Earlier this month I posted about tracking the physical sensations of your emotions, in particular those of anxiety and stress. So now that you know how your body expresses your emotions, what next?
• Consider jotting down some notes, bullet-points will do, about your thoughts when you notice the sensations. For example, if you feel back pain when under stress, write down your thoughts when you notice this pain. This process can provide you with some new clarity as to your personal history with an emotion, for example your normal coping with stress.
• Consider the greater context: is there something you need in this moment?
•If your need is relief of the emotion, can you stop and take care of yourself in some way? Jot down as many soothing and nurturing things as you can think of to do, and pick the most attracting one to start.
• If your need is to make a decision or to express something to someone, like where you stand on some interpersonal matter, consider how to do this. You cannot control the outcome of communication but you can do your best in being clear with the people around you.
• If you experience chronic pain or significant discomfort, draw your attention to a neutral or pleasurable sensation, such as your breath or the softness of your clothing on your skin. This attention to comfortable sensation can be combined with 'physical grounding,' for example by firmly planting your feet on the ground until your awareness of discomfort decreases.

I heard read this story years ago and it has provided me with great reflection. Hopefully you will like ti too.

"Jeevaka’s Guru was the famous teacher Aatreya. The Guru gave the following tasks as test to all of his students: Go around the heavily forested area of Sarlaka hills near the Medical School vicinity and collect plants, animal products and minerals which have no medicinal value. You have a week’s time to complete the task and present the findings for the Guru’s inspection. The students equipped themselves with tools for cutting, peeling, de-barking, cleaning etc and moved into the forests around the Medical School for completion of the task given.

After a week, the students came back. Some carried a few herbs and roots, others carried baskets of herbs, plants, flowers, minerals etc which they found to have no medicinal value. Every single student had something or the other to present for his examination. Only Jeevaka came in empty handed. They all began to wonder and question Jeevaka if he had dropped out of the exam. Guru Aatreya asked Jeevaka: You have not brought in anything. Have you decided not to take the examination or you did not find anything of medicinal value?
Jeevaka replied: O Respected Teacher, I have taken the examination. I went around the hills and forests in Sarlaka and searched as per your instruction. During the long years of my practice and training here with you, I have already conducted similar searches. Before and now too, my findings are same: Everything in Nature is filled with medicinal power. All plants, animals, minerals, the wind, water, earth, sunlight, the song of the birds, the perfume of the flowers, the gurgle of the river, the shadow of the cloud – everything heals some sickness or the other. Some of these heal humans, some of them heal animals. Some of these heal physical sicknesses and others cure mental sicknesses. I have understood that Nature is Almighty and All-powerful in Her Healing and provides us with everything that we need for living a healthy life and overcoming sicknesses. So please evaluate my work on my findings.
Jeevaka passed his examination with flying colors."
http://omdasji.blogspot.ca/…/test-of-great-physican-jeevaka…

If you pay attention you will notice the body talking. All of us feel physical sensations in tandem with our emotions, this is a neurobiological reality. The body can be very 'loud' in what it tells us, when we are distressed.
The majority of my clients talk to me about the anxiety and stress they experience, and wish to have greater control over these emotions. I help them to explore how anxiety and stress feel, physically. When we know how our body speaks to us, where it starts, what these sensations are, and how they develop as the emotion rises and falls, we can gain options in intervening.
Print this body outline and write in the sensations you feel during an emotion, or simply use your mind's eye to scan and assess. This learning will help you to prevent, prepare for, and indeed manage emotions. My previous posts about breathwork can be part of your management. My next post will address yet other techniques.

There are many reasons people come to counselling, the most broad reason being wanting some form of change. What we call 'psycho-education' is sharing information based in research and training, in support of the 'shift' a client seeks. An example is my sharing the theory of how one's own trauma as a parent can influence parenting. Last week I posted about communication styles, this too is psycho-educational.

It is truly incredible for me as a practitioner to be able to offer information that provides context for my clients' experiences. Working with adult survivors of incest, for a final example, I have found it vital to explore the normal psychological responses to these traumatic experiences. There is a great potential for relief in understanding.

If you want support in learning more about things which impact your psychological well-being, I may be able to help.

http://www.annagranuzzosilverman.com/contact.html

Breathwork is a helpful practice for individuals wanting to relax their body's systems, increase their feelings of calm, and take an active role in containing troubling emotions and sensations. We all have a way we like to breath, a way that for us is relaxing. We all have a natural breath, meaning our normal way of breathing when we're not focusing on it particularly. When finding a relaxing breath with clients, I offer visualisations to accompany the practice. I use visualisation that help direct breath in terms of timing, and that harness our imagination to increase focus. Some examples of visuations which I frequently offer are: a balloon inflating and deflating, a baby's tummy rising and falling, a cave filling with rushing water and emptying, and a lotus flower opening and closing.

Try one of these visualisations, and notice what happens to your breath as you sync to the image in your mind's eye.

Recently I facilitated a group session for survivors of trauma, with the topic of Assertive Communication. Learning about styles of communication is a transformative thing. In the model I used in the session clients step back and look at their patterns of communication, noting if they are Assertive, Aggressive or Passive. They look at the costs and benefits of each pattern of communication.
None of us stick to one style of communication at all times. With each relationship it can feel as if there is a different balance of 'us' and 'them'.
Take note of where and when and with whom you can easily say 'yes or 'no' and mean it.
http://recoveringengineer.com/…/the-difference-between-pas…/

When is the last time you had a fear-based thought? Noticing when fear drives our thoughts can help us to have agency in our lives. This is because many times we think, feel and act as if we were under threat. The threat could be one of illness, rejection, poverty, judgment, or of violence. The list is long. If you want to improve your emotional, psychological, spiritual, and physical safety, you can explore what is and what is not dangerous to you.
The article below shares Buddhist perspectives. One writer suggests that simply sitting alone can be an opportunity to learn about your fears.
http://www.lionsroar.com/fear-and-fearlessness-what-the-bu…/
If you are experiencing violence, there are many supports to which you are entitled. Contact me for information on resources in your area, and call 911 in an emergency.

Increasingly the public is learning how mental health consumers are in need of better understanding and support, and efficient services. Also in dire need of such things are the support-people. The parents, partners, children, friends, and colleagues. Major health-outcome research outlines how important having social support is for surviving and thriving. Yet we do not need research to know this truth. We have all known the difference between having- and not having- support. If you're supporting someone you love who's having a hard time with mental health, your health can be impacted. Feelings of being overwhelmed, confused, numb, exhausted, resentful, and so on can pile up. You may notice new physical health complaints. Finding your own resources can help, as can making decisions about what you can sustainably do for your loved one. If you are in this place of offering support and concerned about the impact it's having on you, reach out to someone. If counselling is the outlet you need, contact me for more information.

As some of you may know, being outdoors in nature has a huge impact on mental health. The human brain is theorised as regenerating crucial 'grey matter' with time spent outside in green spaces. This suggests that brain functions such as emotional processing, focused attention, and decision-making, among others, can be positively impacted with time outside.
Wild About Vancouver is putting on a free, family-friendly outdoor education festival this April. The range of activities looks phenomenal, bring your loved ones and check it out.
_
http://www.wildaboutvancouver.com/

This is a visual aid for breathing in a relatively slow, easy fashion. Simply click on the image. The slight pause between inhale and exhale is helpful in slowing heart rate, which when elevated can contribute to anxiety. Visual aids can help when we are unable to focus and need an outside tool to help us ground. Your natural breath may be different than this breath, and given that all our lungs and muscles and bodies are different; trusting your natural inclination is good.

Click here for 'Visual aid for breathing'