A Crisis Toolkit for Your Mind, Body, and Spirit.
For years and years, I’ve carried around a crisis toolkit to use whenever a friend, family member, client, coworker, or complete stranger entered my life in a crisis situation. Do you have a healing tool kit?
I’m betting you do. After all, we’re all healers. We all carry one around, even if we don’t call it that. So my question is this: What’s in it?
My toolkit has things to help with fear as well as death and with the dreaded coronavirus. But it also has to help with all the other diseases and aches and pains we encounter in addition: colds, fever, rashes, asthma attacks, arthritis, heart attacks, cancer…
Maybe you feel your toolkit is not ready for today’s situation. It’s probably filled with all sorts of things you can use.
Here are some things I’m sharing with you. Maybe you have things in your toolkit you can share with me.
When it comes to supporting your mind, body, and spirit during these challenging times, I TURN FIRST TO YOGA. I recommend restorative yoga.
When you are stressed, a weekly session is important. I don’t know how it is in your area, but I’m in Upstate New York which is a new hot spot for Coronavirus. I take a restorative yoga class via Zoom every week with Carolyn Abedor.
Carolyn is a physical therapist/yoga instructor. I come away from her class restored, renewed, and recharged for the coming week. I would take her class twice a week but I work on the other day she teaches it.
Do you have a yoga teacher? If not, make finding one a priority. Today’s challenges call for restorative yoga. But, if you find a different yoga that you prefer…go for it. Use what works for you.
REIKI CANNOT BE OVERESTIMATED. Do you practice Reiki therapy? If so, don’t forget to use this tool every chance you get.
Use your Reiki when you walk into a building. Use it when you walk down the street. Use Reiki when you encounter other people. Everyone is stressed out. We can all use Reiki’s healing, calming energy.
If not, now is the best time I know of to learn Reiki. Reiki is essential in stressful times. And, frankly, no time can be more stressful than now.
If you don’t practice Reiki and you can’t find a teacher, book some sessions with a practitioner. Begin with 5 sessions.
Whether or not you practice Reiki, or visit a Reiki practitioner regularly, now is a good time to organize a Reiki circle or Reiki share. Gather several friends together and let the Reiki practitioners offer healing to everyone in the room. Reiki is not one bit intimidated by the requirements of social distancing.
DON’T FORGET REFLEXOLOGY. Reflexology sessions are extremely grounding. If you are stressed out or if you have health issues, Reflexology sessions can help. Gloves and face masks will not negatively impose on Reflexology.
HEALING MUSIC HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART IN MY TOOL BOX FOR YEARS. I use it during healing sessions, classes, or whenever I feel the need.
Through the years, I’ve learned that healing music can be all sorts of sounds. Beauty is in the ears of the beholder. I tend to favor Deuter, Halpern, Ken Davis, Anugama. Your favorites may be totally different. Because of my experiences, I prefer the older musicians. But, there are many kinds of healing music available today. Explore them until you know what works best for you.
GUIDED MEDITATIONS are essential. I began reading those written by others and now create my own. I suggest that you go with someone else’s until the time is right for you. The goal of a guided meditation is to awaken, transform, or heal. For years, I relied on the meditations compiled in books by Larry Moen.
BEDSIDE TABLE BOOKS are essential. They are the books I read when my tanks need refilling. These books vary with the need. Sometimes escape is the only route. Other times, I need to know what other people have to say about the situation I’m dealing with.
I’m often hungry for the wisdom others offer. To prevent empty tanks, I try to read about an hour a day.
When I fed hungry and homeless people in a food pantry, I found solace in the statistics of hunger. At any given moment I could tell you what percentage of children in our country went to bed hungry. I knew the difference between resource poor and generational poor and struggling poor. I knew all about dumpster diving.
Now, I’m attracted to memoirs. It’s not the problems that attract me. It’s how the writer tackled the problem that counts.
Fear, and forgiveness are big on my list.
Finally, when I need to veg out, I go for whatever catalogue is in my mailbox.
The important thing is to know when to fill your own tanks. Your toolbox won’t be worth much if you’re stretched too thin.
Your toolkit may be totally different. It probably is different. After all, we are scattered all over the planet. I hope to hear about some things in your toolkit. Please email me.
Meanwhile, please forward this article to your preferred social media network.
In honor of this most stressful time, I’m offering you a free copy of a book I wrote entitled “Miracles”. Email your mailing address to thurmangreco@gmail.com before April 12th, and I’ll send it along – absolutely free with no strings attached.
Thank you for being here.
Thurman Greco
10 Ways to Cope with Stress
Everyone I know and meet is stressed out these days. Many are ill. Flu. Heart Issues. Rashes. Arthritis. You name it. Coping with current events can be challenging for all of us.
There are things that you can do to cope with the situation.
BOOK A REFLEXOLOGY, REIKI, OR CHAKRA HEALING SESSION. It may be that just one session is all you need to feel more relaxed, grounded. Or, it may be that one session won’t heal everything but one session is better than nothing. And, maybe you can find time in your schedule to book several bodywork healing sessions.
TAKE A NAP. I work. I know how hard this can be but I manage to schedule my naps for a few short minutes when I get home from work. These little power naps are crucial to my overall wellbeing. I also try to schedule a nap on my day off. Put your feet up for five minutes even. It will help.
SPEND SOME TIME WITH FRIENDS. Your connection to your community is a boost to your grounding and calm. Chatting with friends and acquaintances over a cup or tea or at a meeting of some kind can be very positive. This will give your mental health a boost.
DO YOU MEDITATE? If not, now is a good time to begin. I just read in a book that people who meditate live three years longer than those who don’t. If you do, now is a good time to pat yourself on the back. You’ve got a good habit. If you don’t meditate, now is a good time to begin the practice. This might be a good time to join a meditation group or class.
DEVELOP A NEW INTEREST. The opportunities to expand your horizon are limitless. Not all hobbies are expensive. Many are not costly at all. The important thing is that you find something new to do which you like. Your options are endless here.
CHANGE YOUR DIET! When you add new foods to your life, you’ll be on an adventure. Choose a new food each week. Bring it home and discover where the food comes from, how it’s cooked, stored, and eaten. You’ll enjoy these discoveries each week. This change will help you feel more alive, and energized. At the end of a year, your kitchen will be an entirely different place with all the new foods you’ll be eating. You’ll know and enjoy many new foods! Chances are, you will be more energized and happier overall.
DISCOVER SOMETHING EACH DAY THAT YOU CAN BE GRATEFUL FOR. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. But, finding something to be thankful for is important. Try to do this early in your day so you can enjoy this feeling all day long.
USE A DAILY PLANNER. This one small change in your life can give you a large shift as you relieve the stress caused by missed appointments and unscheduled events. Finally having your life schedule organized is a major stress reliever for many.
HONOR YOURSELF. We all experience setbacks of one kind or another. The important thing is to not allow them to control your life. Take a negative event and turn it into a strength-building exercise. This will help you overcome feelings of stress and negativity.
Thank you for reading this blog post! Please forward this article to your preferred social media network.
Thank you again for your interest in wellness for all.
Thurman Greco
Depression is Your Soul Crying Out for Help.
Spiritually, your soul cries out for help. On top of all this spiritual suffering you may also have feelings of self doubt and hopelessness. When you deal with depression, you feel you are stuck in a storywith no positive ending.
Everyone feels sad occasionally. Your depression is unique, just as you are unique. There’s a difference between having the blues and being depressed. Depression is a disease of your soul. Chemicals alone cannot cure your depression.
Depression includes feeling sad, empty, or unhappy. Your sleep may be disturbed. This means you may be sleeping too much or have insomnia. Your diet may be disturbed. This means you may have lost your appetite or you may be gaining weight. Your thinking, speaking, and body movements have slowed down. You feel anxious, agitated, and restless. You have trouble thinking, concentrating, remembering things and making decisions. You have unexplained physical problems such as back pain or headache.
You may have clinical depression if you drink alcohol and smoke excessively, experience poor appetite and weight loss, are preoccupied with negative thoughts of despair, and contemplate suicide.
Whatever the symptoms, depression is a prolonged feeling of unhappiness. It may be associated with grief, divorce, or retirement. It may be connected with childbirth. Whatever the trigger, depression is a disease which can be overwhelming.
Consult with a physician when you begin your search for relief because popular treatments include antidepressants and psychotherapy. Depression is extremely treatable, so go for it!
Reflexology, Reiki, and chakra healings are not cure-alls but can certainly help. Reflexology sessions encourage homeostasis, important for positive outcomes, especially since it’s not always easy for you to find how to lift your spirits. Your sessions will help manage the side effects of any allopathic medications you may be taking.
CHAKRA
Your crown and heart chakras are unbalanced.
REFLEXOLOGY SYSTEMS TO WORK
nervous system, digestive system, respiratory system, skeletal system, endocrine system, spine, liver, and solar plexus
ESSENTIAL OILS
cedarwood, frankincense, jasmine, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, ylang ylang
RISK FACTORS
Depression is a fairly complex issue resulting from numerous factors including a genetic predisposition, hormonal shifts, sedentary lifestyle, life events, underlying health issues
EFFECTIVE HEALING FIELDS
Begin with Conventional medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Homeopathy. Supplement the allopathic medicine with complementary and alternative medicine treatments. Bodywork such as massage is often a positive therapy. Depression is a case where you can wholeheartedly adopt both styles of medical care. Synchronicity!
If you choose to add homeopathic remedies, consult with a homeopath for the treatment best suited to your needs.
FOODS IMPORTANT TO YOUR DIET
bananas, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, low-fat dairy products, oats, oily fish, whole grains
Eat breakfast every day. Eat protein at every meal. Stay away from processed foods. Eat more whole grains. Better yet…get nutritional counseling!
THINGS TO TRY
Find out what’s going on in your head. You’ll get to know about things that may be causing you to feel depressed.
Flower remedies can be successful.
Physical exercise promotes a positive mental attitude. It’s important to your success in the battle to overcome depression.
Depression gives you a chance to work with parts within yourself that you don’t know about and may have repressed. When you enter therapy and work with them, you can understand your self better while you heal and transform yourself.
When you stay connected with friends and community, your worries will be in the background. Join a support group. Your physician may have a list of groups available to you. Do something you enjoy every day. Journal about it.
Try something new. A new hobby can get you out of your house and out of your head.
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please share it with your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
