Health, Beauty & Fitness Everyone can be naturally beautiful 160 161 Stress Management 101 Live a More Natural and Stress Free Life 1. Schedule personal time on your calendar. Just a few sessions of Yoga per Many of us feel “on call” all the time, and this can week can change your stress level blur the boundaries between work and home, especially after hours. It is important to establish scheduled times when you are completely unplugged from work. This scheduled time deserves the same degree of respect you would reserve for a meeting with an important customer. 162 163 (but in this case, it’s you!) Taking a break and protecting your sanity will help you to be more efficient and productive when you are at work. 2. Create some “wind down” rituals to help detach Make sure to select you from your workday in the evenings, and be healthy and natural consistent with bedtimes and waking times. Try snacks, better for getting a massage, taking a warm bath with Epson your body, mind salts, listening to music, or enjoying essential oil and soul scents such as lavender, evergreen, ylang ylang or vanilla. Easy, repetitive tasks to get you “out of By Cora Rivard, N.D. is that it is never too late to reap benefits from your head” are helpful to reduce the background Licensed Family Naturopathic Doctor & changing the way that you respond to stress. noise in your head when you are feeling frazzled. Owner of Seasons Natural Healthcare, LLC And like any other type of workout, it requires Try jigsaw puzzles, knitting, cooking, or light continual practice and maintenance to remain reading. Avoid watching/reading the news before Like many doctors, I have seen an increase in effective. bed, or watching TV programs that are over patients who have stress-related complaints. stimulating and disturbing. Feeling a loss of control and security in the From my perspective as a naturopathic doctor 3. realms of work, relationships, family, or health and my unique expertise in wellness care, I Get outside for a brief walk every day. Even if can weigh in heavily. This burden of stress can would like to share some quick tips about stress you only have 10 minutes to get outside in the quickly lead to issues such as insomnia, recurrent management. Whether you work as part of a morning, or during a lunch break, moving your viral infections, muscle tension, headaches, company, or your work is caring for your children body can help you loosen up those tense muscles indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, anxiety and or other family members, there are simple and and refresh your abilities to focus. When your poor concentration. The possible long term effective steps you can take to save your health retinas are exposed to natural sunlight during repercussions can be more serious: hypertension, and decrease future medical expenditures. My breaks each day, it stimulates hormones that heart disease, autoimmune disease, depression, to hope is that you will be inspired to make even help to re-establish and maintain your natural name just a few. one small change today towards a healthier circadian rhythm, and you will sleep better at state of mind and body. Not only will you notice night. While stress is a normal part of life, the ways in improvements in your ability to function at work, which we perceive and respond to it can have a but you will also be in a better place to truly profound impact on our health. The silver lining appreciate all other aspects of your life. 4. Incorporate “relaxing” types of practice a favorite comedy T.V. show with my husband, or into your day. While aerobic activities and to read by lamplight before bed. weightlifting are important ways to dispel stress and keep you healthy on many levels, it 3. Deep breathing exercises for at least 3 minutes, is just as important to introduce slower mind/ twice a day. body activities- Hatha yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, 4. A 20-30 minute walk outside every day. meditation and light stretching are all great ways to help your muscles relax and to teach you the 5. Two sessions of yoga per week, and one weekly skills to quiet your mind on demand. If you are a evening playing volleyball for fun. high-powered person, it is all the more pertinent DETOXIFICATION & REJUVENATION THERAPIES to learn how to slow down and create balance in 6. Mixed nuts, sliced apples, or yogurt as a healthy your life. mid afternoon snack each day. 5. Breathe! Taking multiple breaks each day to As a final note, it is important to pay attention take in deep, slow belly breaths (4 seconds to to the unique ways that stress can affect you. Be ANCIENT SPA THERAPIES • CLASSIC SPA THERAPIES inhale, 6-8 seconds to exhale) actually stimulates alert to the first signs, whether it is a tightening the parasympathetic system of your body, which sensation in the neck or shoulders, or feeling DETOXX SPA THERAPIES is the antithesis of the “fight or flight” system. the heart pound or flutter, or just feeling a bit Take advantage of irritable; this is the time to take a break, breathe this effect and use it • Traditional Hammam Experience • Sauna Detoxification whenever you feel like you need a mini • Immersion Wrap Therapy • Organic Skin Care break. • Mongolian Hot Milk Massage • Ion-Cleanse Detox Footbath 6. Think about nutrition. Don’t • Hot Stone Massage • Mehta Face Lift Massage grab that candy bar! Many of us gravitate • Abhyanga and Shirodara • Russian Honey and Cupping 164 to sweets and salty 165 snacks when we feel • Colon Hydrotherapy Treatment tired and stressed out. In addition to • Jamu Asian Spa Rituals • Indian Head Massage the fact that this is not a healthy way to feed your body, it is important to realize that the Jivana is a holistic, eco-friendly spa, offering a unique variety instant gratification of therapeutic spa treatments. We use 100% organic and of the sugar rush and Think about planning ways to relieve stress into your weekly schedule feel-good hormone just like your business meetings or your child’s after school activities natural products known for their healing properties, with release will only cause you to crash a consistent and effective results. few hours later perhaps feeling even more hungry, slowly and deeply, and count to 10. The sooner tired and cranky. The best advice is to keep the you learn how to defuse a stressful internal junk food completely out of the house, and out of response, the better you will feel later in the day the office. Instead, keep some high protein snacks (and throughout your life!) NNE such as mixed nuts and seeds, yogurt, slices of cheese and whole grain crackers, or apples with Dr. Cora Rivard received her doctorate in peanut butter within easy reach to keep your naturopathic medicine from National College of mood and energy levels more consistent and to Naturopathic Medicine (NCNM) in Portland, OR. help avoid that afternoon slump. NCNM is the oldest accredited graduate program for naturopathic medical training in the country. You might find it helpful to sketch a specific plan Dr. Rivard is a published author and writes a for yourself. For example, my personal plan for monthly newsletter on naturopathic medicine. She stress management this week looks like this: received her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences at James Madison University in Virginia and is Stress 1. Turn off computer by 9pm each night, and no the owner of Seasons Natural Healthcare, LLC in Management phone calls after 9pm. Derry, NH. 113 Church St., Burlington, VT • 802-660-4772 • jivanaspa.com 101 2. Starting at 9pm, I dim the lights either to watch Beauty is More Look for products that are “Certified Organic” than Skin Deep or “Certified Raw”. From my own personal experience I can tell you they made a huge difference in the long run. Be patient, it takes Ideas for the Mind, Body and Soul some time for your skin and body to get used “Many products for the skin that are used to something new. Always try a new product in standard treatments in American on a limited basis and do a skin patch test (try Consistency is the Key: It’s important it on a small part of your skin like your wrist to spas contain artificial and synthetic to have a daily routine that incorporates wellness. make sure you have no adverse reaction). Make “Take a little time every day to do something sure to read labels to understand exactly what’s ingredients which can produce allergic which supports wellness until it becomes your in each and every product you put on your skin reactions in some people. Providing skin By Susan Mulcahy, Naturally New England lifestyle. For example, start the day by drinking and in your body. A good rule of thumb when it lemon in warm water. Then try and spend 10 One of the best ways to make your life more comes to understanding product labels: if you care that is natural and organic allows minutes on the rebounder to stimulate your eco-friendly and healthy is by taking some time can’t pronounce it or know what the first four lymph system,” says Cathie Barre, owner of Jivana the body to actually detoxify itself and to for yourself. But with work, family, home, and ingredients are-- put it down! There are many Spa in Burlington, VT. travel how do you find the time? It’s important manufacturers Try a Holistic Spa Treatment: As we become cleanse the tissues of irritating substances, to understand that taking care of ourselves and throughout New Think about taking a walk in the morning or more educated about how the human body taking time for ourselves is part of the “green” bacteria and trapped oils thus restoring England who offer during your lunch break.