So, the fabulous thing about google and search analytics, is that it shows up which posts have been the most popular or found in search terms.
So here I am banging on about #menopause and then I find out, that my most ‘found’ blog post is:
How to recover from trauma.
Wow. Wasn’t expecting that one, and it just makes me realise how fragmented some people feel, that they do an internet search to find solice, and help them recover to get through traumatic periods of life, and lets face it, over the last 3 years we, as a civilisation have had quite a lot thrown at us. It varies from country to country but the world over, it goes from flooding, mass shootings, earthquakes, isolation, being told that there is a virus going round and if you catch it, you have to spend 10 days on your own, an invasion, cost of living crisis, politics that sound like it should be an episode of the West Wing, and now the death of a Monarch.
That’s not including people being ill, being diagnosed with illness, losing loved ones in their family, or long standing mental health issues.
What’s to be done.
The first thing and always top fo the list is take a deep breath in, and talk to someone. Don’t keep feelings of trauma to yourself. It just stagnates and grows and grows, then it feel like you have a gremlin living in your head and it won’t shut up.
Try to tune and relax to all those areas that cat tighten up as a bi product of stress, in particular, hips, stomach and jaw. Theses are the big 3 places that, as a massage therapist I see tension and anxiety build up the most.
The 2nd thing I would do, is book to see someone like me.
A question I get asked a lot is is massage good for:
stress, anxiety, depression, menopause, and the answer is yes, yes, and yes. Anything that distracts you from what is going on in the outside world, and gives you a feeling of being able to switch off.
A skilled massage therapist (gloat gloat) will be able to tune in to how you are feeling about yourself and gently coax your body out of the stress responses it has built up. Find someone or get a recommendation of who can help you.
The 3rd thing I would concentrate on, is getting back to just getting the basics right.
Brush your teeth, drink water, eat at least one meal a day (stress can really deplete your appetite), don’t force yourself to try an concentrate on reading, but do practical tasks instead. If all else fails, just make sure you have a clean kitchen sink.
Go to your bed at a decent time, don’t mess up your rythm by thinking that you are night owl and sleeping for most of the day. I’ve genuinely seen people a funny shade of blue due to not getting enough day light (or is that just living in Scotland?) Sleep is a stress buster. I always try to get to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time, even on the weekend. It just make me feel crappy if I sleep in!
And finally, get outside, get out for a walk, you may have to force youself to do it, but you’ll be glad of it. I wouldn’t actually recommend listing to music or podcasts though, simply because it’s important to be present and I am aware of people being so distracted that they step out in front of traffic, so just ca canny.
I hope this is useful for you.
If you have found this blog post because you are experiecing stress or trauma I genuinely wish you well, and please email me on info@elizabethbandeen.co.uk if I can be of further help to sign post you, if you need further assistance.
Love and light.
Elizabeth x