge of your nose. Use the same activation method you used with the electromagnet center below your navel to activate your mind. Imagine the energy of your chi energy (below your navel) blending with your minds energy.
Technique One:
This process may help to lower inflammation and reduce pain. [Note – it doesn’t always work or it may not get rid of all the pain]. Pretty much everyone knows what its like to put your hand inside a Jell-O or a gelatinous substance. Remember and/or imagine that feeling. Use your mind –body connection (preparation in #1 above) that you’ve just cultivated within your mind and project purple Jell-O into the site of the injury or where the pain is. Why purple? Amongst the 7 primary colors purple is the coolest of the colors. You want to introduce cooling into an inflamed hot/injured site. With your mind move it through your tissues, vascular system and even into cartilage and bone. Intend that healing is occurring – maybe applying your in- breath to go deeply into the pain and the out breath sending to pain out of your body.
Technique Two:
This is often used in Hypnotherapy to dull or mask acute pain. Engage the Preparation in step 1. Focus on the site of the injury. Count backwards from 10 going slowly. Tell yourself that the injured part is getting colder and colder. Eventually it becomes numb from the cold and the pain may disappear.
If you’re having trouble sleeping at night try taking the pressure off of going to sleep by telling yourself your going for optimal rest. Then if you fall asleep during your optimal rest period it’s a good bonus.
I’ve worked for over 20 years in the mental health field facilitating groups on relaxation, meditation, and sleep hygiene.
caffeine can disrupt your sleep up to 11 hours after you drink it
Sleep is part of a daily cycle. Children and teenagers need more sleep sometimes up to 10 or 11 hours. Adults average about 8 hours up to the age of 55. Those over the age of 55 need less sleep – about 8 to 6 hours. These figures are not set in stone and there are always exceptions to every “rule”.
Since the time of the industrial revolution mainly the advent of electric light and more recently television, computers, smart phones and the internet the natural rhythms of our bodies have been disrupted due to light pollution.
Your bedroom should always be slightly on the cool side
Before Sleep – The Experts Report – Our bodies adjust to light dark cycles so if you’re having trouble sleeping at night you may want to consider making changes to your daily routine:
Exercise – in the morning or afternoon. Avoid exercise in the evening or at night this can signal your body to become more awake or alert. Exercise is important for a good night’s sleep even if it is a short or long walk in the morning or afternoon.
Caffeine – The experts report that caffeine can affect your body and disrupt your sleep up to 11 hours after you drink it. This can affect your ability to fall asleep and your ability to stay asleep.
Television, Smartphone or computer use – excites the brain. Sleep experts recommend to stop using these devices at least 2 hours before retiring
Snacking – Sleep experts recommend that you wait 3 hours after eating to go to sleep for a better night’s sleep.
Technique – If you do sleep poorly and assuming your morning is sunny you can re-set your body clock by sitting in the sun from 40 to 60 minutes in the morning.
Sleeping Timing – experts suggest going to sleep at the same time each night. I have observed that this has to do with body memory. Disrupting body memory where we experience a burst of energy hurtling passed our ordinary bedtimes usually comes from caffeine or a late night snack of sugary foods or refined carbohydrates.
No Alcohol Before Bedtime – I almost did not include this because many people already know that while alcohol can put you to sleep it can often wake you up several times during the night. A drink or a glass of wine with an early dinner is okay.
Minimize Electrical Gadgets in your Bedroom – a lamp is good with an incandescent bulb and is best for reading and a feeling of warmth. An alarm clock without excessive lights if you need one is okay but not an alarm on your electronic device. Watching television in-bed, surfing the net from your smartphone or tablet is bad for your sleep hygiene. Best to turn off your cell phone or tablet if you are keeping them in your bedroom.
Light and Temperature – Your bedroom should be as dark as possible, no light at all. But if you startle waking-up in a dark room, a light in a different room or a very dim nightlight is okay. If you have equipment such as a CPAP machine prescribed for your sleep then of course that’s okay. Your bedroom should always be slightly on the cool side, in summer and winter. Our body temperatures drop at night and by cuddling with ourselves under the covers we warm to an optimal sleeping temperature.
muse on your day, begin the letting go process
One to Three Hours Before Sleep – These are nightly rituals, that when I use them, they assist me in getting a better night’s sleep. Admittedly I don’t use them as much as I could.
The Wind-Down – Begin with a hot beverage – an herbal tea, or warm milk, or a non-alcohol hot-toddy-for sleep: A-Non-Alcoholic-Hot-Toddy-for-Sleep
As you begin to enjoy your beverage muse on your day, begin the letting go process.
Next take care of brushing your teeth and all those to-do things before laying down to engage in optimal rest.
If you get in bed before the 40-minute period before closing your eyes, plan on reading, listening to music or doing some breath work, but ideally this should occur after taking medications and/or supplements.
LET GO AND BREATHE
Thirty (30) to forty (40) minutes before lying down take any nighttime medications or supplements.
Here are the supplements I take at night for their sedating effects:
GABA – It’s an neurotransmitter that blocks impulses between nerve cells in the brain. Its uses include but are not limited to: improved sleep, lowering anxiety, help with chronic pain and lowering blood pressure;
Calcium – most calcium is derived from a dairy product which may have a sedating effect
Sometimes I take:
Aconitum Napellus 30c – four to five pellets under the tongue – It’s for anxiety but it can aide in falling to sleep.
These techniques can be used in preparations just prior to closing your eyes or if sleep doesn’t come.
The Body Clench – this is a systematic clench of muscle groups and their release in your body. Begin by scrunching up your feet and clenching your toes. Don’t let go. Next tighten your calf and thigh muscles, then tighten your butt muscles, your chest and abdomen. Next make fists and tighten the muscles in your forearms and biceps, stretch your neck by moving your head towards your chest and scrunch up the muscles in your face.
Then LET GO AND BREATHE.
Don’t beat yourself up because your suppose to be sleeping
The idea is to make your body tighter so you when you release the tightness tense muscles also release and allows your body to move into a more relaxed state.
Sleep experts suggest you sleep on your side. Sleeping on your abdomen (belly) inhibits your breath so not good for optimal rest.
Close your Eyes– (30 to 40 minutes after taking your medications and/or supplements) When you close your eyes there may be an automatic response for you to think about everything your worried about, or to criticize yourself in someway. Worry may manifest as thinking about something repeatedly (obsessing) – trying to figure it out. Or maybe you’re trying to solve a problem or review something that happened that day.
Let yourself do this for a few minutes. Make it okay. Don’t beat yourself up because your suppose to be sleeping even it goes on you five to ten minutes or so. Also you might want to engage in some soothing self-talk such as: “I’m a gentle person”, I’m applying compassion towards others and myself” “I like _____ about myself” or think of a peaceful scene in nature – a sunset over a lake or behind a mountain, floating or flying over fields, seeing waves at the beach.
It’s okay… it’s okay… I’m safe. I can let go.
Then tell yourself that it time to dive deeper into optimum rest.
Begin this next process by scanning your body with your mind for any areas of your body where your holding tension and imagine breathing them out (with your out-breath). Let go.
Next, focus on your breath. Usually, what happens when we begin to focus on our breath is that we take control. That’s okay. Breathing in this way soon becomes like work. When you start to realize that its work then begin to watch your breath as it moves in and out of your body without trying to control it. You’re just matching your thoughts with what’s happening in your body automatically, that can be a lot easier.
I may just practice watching my breath achieving optimal rest
Your mind may wander back to your negative or problem solving thoughts without you realizing it. If this happens let them go and move back to your witness mind watching your breath. The rhythm of your breath is similar to waves coming to shore. As you imagine your breath like the waves you may feel the peace of waves as you picture them in your mind.
Focus on your breath in this way for at least 20 to 40 minutes. Usually what happens for me is I fall asleep, but I only know this has happened when I awaken the next morning. I realize I have released and fallen asleep.
Sometimes it doesn’t happen and I catch myself on the edge of letting go and pull myself back into a wakeful and circular thought process – a knee-jerk response. Here I may do some soothing self-talk (silently saying to myself):
“It’s okay… it’s okay… I’m safe. I can let go. I can be a deep diver. I can let go. I am letting go, letting go…”
If after 20 minutes to an hour and I’m awake I may just let myself be satisfied with continuing to watch my breath and drop into a deeper level of meditation. Or I may get up and go to the bathroom and return to bed and matching my thoughts with my breath.
[NOTE: these are not prescriptions, I’m sharing this as my own experience in helping to reduce arthritic pain and inflammation – you may need to experiment with the dosage you take and always consult your doctor for possible drug interactions.]
Many people and clients have asked me about this and I have grown weary of writing down the list each time. So here it is:
All of this was passed on to me except the Bromelain – which I reasearched. It works to some degree. I will begin the list with the least expensive and work up to the most expensive. The least expensive places to buy these supplements are at Amazon or Vitacost with two exceptions.
MSM (methylsufonylmethane) 1,000 mg per day with and equal amount of Vitamin C to activate it. It will take up to two weeks for any noticeable effect. MSM occurs naturally in foods. It treats joint pain, muscle cramps and may decrease joint degeneration. It is used in treating other problems see: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/msm-methylsulfonylmethane-uses-and-risks#1
Flex Now 2,250 mg of Shea butter helps with maintaining cartilage and bone, reduces pain and inflammation. It takes 30 to 60 days to notice a result. http://www.powerofshea.com/
Passion Flower – capsules are a natural anti-inflammatory and sleep aide
Topical – Helichrysum essential oil
Where I buy:
MSM 1,000 mg from VitaCost.com 240 capsules from the Vitacost brand
Turmeric from either Vitacost or Amazon
Bromelain – Source Naturals 500mg per tablet, 120 tabs per bottle and I get two bottles from Amazon at a good price.
Cayenne – I get it from the Now brand from Amazon
Glucosamine 750 mg / Chondroitin 600mg from Costco 220 tablets per bottle
Hyaluronic Acid – from Vitacost or Amazon
Fish Oil 1,000 mg per soft gel; 400 tabs per bottle at Costco
Flex Now from their website two bottles of 90 tabs each (180 tabs altogether) for $59.95 not including shipping. Amazon and Vitacost charge about $60 per bottle: http://www.powerofshea.com/
For more about my work visit: 
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