Maintain Your Wellness while Helping Others

It’s a beautiful summer day; one of those days that you like to share with others sipping wine, sharing good food and plenty of laughter. Feeling connected to others is a basic human need we all share. The fun and caring times we spend with friends and family add to our ‘wellness savings bank’. These times make us feel happy, refreshed, and cared about. Unquestionably, though, there are days when a withdrawal from the wellness savings account is needed. Friends or family going through tough times may demand more than usual on some days! Helping others can make you feel good; however, it can also be emotionally draining and stressful. Remember that you cannot take on their problems. How can you help without getting too deeply involved? How can you maintain your own personal wellness?

Know your boundaries

Understand your limits and what you personally need to stay healthy and stress free. When you know these boundaries, you are more likely to live within them. For example, if a friend asks you if she can stay with you while she finds a new apartment, what limits will you place on your hospitality to help maintain your wellness and a continued positive relationship with your friend?

Once you understand your boundaries, learn to communicate them to others. In the above example, before she moves in, tell your friend what you need from her to respect your needs and discuss how you will address differences to support mutual respect. There may also be more specific issues to discuss such as house rules you would appreciate she followed while living with you.

Listen, listen, listen

Ladies, practice what we want your men to do! Listen, listen, listen! Before jumping to conclusions or providing advice, listen to what your friend or family member is asking. Sometimes they just want you to hear their concerns or want reassurance that they are being reasonable. Other times they may be asking for more but either don’t know what they want or are reluctant to ask. In this case, clarify what they need from you by asking, “How can I help?” or “What support do you need from me?” If you are not able or willing to help, be honest. Tell them what you are willing to do and what you cannot commit to do.

Help them enable themselves

The solution to your friend’s dilemma may be very obvious to you. It is easy for many of us to see solutions when we are not deeply involved with an issue. However, your solution is not necessarily the correct one for your friend. Help them help themselves by asking open-ended questions that make them think about the issue and come up with their own solution. For example, rather than saying, “You should…,” ask your friend, “What alternatives have you thought of?” “How do you plan to handle XYZ situation?” “What is your back-up plan?” With your questions, help your friend see different perspectives and express their thoughts.

If someone in need of advice asks for your opinion, be constructive with your comments. Tell them how you see the situation from your perspective rather than stating a situation as a truth. For instance, instead of saying, “Your partner is a horrible person”, tell them what us see. For example, “I have seen your partner yell at you and be abusive and it worries me that you seem to just accept it as normal behavior.” State the specific behaviors that you see and the concerns you have about them. Doing so, helps the individual identify what can be changed, i.e. the behavior and not necessarily the person.

Make a deposit into your own wellness account

In helping others, our own positive energy can be drained quickly. Be sure to find time to help yourself re-energize. For some people this might mean meditating or spending quiet time alone, while for others it might mean socializing with others who can help them regenerate. Making regular deposits into your wellness account by doing things that you love will help you address your own life issues and give you energy to help others.

“As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

Audrey Hepburn

Recipe of the Week: Turkey Burgers

Lighten Up Your Load: Cleansing with Everyday Foods

New season, new you! Feel more energized, more relaxed, lighter and healthier by cleansing your system.

Many people think of drinking terrible tasting teas and liquid diets when they hear the words “cleanse” or “detox”. A food-based cleanse is far from that experience. Using everyday foods that may already be stocked in your kitchen, you can cleanse your system without too much fuss or cost.

Why Cleanse?

Cleansing allows your body to eliminate waste and toxins more efficiently and gives your body a break from foods that may contribute to toxic buildup.

Your body already has a natural cleansing process through its digestive, urinary, respiratory and lymphatic system. Even your skin plays a role in eliminating toxins. When you overtax these systems with excessive food intake or the wrong foods like too much sugar, processed foods, alcohol and caffeine, your system will work less effectively. With cleansing, your entire body is a target and through the process the functioning of every organ is improved.

Some benefits you may experience from a cleanse include clearer skin, cleansed organs, weight loss, feeling more relaxed, and heightened energy.

What to Eat During Cleanse

The following are the types foods that you should consume during a cleanse:

Eggs
Chicken
Turkey
Fish
Vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, kale, swiss chard, onions, garlic, beets, ginger, cucumber, leafy greens)
Nuts and Seeds (flaxseed, hemp, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, etc)
Fats (olive oil, flaxseed oil, hemp oil, coconut oil)
Spices (turmeric, cayenne pepper, ginger, parsley, cinnamon)
Brown rice
Quinoa

Raw Shelled Hemp Seed

When preparing these foods, be sure to cook them very simply to preserve their most natural state and heightened nutrition. You can add flavor using the spices listed above or using garlic and onions.

What Foods to Avoid

The following is a list of foods you should avoid during the cleanse. The idea is to eliminate all refined and processed foods, starches, and anything high in sugar.

All refined and simple sugars
Dried fruit
Fruit juice
Breads
Cereal
Wheat based grains
Anything made with white flour
Alcohol
Caffeine (limit to 1 cup of coffee if necessary)
All processed foods
Peanuts
All dairy
Red meat
Seafood
White potatoes
Refined fats
Sauces
Condiments
Artificial Sweeteners

Here are a few delicious and simple recipes from Delicious Living magazine to jump start your cleanse:

Curried Celery – Daikon and Shiitake Consommé – Detox Green Rolls – Garlicky Greens with Lemon – Lemony Quinoa Tabbouleh – Supereasy detox juices

Important Tips

If this is your first cleanse, here are some important tips to get you started:

Increase your fiber and liquids – Make sure you are eliminating at least twice a day by adding more fibre and water to your daily intake:

For a great fiber addition: mix 2 tbsp ground flaxseed with 1/4 cup water and let stand for about 5 minutes. Drink this mixture first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
Besides being a great source of fiber, which will help improve elimination, flaxseed is a potent source of omega 3.

Drinking water also improves elimination and you should drink half your body weight in ounces per day. For example if you weigh 130 pounds, you should drink 65 ounces of water.
If drinking water on its own is not appealing, then add freshly squeezed lemon juice or 100% cranberry juice (not from concentrate).
Warm lemon water
Start your day with 1 cup of hot water and juice from 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon. Drink this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Wait 30 minutes before having anything else. The lemon water acts as a tonic to the liver and stimulates it to produce bile. It also acts as a dissolvent to help the liver flush out toxins, and improves stomach acid levels.

Drink herbal teas to help digestion, liver function – Excellent teas for cleanses are dandelion root, ginger, and peppermint.

Take detox baths – Use a combination of Epsom salts and baking soda in a hot bath and soak for up to 30 minutes (start with only 5 minutes as you may experience dizziness, headache, nausea, etc.). These baths may help your body eliminate through your skin by perspiration.

Rest more – Part of cleansing is resting and slowing down. Exercise at a slower pace. Avoid high intensity workouts. Try a yoga class or a stretching class or a light workout. Try meditation. Above all, get enough sleep. Our bodies are meant to repair during sleep time.

Cleansing your body can be simple and very doable when using a sensible approach, high quality nutritious foods and personal commitment. Give it a try and your system will thank you for it!

Note: If you have specific health concerns, please check with your doctor before you begin a cleanse.

References:

(http://deliciousliving.com/health/20-detox-recipes)