self-care – Page 2 – Holistic Psychotherapy Blog

Foot soak to eliminate toxins in your body

January 20, 2017
by Katarzyna Haberko-Sandaire

Ingredients
• Peppermint essential oil
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Epsom salt
• Mint tea
• A bowl of hot water
Instructions
Simply add all the ingredients in a bowl of hot water and mix everything well, then soak your feet in it for 15-30 minutes and rinse with water in the end. We also recommend scrubbing your feet with a pumice stone afterwards to remove all the dead skin cells from the surface.
The soak offers numerous benefits:
Reduces your stress levels
Epsom salt baths are probably the best way of relieving stress. This type of salt is rich in magnesium, a mineral that can reduce stress and plays a part in numerous important body functions.
Relaxes your mind
Reflexology is an ancient alternative medicine approach which relies on treating certain health problems by stimulating reflex points on the feet. The pressure points are found on different spots on the feet which have a large amount of nerves, and foot baths will work directly on them.
A universal detox method
Foot baths can extract all the toxins out of your body and improve your overall health. A toxin-free system will work far better, and will be far more resistant to any kind of ailment.

MindBody&Soul

Cultivating Self-Compassion

December 1, 2016
by Katarzyna Haberko-Sandaire

Following are 5 ways to begin practicing self-compassion and stop being so hard on yourself:
1. Treat yourself as you would a small child- consider what a child might want or need in a hurtful situation.
2. Practice mindfulness- When we find ourselves caught in a barrage of self-criticism, practice simple awareness of thoughts and feelings, particularly the “critical inner voice” — without trying to change anything; or just focus on your breath- a simple yet powerful Mindfulness Tool.
3. Remember that you’re not alone- to Feel is to be Human, and whatever you are going through is also being experienced by millions of others. Other also have similar/same feelings. If we can recognize our shared humanity — that not one of us is perfect — we can begin to feel more connected to others, with a sense that we’re all in this together.
4. Give yourself permission to be imperfect- we should never lose faith in our own potential just because we may fly off the deep end one night or stay in our apartment all weekend.
5. Work with a supportive therapist or coach- it’s a sign of strength and self-compassion to ask for some help and guidance.

MindBody&Soul

Want to Be Happier? Science Says Do These 11…

March 29, 2016
by Katarzyna Haberko-Sandaire

1. Smile more- even faking a smile changes the brain chemistry so you actually feel happier.
2. Exercise for at least seven minutes- yep, 7 minutes is all it takes.
3. Sleep more- quality sleep of course so you get enough rest.
4. Spend more time with friends and family- need we say more?
5. Go outside more often- sunlight, fresh air, nature all have magical effects on increasing the dopamine in our brain (‘the happy chemical’).
6. Help other people- it always feels good to do a good deed.
7. Plan a trip (even if it’s local or you don’t ever take it)- planning can be exciting and having something to look forward to increases our happiness level.
8. Meditate- self-explanatory.
9. Move closer to work- less commute= more you/family time.
10. Practice gratitude.
11. And the easiest tip of all: get older- once we are past the middle-age we tend to focus on and remember the happier moments more and the negative ones less.
Try them. They work.

MindBody&Soul

4 STEPS TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE

February 19, 2016
by Katarzyna Haberko-Sandaire

Plan ahead

You can’t always blame outside circumstances for your troubles. For example, you can’t blame the rain for your flu or subway for your lateness. You should plan to dress appropriately and just leave 15 minutes earlier. Look at what you can control and take action.

Look at the long term

Take charge of your self-care. When a plane undergoes maintenance, it is not flying and not generating income for the airline. Skipping maintenance once will likely not have any effect, but skipping it on a regular basis will dramatically boost the airline’s profitability in the short-term but increase the risk of a catastrophe in the long-term. Same goes for the human body: Don’t wait until it is too late to maintain it through regular meals, sleep, and exercise.

Assign priorities

Prioritize and re-prioritize regularly where your attention and energy is going. No matter how much you want it, you can’t do everything at the same time. If you don’t decide by yourself how much time you will allocate to each activity, events will decide for you and you will be spending your time attending to crises, unable to complete all your tasks well and on time while also alienating people waiting for you.

Relinquish control

Learn to let go and delegate. Your time is very precious. It is your most valuable asset of a limited supply. By insisting on doing everything yourself, you ensure you control all the small details…but in the process lose control of the big picture. To gain control of your life, you have to allow yourself to ‘let go’ and lose control of its smaller components.

MindBody&Soul

Yoga to Unwind After Work

July 11, 2015
by Katarzyna Haberko-Sandaire

https://yogainternational.com/article/view/yoga-to-unwind-after-work

A short yoga practice by Luke Ketterhagen

Restore your body, mind, and breath after a long and restless day. Luke invites you to ground, stabilize, and relax with this rejuvenating sequence that concludes with a deep relaxation. It will leave you ready to enjoy the rest of your evening and a sound sleep.
Props: cushion (optional), blanket (optional), yoga block (optional).