Author Archives: janet37

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About janet37

I am a Reflexologist and Complementary therapist based near Lescure-Jaoul, Aveyron, France. The therapies I provide are Reflexology, Wellbeing Massage including Indian Head Massage, a variety of Holistic Facials, Reiki and Crystal Healing. Over the years I have taken part in many personal and spiritual development courses and I'm passionate about self-heap and self-care. Wanting to share my knowledge and experience, I developed a wellbeing blog where I share my own healing journey from fibromyalgia and write articles on Healing and Self-Care. I am currently in the process of developing online courses and hope to Thank you for taking the time to read this. Janet

Happy New (Resolutions) Year

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Before I start this post I’d just like to wish you all A Wonderfully Happy New Year and I hope all your goals and dreams come true.

It’s that time of year again – the time when we reflect on the past year and make resolutions for the one ahead. But if you’re like me and many others, you find yourself making the same resolutions year after year, only to break them within the first few weeks of the new year.

What did I Achieve Last Year?

My Repeated Resolutions – every year I plan to start a regular exercise regime, eat healthy, lose weight and overcome any health issues. Improving my French and growing my business are usually included in there too. I’ve found notebooks going back 10 years that start with exactly the same intentions. I don’t think I actually made resolutions last year just had positive intentions, but what I did achieve was:

  • I started writing this blog, I always resolved to write a book in the past but it was too much of a commitment to stick too. I love to write though so writing a blog and all the other articles on this website is a perfect way to express myself.
  • I started a YouTube channel – I haven’t published much on it yet but I have lots of material ready to put together and lots more ideas of content I’d like to put on there. So the framework is in place.
  • I did do a lot more exercise, not as much as I hoped but I did start a little personal class with a friend so we motivated each other to keep it up, a few (non related) injuries put a temporary halt to them however.
  • I finally got a dental implant for a lost crown which was making me feel a bit self conscious and took a couple of year to get an appointment to fix.
  • I had a cardiac ablation procedure which looks like it may have resolved my Atrial Fibrillation.
  • I finally travelled to the UK to see family for the first time in three years.

What stops us sticking to our Resolutions

Before I make my resolutions I thought I’d reflect on why we struggle to stick to our resolutions, even when we’re determined to make positive changes in our lives?

One reason might be that we’re too ambitious. We make resolutions that are hard to maintain, setting ourselves up for failure from the start.

Another reason might be that we’re not specific enough. We make vague resolutions like “exercise more” or “eat healthier,” without a clear plan of action or accountability.

Some tips to help you make sure that you stick to your resolutions this year?

  1. Make specific and achievable resolutions. Instead of resolving to “lose weight,” aim to “lose 5 pounds in the next month” or “cook at home three times a week.” Specific and achievable goals are more likely to lead to success.
  2. Create a plan. Once you’ve set your resolution, break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. For example, if you want to “exercise more,” decide which days of the week you’ll go to the gym, what workouts you’ll do, and for how long.
  3. Find accountability. It can be helpful to have someone to check in with and report your progress to. Whether it’s a friend, a coach, or a support group, having someone to hold you accountable can make a big difference.
  4. Don’t beat yourself up if you slip up. No one is perfect, and it’s okay if you have an off day or two. The important thing is to get back on track as soon as possible and keep moving forward.
  5. Celebrate your successes. As you accomplish your goals, take a moment to recognize and celebrate your progress. This will help you stay motivated and continue making progress towards your resolutions.

When the above tips don’t work

The tips above are great and would have worked for me years ago but unfortunately my fibromyalgia symptoms of exhaustion, pain and brain fog do prevent me from sticking to a regular exercise and diet plan. I do my best and stick to it when I’m able to. I have supportive and encouraging friends and I don’t beat myself up. That is why I’m still positive about achieving results and overcoming my limitations.

So this year I will still have the same goals in mind but instead of having a plan for them I’m going to address the underlying problems which are:

Resolving the pain I have that particularly hinders my progress. I’m suffering terrible with lower back and hip pain at the moment and I had a fall a month or so ago and injured my shoulder which has improved but is still painful when I do too much and I have had knee problems for over ten years.

I’m going to try to overcome my sleep problems as good sleep is essential for healing as well as having the energy to perform daily tasks etc.

If I have energy and no fear of pain then I will be able to stick to the healthy habits on a regular basis.

So an outline of my action plan for 2023 is:

  • Have XRays and MRI on problem areas to see if there is any medical action to be taken.
  • Follow any medical advice given.
  • Go to see an osteopath to help with joint pain.
  • Improve sleep hygiene.
  • Practice Yoga stretching and breathing exercises to help with both pain and sleep.
  • Remember to use my own therapies on myself where possible e.g. Self-massage, Reflexology and Reiki.

Unrelated Resolutions:

  • Read one book a month.
  • Publish my first YouTube video by the end of February

I’ll leave it at that now and I will review and update regularly on future blog posts.

Thank you for reading my article. I cover a range of subjects from my work as a complementary therapist, personal experiences and interests.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you like this article please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey and if you’d like to see future posts then please enter your email address and click on the subscribe button below and you will be notified of future content. I have no plans to use your email address for any other purpose. Feel free to share my page with anyone you feel may be interested and if you have any feedback about what I write or suggestions for further articles then please use the comment box further down the page. Warmest Wishes, Janet x

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you like this article please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey and if you’d like to see future posts then please enter your email address and click on the subscribe button below and you will be notified of future content. I have no plans to use your email address for any other purpose. Feel free to share my page with anyone you feel may be interested and if you have any feedback about what I write or suggestions for further articles then please use the comment box further down the page. Warmest Wishes, Janet x

https://www.solistic.fr/

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Another Year Over (almost)

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It’s been quite a few months since I wrote a post or article. I love to write and have missed it but I have had quite a lot going on since I last posted on here so I got a bit distracted. I’m looking forward to getting back to my blog in the New Year though. So, what have I been up to then?

Crazy, Hazy days of Summer

Unlike last summer which was so wet that we didn’t even get to use our new swimming pool until late July. This year was the opposite with probably the driest summer since we moved here in 2014. It was so hot and dry that there where wildfires all over France and it was quite scary thinking how quickly something like that can happen. We live in the countryside and are surrounded by fields and forests so a disaster can happen any time. Fortunately we were OK but we could smell the smoke from wildfires not too far away. Despite the heatwave and droughts we had a lovely summer though. July and August are the most social times in France, there are a multitude of Night Markets, Festivals and Village Fetes throughout the summer so it’s a great time for tourists and visiting family and friends. Having teenage children also makes for a busy time, especially since my husband Andrew built our new pool, they love having friends over and usually camp in the garden so don’t really cause us much disruption. My daughter was at some festival nearly every week, I would never have known there were so many festivals in rural France but teenagers have their social networks so they don’t miss out, however it does mean a lot of taxi services by us, usually shared between other parents though and hopefully next summer my daughter will be driving herself.

Teen Party Central at Chez Whelan
Night Markets
Andrew and Me at the last night market in Najac with a group of friends

You could probably find a night market every night of the week in surrounding towns but our regular local ones are in Najac and Villefranche-de-Rouergue. Najac food markets (Marchés Gourmands) are on every Wednesday night in July and August and there is a lovely craft market leading to the main square surrounded by a wide variety of food stalls where you buy the food you want to eat in the main seated are. There is a live band on and you can buy beer and wine and stay as long as you like. Villefranche-de-Rouergue have their night markets every Sunday and still gets very busy but has a different vibe, seating under trees around a band stand where local musicians entertain the crowds. In both case to ensure you get a good seat and don’t queue for too long, it is best to get there early.

Netfilx in the Aveyron

It was quite exciting for the residents of Villefranche de Rouergue this summer as they filmed a mini series in the centre of the bastille town. The series is called ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ based on the book by Anthony Doerr. They were casting for about a thousand extras too, Andrew took the kids down to register and thought he may as well register himself and he actually got called to take part for the last day of filming.

All the Light We Cannot See is a love story based in the 2nd World War about a blind girl who falls in love with a German Soldier. Actors Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie star in this four part series that is based in Saint-Malo, they filmed some of the scenes in Villefranch-de-Rouergue because the town is much quieter than Saint-Malo in the summer and they where able to close of the town centre. The buildings fronts were changed to reflect the era of the film and some of them still remain. Andrew had a fantastic day on set despite the stifling temperatures and having to wear heavy army uniform. You can read a little more about the series here https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/mark-ruffalo-hugh-laurie-netflix-1235150315/

Health Journey

I was very busy working this summer which was great but I still managed to make sure i exercised, mainly swimming because it was so hot. However, I did notice that I was having more frequent episodes of arrhythmia despite being on medication and I found it impossible to use the CPAP machine in that heat too, the humidifier was so warm and I felt like I was drowning. I tried to use the machine again when the weather cooled down a bit but there was an error message so I rang the suppliers and also told them I didn’t think the CPAP was helping me much, in fact I felt it interrupted my sleep more. The company got quite offhand with me and said it wasn’t my place to decide not to use it and they would speak to my cardiologist. A few days later an engineer came to take the machine away at the cardiologists instruction, so I think they have washed their hands of me! So I will try to resolve the sleep apnoea myself through breathing exercises and weight loss.

On a more positive note, I spoke to my doctor about the arrhythmia medication not working and she made an appointment with a cardiac surgeon in Toulouse which resulted in me having an ablation a week later. A cardiac ablation procedure using keyhole surgery to freeze and cause some scarring on the inside of the heart to help break up the electrical signals that cause irregular heartbeats. I was in hospital for just one night and the procedure seems to have been successful. When I first came round after being under anaesthetic for almost three hours, I was in a lot of pain and started to panic as I felt like my chest was being crushed but they gave me pain killers and the feeling eased off quickly. For the first two or three weeks the arrhythmia was worse but I had read that it is normal because the heart is inflamed and needs to heal. Now, two months later everything seems to be fine, I still have to take medication until I have my follow up appointment next week but I’m hoping that I will eventually not need to take that anymore too.

I have a shoulder injury and problems with my lower back and hip at the moment so exercise and work is quite difficult but I’m booked in to have XRays and an MRI in a few weeks and hoping that will also reveal any problems that can be addressed.

So I’m feeling a bit more positive that I’m getting on top of the health issues that hold me back from getting in shape.

The New Year

As always I have lots of intentions for the coming year and I will write about that in my next post so for the moment I’d like to wish you all A Very Happy New Year!

I hope you found this article interesting and useful. Please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey. If you’d like to see my future content then please enter your email and press subscribe below and you will be alerted when I publish anything new. Thank You for taking the time to read this. Until next time, I wish you all the very best. Janet x

https://www.solistic.fr/

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Essential Oils for Personal Use

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What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy refers to the use of essential oils that have been extracted from plants, shrubs and trees. These essential oils can be used for a wide variety of purposes. They can be used to treat medical conditions or alleviate psychological ailments. Aromatherapy can also be used simply for pleasure, to help improve your mood or to reduce your stress. The essential oils of aromatherapy have the power to affect both your physical and mental state.

We often practice aromatherapy on a daily basis without realizing it. When we choose aromas, bath oils, and air fresheners, we usually choose based on what we like, or on how the fragrance makes us feel. The refreshing scent of a pine forest, the pleasurable aromas of herbs, or the many other experiences we have with the scents of plant-derived substances indicate that we are actually practicing and experiencing aromatherapy in many ways.

My Experience with Essential Oils

I first discovered aromatherapy many years ago when my mother bought a few oils and raved about how useful they were. I then subscribed to a monthly magazine called Aromatherapy and Natural Health and each month received a sample of a different oil and all the information on how it was produced and used.  I would use various oils in my daily life not just in incense burners but I would make my own room sprays, insect repellents and ‘healing potions’ as I used to call them, mostly tea tree and lavender for spots, cuts and grazes etc.

Not only did this subscription teach me about essential oils but also about many other therapies and this is what led me onto the complementary therapy and self-healing path. I continued the subscription for years and here is a picture of two of the four large files I accumulated. They are a lovely recourse and reference for all essential oils and other natural remedies.

I use them more often these days, for the same reasons as above but also I like to put them in home-made healing balms, massage oils, face creams and candles.

I never trained as an aromatherapist though, so I can’t use my products on clients but I make gifts for friends and family who all love them.   In my work I buy products from reputable suppliers that contain natural organic ingredients. I have done a course on how to make essential oils although I haven’t attempted to make any yet as I don’t have the equipment but maybe one day, I will give it a go.   However the course gave me a lot more understanding of the oils and their benefits.    I can tell you about the oils I use and for what purpose but the oils are quite powerful so you need to be cautious when using them, I’ll explain more about that later.

I’d like to share the knowledge I have gained over the years and I’ll start this article with basic advice and then do an individual one on particular oils and uses etc.

Some Benefits of Essential Oils in general (different oils have different uses)

  • Boost mood
  • Reduce stress
  • Improve Sleep
  • Kill bacteria, fungus and viruses
  • Reduce anxiety and pain
  • Reduce Inflammation
  • Reduce nausea
  • Relieve Headaches

How to Benefit from Essential Oils Yourself

You can go to see an aromatherapist for a therapeutic massage and advice on what oils you can use for whatever condition or purpose etc. They are experts in the field and can recommend products they believe in. However, you can still benefit from the use of these oils yourself, here are a few tips on getting started:

1. Buy One or Two Aromatherapy Books

Choose just one or two books to start your aromatherapy library. Select books that are general resources, which will give you some basic information and help you discover the areas in which you have the most interest.

2. Join Aromatherapy Discussion Forums

Facebook Groups, Instagram pages and other forums are great resources for aromatherapy newbies. Read past discussions, ask questions, and learn from others.

3. Choose Just a Few Essential Oils to Start

Though you may be tempted to buy more, but try to begin with two or three different essential oils. Essential oils can be quite expensive, so you may want to experiment with a few at first and then invest in more if you decide to pursue aromatherapy further.

4. Make Sure to Buy 100%, Pure, Unadulterated Essential Oils

Choose a well-known and reputable manufacturer. Synthetic, fragrance, and perfume oils are not essential oils; they contain man-made chemicals and have no aroma therapeutic value.

5. Buy at Least One Carrier Oil

For nearly all topical aromatherapy applications, you will need to dilute essential oils into a carrier oil. Good all-purpose carrier oils include sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil and grapeseed oil.

6. Store Your Oils Properly

Essential oils should be stored only in dark glass containers. Since essential oils are volatile, keep the lids tightly closed. Essential oils and carrier oils should be stored away from heat and light.

7. Do a Patch Test

Essential oils are very strong and can cause adverse reactions, due to allergy or sensitivity over time. A patch test helps to determine whether you might react to a particular essential oil.

8. Don’t Use Aromatherapy with Children or Pets

Until you are thoroughly familiar with essential oils and associated safety issues, don’t use them on children or pets, or while pregnant or breastfeeding. Make sure essential oils are kept out of reach of children.

9. Don’t Ingest Essential Oils

Though you will read conflicting information about taking essential oils internally, you should avoid doing this. Some essential oils may be quite toxic if taken internally and some essential oils may interact with prescription or over the counter drugs.

As you experiment with and learn more about aromatherapy, you will become more confident using essential oils. There is so much to explore, so be safe and have fun!

Oils You May Want to Start With

I plan to write about individual oils in more detail but to get you started I’ll give you a little bit of information on two of the oils I use most often.

Lavender

Lavender is one of my favourite oils and I use it in most things, I use it in a diffusers, room sprays, in massage oils and balms and on the skin for bruises and rashes. It’s also great for helping with sleep if you put a few drops on your pillow or in your bath before bedtime.

Tea Tree

This is one I always have on hand in my first aid box, it is antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal. It can be used to treat acne, athlete’s foot, head lice, nail fungus and insect bites.

Peppermint

There are many uses for peppermint oil but I mainly use it in a cooling mist spray, insect repellent and homemade toothpaste.

The three oils above are the ones I replace most often, as I use them all the time. You must be careful using them though, if you are going to apply them to the skin they should be diluted in a carrier oil as they can cause irritation. You can get a lot of information about these from your supplier, an aromatherapist, or from a good book on the subject. Many oils are toxic to pets so be careful, also be extra cautious using them for children or when pregnant. Some of them can be safe though so get advice from a professional in these circumstances.

I will write more in depth articles on individual essential oils and as soon as I publish the ones listed below I will add a link to the page so you can find it easily.

  • Lavender
  • Tea Tree
  • Peppermint
  • Lemon
  • Orange
  • Basil
  • Ylang Ylang
  • Jasmin
  • Rose
  • Frankincense
  • Bergamot
  • Roman Chamomile
  • Clary Sage
  • Geranium
  • Wintergreen
  • Ginger
  • Eucalyptus
  • Rosemary

Thank you for reading my article. I cover a range of subjects from my work as a complementary therapist, personal experiences and interests.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you like this article please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey and if you’d like to see future posts then please enter your email address and click on the subscribe button below and you will be notified of future content. I have no plans to use your email address for any other purpose. Feel free to share my page with anyone you feel may be interested and if you have any feedback about what I write or suggestions for further articles then please use the comment box further down the page. Warmest Wishes, Janet x

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you like this article please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey and if you’d like to see future posts then please enter your email address and click on the subscribe button below and you will be notified of future content. I have no plans to use your email address for any other purpose. Feel free to share my page with anyone you feel may be interested and if you have any feedback about what I write or suggestions for further articles then please use the comment box further down the page. Warmest Wishes, Janet x

https://www.solistic.fr/

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Being Inactive can be Rewarding

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The Art of Pottering

I set myself a challenge in May to do some exercise every day. I did pretty well, the weather has warmed up considerably so I’ve been spending a lot of time in the pool, not just swimming as I get bored doing lengths for too long but I decided to do proper aqua aerobic exercises with the help of foam dumbbells, noodles and flippers. I’ve been doing the figure 8 workouts too, I discovered there was a selection of short workouts for Belly Dancing and as this is something I used to do before, so I was very happy to include this in my workouts. I made sure to do some exercise every day even if just for 10 minutes. Some days I managed to do half an hour of Figure 8 workouts and go in the pool. I’ve lost about half a stone in weight and felt I could manage more exercise as my knees are a bit less painful so I decided to continue the challenge throughout June too, however as the summer arrives so does a lot more activity, I must admit I didn’t manage to exercise every day but I try to keep up with it as best as I can.

Lazy Day Pottering

I had a few days to myself the other week, my husband was working away from home and both the children in school. I got up before 7am to get my son up which is something my husband normally does and I went to bed earlier the night before to allow for this. But I was very tired, every time I started doing something, all my energy just seemed to drain away. I checked my blood pressure was good and took my vitamins and just decided it was one of those ‘little and often’ days where I will follow the advice from this quote I shared on my social media recently. I struggled to complete any task, I went outside to do a bit of weeding but got very hot so only managed about ten minutes. I didn’t have the energy to prepare healthy meals other than a bowl of fruit and yogurt and an unappetising omelette that I’d made for lunch, I basically just had toast to eat, I managed to rustle up a meal for my son when he came home from school though so didn’t neglect his needs and the dog was quite happy too. So it seemed like a wasted day where I could have got loads done but couldn’t find the energy or motivation.

But I Actually Achieved A Lot!

Before I went to bed that night I realised that on my ‘lazy day’ I had achieved so much. I wrote it all down before I went to sleep. In doing little bits at a time I managed to:

  • vacuum the stairs, bedroom, corridor and living room
  • Clean all the toilets
  • Put a wash on and hang it out to dry
  • Cleaned the cat litter tray
  • Defrost two freezer drawers
  • Finished weeding the flower bed
  • Watered the garden
  • Spent an hour on one of my online courses
  • Did a short French Lesson
  • Spent time trying to work out how to use a music making program (unsuccessfully, it’s very complicated)
  • Tidied up a bit

I didn’t manage to do any exercise but all the pottering amounted to over 5000 steps on my fitness watch, I don’t always manage this when I’ve taken the dog for a walk. I didn’t eat healthy and felt like I was always having to stop what I was doing but I didn’t do bad in the end and the results are noticeable. I felt more tired the next day though but as I’d achieved so much I didn’t feel guilty having a rest and taking it easy for a while.

Removing Obstacles

Living with other people (especially two teenagers) often means things are not as organised as I’d like. There is nothing more frustrating than opening a cupboard, drawer or even the fridge and items being crammed in there in a way that makes it impossible to find things or even worse half the contents falling out because they have been stacked in a very illogical manner. I got tired of complaining and explaining how to do it because it falls on deaf ears and I end up in a downward spiral of frustration and resentment. I suppose this is the price of having a family, if I lived alone I would have a lovely tidy and organised house but no one to share it with. So instead of letting those negative feelings get the better of me I just take a little time and sort it all out. It is quite a rewarding feeling to completely empty a cupboard, clean it and put everything back where they can easily be accessed next time, I always find things I forgot I had too which is a bonus. That is why I ended up defrosting just two drawers of my freezer and not the whole thing, after trying to prise them open and only being able to see what is on the top. It really isn’t necessary to have 10 freeze blocks taking up space and that dog food I bought two years ago probably isn’t going to be that good now.

Not my drawer but I organise
it like this

The other day I did the same with my underwear drawer, after using the same dozen repeatedly I realised I had another twenty brand new pairs never used as they were below or behind the ones I reach for. So I through out all the old stuff to leave room for the new. I really need to do this with my clothes though. I have boxes of clothes that I hope to fit into one day, I struggle to fit anything in my wardrobe but again I only wear certain things on a regular basis. I working my way up to sorting this out though because I can’t let go of those brand new jeans that are only a couple of dress sizes out of reach. People say you won’t miss them but the number of times I’ve searched for certain items of clothing only to realise I probably gave them away to charity proves that some things are worth holding onto.

Writing a Book

Ever since I was a young girl I’ve enjoyed writing, I had one of those five year diaries with a lock and about five lines a day to write. I found that I couldn’t write much on five lines except to list things I did – got up, went to school, came home and had tea etc. so I would add extra pieces of note paper when I had a lot to say. In the end I just used notebooks and wrote in there when I needed to get things off my chest, this was the start of journaling. In my twenties I attended creative writing classes but everyone there was middle aged or older and I felt completely out of my depth even though they were very encouraging, the things they wrote were far more creative than anything I could come up with. A few years later I started a distant learning course, before the times of computers and the internet, everything was submitted by post and the course provided lots of useful instructions, manuals, books and lessons for all types of writing. I had an electric typewriter that was top of the range because you could save your work onto a floppy disc! However, this was a time in my life when I lived with a controlling and demanding partner and he couldn’t bare to let me focus so much attention on something unrelated to him. I found it too difficult to continue the course so I ended up writing poetry about my feelings during that time. I did keep all the books though!

Since then I’ve made a few attempts at writing a book, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, I’ve had a few ideas but they haven’t evolved into anything so far. But I’m not giving up, writing this blog reaffirms to me that I have a lot to say as I struggle to keep my posts short. So I’m going to start again, this time planning how to break the story down into chapters and create plotlines and characters etc. It’s still in the planning stage but the book will be a fictional story based on actual events and experiences. I’m going to use it as a healing tool to address some of the situations that led to repressed negative emotions. I will embellish the truth and add more plotlines to make it more of an interesting read and the characters will be fictional but some will represent people involved in certain real life events. I hope I will finish it this time and even better have it published but if I only do it for myself then that will be a success too, if it helps with healing then it will be a huge success.

Thank you for reading my article. I cover a range of subjects from my work as a complementary therapist, personal experiences and interests.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you like this article please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey and if you’d like to see future posts then please enter your email address and click on the subscribe button below and you will be notified of future content. I have no plans to use your email address for any other purpose. Feel free to share my page with anyone you feel may be interested and if you have any feedback about what I write or suggestions for further articles then please use the comment box further down the page. Warmest Wishes, Janet x

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you like this article please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey and if you’d like to see future posts then please enter your email address and click on the subscribe button below and you will be notified of future content. I have no plans to use your email address for any other purpose. Feel free to share my page with anyone you feel may be interested and if you have any feedback about what I write or suggestions for further articles then please use the comment box further down the page. Warmest Wishes, Janet x

https://www.solistic.fr/

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Working With Energy

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Reiki

After speaking to some of my readers I’ve realised that they have seen my blog posts but not the separate articles that I write. These can be found in the menu at the top of the page and also if I mention them in a blog post there will be links to the pages within the post, usually found when a highlighted word is pressed. However, followers of my site don’t appear to get notified when I publish an article. So with this is mind I thought I’d include some articles in my blog posts. These will be more informative about the subject rather than personal updates on my own journey, however I will also be including personal experiences or opinions on the subject. I will keep the content brief and if you want to know more about the subjects there will also be articles in the menu that will be easier to locate in the future as my blog posts are listed chronologically.

So with this in mind I thought I’d write a bit about Reiki as it is one of the therapies I practice and also use it in my life on a daily basis.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It’s a Japanese technique used for stress reduction and relaxation and also promotes healing. Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. The word Reiki comes from the Japanese word (Rei) which means “Universal Life” and (Ki) which means “Energy”. Reiki practitioners channel energy in a particular pattern to heal and harmonize. Practicing or receiving Reiki will enrich your life and give you happiness and health on all levels. Reiki is Universal life force energy, that sustains life and promotes healing in all living things.

Benefits from Reiki

  • brings about deep relaxation
  • destroys energy blockages
  • detoxifies the system
  • provides new vitality in the form of healing universal life energy
  • increases the vibrational frequency of the body

It is a safe, gentle, non-invasive form of hands-on healing. Reiki energy is channelled via the practitioners hands into “dis-eased” individuals for rebalancing and to help boost the body’s natural healing process. Reiki can also be performed distantly, where the energy can be sent to an individual who isn’t physically present for them to receive at a time when they are ready.

Hands-On Treatment

A hands on treatment would involve the individual to lie down and the practitioner would either lay their hands gently on their client in a sequence of positions or work in their aura a few inches above the body. Some practitioners may first scan the aura to see if they can locate any imbalances or they may start working on the body right away, usually beginning on the head and working down the body. It doesn’t make any difference how the treatment is performed as the healing energy of Reiki will go to areas that it’s needed. The energy of Reiki heals the Body, Mind, Emotions and Spirit. You and the practitioner may or may not feel various sensation during the process. Some people feel heat, tingling or pulsing and the practitioner may also pick up areas where there is pain or disease but not always. In my own experiences as a Practitioner/Master/Teacher I mostly see colours as I work and only recently have I noticed a subtle sensation in my hands. Some of my clients have also seen the same colours or feel sensations as I work. The treatment itself is a very relaxing and peaceful experience and the effects can be felt on a very subtle level or have a deeper impact. It can bring buried emotions to the surface enabling you to release them and move on with life in a more healthy way. It can help you find the motivation to make positive changes in life, give you the courage to let go of things that not good for you or inspire you to notice and act upon new possibilities etc.

Distant/Remote Reiki

This is when a practitioner will send healing to a person from another place, it could be a different room, building, town or country. They perform the treatment as if the client is with them, there a a few ways to do this:

  • Using a witness – this could be a soft toy, doll or even cushion. They do the hands on treatment on the witness as though they would with the actual person.
  • A photograph/visualisation – focusing on an image of the person or even imagining them between the palms of your hands.
  • Healing list/box – some practitioners have healing lists of people who they send Reiki to on a regular basis, sometimes they may have a special box they put the names into and hold this box whilst sending the healing.

In order to send distant healing to people it is necessary to have their permission, their names, location and condition are normally stated before the Reiki session. Sometimes an agreed time will be used but it is possible to send it out to be used when the person is ready for it. Intention is the key with Reiki. Faith or belief is not necessary to benefit from this healing system however a person who strongly disbelieves may quite possibly, consciously or unconsciously, block or reject the energy. In the case of requesting healing or sending healing to someone you can’t get permission from, maybe someone in a coma, a young child or an animal for example, healing can still be sent with the intention that it is for the highest good and will of the recipient. Reiki will not go where it isn’t wanted.

A personal story about faith

Many years ago my father in law was in hospital after having a serious stroke, the doctors were unsure at the time that he would survive. Every day I would send distant healing to him and one day I was stood by a harbour sending healing and I asked for a sign that what I was doing was actually helping, that there really were energies at work and I wasn’t wasting my time. It was a dark and rainy day and my attention was drawn to turn to the right to look over the sea, I was amazed to see that the dark clouds had separated slightly and the sun was shining through in the form of an angel. The sceptic in me first said it was a coincidence but I had asked for a sign, not an actual angel. I have never been able to find an image to resemble what I saw that day, I did see greeting cards with a similar shape of the angel in a shop shortly after and I wish I had bought one now. Maybe I will try to paint it one day.

Signs

The thing about signs is, it’s our conscious mind becoming aware of images, words or numbers, insects, birds and animals etc. possibly at times when we need guidance, reassurance or comfort, maybe even to alert us to danger. It’s as though our subconscious mind is trying to help us by drawing our attention to things that in ordinary circumstances we wouldn’t necessarily notice. Some people believe they could be messages from loved ones who have passed or guides and angels etc. whatever you believe they are there to serve you in a positive way.

Using Reiki for Personal Use

Think about what you do if you hurt yourself, the natural instinct is to put your hands on the area and hold or rub to try to relieve any pain.

Reiki is available to everyone, some people naturally use this form of healing without any training or attunements.

However it is helpful to have some kind of training and attunement to the first level of Reiki. These days you can even do this online but from personal experience I think it is very beneficial to attend a course or workshop with a Reiki Master. My training and attunements were over two days for each level. They involved lots of discussions and lessons on how to use Reiki in different ways, meditations, four attunements for each level and then practice on other students. With level two my master also asked us to provide details of our experiences sending distant healing in order to gain our certificate.

Ways to use the first level of Reiki

  • Self healing by placing your hands in various positions on you own body
  • Healing family, friends and animals
  • Holding your hands over food and drink to ensure it’s optimum goodness
  • Plants love Reiki and will thrive from receiving it
  • If you use crystals it’s possible to cleanse and charge them with Reiki

Higher Levels

If you want to practice Reiki on clients then you will need Reiki II training, this level involves the use of symbols so that you can perform Mental/Emotional healings and Remote Healing for distant healing and healing past and future events.

Master/Teacher Levels

These levels are only needed if you want to pass on attunements to others and provide workshops of your own. You may also learn other enhanced methods on this level, I learned about psychic surgery, crystal grids and other healing symbols but each master has their own ways of teaching and content of courses.

So that’s a short introduction to Reiki and hopefully you understand a bit more about it. If you want to know more about Reiki there are loads of websites and books available on the subject and I also plan to write more in-depth articles about it in the future. I would also like to run workshops and attune people to Reiki if I get enough people interested or even start my own website with online training and attunements.

I hope you found this article interesting and useful. Please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey. If you’d like to see my future content then please enter your email and press subscribe below and you will be alerted when I publish anything new. Thank You for taking the time to read this. Until next time, I wish you all the very best. Janet x

https://www.solistic.fr/

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

The Healing effect of Forgiveness

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The art of forgiveness has long been recommended as a form of letting go of hurt feelings, resentment, anger and fear.   But is it that simple to forgive people who have wronged us in some way?  

You may feel that to forgive someone means you are letting them off or even making light of their actions.   You may wonder why you should forgive someone who you don’t believe deserves it.  They may have done something so terrible that you want them to be punished and suffer and to let go of those negative feelings you have will mean it was OK for them to treat you badly.

However, holding onto the anger and resentment only hurts you.   The other person isn’t going to feel the negative energy you are sending out.  But those negative feeling you hold onto can seriously affect your mental and emotional health and physical wellbeing.

True forgiveness can release you from the pain, allowing you to move on.   It isn’t saying that what they have done is OK.   In fact, you don’t even have to tell the other person you forgive them because it’s about you not them.

Admittedly if it’s a loved one who has hurt you and you’d like to still have a relationship with them then you may like to tell them you forgive them, especially if they have apologised and understand how they hurt you.  But even loved ones may not be sorry or believe they have done something wrong.   You can still forgive them and decide whether you are prepared to have them in your life.

The Benefits of Forgiveness

MENTAL EMOTIONAL BENEFITS

By releasing our grievances, we become more harmonious on all levels. Our fears are reduced and we gain a more positive outlook on life. We feel calmer, happier and ready to give compassion and love to our world.

Healthier relationships – By no longer holding grudges, we can get a lot closer to friends and family. Old relationships have a chance to change and grow, and new relationships can be formed.

Better anger-management skills – With fewer burdens from the past weighing us down and triggering us, we can have more self-control of our emotions.

Less anxiety, stress and hostility – Holding onto a grudge causes us to think negatively which leads to anxiety, stress and hostility towards others. Forgiveness can help you move past these negative thoughts and feel more compassion and positivity.

Fewer symptoms of depression – Forgiveness allows us to heal and can replace feelings of depression with a sense of purpose and compassion.

PHYSICAL BENEFITS

Chronic Pain Relief – Physical pain often has a psychological cause. When we allow a profound shift to happen with forgiveness, we heal ourselves on both psychological and physical levels

Lower blood pressure – When we no longer feel anxiety, anger or pain because of past grievances, our heart rate evens out and our blood pressure drops.

Improved heart health – Forgiveness relaxes our hearts because we’ve let go of pain. Our hearts can calm down, and our heart rate decreases as a result.

Lower risk of alcohol or substance abuse – Substance abuse is a mask for underlying pain. Forgiveness helps us release that pain and so that we don’t need to find ways to numb it or block it out.

How to Forgive Someone

Recognition

The first thing you need to do is recognise the need to forgive and how you will benefit from it.  You may be fed up with the negative feelings and the effect they are having on you and this would be a good time to reflect on making changes to improve your life.

Identify

You may know what you need to forgive because it could a very recent event or something that caused a great deal of trauma that you are unable to stop thinking about it.

However, it could be a number of things from your distant past that is affecting your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing now.   In my own healing journey, I started to write a list going back to my first memories in childhood.   I found I had quite a long list, there were obvious ones such as living with an abusive partner and a huge betrayal by a friend/employer.   But there were also other less traumatic situations, such as rejection of childhood friends, criticism from boyfriends and judgements by loved ones that made me feel defensive and insecure with the need to prove myself.

Acknowledgement

Acknowledge your emotions about the harm done to you and how they affect your behaviour.   Make a decision that you are going to release them.

Forgive

Now it’s time to forgive.   Choose to forgive the person who has offended you.  You can do this in a number of ways:

  • In person, if the circumstances are right, you might be able to have a discussion with the person about how they made you feel, they may have already apologised or do so after speaking with you, but they may not.  Apologise anyway with the intention of not dwelling on the situation further.
  • You can just mentally decide you have forgiven them and move on.
  • You could write down all your grievances in the form of a letter and then burn the letter, imagining all hurt feelings drifting away with the smoke.
  • If you suffered a great trauma or abuse you may want to consider joining a support group or seeing a counsellor.
  • There is a lovely Hawaiian forgiveness practice called Ho‘oponopono, the word means ‘to make things right’ or ‘to put things into balance’.   There are many books, webpages and videos available to give you an idea how to use it.         

Moving On

Move away from your role as victim and release the control and power the offending person and situation have had in your life.  As you let go of grudges, you’ll no longer define your life by how you’ve been hurt. You might even find compassion and understanding.

Make sure to Forgive Yourself Too!

Anxiety often arises when we fear that we’ve done something wrong. Our guilty conscience causes anxiety at a deep level. Forgiveness helps us to love ourselves deeply, relieving us of inner pain.

You may have acted in ways that were out of character because of your hurt feelings. You may have had vengeful thoughts or made hurtful remarks. Use the same methods to forgive yourself so you can truly let go and move on.

I hope you found this article interesting and useful. Please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey. If you’d like to see my future content then please enter your email and press subscribe below and you will be alerted when I publish anything new. Thank You for taking the time to read this. Until next time, I wish you all the very best. Janet x

https://www.solistic.fr/

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Acknowledging the Bad to Appreciate the Good

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FOCUS ON HEALING

I’m still working on my health and fitness regime which is up and down depending on my energy levels and how busy I’ve been.    For example, with the arrival of the lovely spring weather I’ve spent a lot more time working in the garden, mainly weeding but planting summer bulbs and seeds too.   However, at the end of the day I find myself wondering why I’m in so much pain.   Then I remember how I’ve been getting up and down off the floor, using my arms to help myself and my hands digging up those deep roots.  

FIBROMYALGIA – URGH!

It doesn’t take a lot of work to feel like you’ve ran a marathon when you have fibromyalgia.  I’m so determined not to identify myself with the condition that I forget that this is what causes the symptoms I get.   So I thought give you a little bit of insight into how fibromyalgia impacts my life.

PAIN

One of the main symptoms is widespread pain.   I consider myself luckier than many because I’m not in constant agonising pain and relying on pain medication to function.   However, I suffer with painful stiffness most of the time, it’s worse in the mornings after being in bed all night and in the evenings after resting, it’s like I turn to stone when I’m still for too long and I feel like a rusty tin man trying to get up and walk.   

I have problems with my knees, I struggle to get down on the floor and getting up from a chair can be agonising, I’m not sure if this is fibromyalgia or not.  The numerous times I’ve been to a doctor over the years, they examine me and say there is nothing wrong, they won’t even send me for x-rays or scans.   I’ve had physio but that didn’t help.   I know losing weight will reduce the stress put on them and that’s all part of the plan but sometime exercise is very painful.

The rest of the pain I get is more a feeling of being bruised all over, any pressure can be felt right down to my bones.   When I use the blood pressure monitor, the inflated band causes excruciating pain, as though it was a metal clamp with nails penetrating the skin.  At my worst I get random stabbing pains and any area I’ve been putting stress on through work or exercise is very painful, I get hot tingling sensations occasionally from my sacrum area up to my waist and very restless.

I don’t like taking medication and try to avoid painkillers if I can help it.   I can’t take anti-inflammatories anymore due to the heart medication I’m on so all I can take is paracetamol which I will take if its too difficult to sleep etc.   I try to manage with Epsom salt baths and homemade pain relief oils with essential oils.

The main thing I focus on is that it is only temporary, I’m not in this state constantly and I’m very grateful for that.  

EXAUSTION

I think this is the worst part of it, my energy levels are very low most of the time.  If I do feel particularly energetic, I have to be very careful not to overdo it and clean the whole house or do two hours in the gym.  It’s so tempting when you feel good to just get all those tasks out of the way but if I don’t pace myself I will crash and end up having to rest for far longer.  The frustrating thing about this is no matter how many times you tell people about your condition, they forget and don’t understand, notice or make allowances for you.   You end up feeling lazy and useless and feel that everyone thinks you are just making excuses, this can lead to trying to do more than you should so that you don’t feel judged and then end up in a worse situation having to recover from another flare up.   Anyone with an ‘invisible’ illness will understand this.

BRAIN FOG

Fibromyalgia also causes brain fog so I get very forgetful and struggle to concentrate for long periods of time.  I have to remind myself of this too when I struggle with the French language and beat myself up for not trying harder to learn it.    If I don’t make a ToDo List I sometimes get a bit disorientate not knowing what to do because I have so many things I’m trying to do it can get overwhelming.  

HYPERSENSITIVITY

I have a very sensitive sense of smell, I can’t tolerate artificial fragrances and any fowl smell is extreme, I can smell the cat’s little tray from the other side of the house.  My nose is constantly blocked but not congested, as though my airways have closed up which makes using the CPAP machine difficult.   I can’t stand very loud noises or the wind either, they make me very on edge and anxious.

TRIGGERS

There are things that make my condition worse and I try to be careful to avoid them or at least prepare myself for them, these are:

Mental/Emotional Stress:   Any form of stress puts me into a state where I find it difficult to function.   It could be having to deal with official matters, tax etc.  The vast amount of administration for the children’s education or sometimes healthcare.  Worries about financial security.  Unexpected change of plans that require me to take some form of action.

Lack of Sleep:   If I have a bad nights sleep my symptoms are quite often at their worst the following day which isn’t too bad if I don’t have plans, I just take it easy, but if I have to work, go to appointments or social engagements I find it extremely difficult.

Overwork:  Like I said earlier, too much exercise or manual labour cause a flare up.    Even though it’s essential to exercise for my heart and weight control, too much physical work can have a detrimental effect.   It’s necessary to get the right balance.  If I pace myself, I may feel bad at the end of the day but usually recover by the next day.

Negativity:  All of these setbacks can lead to spiralling negative thoughts and feelings.   Frustration leads to despair to feeling useless, feeling trapped in a cyclone of obstacles.  There have been times when I have given in to self-pity, feeling alone in my world of pain.  No matter what I try nothing improves.   The exhaustion has sometimes got to a point where I wish I could go to sleep for weeks and wake up healed.  You start to believe the judgement of medical professionals.  They all tell me to lose weight ‘eat less and move more’ as if I didn’t know that.  During my last visit to the doctor I told her how desperate I was to lose weight but that it was difficult having a family to cater for too and she simply said ‘children don’t need biscuits either’!!!!   I didn’t have the energy to explain that it wasn’t the unhealthy snacking but that sometimes I can’t even think about what to make for dinner let alone have the energy to prepare it so I let the family cater for themselves and eat whatever is easy.  I felt she would just think I was making excuses and no one will take me seriously until I lose a lot of weight.  These negative scenarios do not help me in any way, just make me want to give up.

MORE POSITIVITY

Generally, I am a very positive person though.  I am a complementary therapist, I go to healing workshops and study various other healing methods and still believe that life is good and will be even better.   But I also have a shadow side and even the most positive person can feel sorry for themselves.   I don’t always practice what I preach and have never tried to be a saint or guru etc. 

I truly believe that we have a purpose in life, or that we can create one.  My passion is Self-Healing, Therapy Work and Writing and this is what this blog is about.  

Putting myself out there and sharing my journey helps me to centre myself and get back on the right track.

HEALING

The healing methods I’m focussing on are the ones I write articles on, you can find them in the menu at the top of the page.  I’m also studying other therapies for my business that will have a positive effect on my own wellbeing too.

After recently seeing other people go through problems where I was not able to help such victims of wars, poverty and ill health, I felt very sad.   But I reflected on it for a while and decided that even though I can acknowledge these matters and help in whatever way I can like, donating money or clothing, sending healing etc.  If there is nothing else I can do, then I need to focus on the things I can control.  These things are my own personal health, finding ways to earn a better living, work in the garden, continue my studies and find time for my creative hobbies.   I am so fortunate that I have so many options no matter how I’m feeling physically.

One way to help others and myself is by reaching out to them by writing this blog and putting positive posts on social media.   When I write a post or article, I get inspired to take action myself because I feel more optimistic and enthusiastic about the subjects I’m exploring.

A healing method I’m writing about now is ‘Forgiveness’, I wont talk about it too much here because I will publish it at the same time as this post.   But it’s one of the best ways to release emotions that are locked in your body and mind enabling you to move forward.

So I’m going finish off this post by making a commitment to keep practicing gratitude, acceptance, self compassion, and overcome my self-limiting beliefs, by practicing what I preach!

I hope you found this article interesting and useful. If you like this take look at some of my other pages where I talk about different therapies. If you’d like to see my future content then please enter your email and press subscribe below and you will be alerted when I publish anything new. Also, as this is a new website I would love to hear your opinions and suggestions about what I write and you can make comments at the bottom of the page. Thank You for taking the time to read this. Until next time, I wish you all the very best. Janet x

https://www.solistic.fr/

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Feeling Optimistic

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This week I decided to make a concerted effort to take control of my health and wellbeing.   I’ve been working towards it for months by gradually introducing healthier habits and now I’m implementing a regime to get me over the first hurdle for the next couple of weeks.  The ones that seem to have worked best for me health wise as well as for weight loss are Keto and Intermittent Fasting.   The keto diet helps to kick start me into dropping those unhealthy carbs and reducing my appetite and only eating during an 8 hour period helps me to stop grazing and late night snacking.  

However, after four days on the keto diet I hit a brick wall energy wise which is probably due to the lack of salt. This time hasn’t been any different and when I started to feel weak, I decided to take my blood pressure with a machine I bought when I was diagnosed with arrhythmia last year. I was alarmed to see that I was just one level below the extreme danger mark! I did a bit of research and it is quite normal for this diet to have an effect on your blood pressure and it can cause episodes of arrhythmia and increased blood pressure, this is because the diet can disrupt your electrolytes and you need to increase your sodium, magnesium and potassium levels. I already take supplements and after I drank a lot more water and took more salt and my heart rate stabilised. I struggle to maintain a keto diet for more than a few weeks anyway and I can’t take the risk of it affecting my heart. But being overweight is also having a very detrimental effect on my health though, so with this in mind I’m looking to adjust to a more of a Mediterranean style diet which may be better for my condition.

I’ve lost a couple of pounds in a week though but now I’m looking up recipes to make sure I don’t affect my heart rhythm in a detrimental way and still lose weight. I don’t want to go back to eating bread and pastry though as this is what I ate far too much of before. So the search goes on to find the right way but hopefully it won’t be too long before I feel like I’m on the right track.

Illnesses in the home

Last week my daughter tested positive for Covid-19 and had to stay home and my son also had the flu.   They were both isolating in different rooms most of the time and my daughter wore a mask when in the same room so fortunately, I don’t seem to have caught anything from them and they haven’t shared their illnesses with each other  or my husband. They were both quite ill though, my daughter had had symptoms the previous week at school (she boards so only home at weekends) and mainly suffered with a cough, headache and exhaustion. My son was worse with the flu and spent the first three days in bed with a fever, body aches and exhaustion. We all got tested at the lab mid week and their conditions were confirmed. They are all better now though and have returned to school today so I can start focusing on myself again.

Exercise

I’ve really been enjoying the Zumba and Figure 8 workouts so I will continue with them but I’d also like to do a short daily morning routine, when I say short, I mean only 5-10 minutes of Yoga stretches or something to set me up for the day.    Something I can make into a habit every morning when I get out of bed.   I’m going to look up some chi gong or tai chi moves that will energise me and help with flexibility too as I am always very stiff in the mornings.   If you are familiar with Donna Eden’’s Energy Medicine techniques there are a lot of routines you can use with this too.  So once I’ve decided on a routine I have to find way to remind myself to do it, it’s said that it takes three weeks to establish a habit so maybe a checklist is required to start with until it become part of my normal morning routine like cleaning my teeth.

Working with Energy

I haven’t been very busy with my therapy work what with people being ‘Covid contact cases’ clients and myself included; but, I recently did a lovely Reiki session with a client   and after the treatment I really felt like I wanted to work more in this area.  It isn’t a therapy I often promote as I concentrate more on Reflexology or Massage but I feel drawn to working more with energy.  I already take part in a monthly healing group with some likeminded friends, it started with Reiki but we share lots of different ideas and methods and its really inspirational and therapeutic too.  With this in mind I’m going to add Reiki and Chakra balancing to the treatments I offer and I’m enrolling a few other courses to complement and add more depth to the treatments I offer.  

I also take part in three monthly workshops a friend of mine does on Shamanic Healing and Spiritual Counselling. I’ve found these to be very beneficial in overcoming some of my own insecurities and also being a better therapist to my clients.

Manifestation

One area I’ve been particularly interested in for many years actually, is Manifestation.   You may also know it as ‘The Law of Attraction’, ‘Cosmic Ordering System’ or ‘The Secret’.   I bought an online package called ‘Manifestation Magic’ a few years ago, it mainly comprises of a selection of Meditations to help raise your vibration to attract the things you want into your life.    My issue was that I couldn’t let go of the self doubt and sceptical thoughts no matter how much I tried to be positive.

A couple of things you need to manifest is first to know exactly what you want and then really be able to visualise it so that it feels real and believable. To let go of desire and needs because these identify your feelings of lacking something and what you focus on you attract.

So, I need to be specific about what I want and work on overcoming my own obstacles. I know I want to be fit and healthy, I want to be fluent in French, I want to be successful in my work and secure in my relationships etc. I am already working on the negative thinking and beliefs and I feel I’m doing really well in this area. I’m still using the ‘Five Second Rule’ that I talked about in my last post and finding that I have far greater control over my thoughts and feelings because of this and also getting more done.

I’ve also been listening to one of the meditations when I go to bed and since doing this I’ve noticed I’m acting on articles or advertisements I see relating to self healing and therapies. I feel more enthusiastic about studying and I’ve recommenced courses that I enrolled in over a year ago that got put aside or forgotten. These courses include a different form of Reiki and Quantum Healing etc and will not only help with my own healing but also be able to enhance the work I already do.

As if all the courses I’m doing are not enough, I am also enrolling on a course that came to my attention very recently and I feel it will greatly compliment the work I already do. It’s called Facial Emotional Therapy, here is a brief extract of what it’s about:

‘Facial Emotional Therapy is a gentle non-invasive treatment, designed specifically to work in sync with the nervous system, giving the opportunity to experience peace and rejuvenation through sensitive touch and soothing strokes over the meridian system. Working directly on the face, head, and neck accesses many of the significant energy points relating to the various systems of the body, clearing stress levels and emotional blockages allowing relaxation and clarity of mind to take place. The entire body experiences a deep and profound state of bliss. This therapy merges techniques drawn from physiotherapy, kinesiology, facial harmony, brain gym, energy healing, remedial massage, and reflexology‘.

I’m really looking forward to doing this course in particular as it is an accredited and recommended course by the IICT (International Institute of Complementary Therapists) of which I am a member so I will definitely be able to offer this to clients.

Attention Span

I’ll be focussing on keeping up with all the things I’ve talked about above, it seems quite a lot and one of the symptoms of fibromyalgia I experience is not being able to concentrate for long periods of time. This is why I have so many things I like to do but become overwhelmed sometimes. The way I’m going to deal with this is to dedicate a limited amount of time to different subjects. Like at school you would go from one class to another, this is how I am going to approach learning the different subjects and also incorporate new habits and hobbies. That way I’m hoping to be able to progress slowly in each area because I won’t get bogged down on one thing to the point were I can’t focus. Ideally I will alternate between studying and more physical work like exercise and my normal day to day routines of shopping, housework and cooking.

Talking of attention span, I know myself how difficult it is to focus and read long articles so I’m going to finish here. Before my next update I will try to write my next article on either Gratitude or Forgiveness. If you haven’t looked at any of my articles yet take a look at the menu and see if anything interests you. I find all of these subject are helping me get to where I want to be and hope you will find them useful too.

If you’d like to see my future content then please enter your email and press subscribe below and you will be alerted when I publish anything new. Also, as this is a new website I would love to hear your opinions and suggestions about what I write and you can make comments at the bottom of the page. Thank You for taking the time to read this. Until next time, I wish you all the very best. Janet x

https://www.solistic.fr/

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Being a Tortoise instead of a Hare

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Positive Little Changes

DIET

I have been making small changes in my habits that I’m hoping will become natural instincts in my daily routine. I haven’t started a ‘diet’ as such and I am reluctant to do that because I’ve done it all before and even though it works it has to be maintained for life so I really just want to change my habits.

I haven’t lost weight but I’m gradually changing my eating habits and have a healthy breakfast and lunch to start with. This doesn’t meant I eat pizza for dinner though (only occasionally) but I may still have a desert or snack afterwards. I’m incorporating more of the low calorie meals from the Pinch of Nom books and Slimming Eats websites because the whole family enjoy them.

I did go without alcohol for about five weeks and now only have it at the weekend or if we occasionally eat out for lunch.

EXERCISE

I’ve started doing a weekly Zumba workout with a friend which encourages me to do a longer sessions than I would on my own. I also manage to fit in shorter exercise sessions in between, so even if I don’t do a full workout I’m still doing more than I was before and I’m improving each time. I suffer from knee pain which makes a lot of the movements difficult but it seems to be less restrictive each time. I listen to my body and if I’ve been too still for too long I get up and move. I’ll do a short workout, take a walk or even l do some standing crunches from the Figure 8 workouts whilst cleaning my teeth or waiting for the kettle to boil etc. It’s not much yet, but every little helps.

WRITING

It’s a couple of weeks since I updated my blog but I have written a couple of articles. I’m not sure if people get alerted to them being published like they do with the blog but you can find them here:

I still have three more articles to write on the subjects that I said I would go into more detail about in my last post, these are:

I will be adding these in the next few weeks and will update this post with the links when they are published.

HOBBIES

I have a few creative hobbies that I enjoy and have a few small projects on the go. I started macramé last year and enjoyed making lots of Christmas decorations and wall hangings. Also a couple of years ago I decided to make Christmas gifts for family in the UK, I made a selection of things like tote bags, jewellery and even some homemade balms and incense etc. I also made dreamcatchers and suncatchers and enjoyed making these so much I started to make a lot more. I’m trying to add this activity to my business so that I can eventually sell them. Also I’ve been practicing making beads with polymer clay, I used to do this years ago and saw some clay for sale recently so thought I might make a bit of jewellery for myself.

Currently I’m finishing off a few embroidery projects too. I love making gifts for people but rarely finish off things I start for myself so I’ve decided I need to do this as part of a self-nurturing process. I started embroidering a Shamanic Medicine Wheel a couple of years ago and as I still attend workshops in this field I am focussing on finishing it before I start anything else. I will publish a photo of it when it’s complete.

MULTI-TASKING & NEW DISCOVERIES

I have lots of online courses, podcasts and videos that I intend to get around to when I have the time and since one of my recent articles was about time management, I realised that I didn’t talk about Multi-Tasking. I often multi-task when doing housework but I decided to do this with recreational things too, like listen to podcasts whilst walking the dog and loading up my YouTube playlists whilst doing some embroidery. The good thing about algorithms is that you discover new material in the areas of interest you have and in my recommendations were videos of ‘Mel Robbin’s 5 Second Rule’.

5 Second Rule

In brief the system explained in the video is simply counting down from five to one to motivate you into action. The video explains how to use it and the book that you can find in the links on the sidebar goes into more detail of how to use for different purposes. At the moment I’m using it to stop negative thoughts, as soon as I recognise my mind drifting into areas that eventually bring me down, e.g. reliving how someone may have upset me in the past, I count down 5,4,3,2,1 and stop thinking about it. Also when I suddenly lose the motivation to do something that I really want to do I count down and do it anyway. It’s quite subtle, you don’t suddenly get an overwhelming impulse to do something but it stops you spiralling and can do it anyway even if you don’t feel like it. The more I’ve been doing it the less I’ve needed to use it. For example, during times of exhaustion and more pain from the fibromyalgia, just getting up out of a chair can be a real struggle and leads me to put off doing things, so I used the 5 second rule and did it anyway. I’ve since noticed that I don’t even need to count and I’m responding naturally to getting up to go and get something or do something without the fear of pain or the voice in my head saying I’m too tired.

Spring is in the air

Daffodils in my Garden

It seems like winter is never ending, although we are at the end of March we’ve had continuous gale force winds for the last couple of weeks, I really don’t like the wind, I hate the sound of it howling around the house, it chills me to the bone. I don’t mind a gentle breeze in the summer, but the bitter cold blasts we’ve had recently I can do without. However, they seem to be dispersing and I’m hoping to get out into the garden next week to get it ready for the summer. I find gardening very therapeutic, it can be quite meditative and being in nature is very good for the soul so that is more multi-tasking I can look forward to.

You Tube

I’ve mentioned before that I have a YouTube channel, at the moment there are a few meditation videos on there with lovely musical soundtracks. I am in the process of creating my own guided meditations and I’m looking to put together some of my own background music as I’ve heard of a lot of scams where royalty free music is changed once it’s embedded into peoples video and people having to then pay a ridiculous amount for the copyright or lose any monetisation from it. I don’t want to spend ages making a video only to have to take it down and re-do it if it gets popular.

I also have a few other ideas for the channel and that is to do some demonstrations of the therapies I provide and also some instructional videos on self massage and reflexology etc.

I also thought of doing a few personal updates on my progress with health and fitness. This is something I will have to pluck up courage to do though, but eventually I hope to get there. You can see my channel by following one of the links on the side bar and when I do my personal videos I’ll link to them in future posts.

Tortoise and the Hare

As the heading of this post suggests I’m making slow and gradual progress (tortoise), in the past I’ve enthusiastically thrown myself into regimes and do really well to start with (hare) but I get distracted and don’t continue with my efforts. I hope that by taking things slow and steady, gradually introducing new habits, I can make long term changes that will produce the results I want and be able to maintain them.

Thank you for reading my article. I cover a range of subjects from my work as a complementary therapist, personal experiences and interests.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you like this article please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey and if you’d like to see future posts then please enter your email address and click on the subscribe button below and you will be notified of future content. I have no plans to use your email address for any other purpose. Feel free to share my page with anyone you feel may be interested and if you have any feedback about what I write or suggestions for further articles then please use the comment box further down the page. Warmest Wishes, Janet x

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you like this article please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey and if you’d like to see future posts then please enter your email address and click on the subscribe button below and you will be notified of future content. I have no plans to use your email address for any other purpose. Feel free to share my page with anyone you feel may be interested and if you have any feedback about what I write or suggestions for further articles then please use the comment box further down the page. Warmest Wishes, Janet x

https://www.solistic.fr/

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

TIME

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I started writing this about how ‘lack of time’ affects me but it was turning into a novel so I decided to just identify some common issues and reflect on ways in which people can overcome them.

Do we really lack time?

We all have the same amount of time in a day, it’s how we utilise that time that matters.   Some people have very busy lifestyles with work, family and social commitments but that is not a lack of time is it? that is how we spend our time.   Thinking of ‘not having enough time’ puts into a negative thought patterns that cause us to feel deprived and resentful in some way, leading us to feel stressed and overburdened etc.   Obviously, many of us would prefer to spend our time doing other things and may compare other people’s situations as better than ours but it doesn’t help us deal with day to day life.

Even now whilst writing this I find myself ‘wasting time’ because I keep digressing into more detail about the way we use our time, but I’m trying to keep this post short so I have to reel myself back in and try to get to the point so I’m not taking up too much of your time whilst you read it!

Time we can control

Maybe, a better way to think about our time is to firstly break down how we spend out time and see if we can make little changes to the things we have control over.  For example:

Shopping  –  Try to buy in bulk and freeze where space and finances allow.  Consider online grocery shopping and have it delivered, this not only saves time but money too as you won’t be as tempted to buy more if not actually in the store. The cost of delivery will be compensated by not having to pay for public transport or using you own car.

Cooking – when making meals like casseroles, pasta and soups etc. make larger quantities to eat another day, it takes the same amount of time and gives you free time later, just make sure to separate it before serving otherwise if you have a family like I have, they will eat all the leftovers!

Housework – do you have to have a perfectly spotless house?  It’s quite easy to do living alone but if you have a family you can be spending the whole day just trying to keep on top of it.   Delegate some tasks to other family members, don’t worry what visitors think, true friends won’t care if you have washing up in the sink or haven’t dusted and hoovered.  Think about what you’d rather be doing and do that, the world won’t come to an end.

Organising Your Time

The best way to make the most of your time is to try to organise it as best as you can, sticking to a good schedule is not always possible and if we don’t manage to keep up with it then we can fall behind, forget to do important things and feel like we are not in control. 

To-Do Lists – these are great to remind us to get things done but be careful not to put too much on there as it can be overwhelming.  Prioritising is the key, if there are urgent jobs to be done, ones you have to do but really don’t like, then do them first because once they are out of the way you will not feel stressed about them.

Do things that take the least amount of time first  – If you can only spare a few minutes before work, do things that only take a short amount of time.  E.g. paying a bill either or putting a on load of washing.

Add unplanned activities to your list – if you do something that wasn’t on your list, add it and cross it out.  This will give you a sense of accomplishment even if you didn’t manage to do everything.

Choose a happy colour pen to cross out your completed tasks.  Using a bright colour that cheers you up will highlight all your achievements and focus on the positives.

Other ways to save time

Have a core list of meals – write down all the meals you like to make that you find quick and easy and always have the ingredients in.  It’s good to have 3 or 4 options available.  Meal plans are good but we don’t always feel like eating what we planned.

Organise your wardrobe – if you work, keep all your work clothes together and have them ironed and ready to wear at the beginning of the week then you won’t need to think about what to wear in the morning.  If you do a lot of socialising then always have one of two outfits ready to wear for when an occasion arises.

Limit time on social media – social media is great for keeping in touch with friends and family, especially if you don’t see them regularly.  However, it is all too easy to become lost in reading articles, watching videos and links that pop up on news feeds and before you know it an hour or more has slipped by without even realising it.  These platforms are created to keep your attention and record everything you look at so they can put even more tempting content your way.   Allocate yourself a set amount of time to do this and set an alarm if necessary.   This can also be applied to reading and replying to emails.

Delegate  – you don’t have to do everything yourself, if you live with people they should be contributing to the upkeep of the home so get them to take on some of the workload. If people refuse then don’t do things for them such as cooking and washing. 

Have a To-Do FOR YOU list – make a list of all the things you love doing but never get around to.   It can be anything like reading a book, having a bath or spending time on a favourite hobby.   Have a variety of things that take different amount of time and try to do at least one thing a day just for you.    There is nothing selfish about doing things for yourself in fact it should be a priority because if your needs are not met then in the end you will be no good for anyone else.

Doing a bit is better than doing nothing – Break down large tasks into smaller steps so that you feel like you are progressing and the overall task isn’t too overwhelming. When it comes to leisure time, if you really don’t have time to do that hour long exercise session you planned then just do five or ten minutes, even if it’s just a brief walk at lunchtime or a few yoga stretches in the morning and evening.  If you planned on reading a chapter of a book and only manage a few pages you are still getting through the book.  Don’t give up and think it’s not worth doing because you will benefit from the smallest amount of time and effort.

Acknowledge your accomplishments – As well as crossing things off your To-Do list, make sure you add any additional things you do to it, and cross them off too. If you planned on getting on top of your filing at work but other things came up, then put those things on your list of achievements instead.   If you planned on writing a new blog post but haven’t got the time you can at least note down a few ideas of subjects you want to write so you will have a plan ready to use. By doing this you will see that even though you may not have done everything you planned to do, you did achieve a lot. Make sure you add things you do for relaxation and leisure too!

Getting the Balance right

If all your time is taken up working and doing things for others then you will eventually feel exhausted and demotivated. So it is very important to do things that make you feel good, whether it’s a form of relaxation, exercise, hobby or social event. Looking after yourself should be a priority even if you can’t control how you spend you time at work. You can control your mindset and just taking a few minutes to breath and empty your mind can help you get through a stressful day. If you try to incorporate some of the methods above you will feel in control and will hopefully have a better quality of life.

Thank you for reading my article. I cover a range of subjects from my work as a complementary therapist, personal experiences and interests.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you like this article please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey and if you’d like to see future posts then please enter your email address and click on the subscribe button below and you will be notified of future content. I have no plans to use your email address for any other purpose. Feel free to share my page with anyone you feel may be interested and if you have any feedback about what I write or suggestions for further articles then please use the comment box further down the page. Warmest Wishes, Janet x

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. If you like this article please take look at some of my other pages or blog posts where I talk about different therapies and my own wellbeing journey and if you’d like to see future posts then please enter your email address and click on the subscribe button below and you will be notified of future content. I have no plans to use your email address for any other purpose. Feel free to share my page with anyone you feel may be interested and if you have any feedback about what I write or suggestions for further articles then please use the comment box further down the page. Warmest Wishes, Janet x

https://www.solistic.fr/

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.

Images that I haven’t taken myself are from pixabay.com, unsplash.com or pexels.com.