Rapinder Kaur
Strategies on Reducing Anxiety around Bedtime
Strategies on Reducing Anxiety around Bedtime
Rapinder Kaur
Reframing Difficult Behaviours

Educational consultant Michael Reist makes the argument that difficult children grow up to be interesting adults. He looks at challenging traits in children and considers how these will serve them as adults. For example, an argumentative child has strong verbal communication skills, is passionate, and is intelligent. A disorganized child is more interested in the big picture, a stubborn child is able to set goals and work towards them, a child who doesn’t listen is able to tune out distractions and focus on a single task, and a defiant child is confident enough to stand up to authority figures. These are traits we often encourage or even try to develop in adolescents and young adults. 

Reframing Difficult Behaviours
Rapinder Kaur
7 Simple Ways to Keep Peace During the ...
7 Simple Ways to Keep Peace During the Christmas Season
Art Therapy
Rapinder Kaur
The Power of Gratitude and 3 Creative Ways to ...

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.” – A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh.

In recent years, scientific studies have shown that being thankful can improve our lives in all kinds of ways. According to this infographic created for the Huffington Post, cultivating an attitude of gratitude has physical, mental and psychological benefits (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/23/gratitude-effect-body_n_6510352.html). The infographic summarizes the results of studies suggesting that grateful people have lower blood pressure, smoke less tobacco, exercise more, take better care of their physical health, sleep better at night, and have lower levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. Studies suggest that being grateful improves self esteem, reduces the risk for major depression, reduces negative emotions like envy, and can increase empathy and resiliency even when we are faced with challenging or negative experiences. Gratitude is also strongly correlated with optimism, and increased optimism can improve immune system functioning and make us feel happier (http://happierhuman.com/benefits-of-gratitude/).

The Power of Gratitude and 3 Creative Ways to Practice It
Rapinder Kaur
Creative Strategies for Managing Back to School ...

While the art therapy process allows clients and therapists to create unique and individualized solutions, today we’re sharing some general creative strategies for managing back to school anxiety. First there are three basic tips for parents, followed by three arts-based tools to make together that will equip students for the first day of school.

Creative Strategies for Managing Back to School Anxiety

relaxation

7 Simple Ways to Keep Peace During the Christmas Season

7 ways to keep peace.jpg

Guest Blog by Kimberley Milousis

The Christmas holidays are meant to be a time to rest and reflect upon the year and on the loving spirit of Jesus. It's so easy to forget this and get caught up in the stresses of all the food we have to prepare, and gifts we have to buy, and extra places we have to commute to. Here are the ways I refocus on what matters during the holiday season.

1. Have a Relaxing Morning Routine

The way you start your day sets the pace for how the rest of the day will play out. Some powerful habits to cultivate in the morning include: Morning prayers, meditation, breathing, yoga, qigong, stretching, working out, goal-setting, reading a motivating or spiritual text, mindfulness, ... or anything else that gets your body and mind relaxed while focusing your energy on what you will accomplish in the day.

2. Take 5-min Breaks Every 25 mins Working

Taking short breaks frequently during work will do wonders for body and mind. You will notice that by stretching your eyes, your back, and your limbs - and even just giving your mind some down time - you will be happier, relaxed, and surprisingly more productive! Set a timer for 25 minutes whenever you start working, and simply get up and see what's going on with your body for a few minutes whenever the timer goes off.


3. Take a Break from your Story 

We lose so much energy thinking! Our minds cost significant biochemical resources to operate. By spending so much of our day thinking about the past or imaginary future situations, we use up a LOT of our daily energy, leading to mental stress, bodily tension, and overall burnout. Take a break from your mind by not buying into the alluring stories your mind makes up. Practice this skill through daily mindfulness and meditation. 

4. Use Essential Oils to Help Release Tension

Whenever I feel tense or stressed, I combine mental techniques - like intentional breathing - with physical medicine like essential oils to maximize my relaxation. The best oils I use for relaxing are Lavender Oil, the Peace Oil Blend, and the Serenity Oil Blend. Lavender is known for it's relaxation properties and has been used by natural healers for thousands of years. Both the Peace Oil Blend and the Serenity Oil Blend combine Lavender with other relaxing plants for maximum effect. I use Serenity at night and Peace in the day.

5. Don't Over-Eat

Our Western culture tends to eat way more than we need to, and it's actually incredibly harmful for our bodies. Our live has over 300 different process it does to detox and heal the body, and it can't do any of them if you're digesting food. Intermittent fasting (not eating from 6pm until 9am) and eating only until you're 70% full are both powerful methods for allowing your liver to heal your body. With less energy going into digesting, you'll have more energy to enjoy the rest of your day and you will be less stressed and tired as a result.

6. Take Time to do Something Fun for Yourself

Take time every day to do activities in the physical world (ie. not online) which you genuinely love and enjoy doing. Focus on expressing and being a creator during these times. When you find places you really love to put your energy into, more energy will naturally bubble up from within you so you can keep creating.

7. Focus on Relaxing an Hour Prior to Sleeping

Your night routine is just as important as your morning routine! The night is the time for your body to heal and relax itself so you can be rested and energized for the following day. If you are on technology or are stimulating your body with food or stressful activity, then you won't be doing the healing you so desperately need during the night, because your body-mind will be processing all the other stimulation you just put into it. Take the our before bedtime to do only relaxing and restful activities. A small amount of nightly prayers, meditation, or movement will help you relax deeper as you sleep.


Warmly,
Kimberley
Are you interested in finding out more about essential oils? Visit Kimberley’s Essential Oil page: https://kimberleymilousis.com/essential-oils/