Tag: self-care

The Master Reset: Support Your Body’s Natural Ability to Heal

Published on by Nikken

Your body naturally maintains and repairs itself through normal biological processes like cellular renewal, inflammation responses, and immune function. You can support these natural processes by prioritizing quality sleep, proper hydration, nutrient-dense foods, and regular movement, while limiting habits such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. 

Resetting and restoring your sense of balance and well-being may involve shifting your nervous system into a state that supports rest, digestion, and recovery. Many people use grounding practices, bioenergy-based practices, and whole-body somatic resets as part of their overall wellness routine. A somatic reset is a body-based practice intended to help regulate the nervous system, release chronic physical tension, and encourage the body to shift out of a heightened stress response. Somatic practices focus on the autonomic nervous system and may help address physical, mental, and emotional strain through specific techniques.1

One technique is through controlled breathing, where you inhale and exhale slowly. Slow, extended breaths can naturally slow the heart rate and helps the body feel calmer. Moving with purpose is another way to reset and recharge. This is called intentional movement, and may include gentle rocking, slow stretching and other movements that help you release tension and reconnect with your body. Self-massage can work well with intentional movement by helping to ease muscle tension and promote relaxation.

Grounding is another simple practice that many people find calming and restorative. According to practitioners of reflexology, different parts of the feet correspond to different parts of the body, so walking barefoot on natural surfaces such as sand, grass, or dirt may promote a greater sense of connection and relaxation. Even if you aren’t going barefoot, spending time in nature may help support relaxation and a sense of well-being by encouraging the body to shift from a stressed state to a calmer one.2 Some people also find that grounding practices help them become more aware of physical tension, so they feel more connected to their bodies..3

“Bio-Energetic Adjustments” refer to holistic wellness practices that are intended to promote balance and relaxation. These practices often draw on concepts of the body’s natural flow, similar to those referenced in reflexology. Bio-energetic modalities include Reiki, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and sound immersion work, which many people use as part of their wellness routines.4 Acupuncture and far-infrared therapy are other approaches that some individuals incorporate into their overall self-care practices.

To support overall wellness, healthy immune function, and your body’s natural recovery process, focus on consistent, long-term, lifestyle habits.5 It doesn’t have to be complicated. In a nutshell:

• Aim for restful sleep, because sleep is an important time for the body’s natural restoration and recovery processes.

• Drink plenty of water, because staying hydrated helps transport nutrients throughout the body and supports normal bodily functions.

• Eat nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens, berries, nuts and salmon, because they provide vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as part of a balanced diet.

• Keep moving, because low-impact activities such as walking, yoga or swimming support overall fitness, healthy circulation and general well-being.

• Manage stress levels with mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing and taking regular breaks throughout the day, because chronic stress can affect overall health and well-being.

By supporting your body’s natural processes through healthy daily habits, you can help promote resilience, balance and overall well-being. 

1 https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/burnout-recovery#priorities

2, 3, 4 https://wellcomeomcenter.com/the-energy-field-understanding-the-mind-body-spirit-connection-for-healing-and-wellness/

5 https://www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/better-me/how-to-reduce-inflammation-and-boost-immunity

Overloaded? De-Stress From a Fast-Paced, Tech-Heavy Life

Published on by Nikken

In general, there are two sources of stress: one is from daily living and the other is from major life events. The Lazarus-Folkman scale gives examples of daily living stresses such as lack of time, too many things to do, financial obligations, work-related problems, restless sleep, concern with appearances and aging, and even forgetfulness and misplacing or losing items.

On the other hand, the Holmes-Rahe scale gives examples of major life events that cause stress. These include death in the family, divorce, personal injury or illness, pregnancy, marriage, loss of job due to layoffs or retirement and a major change to financial status.

The tech-reliant lifestyle that many people live is both a source of relief as well as of stress. Technology enables people to work from home—this became prevalent during the pandemic and has become a permanent status for a substantial part of the global population. Working from home was and remains a boon to those who have the dual roles of bread-earner and primary childcare or eldercare person.

Without technology, you would not be able to stay connected to friends and family who live in other parts of the world on a virtually real-time basis. Gone are the days of relying solely on snail mail to receive news from loved ones.

So why does technology cause stress? Technology itself does not cause stress, but your approach and use of it, does. When you become slaves to your phones and electronic devices, you become creatures of habit who are addicted to receiving the latest news about global politics, movie idols, local gossip, the ever-changing trends and whatever is “hot” on social media. Consciously or subconsciously, these topics can affect self-esteem, self-image and self-care as you constantly compare yourselves against what is “out there.”

Many of the daily living stresses and major life events are beyond your control; however, you can take charge of how you approach technology in your lives. In other words, you can set healthy boundaries for yourselves. Here are a few things you can do to control how you use technology in your life:

  • Set realistic and sustainable limits on device use. Conduct an audit on what you spend your time on with your devices. For example, instead of scrolling through the news after work, try getting dinner prep out of the way first.1
  • Commit to being device-free for a period of time each week. Instead, go offline and connect with friends in real life.2
  • Turn off alerts so that you’re not at the mercy of constant pinging from emails, messages, and updates on who’s doing what on socials.3
  • Set limits to your time on social media.4 Just as parents set limits on the amount of screen time their kids are allowed, you need to do so for yourselves!

To combat stress overall, center yourselves and take a break from technology. Replace scrolling on devices with more physical activities, such as taking daily walks or choosing an exercise you like and can stick to, committing to eating healthy foods and making your own food. Research from the National Library of Science in 2022 shows that people who follow a diet high in processed foods and added sugars are more likely to experience higher perceived stress levels.5

Self-care means setting boundaries not only for yourselves but for others. Say “no” when necessary and be one with nature as often as possible. Be well by sleeping well, eating well and hydrating well. You still have a couple of days to take advantage of 20% off your purchase of a PiMag Waterfall®, one easy way to stay hydrated with alkaline “living water.”

1, 2, 3, 4 https://theskillcollective.com/blog/modern-life-causes-stress

5 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/16-ways-relieve-stress-anxiety#eat-a-balanced-diet

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/16-ways-relieve-stress-anxiety#eat-a-balanced-diet

5 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/16-ways-relieve-stress-anxiety#eat-a-balanced-diet

Loving and Caring for Yourself

Published on by Nikken

Loving and caring for yourself is common sense, right? In reality, it’s a little more complicated because for many people, loving and caring for others is natural but self-love and self-care are not. Perhaps there’s a bit of guilt attached to “giving” to yourself, but if you don’t take good care of yourself, how can you possibly be well enough to take care of anyone else?

What does self-care and self-love actually mean? Anything you do to keep yourself mentally, emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually healthy is part of self-care.1 When you do anything involving self-care, you are being kind and loving to yourself.

The obstacles to consistently caring for and loving yourself come in the form of life’s curve balls. For example, when you face a job crisis, split up with a partner, experience the death of someone significant in your life, or any other pitfall, you may put self-care aside and focus on “it.” During those hard times, it is even more important to remember to take care of yourself, so that you do not become sick, mentally, physically and emotionally.

Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy and more.

Perhaps the single most common reason people give for not participating in self-care is due to a lack of time. Even if you only have 5-minute increments spread throughout the day to engage in self-care, you may significantly enhance your overall health and well-being.2

•          Do something just for yourself every day. If you have a close friend or confidante, talk to that person. You can talk to yourself by journaling, doing something creative, or listening to your favorite tunes. Even taking a cozy nap is a form of self-love

•          Even if it is raining, try to get outside for a few minutes daily. Breathe in the outdoor air. If you choose nighttime to be out, look up at the sky. Appreciate the stars you can see. If it is warm enough for you to take off your shoes, experience the grass/sand/pebbles on your bare feet. If you can’t practice grounding outdoors, there’s always the KenkoGround® for indoors!

•          Exercise your brain. Make sure you choose an activity that has nothing to do with your job or whatever you do to make a living. Whether it’s a crossword puzzle, learning new vocabulary words or doing sudoku, this time of non-electronic “gaming” is beneficial and helps your mental well-being.

•          Try something new, whether it’s learning a foreign language, trying different food, practicing yoga, meditation or even walking backwards! Doing new things simply helps you feel good about yourself.

•          Proactively stay in touch with old friends and be open to making new ones, regardless of your age. Resist the urge to be a recluse, even when it feels easier to stay home by yourself. Take the first step to connect with your friends and local community, because humans thrive on having bonds.

As you practice self-care, you will be amazed at how it positively affects your entire state of well-being. What’s not to love about that?

1, 2 https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/health/what-is-self-care