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How To Make a Self-Soothe Kit

From Sharp Health News, a publication of Sharp HealthCare

Sometimes, life demands you pull out your self-soothe toolbox. A self-soothe kit allows you to use your five senses to cope during times of emotional stress by distracting you from the negative and helping you focus on the present. Be creative and customize the items you include in your kit to reflect your personal needs and preferences. Consider your five senses: What brings each a soothing feeling of joy and peacefulness?

Sight 

Find your “sight for sore eyes.” Perhaps it’s a postcard from your favorite vacation spot or photos of your pet or loved ones. Maybe it’s a list of online links that lead you to your favorite snapshots or funny cat videos. Whether these images bring a smile to your face, make you LOL or simply manage to distract your negative thoughts for a bit, they’ll likely get the feel-good chemicals flowing.

Sound

Create a playlist of your favorite songs that lift you up and boost your mood. Not in the mood for music? Listen to an audiobook or guided meditation, or add a note to your kit that lists your favorite places to go to hear the sounds of the surf or birds singing. Sometimes when you’re feeling down, you need little reminders of where to find the things that lift you up.

Smell

Your sense of smell is located between the memory and emotion regulation centers in your brain, which is why a scent can often bring back experiences both good and bad. Focus on the good by figuring out which essential oils, hand lotions, perfumes, dried flower-filled sachets, candles or even coffee beans fill you with feelings of love and warmth.

Touch 

Touch has so much power — the ability to connect people, share love and demonstrate support when there are no words. Touch can also soothe. A smooth rock collected during a peaceful walk, Silly Putty, a fidget spinner, an ice pack, heat pad or a beloved small stuffed animal — include what brings you a sense of peace, or simply distracts you from negative thoughts and emotions.

Taste 

Find flavors that shift your attention away from stress. For some, adding a piece of chocolate or bag of your favorite tea can do the trick. For others, a spicy mint can provide a sort of shock to the system to bring you into the present moment. Or consider adding a gift card or a few dollars to your box to use in case you need a special— favorite ice cream or fancy coffee drink — self-soothing treat.

The VEBA Resource Center offers Healing Through Natural Medicine Classes. Learn the power of foods, herbs, teas, essential oils, acupressure points, body-mind practices and home remedies for a variety of conditions to get your health back, have energy, and feel and look fabulous. Check out our calendar to sign up for an upcoming class.

Cómo hacer un kit de relajación

De Sharp Health News, una publicación de Sharp HealthCare

A veces, la vida exige que saque su caja de herramientas de cuidado personal. Un pequeño kit de relajación le permite usar sus cinco sentidos para hacer frente a momentos de estrés emocional al distraerle de lo negativo y ayudarle a concentrarse en el presente. Sea creativo y personalice los artículos que incluye en su kit para reflejar sus necesidades y preferencias personales. Considere sus cinco sentidos: ¿Qué es lo que le brinda de cada uno una sensación relajante de alegría y paz?

La vista 

Encuentre algo “agradable para su vista”. Tal vez sea una postal de su lugar de vacaciones favorito o fotos de su mascota o seres queridos. Tal vez sea una lista de enlaces en línea que lo lleven a sus fotografías favoritas o videos divertidos de gatos o lo que a usted le guste. Ya sea que estas imágenes le traigan una sonrisa, lo hagan reír o simplemente logren distraer sus pensamientos negativos por un momento, es probable que hagan fluir los químicos para sentirse bien.

Sonido 

Haga una lista de reproducción de sus canciones favoritas que le animan y mejoran su estado de ánimo. ¿No está de humor para la música? Escuche un audiolibro o una meditación guiada, o agregue una nota a su kit que enumere sus lugares favoritos para ir a escuchar el sonido de las olas o el canto de los pájaros. A veces, cuando se sienta deprimido, necesita pequeños recordatorios de dónde encontrar las cosas que le levantan el ánimo.

Olfato 

Su sentido del olfato se encuentra entre los centros de regulación de la memoria y las emociones en su cerebro, por lo que un olor a menudo puede traer experiencias tanto buenas como malas. Concéntrese en lo bueno averiguando qué aceites esenciales, lociones para manos, perfumes, bolsitas llenas de flores secas, velas o incluso granos de café le llenan de sentimientos de amor y calidez.

Tacto 

El tacto tiene mucho poder: la capacidad de conectar a las personas, compartir amor y demostrar apoyo cuando no hay palabras. El tacto también puede calmar. Una roca suave recolectada durante una caminata tranquila, plastilina o Silly Putty, un juguete giratorio para el estrés (fidget spinner), una bolsa de hielo, una almohadilla térmica o un pequeño mono de peluche. Incluya lo que le brinda una sensación de paz o simplemente que lo distrae de los pensamientos y emociones negativas.

Gusto 

Encuentre sabores que desvíen su atención del estrés. Para algunos, agregar un trozo de chocolate o una bolsa de su té favorito puede ser el truco. Para otros, una menta refrescate puede proporcionar una especie de shock al sistema para traerlos al momento presente. O considere agregar una tarjeta de regalo o unos cuantos dólares a su caja para usar en caso de que se le antoje su helado favorito o una bebida de café elegante, un regalo relajante.

VEBA ofrece clases de Curación a Través de Medicina Natural. Únase a la Dra. V mientras para cerrar la brecha entre la sabiduría antigua y el mundo moderno, enseñando el camino natural hacia el bienestar mediante la curación de adentro hacia afuera. En esta clase, aprenderá el poder de los alimentos, hierbas, tés, aceites esenciales, puntos de acupresión, prácticas cuerpo-mente y remedios caseros para una variedad de condiciones. Aprenda el enfoque holístico para sentirse empoderado para recuperar su salud, tener energía y sentirse y verse fabuloso. Consulte nuestro calendario para inscribirse en la siguiente clase.

My Health Journey: Mike Andre

Mike Andre was very active growing up, he played baseball, basketball, skateboarding, surfing, etc. You name it, he did it. He even became captain of the football and baseball team in high school. Being raised by a single mom, Mike’s coaches became the father figure that he never had.

After high school, Mike wanted to join the military thinking he would only stay for 4 years, learn some discipline, and then go to college. But he ended up staying for 30 years, serving 21 years in Special Operations. Although they were some of the best years of his life, they took a tremendous toll on his body. He had 4 hernia discs in his back, several concussions, multiple hernia discs in his neck, and 4 shoulder surgeries. Even though he was in pain, he just pushed through it for all those years.

He had limited physical activity, began drinking and eating, and struggled with depression and anxiety from the stress of his working environment and not knowing if he was going to have a job after transitioning from the military. He weighed 270 pounds, the heaviest he has ever been in his life. By the time he got help, he was already a broken man.

One morning, Mike looked into the mirror and decided he needed to change. Mike leaned into holistic ways to help heal himself and his body, where he learned the therapeutic benefits of yoga, mindfulness, and acupuncture. He began to prioritize his exercise and started eating healthier which made a huge difference in his mental health.

Mike now works out 5 times a week, mainly outdoors to connect with nature, and meditates to help him keep a positive mindset. Mike has lost 70 pounds since he decided he was going to put himself first and change his life.

Today, Mike is the Senior Director of Operations at the VEBA Resource Center.

“VEBA’s holistic approach to wellness is exactly what helped me get back on the right path”.

Mike is passionate about helping others find healing the way he once did, and to let others know they are not alone on their health journey.

Watch more My Health Journey stories on our Youtube channel.

Visit the VEBA Resource Center to find out more about our free daily online classes, including yoga, strength training, mindfulness, and cooking classes.

Looking for healthy recipes? Check out these quick, easy and delicious recipes created by the VRC’s Cooking & Nutrition experts.

My Health Journey: Laura Kim

If you want to see the picture of health and happiness, look at Laura Kim. Her radiant face and beautiful smile show us what happens when we commit to healing our body, mind, and soul.

Like many Americans, Laura’s struggle with food and weight began at a young age when she started sneaking junk food to feed her emotions. Despite remaining physically fit through competitive swimming, her eating habits didn’t change and additional health problems followed.

Add to this the fact that Laura is deaf. Not only did she deal with multiple prejudices, she also faced our challenging healthcare system, set up in a way that advantages hearing people. The Deaf Community, says Laura, tends to have higher cases of obesity and misdiagnoses because of the lack of access to good, thorough health information. This includes interpreters and captioned videos.

Laura hit rock bottom in 2018 after a serious car accident involving her parents. The stress from that accident worsened her eating habits and, eventually, she weighed more than 200 pounds. Laura decided to change her mental and physical relationship to food. She began to see good nutrition and exercise as ways to heal her body. It took time and commitment, and there’s daily work to do, but Laura is “in control and on a positive path.”

Visit the VRC to find out more about our free daily online classes, including yoga, strength training, mindfulness, and cooking classes.

Looking for healthy recipes? Check out these truly tasty bites created by the VRC’s Cooking & Nutrition experts.

Yoga is for Everyone

The VEBA Resource Center (VRC) appreciates yoga as a lifestyle that promotes a holistic wellness and healing, for mind, body, and soul. We know how effective and nourishing a yoga practice can be, and offer a variety of yoga classes each week. VRC Well-Being Coach and certified Yin Yoga Teacher, Pilar Murillo, explains how yoga helps and heals.

“We live in such a fast-paced society that we often lose connection to ourselves and each other. Yoga helps us stop. Pay attention. Breathe. Get in touch with our feelings and calm our thoughts. We can’t really be there for others if we aren’t taking care of ourselves.”

In fact, the word ‘yoga,’ from Sanskrit, means ‘to join, to yoke, or unite,’ as in the union of body and mind – and connection to one another. Pilar practices and teaches various forms of yoga but her favorite is Yin Yoga — a slower, more deliberate practice that concentrates on ligaments and joints along with muscles. The most attractive aspect for Pilar is the melding of science with mind, body, and spirit.

“This style of yoga gives the practitioner the time and space to connect with themselves, explore what they’re feeling and how they’re breathing. And when you take this extra time to connect with your body, your mind follows.”

Pilar knows how intimidating the world of nutrition, exercise, and wellness can be — especially when you’re starting a new program. She is passionate about helping VEBA Members navigate their unique path.

“Each client has a different journey and I’m a guide, helping to find the right class that will act as an entry point for them. There are many ways to get into yoga (and better health). Some start with mindfulness classes; others begin with breathing groups; and some jump right into yoga. No single way is best.”

Though its roots are in Hinduism, yoga does not adhere to or promote any particular religion, belief system, country, or community. It is a way of life and no matter your age, faith, gender, belief system, or ethnicity, yoga is meant to be shared.

“In my experience, when it comes to the spiritual side of yoga, everyone finds their own way, in their own time. I’m here to help raise awareness and encourage that spark, that sense of belonging.”

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