Burnout – What is it and are you in danger of having it?

Burnout is a buzzword in recent years but it’s far more than feeling tired after a long week. Burnout is the result of ‘chronic workplace stress, followed by exhaustion, increased negativity, and reduced performance’. But its far more than that as and there is far more at risk than we think.

What are the symptoms of burnout?

Burnout can be filled with complex symptoms with everything from severe exhaustion, cognitive issues such as forgetfulness, trouble focusing, and difficulty retaining information to even a complete loss of passion for living. It doesn't just impact work and can contribute to anxiety, insomnia, and increased rates of depression. Physically, it can lower immunity.

So, is burnout depression?

Burnout and depression often look similar, but aren’t identical. Burnout feels more like helplessness and overwhelm, while depression is a feeling of no hope to carry on and no sense of fulfillment.

There are also biological differences as depression is usually linked to higher cortisol (the stress hormone) and burnout is linked to lower cortisol, meaning your stress response is blunted over time.

What are the signs you could be burnt out?

Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It creeps in slowly, and you may not notice the changes until you are overwhelmed. Typical signs include withdrawal from friendships, over worrying, low concentration, taking a longer time to finish tasks, unrefreshed sleep, feeling stuck, stagnation or diminished productivity

Who is at Risk?

Burnout can affect anyone, but studies show there are certain professions and personalities that are more vulnerable. These all seem to need huge amounts of concentration in a full-on job such as doctors and nurses, teachers, police, emergency workers and lawyers just to name a few professions.

The reason is that these fields tend to attract personalities that are perfectionist, conscientious and super reliable due to what is asked of them in their career. Nevertheless, there are many other people passionate in their field that are also at risk.

How does this impact employers?

Employers have a legal obligation to minimise work stress by managing high workloads, long hours, and unrealistic expectations. It is important to have an open dialogue with your staff and speak clearly if you notice early signs of something. Burnout can cost you many good employees if you are not alert and paying attention to your employee’s health and reactions.

How is burnout treated?

Burnout is treated by taking a proper break from the environment causing the issue. Addressing the concerns of your staff if you are a manager, self-care and therapy if it’s personally affecting you and learning new tools. These include lifestyle changes and returning to work with a better, healthier perspective and a feeling of renewal. Here at Stressfree Management® we assist individuals and companies to work on burnout and eliminate it from staff and individuals. We help make that shift to improve your health but it is up to you to take the first steps.

Talk to management about taking some time off, confide in a friend or call and make an appointment for a trusted professional to assist you in setting up future, realistic expectations of yourself. Also, we can assist you to begin a regular exercise routine, teach you meditation and mindfulness, help you with better food choices and help you get a good night’s sleep. We also have techniques we can teach you to let go of those past worries and intrusive thoughts.

Burnout is real, serious, and common but it’s also treatable. Recognise the signs early and take action. It can save your health, your career, and your wellbeing. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, depleted, or like you’re losing your passion, it might be time to pause, reassess, and reach out for support. You deserve a career and a life that doesn’t burn you out. Contact us today to see how we can help www.stressfreehealthmanagement.com

Why is being a good listener so important?

Listening is something that we do every day. However, are you a good listener? Sometimes you may find yourself interrupting the person talking or you may find that you often start talking about your own experience without first acknowledging the other person. This doesn’t make you a bad listener but there are a few things you can do to make your listening skills better. Letting others know you’re listening through your facial expressions and verbal sounds such as “Mm-hm”, is a great way to start. Also being able to repeat what they have said, practically word-for-word is also great. Something like, “So, let me make sure I understand. What you’re saying is…” is good to start with. However, there is more you can do to become the best listener for your friends and loved one when they need it.

Skills for listening

Good listening is much more than being silent while the other person talks. Sometimes it is good to periodically ask questions that promote discovery and insight. This is because it helps to gently challenge their old assumptions in a constructive way. Thinks about it, just because someone sits there and nods doesn’t mean they are actually listening, but if you are asking questions, it will confirm that you are listening.

You should also make the conversation a positive experience. This doesn’t happen when you are passive or critical. You should make them feel supported. A good listening skill to have, is to be able to have a cooperative conversation. This type of interactions, the feedback will flow smoothly in both directions and neither party should become defensive about the comments either of you make.  Making suggestions can be good. Some feedback provided in a way they would accept will open up alternative paths to consider.

Different levels of listening

Not all conversations require the same level of listening. Many conversations would benefit from greater focus and listening skills.

It is important to make the person fee they are in a safe environment in which sometimes difficult topics or even emotional issues can be discussed. Perhaps clear away distractions such as your television, phone and computer. Focus your attention on the other person and make eye-contact. Try to understand the core what they are saying. Take up their ideas, ask them questions, and if needed restate the issues to confirm your understanding is correct.

Sometimes it’s important to look for non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, what feelings they may transmit, how they are breathing, moving their hands, how they are sitting and other body language signals which will communicate equally as important as the language they use. This may even let you discover subconscious feelings they are not maybe even aware of at this time.

Can you put yourself in the other person’s position and understand their emotions about the topic? Let them know your response to this. If there are things you don’t understand ask questions and maybe use your input to help them to see the issue in a new light. 

How it all works

All these suggestions here work together to make you a good listener. Remember they are a different person to you and do things differently perhaps so don’t be too pushy with your suggestions. You are their sounding board for them to clarify how they feel and what they can do to move forward. Hopefully when you have an issue, they, or someone else, will be able to provide the good listening skills to assist you in your needs.

Remember that counselling and therapy are good sounding boards for issues that often cannot be resolved in your life. This clinic offers a range of therapies to assist you to overcome your stress, anxiety, blockages and to reach your goals. We can help you clear away the negativity that keeps you blocked. So why not give us a call and discuss how we can help you today.

Having a healthy Gut and why it’s important

When we talk about gut health, we are referring to the function and balance of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. The gastrointestinal organs include your oesophagus, stomach and intestines. These all work together to digest the food you eat.

Having a healthy gut is very important for your overall health. Your gastrointestinal tract starts at your mouth and ends at your bottom. The function of your gastrointestinal tract is to take in food, digest it, absorb nutrients and get rid of waste.

Why is gut health so important?

The gut doesn’t only have a role in digestion, but it also has a huge role to play when it comes to immunity, emotional stress and chronic illnesses. Your gastrointestinal tract is full of bacteria that helps your body process food, maintain homeostasis (balance) and enhances your overall wellbeing. It also contains the microbiome. This is the makeup of bacteria and microorganisms in your digestive tract. Everyone's microbiome is different. However, a diverse array of microorganisms is ideal for your health. If this is deficient it leads to an increase of disease-causing bacteria. Your gut health can be linked to many diseases, including anxiety, depression, asthma, allergies, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and dementia.

Signs it might be worthwhile getting your gut heath checked

• Stomach discomfort. If you are experiencing frequent symptoms such as gas, bloating and abdominal pain.
• Skin irritation. These can include acne, eczema and psoriasis.
• Bowel irregularity or changes in the frequency or consistency of your stools.
• Food sensitivities. These happen when the body has trouble digesting particular foods. This is different from a food allergy, which is caused by an immune system reaction. Food sensitivity symptoms can include bloating, abdominal pain, gas, diarrhoea and nausea. It is the underlying cause of inflammation which leads to many illnesses.
• Heartburn or reflux
• Nausea and vomiting

Make sure you see your natural therapist if you're experiencing these symptoms. You should probably see your doctor also if you need any blood tests etc. done. This is to make sure there isn't anything else going on. Your naturopath and nutritionist should be able to put you on the path good health.

A healthy digestive system means your food can be broken down. It needs to be broken down so it can enter the bloodstream and be delivered as nutrients to your body to keep it healthy. Healthy bacteria and immune cells are important to keep the gut healthy and fight off infections. Your general health and wellbeing are maintained by your gut communicating with your brain and creating the terrain for good health.

Ways to help support your gut health

There are a few things you can do to give your gastrointestinal tract help. Firstly, you can make sure you are adding a diverse range of foods to your diet. Especially foods that come from plants. Also, adding fermented foods such as yogurt and sauerkraut can help balance the bacteria. Add plenty of prebiotic fibre-rich foods such as whole grains, bananas, asparagus and Jerusalem artichoke to your diet.

You should try to limit your intake of artificial sweeteners.  Another way to support your gut health is to manage your stress levels. Stress and the health of your gut are intimately connected. Make sure you take the right supplements in the right balance to keep your body healthy. Find out what foods upset you and cause your inflammation and stick to a plan to eliminate them. Message, call or email us to make a time to find out what your food sensitivities are, help you plan a healthy eating plan and stabilise your inflammation levels. Then sit back and enjoy life as you get healthier.

Why you need to meditate at least 20 minutes a day

Meditation is important for anyone that has a busy, hectic lifestyle, is under lots of physical, mental, and emotional stress, is feeling tired, weak, and overwhelmed. These kinds of stressors can lead to anxiety, depression and excess inflammation. Meditation and mindfulness can help reduce stress and improve the way you feel, increase focus and concentration, clear a foggy head, improve your productivity and most of all teach you how to chill out when you need it.

Health benefits

Meditation can also give you a sense of peace, increase your confidence with achieving your goals, improve your energy levels and give you a better quality of sleep. It can give you positive self-reinforcement and empowerment.

Mindfulness which is akin to meditation can be used to guide you through most challenges that life bring you. If you meditate regularly, you may find that most of your stress goes away or seems smaller, takes up less of your time and attention. Bringing meditation into your daily life in the form of mindfulness can help your moods to also improve. Just that lift you may need. Meditation can be practised on your own or in a group. It helps you to respond consciously and reflectively, instead of reacting instantly to your circumstances.

When you meditate your oxygen consumption drops automatically by 10 to 20% giving your entire physical body a rest. This creates increased physical energy. It also creates a drop in blood lactate, which is a toxic substance that builds up in your muscles. These build ups can cause you pain and fatigue. It helps decrease heart and respiration rates, increases melatonin and decreases cortisol. This is why it helps your sleeping habits.

Meditation for a busy Lifestyle – how to do it

You may be thinking that there isn’t enough time in your day to meditate but no matter what skills you use to achieve mindfulness, it should fit your daily routine and make you feel incredible. Meditation cannot be done in less than twenty minutes no matter what people tell you.

Reasons for this is that to start meditating you first need to find a place to sit comfortably. Rest your hands on your legs with palms totally separated to let the energy flow through. This is not the classic hand positions for meditation you see in pictures. Those pictures you see are not for beginners and hand positions are important in terms of what type of meditation you are doing and why you are doing it. Be sure your spine is straight and your chin down a bit. Remember to put on a guided meditation on your phone or IPad. Don’t just listen to music and don‘t just sit and listen to your breathing. For beginners it is not enough to capture your restless mind. You need a trained therapist guiding you as to how your specific mind works if you want to do this properly. So don’t just download anything on the internet and go for it. That’s not how it works despite what you may read elsewhere. You will also find the first five minutes is spent working out if you are too hot, too cold, does your toe twitch or your knee hurt etc. Then another few minutes goes pulling your mind in away from what stresses you. If you are just meditating for five minutes your time is up – totally wasted. So the ancient sages teach that minimum 20 minutes is a must.  

Once you have got you position just focus on what the download you are listening to from your therapist is telling you to do and breathe. Once you have practiced a bit you can focus on your breathing or if you are stressed out at work or in a public place then count each inhalation and exhalation and be slightly aware of the action of breathing. Inhale to a count of one, but exhale for a count of two. If you are already a meditator in most situations this action will calm you down somewhat.

If your mind does wander in meditation don’t worry just re-focus on your download and see where it is guiding you. You will have thoughts and feelings flooding your mind but don't hold on to them, just let them go. The more you practice, the better you're going to get at controlling your thoughts when you aren't meditating. The skill you are now learning will be with you the rest of your life as a wonderful tool for you to use when life starts to get on top of you. Over time, you'll begin to notice you have less stress, more focus, and a younger, healthier, and stronger body just to name a few things.

Need help? We are here

We teach meditation and mindfulness at the clinic here. With a course you can pick up the knack in a few weeks and give it 6 months and you will be an expert. Practice makes perfect so to speak. Give us a call today to find out how you can start with just a few short lessons for an hour a week and practice at home. We do online and face to face.

Stress, anxiety & depression respond to higher serotonin levels

If you have been feeling a little down lately, it could be because your levels of serotonin have been low. Serotonin is a feel-good chemical. It gets that name because it can raise your mood and make you feel happy if you have higher levels of it and if levels are low you can suffer from anxiety, depression, and low energy.

How to boost serotonin levels

There are some foods that can help boost your serotonin levels. These foods include nuts and seeds, tofu and pineapple. This is because they contain tryptophan. Eating the foods by themselves may not boost your levels enough though so you should also exercise regularly. Exercise will increase your levels and also increases tryptophan levels in the brain for hours after the workout. Research has found that when you exercise consistently it can have the same affect on you as antidepressants.

Serotonin is used by the brain, but is primarily produced in the gut. Your gut actually produces 90 percent of serotonin in the body. That is why it’s important to keep your gut healthy. The best way to keep your gut healthy is to cut back on your sugar intake and limit your intake of processed foods. Also cut back on alcohol as when you are feeling low it will make you feel worse because alcohol lowers serotonin levels.

Sunlight is also good for your serotonin levels. There is research that shows that people have higher levels of serotonin in their body on a sunny day than they do on a cloudy day. So, on the days that the sun is shining it’s a good idea to get out and go for a walk. By walking for just 20 minutes every morning, after the sun comes up you may feel great the whole day.

Another idea is to get a massage as it will loosening your muscles and release tension. Research shows that a massage can help relieve depression and anxiety as it reduces cortisol levels in your body by around 31%. Massage therapy can also help to boost your serotonin levels by around 28%. Also try and remain optimistic about circumstances in your life. Being pessimistic only brings down your mood. It’s not even about thinking of the glass, which represents your life, as being half full when it’s filled halfway. It’s about believing that soon that glass will be overflowing with all the good things in life – like the sweetness of a yummy drink overflowing from the glass.

What about supplements?

Serotonin supplements are available but be mindful if you take these as they can have side effects such as dizziness and insomnia. It is a good idea to consult your health care practitioner to see what is best for you. If you are having stress, anxiety or depression there are many natural ways to handle it. Give us a call to find out how. 

Coping with anxiety – Part II

Last month we posted part I on how to deal with those anxious moments in your life. Now in Part II we will give you some more tips to help you overcome and move forward from your anxiety into a brighter future.

Tune in on your perspective

When you are feeling anxious it can be difficult to decipher what is real and what may not necessarily be true. When you are feeling anxious you may find that everything irritates you, even small things that you know normally wouldn’t bother you. You may even find that no matter what someone says or does, you cannot break through that feeling of irritation. This can cause you to want to remove yourself from others. The problem with this is, when you are alone you may start filling your mind with more and more anxious thoughts. You may find yourself thinking that the people around you don’t want you there or that you don’t belong. Luckily there are a few things you can do to help cope with these feelings and thoughts.

Helping with the negative thoughts

When it comes to the cycle of negative thoughts that may be running through your head, the first thing you should stop and ask yourself is, “it what I am think actually true?” You need to stop and think hard about it, don’t just automatically react and say ‘yes’. You can ask yourself questions like, ‘do I have reason to believe it’s true?’ ‘What are these reasons?’ ‘Can I read their mind and know what they are thinking?’ You need to be able to prove that the people or person you are having the negative thoughts about are actually having ill feelings towards you, if you cannot prove that this is the case then you need to think about reflecting on yourself and not on them.

When you learn to change your thoughts in these situations and say to yourself, ‘why am I thinking this?’ you will allow yourself to be more in control of your negative thoughts and it will help you see past them when you do get irritated, anxious and/or frustrated at everyone and everything.

Look after yourself

If you look after yourself on the outside it can help you feel better on the inside. You can try exercise, yoga, meditation or even just getting some ‘you’ time when you feel you need it, can all be helpful in making you feel better inside and out. Remember to not only do these things when you feel anxious, do them all the time.

Don’t burden yourself with other people’s rubbish

When you feel anxious and are struggling, it can be very easy for you to take on the burden of someone’s lies and rubbish without even thinking twice about it. However, this is something that you need to recognise and stop from happening. Call people out on their lies and if they are not treating you well.

Think positive

If you are surrounded by negative people it can be easy to fall into the same way of thinking all the time. This is why it is better to surround yourself with positive people. If you can force yourself to think of happy thoughts in the moments when someone is being particularly negative, it will help create serotonin in your brain and provide you the extra boost you need to remove yourself from the situation.

These tips will help you a bit along the way but if you have persistent negativity, anxiety, stress, panic attacks or depression then contact us as we can help. We do both face to face and online consultations and we can quickly help you overcome those feelings that are holding you back from having joy in your life. 

Coping with Anxiety

Your brain is split into sections, the part at the front known as the frontal lobe is the part of your brain that is in charge of the thinking part where you plan for the future, your judgment, your decision-making skills, your attention span, and your inhibitions. It’s basically responsible for your normal moods.

Your brain is also in charge of protecting you when there is potential danger. This part is called the Amygdala. This response is what we know as the flight or fight response. When you suffer with anxiety it is like the Amygdala is constantly turned on. Being anxious can make you feel hazy and affect your focus and also makes it seem as though everything is stressing you out and everyone is irritating you. Once you get this far it can be hard to pull yourself out of it.

Ways to help you cope

Exercise is a good way to distress as it elevates your heart rate which can act like a mild dose of Prozac in the body. Exercise releases endorphins which make you feel good. It also helps to boost the serotonin production in your body. Memories, happy ones, can also boost the serotonin levels in your body. Focusing on a happy memory when you are starting to feel overly stressed and anxious can help to trick the mind and help you cope. If this doesn’t work try writing the happy memory down. It may take a few goes but eventually your brain will automatically associate the happy memory with your triggers and will help you through the struggle. Writing can be a good way to help get those negative thoughts out and happy thoughts into your mind. 

Sleep is important, not just for coping with anxiety but for your brain function overall. Your brain uses sleep as a period for recovery and without it your stress will remain high. Ensure you are getting adequate sleep as you feel refreshed and ready to start your new day. Also carrying a small object with you can be a great way to help distract your mind when you are feeling stressed and anxious. When you are feeling stressed take it out and hold it, start to think about the colour, size, shape and even weight of the object, to everyone else you’re just fiddling but to you it is distracting your mind.

Music can help distract you also. Focusing on the lyrics or the beat can help calm the mind and also help to boost serotonin. Inflammation may also add to your anxiousness as it is not good for your body. It’s a good idea to avoid foods that cause inflammation. Check with your naturopath for a test to find out what can affect you.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix to combat anxiety. It’s going to take time to train your brain so that it realises that the fears you have aren’t as bad as you think, that you can face them and conquer them if you work at it. We can help so give us a call and have a chat.

Healing Depression with music

Music is a part of our everyday life. Many people listen to music while working, cleaning, exercising, and driving. Listening to music often changes your mood. If your feel down, listening to music can help lift your mood. There have been studies done that show that music can be used in combination with psychological therapies to help lower stress levels, blood pressure, anxiety and depression. It can also help with pain and fatigue.

Helping with coronary heart disease

Studies have shown that listening to music can ease anxiety in a person who has coronary heart disease especially if they have a myocardial infarction. The anxiety reducing effects of the music increase when you are listening to music you chose yourself rather than someone else’s choice. Music can also have a positive effect when it comes to systolic blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, quality of sleep and the levels of pain a person with coronary heart disease feels.

Music and Therapy

Studies have shown that studies done by trained music therapists offered by medical staff to clients purposely pre-recorded may be beneficial when it comes to helping you with anxiety, pain relief, fatigue, and perhaps even to increase the quality of life of cancer sufferers. However, the studies showed that this kind of music therapy only providing short-term effects for people with depression, but if it was combined with traditional treatment it actually enhanced the effects of that treatment. Music was able to decrease anxiety and improve the functioning of people who were feeling depressed. In children and adolescents, music may be effective in reducing the severity of internalising symptoms.

Impacting brain connectivity

In a study using MRI's music was found to have an impact on brain connectivity, particularly in the part of the brain that is involved in internally focused thought, empathy and self-awareness. When you are listening to music you dislike the brain circuit known as the default mode connects poorly however the more you like the music the greater the connectivity. Music will help you to reduce your stress levels, lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Relaxing music can enhance your meditation and relaxation techniques and assist with your anti-anxiety supplements or medication as well as assist your body with inflammation as the positive psychological affect reflects physically into the body.

If you find that you are feeling down and need a mood booster try listening to some of your favourites which will lift your spirits. If however this does not help have a word to your health care practitioner who will give you some tips to relax more and overcome those negative feelings. A good natural practitioner can teach you to meditate, relax and alter your perspective. There are many techniques to do this. Call our clinic to see how we can help you today.

Image thanks to Samantha Hurley - Burst

Mental health assistance and the impact of nature

Mental health issues have been on the increase in our current social isolation environment. The whole act of distancing and staying indoors has made people that feel depressed and isolated even more so. City life is often great for work life and social life under normal circumstances but this may not always be good for your mental health either as it creates mental chatter for some. City life may mean being close to shops, schools, public transport and restaurants under usual circumstances but it also means there is a lot of noise, limited space and more air pollution. Nature also has its limits in these areas and the lack of greenery can mentally affect us. 

Most urban environments make room for some parks, grass areas, trees known as green areas and the landscape is often interspersed with ocean or lakes, and rivers known as blue spaces. It is known that urban environments with green and blue areas have less depression, stress and anxiety.  

Even though there is an association of better mental health around these blue and green spaces there are other specifics that need to be considered for mental health. Some of these include how many of these spaces are needed, how big they should be, are they spaced around so that you can access these areas easily no matter where you are and how much time should we spend in these environments.

Ways in which they improve mental health

There are different ways in which green and blue environments, namely those of nature, help to improve mental health. These areas tend to be healthier all round as it has been found they are cooler, less polluted and are quieter, they allow you the space needed to exercise freely in the outdoors with plenty of space, they provide a quiet place to meet socially and even just seeing this type of environment can help improve your health.

Being in and around nature has been linked to people reducing their stress. Stressing too much causes an excess in the hormone cortisol which is linked to people being in a bad mood. Nature can also be good for the immune system which is why advice in these times of Covid 19 to do some outdoor exercise daily is good advice. It will lift your spirits, increase your oxygen intake and help get you in shape.

If you are struggling with mental health

If you find that you are becoming increasingly stressed, anxious or are in a low mood, you should try to increase your time out in nature, go for a walk in the park, watch the wind blow the leaves on the trees and listen to the birds and other animals around. Although this isn’t a cure for your aches, pains and worries it is a small step towards relaxation and may help calm your mood and lift your spirits. Add to this some natural supplements to boost your immunity, meditation and yoga, perhaps writing your thoughts into a journal and exercising with a friend and some of that negativity will be released. If you find you are struggling with emotional difficulties or are unable to find a release from the negative moods, please seek help and speak with a counselor or therapist who will steer you in the right direction to help alleviate your issues.

Pic - Angelique Downing - Burst  

Sleep better - naturally

Sleep may be one of the things affected in these hard time of shutdown and constantly hearing about Corona virus on the news. The whole world is in a bit of turmoil. Is it any wonder your sleep patterns are disrupted? However it is important to get a good, restful night’s sleep to function properly next day. Lack of sleep will affect your focus and concentration and eventually your health. If you are someone that struggles to get to sleep, stay asleep or are restless at night there are many things you can do to help yourself.

Turn off what would keep you awake

Firstly blue light that comes from our TV, computers, phones and tablets causes sleep issues as it can reduce the melatonin production, which is the hormone that promotes deep sleep. So these things make it hard to fall asleep. Turning off these devices at least two hours before bed can help you to get a more restful night’s sleep. If you find that this is just not practical as you are overloaded with work you can try using some essential oils that will help to relax your mind and body.

Things to remember when using oils

Remember all oils should be mixed in a carrier oil if applied to the skin but if you are using a burner you put them in water. Also no carrier oil is needed for diffusers. Less is always best in the burner so just a drop or two is enough. Similar for a bath – 3 to 4 drops of each oil you want to use (depending on the size of the bath).

What oils do I use

Sandalwood is one that can help. By placing a drop under your nose and on your forehead between your eyebrows, where your 6th energy centre is (chakra) it corresponds with your psychological skills and mental abilities. So use it to help you relax. Also the pleasant smell of some of these oils helps as it’s something pampering before you go to bed.

Some other oils that can be helpful include Lavender which is a well-known calming oil and you can put a drop under your nose, on your big toes, or a drop on either side of the pillow (this is good for the elderly or children). If you have a diffuser a few drops is good to let it fill the room and the droplets in the air will help you to relax. Cedarwood is another good oil you can use with Lavender. You can rub both these oils on you if they are blended with a carrier oil and you only need a little.

Valerian is one of the major sleep assistance oils but it must be applied just before bed because if you put it on too early it may lose affect. RutaVaLA is a combination oil. It consists of Ruta, Valerian and lavender, it is a stronger blend than using the oils on their own. Roman Chamomile is a great oil for both adults and children as it is gentle.

If you have a diffuser you can set it to also use ‘Awaken’ oil just before you need to wake up or you can add it to your sleep oil but in smaller quantities to ensure you not only have a great night’s sleep but also wake up feeling refreshed and relaxed. However, when using awaken you should be careful as it is photosensitive meaning it must be in a carrier oil and you can be affected if you go out in the sun after applying it. Obviously if it’s in a burner once again you don’t need a carrier oil. Keep it away from the face.

So next time you are having trouble sleeping make sure you have a supply of these oils which you can obtain from myself or on the net if you know what you are buying. Always make sure your oils are pure and high grade as the cheap ones have chemicals in them and your body is simply becoming toxic if you use those. It’s good to have a few different oils as you feel differently on different days. If you use the same oil the effects may be less on a day you feel differently. Alternatively call me and I can make a special oil just for you, mixed according to sleep issues you have, and post it out to you. 

Managing productivity

Are you finding that your days are just going by and you’re not getting things done? Let’s help you become a bit more productive with a few tips.

Starting in the morning set your routine. Focus on yourself instead of work and emails. Take the time to get ready and eat a good nutritious breakfast. Spend some time working out, meditating or even just catching up with local news, a magazine or a few pages of a book. This will change the focus from the over anxious work day to a day that has you more present in the moment.

When you are ready to start your work thinking about what is the most important and make a list of what has to be done in order of the highest priority first to the least important. Doing this will help you decide how to prioritise and split your time so you don’t waste time on something that has a low priority of importance. Don’t worry about the less important things if you don’t get to them as long as your focus is on what really needs to be done first. The other things can flow over to the next day as top of the list or slip in a few extra minutes at the end of the day to get them off your to do list.

Remember to take breaks so that you refresh your brain and rejuvenate your body. This is very important especially if the job is challenging. By doing the most challenging tasks first you will feel a sense of fulfillment that they are complete and the breaks will refresh you to push forward with easier tasks making you more productive.

Very important is to prioritise your emails. Don’t let your emails boss you round and keep you glued to the computer screen. Answer the urgent ones, flag the next urgent and put the rest on the ‘to do’ list. Make it that you handle every email just twice. Once to see what it’s about and again to reply and file it. Once it’s filed move on to the next tasks and remember that although multi-tasking may seem like a good idea and make you feel as though you are getting through things faster in actual fact you are not because you are spreading your energies. This will have a negative impact on the quality of your work. It is always better to focus your full attention on what you are doing and move on when you are finished.

Even if you put just a few of these tips to use you will soon find your lifestyle and work ethic changes and you become more efficient giving you more free time to spend on other things that you love to do.