Regularly I see in my clients, as well as myself, self-sabotage. We see our goal. We know what we want. Then we get in our own way. We procrastinate. We make excuses. We eat or drink. Or we may not even know how we’re self-sabotaging, just one day it clicks that the excuse of “jinxing myself” isn’t working and it’s really self-sabotage.

Self-sabotage is an unhealthy attempt by the mind to keep us in a place where our sense of self-worth is maintained. If we try and reach one of our goals, we might fail. Self-sabotage is our way of preventing the embarrassment of failure. However we might not fail. If we put as much energy into working on our goals as we put into self-sabotaging, there’s a very good chance we would succeed.

The first step to stopping self-sabotage is admitting to ourselves we are self-sabotaging. Then we can decide what we need to do. Here are some ideas to help stop self-sabotage:
1. Make a plan and stick to it.
2. Create a vision board with images and words reminding you of your goal.
3. Use energy modalities like Reiki, Bio-energy or Kundalini Yoga to help stop self-sabotage.
4. Visit a life coach or a counsellor to help you stop getting in your own way.

To find out more about how Indian Head Massage, Reiki and Yoga can help mind your mind, visit www.relaxfromstress.ie, contact Tracy on 086-2202734 or email tracy@relaxfromstress.ie.

Published in the Connaught Telegraph newspaper on 28 Mar 2017

Sugar sends messages to the brain, activating its reward system. It’s a similar effect on your brain to hanging out with friends, sex, and even drugs. This reward system is a series of electrical and chemical path systems across several different regions of the brain.

The main chemical involved in this biological reward system is dopamine. In people who experience cravings for sugar, the dopamine receptors are sent into overdrive causing the individual to constantly seek that “high” effect. The end result is addiction although sugar addiction is not nearly as extreme as in the case of other addictive substances.

Over-consumption of sugar can lead to a vicious cycle of intense cravings. It also impairs memory and learning skills. It may also cause or contribute to depression and anxiety. A sugar-heavy diet is risk factor for age-related cognitive decline and dementia.

So what can we do to change our sugar cravings?
1. Acknowledge our fondness for sugar and acknowledge it’s unhealthy.
2. Talk to a nutritionist or research sugar-free recipes.
3. Watch the sugars in processed food and learn to have fun cooking meals from scratch.
4. Explore new ways to activate the brains reward centre with new hobbies and experiences, such as walking in nature, meditation, visiting friends, going to the cinema, practicing yoga or getting a massage or Reiki session.

To find out more about Indian Head Massage, Reiki and Yoga can help mind your mind, visit www.relaxfromstress.ie, contact Tracy on 086-2202734 or email tracy@relaxfromstress.ie.

Published in the Connaught Telegraph on 21 Mar 2017

Last week we spoke about self-patience. Learning to become patient first begins with the awareness that we are being impatient with ourselves. Self-awareness is the conscious knowledge of one's own character and feelings. When we are self-aware, we know our strengths and weaknesses, vulnerabilities and passions.

When we are self-aware, we choose not to ignore our body’s signals because we are aware of the effects of ignoring them. We know when to eat, sleep, drink, exercise, relax or go to the doctor. We are aware of how our body feels when we make a right decision and when we make a wrong decision. When we are aware of our behaviours, we know what we need to do to point ourselves in the right direction.

Becoming self-aware is an on-going process. Sometimes we can have resistance to looking too deep within, yet when we’re brave and look, we develop greater strength.

To develop self-awareness:
1. Pay attention to your thoughts, feelings and sensations in your body.
2. Be curious about what you find. See if you can develop understanding about why you think or feel something.
3. Understand your life story. When we understand where we’ve been and how we’ve behaved in the past, and what we learned by what we’ve been through, we can use it to guide us in the future.

To find out more about how to mind your mind at Relax From Stress Holistic Centre, visit www.relaxfromstress.ie, contact Tracy on 086-2202734 or email tracy@relaxfromstress.ie.

Published in the Connaught Telegraph on 14 Mar 2017

Something I’ve see a lot with some yoga students is a deep lack of patience with themselves. After one or two classes, there’s an expectation that flexibility and fitness levels will improve dramatically. Or I see them ignoring their body’s pain signals to be patient and pushing through a posture instead of being patient and gentle.

One of the valuable lessons of yoga is patience. It’s learning to be as patient with yourself as you are with other people. Patience is an incredibly important gift to give ourselves as well as others as we roll through life. Some of the benefits of practicing self-patience are:

1. Enjoy better physical health by patiently listening to messages from the body.
2. Enjoy better mental health by being as patient with ourselves as we would be with someone else.
3. Being patient with ourselves helps us achieve our goals.

We didn’t learn to walk in a day and we didn’t learn to read, write or any skill in a day. So to go from inflexible to flexible, from pain to pain-free, from poor health to good health, we need to be patient and keep going. As we learn to work with our body and mind where it is, with patience and time we can lead our body and mind to where we want to go.

To find out more about how to mind your mind at Relax From Stress Holistic Centre, visit www.relaxfromstress.ie, contact Tracy on 086-2202734 or email tracy@relaxfromstress.ie.

Published in the Connaught Telegraph newspaper on 7 March 2017

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Anxiety is one of the most common reasons people come to see me. Amongst other things, anxiety causes muscle tension, headaches, sleep problems and irritability.

Here are some ways Indian Head Massage helps manage and relieve anxiety:
1. Indian Head Massage includes massage of the upper back, upper arms, neck and head, so keys areas that hold muscle tension are relieved.
2. The body and mind needs to learn alternative ways of coping with life and it takes time and patience to do so. Through getting regular 30 minute Indian Head Massages, the body and mind learns how to relax, creating opportunites for moments of calm.
3. People who get regular 30 minute Indian Head Massages often feel anxious and guilty about taking that time for themselves. After 1-2 sessions, they see that their lives have improved and it makes taking 30 minutes for themselves not a luxury, but a neccessity.

To book an Indian Head Massage, visit www.relaxfromstress.ie

Pregnancy is a wonderful yet challenging experience for women to journey on. One day you'll feel full of excitement and radiant health, while the next you'll feel nauseous and tired. Through taking time to relax, you learn to listen to your body so you can have a relaxing pregnancy.

Reiki during pregnancy can be a gentle, yet powerful, non-invasive treatment. Here are some ways Reiki can support pregnant women.

1. Reiki can help relieve tiredness. It is said that an hour of Reiki is equivalent to 4 hours of sleep.
2. Pregnancy can put pressure on the lower back and Reiki can help relieve low back pain.
3. Pregnancy is an emotional time for both mother and father. Pregnancy hormones can cause mood changes in pregnant women. Reiki helps provide emotional supprt to relieve anxiety, stress and helps balance emotional disruption experience both during and after pregnancy.

To book a Reiki session, visit www.relaxfromstress.ie