Stress

Forgiveness and Health

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ForgivenessMental health is a huge area of concern and public interest in recent decades. In particular, there has been much research into the effect our attitudes can have on our health. Forgiveness is one of those attitudes that can greatly affect our health in the moment and later on in life. This does not only include forgiveness of others but also includes forgiveness of ourselves. I would challenge you to explore your own thoughts and see if there are any areas of your life where you notice patterns of un-forgiveness. I do recognize that this is not an easy or comfortable process, but I challenge you to consider it and if you feel led to act to remedy the un-forgiveness, then do so for the benefit of your health.

Signs of Un-forgiveness

These may be some useful questions to ask yourself when reflecting on a particularly harmful situation or event that has transpired against you. For more information on un-forgiveness please see the source below from which this questionnaire was retrieved.

  • When you think of that person, does your heart leap up with love and joy for him?
  • Do you desire to have fellowship with them or do you try to avoid them?
  • Do you have no blame or condemnation of them or for them?
  • Do you say or feel in your heart: “I forgive them, but I don’t have to like them”?
  • Do you still make up speeches of what you are going to say to them, or what you should have said to them?
  • Do you still think that they should hurt or should pay for what they have done to you?
  • Do you still think of ways to get even with them?
  • Do you sometimes think hard thoughts and have to repent, only to think those hard thoughts again and have to repent, over and over?
  • Do you have strong emotional reactions when you think of or see the person who hurt you?
  • Can you sincerely pray for this person and bless them, sincerely desiring to see them blessed?
  • Can you, and do you honestly rejoice when good things happen for the person who wounded you?

Source: http://www.thhmi.org/Transformation_and_Sanctification/Symptoms_of_Unforgiveness/

Health Benefits of Forgiveness

  • Decreased stress
  • Improved mood
  • Positive attitude
  • Improved conflict management
  • Improved sleep quality
  • Decreased heart rate
  • Decreased pain
  • Improved overall health
  • Improved life satisfaction

Practical Ways to Incorporate Forgiveness

It is important to understand that a lot of these exercises will not work if there is not a direct intention behind them. If these are done just for the sake of doing them, it is similar to not having done them at all. It is important to be mindful and have a direct intention to forgive and be well when practicing these exercises. In addition, a lot of these exercises are not easy and they can even hurt when you do them. Embrace the discomfort, but remember to work within what is safe for you. If it is not wise to confront someone about the hurt, for example, do not do so. I also encourage individuals that sometimes you have to “fake it until you make it”. What I mean by this is that in some cases you try to forgive someone, but deep down inside you know you can’t. It may then be helpful to start speaking that you forgive them until you feel you are ready to forgive. It may also be important to seek more help on this issue from a spiritual leader, counsellor, psychologist, etc.

  1. Forgive quickly. When someone wrongs you, as hard as it might be, attempt to forgive quickly. This will prevent any bitterness, anger, or negative thoughts from setting in.
  2. Confront the person who has done you wrong and express forgiveness. Please note that this may not be safe or wise in all situations.
  3. Write down “I forgive _______” on a piece of paper.
  4. Do something kind for the person who hurt you.
  5. Speak out loud “I forgive myself. I am not mistakes”, or “I forgive _____. They are not their mistakes.”
  6. Pray for help to forgive.
  7. Consider the perspective of the other individual and attempt to empathize with them. Literally getting up and switching to a different seat may be helpful.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Source:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09638280903166360?journalCode=idre20

http://pss.sagepub.com/content/12/2/117.short

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10865-005-3665-2

 

 

 

Gratitude Practices

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GratitudeAs Thanksgiving approaches this weekend, it is important to consider what one is thankful for. However, as some may have heard before, an “attitude of gratitude” is a type of attitude that should be adopted year round. This type of grateful thinking on a regular basis can have many health benefits including, but not limited to:

  • Increased ability to achieve life goals.
  • Increased happiness
  • Strengthened and built relationships
  • Increase alertness and energy
  • Longer and better quality of sleep
  • Increased immunity
  • Increase overall physical health

For more detail on the mechanism and precise estimates on how much gratefulness can benefit your health, see my previous blog on the health benefits of being thankful. Now that we know what being thankful can do for our health, one needs to know how one can adopt this gratitude mindset. Different individuals may choose to do this differently. For some it will be more of an outward expression, for others it may be more internal. The bottom line is choose what suits you best, and go from there. The list below provides some examples of what has been researched and shown to have positive health benefits, but you do not need to limit thankfulness practices to these suggestions. Get creative and get thankful in the way you deem best! I challenge you to try and conduct a thankful exercise of your choice every day and see how it benefits you.

  1. Record happy events – improve well – being and positive emotions
  2. Express gratitude – improve well-being and positive emotions
  3. Give thanks to God for all you have both tangible and non-tangible – In some studies when expressed toward God caused decreased stress and improved health in stressful situations
  4. Record things grateful for – improve emotional well-being and interpersonal benefits
  5. Look in the mirror and say I appreciate you and am thankful for you – For the health benefits of positive self-talk and for some other self-affirmations you can speak over yourself, refer to my past blog on positive self-talk.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Sources:

http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/content/29/6/12.full

http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-XLKX200903022.htm

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/84/2/377/

http://roa.sagepub.com/content/28/2/163.short

 

Health Benefits of Prayer

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Beautiful Summer GirlAcross cultural and religious backgrounds, prayer has been used to provide comfort, support, and healing for those in need. Prayer, can be defined as “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.” Many do not realize that prayer has been widely researched over the years due to its mysterious nature, as well as its beneficial impact. From the definition alone, one can see that prayer could be beneficial through the simple act of giving thanks (for the health benefits of thankfulness please see my blog on the health benefits of gratitude). Prayer can also provide a means for social support, which in itself, is quite beneficial for overall health.

Provided below are 7 health benefits of prayer. In addition to providing these 7 health benefits, I want to add a personal touch. I pray daily, and in the list of people I pray for are my patients. Know that if you have been or are a patient of mine I have and will continue to pray for you. I have seen firsthand the health benefits of prayer: I have seen healing from trauma, pain, anxiety, depression, and concerns in pregnancy. As a result, I consider prayer a type of complementary and alternative therapy (CAM therapy). I hope that this list of health benefits motivates you to consider prayer as a type of complementary therapy to your health regime.

Prayer can:

  1. Prolong survival of cancer survivors and chronic illness sufferers.
  2. Decrease pain scores.
  3. Decrease blood pressure.
  4. Improve immune functioning.
  5. Improve mental health parameters including more optimistic life orientation and lower levels of anxiety.
  6. Increase perceived social support and higher resilience to stress.
  7. Increase healing speed.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Sources

 

Helping your child to perform optimally at school

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The school year is well under way, and many parents can become concerned about their child’s performance in school. Some children may benefit significantly from small changes to their lifestyle and diet. The following tips may help your child to perform optimally in school:

Sleep Recommendations

  1. Sleep – this tip may seem very straight forward, but many children do not get enough sleep. Sleep is so important for children because this is when we process information, grow, and re-energize for the day ahead. If a child does not get enough sleep, they may become quite agitated in the classroom and potentially cause disruption. They may also be unable to concentrate because of the fatigue. Provided to the right is a chart that gives you an idea of how much sleep your child needs according to their age group, as recommended by the sleep foundation (Source: http://sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need) . To further drive home the point, research has been done in regards to sleep and school performance. The research has shown that shortened sleep, disrupted sleep schedules, late bed and rise times, and poor sleep quality all negatively impact academic performance.
  2. Exercise – Exercise is very important for your child. Exercise provides a way to boost mood, boost energy, re-focus, and give a sense of accomplishment depending on the form. By encouraging regular exercise, it allows your child to get the energy release they need and gives them an opportunity to “collect” themselves before re-focusing on school tasks. Research has shown that exercise and physical activity in school aged children can actually increase Grade Point Averages (GPA).
  3. Fruits and Vegetables – no discussion would be complete without discussing the benefits of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables can provide significant amounts of B vitamins, which are beneficial for brain functioning, mood, energy, stress, and concentration.
  4. Reduce Screen Time – screen time (i.e. televisions, cell phones, I pads, computers, etc.) could have a negative impact on your child’s future educational achievement. Some research has suggested that the more a child spends in front of a television, the less that they will achieve in the future in regards to degrees and educational achievement. I want to point out that some individuals do benefit from the use of different software to help engage with learning, and so, this recommendation needs to be adapted to your child’s specific needs.
  5. Parenting Style – interestingly enough, the way a child is parented can impact their achievement in school. Research has identified five “processes” that contribute to school achievement. They are: “verbal interactions between mother and children, expectation of parents for achievement, positive affective relationships between parents and children, parental beliefs and attributions about the child, and discipline and control strategies.” Of these processes, discipline and control strategies were the most strongly associated with school achievement.

If your child still experiences difficulty with concentration and focus in school, it is important for you to seek the help of a naturopathic doctor, pediatrician, or other health care provider. Some of the causes can be as simple as a nutritional deficiency, and some may require further evaluation.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Source: http://sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/STREPchanges_1.png

http://www.smrv-journal.com/article/S1087-0792(03)90003-7/abstract

http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/5/1/10/