Category: meditation

9 good habits for dealing with stress

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

We are going through a challenging period that forces us to face unpredictable situations beyond our control. It is normal to be stressed and anxious. However, there are many things that we can control and, if we focus on them, we can lift our mood and energy levels. So be careful to stick to the good ones that lift your mood! It is in your hand, you can do it!

First of all, let’s explore some common bad habits that deplete our energy levels and drop our mood. We have all done them and it is very tempting to keep doing them:

  • Overthinking and constant worrying: they take us nowhere while they deprive us of peace and joy from the present moment.
  • Inconsistent sleeping patterns: they cause imbalance to our nervous system which can lead to depression.
  • Eating junk and processed food: we may temporarily think that they relieve us of stress (comfort food) but all the toxins they they contain are actually increasing it.
  • Frequent/excess consumption of alcohol or substances: although we temporarily feel better, once their effect wears off we feel even worse. Furthermore, their harmful toxins deplete our body at all levels.
  • Negative people: they drain our energy and drop our mood.
  • Watching negative news: they bring us despair and anxiety.
  • Social media: their excessive use absorbs us and we end up wasting a lot of time. Furthermore, many times we are tempted to read negative posts or even get involved in debates and arguments with people we don’t even know.

The first step is to acknowledge the bad habits, realise that we fall for them and break the cycle. The second step is to replace them with good ones. Here is a suggested list with good habits that will help you deal with stress as they lift your mood and increase your energy levels:

  • Drink plenty of water!
  • Eat a balanced healthy and nutritious diet!
  • Schedule your bedtime routine: try to go to bed early so you can wake up early.
  • Enjoy time with animals: they give us love and we need it!
  • Spend time in nature: walk in a park, beach, forest, whatever you have available near you. Nature has healing properties; she absorbs our negative energy and fills us with positive!
  • Exercise, dance, yoga: movement generally increases our endorphins, the hormones of happiness!
  • Switch off from everything and listen to your favourite music. Create a space where you won’t be disturbed and dedicate this time to yourself.
  • Connect and communicate with others, especially positive people. Isolation fills us with despair while feeling part of a group/community gives us meaning and motivation.
  • Watch positive news, inspiring podcasts, positive articles, self-help books: feed your mind with positivity!

Photo by Public Domain Pictures from Pexels

The link between emotional stress and pain

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

In the universe, everything is energy and vibration. In a previous article, we analysed the healing power of positive words. In today’s blog post, we will talk about the power of emotions.

Whatever we feel is a vibration, an energy that we create. It affects not only our energy system and physical body, but also others around us. We essentially become a source of energy; we emit and vibrate what we feel, think and say. Of course, positive emotions create positive vibrations and strengthen us on all levels. But how do negative emotions affect us?

Whatever negative emotion we have, it creates a negative vibration firstly in our aura (our energy field) and then in our physical body. Having negative emotions is part of life and we all experience it daily. But problems arise when a negative emotion becomes constant due to circumstances or negative thinking. Essentially, this negative energy that vibrates becomes an embodiment and appears as pain or even as a health issue.

Our different energy centers (chakras) and parts of the body are “responsible” or otherwise represent and store different emotions. So let’s see what the different physical pains mean depending on the part of the body that they appear.

  • Headache – when we constantly think about the same problem or do not find solutions to a problem or situation. Also, over-analyzing a problem traps energy in our head and creates an imbalance in our energy field.
  • Neck pain – when we are stubborn and fanatical about our beliefs and behaviours, without accepting other people’s differences, opinions and beliefs.
  • Shoulder pain – responsibilities or emotions that weigh on us. It can either be a pain from the past that we carry in the present or problems of others that we tend to solve and become drained to our disadvantage.
  • Upper back pain (between the shoulder blades) – Lack of emotional support or love from family and our environment.
  • Lower back pain – Lack of financial support. Lack of emotional support from family and close relationships. Also lack of sexual satisfaction.
  • Elbow pain – Difficulty and rigidity in life’s constant changes.
  • Wrist pain – Fear of life’s changes. Inability to take and give to others.
  • Hip pain- Fear and resistance to and move on and go with the glow of life. Fear of the future.

So how do we get rid of these pains and what can we do to prevent them? The solution is to follow a holistic lifestyle. This means following practices that balance our wholeness, the connection of our mind-body-spirit. Some of these practices are:

  • Positive affirmations
  • Meditation
  • Yoga
  • Tai-Chi/Chi Kung
  • Martial arts
  • Dance
  • Holistic therapies such as massage, reflexology, acupuncture and Reiki (energy healing) and crystal healing

If you like to learn more and improve your life and health, you can book for a Holistic Lifestyle Coaching introductory session.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Walking meditation

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Have you heard of walking meditation?

Walking meditation is a form of moving meditation. Precisely, it is a mindful walking practice that has its origins in Buddhism and can be used as part of a mindfulness practice that involves movement and periods of walking between long periods of sitting meditation.

It can be practiced regularly, before or after sitting meditation or at any time, such as during a lunchbreak, after a busy day at work or on a Sunday morning in the park. In walking meditation the experience of walking is used as the focus. Traditionally, there are several different kinds of walking meditation, such as kinhin, theravada and vipassana, if someone wants to get more into the practice.

Walking meditation is more than a simple stroll in the park as it is usually done in a much slower pace than a normal walk and it usually involves coordination of the steps with the breathing. Techniques can be as detailed as breaking down each step into 2,4 or 6 parts. The general aim, as in any mindfulness exercise, is to keep the mind in the present moment.

Walking meditation can make a difference especially for people who are doing seated work for long hours or those who spend extended periods of time for daily commuting. Some of the benefits are:

  • Boosts blood flow and raises the energy levels as the walking practice helps to get the blood flowing, especially to the legs.
  • Improves digestion (especially after a meal)
  • Reduces anxiety and depression as it is a form of gentle exercise which releases endorphines, the happy hormones
  • Improves sleep quality
  • Increases clarity and focus which in turn can stimulate creativity.

The pace of walking meditation ranges from slow to extremely slow. You can let your hands and arms swing loosely by your sides, hold them behind your back or clasp them in front of your body around the height of your navel. Your gaze should be looking towards the ground just a few feet in front of you.

You can start by choosing a path or setting a time that you won’t be disturbed or you will have to rush. Once you decide the route, you can stat by observing your body and how it moves, then setting a slow walking pace. Afterwards, you can focus on your breath and synchronise your steps with the inhalation and exhlation. For example, you inhale and perform two steps, you exhale and perform another two steps. Gradually, you slow down your breath and inhale while performing for four steps, then exhale for four steps. Later on, you increase to six steps during inhalation and another equal six steps for the exhalation. The more often you practice, the more mindful you will become and you will start noticing the benefits of this wonderful yet simple mindfulness exercise.

Image by Tobi from Pexels