Improve Your Relationships With Yourself and Others

GIVE YOUR SKILLS A BOOST!


Empowerment and Self-Discovery

Do you have difficulty identify and expressing what you need?
Do you put other people’s need ahead of your own?
Do you worry that others have negative thoughts about you?
Do you love yourself and accept who you are?

With our professional guidance, you can learn tools for:

• Identifying and reconnecting to your true self
• Discovering strengths and building confidence and self-esteem
• Renewing commitment to self
• Challenging resistance to change
• Overcoming obstacles to proper self-care



Relationship Enhancement

Do you have trouble expressing what you really want to your partner?
Does one or both of you feel there is no hope for your relationship?
Do you want a better connection and more intimacy with your partner?

You can learn new techniques to become more effective with:

• Reconnecting to your partner
• Enhancing intimacy
• Increasing sexual satisfaction
• Building trust and commitment
• Fostering healthy communication and resolving conflicts

 
For information on these programs or others presently in plcae, contact us at 703-255-7012 or info@totalhealthconcepts.net.

The Power of Assertiveness

Do you feel frustrated when trying to communicate with others? Chances are you feel too passive (because you don't acknowledge your own needs) or you are too aggressive (if you "blow up" when trying to get your point across). Communicating effectively is a skill that you can learn, and it can replace your need to attack, put up defenses, or put your own needs last.

To communicate so that others can hear you, use the Assertiveness Method to spell out what you need.

Begin with "When you..." (This statement does not confront the person, but rather their actions)

Next, say "I feel...." (People are more likely to listen to your feelings than your attacks)

End with, "I need..." (This is not an accusation, but a statement of your desires).

Other tips:
*Use eye contact. Do not shut yourself or anyone else out. Eye contact means truthfulness and a willingnes to share. It also means strength.

*Speak from your body center, where your feelings originate. Do not speak form the head. Find resonance and strength -- your true voice.

It may be helpful to role play this exercise using a situation that did not turn out successfuly in the past.

Cultivating The "Try, Try Again" Attitude

Have you ever eaten a few pieces of candy (a bag of chips, a few cookies, insert your food here) and figured that since you'd already been "bad," you could eat whatever you wanted for the rest of the day?  Do you give up as soon as you've made one mistake? If so, it is important to nuture a "try, try again" attitude.

Think about it: Great sports stars and artists make literally thousands of mistakes on the way to perfecting their sport or art. Would a ballerina give up dancing because she fell while learning a new ballet? Certainly not! She would get up and try again immediately -- fully confident in her ability to learn the dance eventually.

Similarly, making a few choices that are not healthy for your body doesn't mean you will never lose weight. Making mistakes is part of learning a new habit, which includes learning new eating habits. The proper resonse to backsliding is to first learn from the experience, and second to try again. This new response takes a change in attitude from "All or nothing" to "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!"

The truth is, if you want your behavior to change, your attitude must come first. All of us are born with the "try, try again" attitude. Just think of the number of times we fell while learning to walk, or the hours of funny sounds we made as we struggled to acquire language... or even later in life, consider the perserverance we showed when learning to ride a bike. We learned these skill and perform them effortlessly now because they have become a habit. If you want to make healthy eating a habit, remember to try, try again.

Take a Deep Breath!

Just because the holidays are over doesn't mean that the stress in your life is gone. Unfortunately, very few of us take the time to manage the stress effectively. While we might tell ourselves to "take a deep breath," we may never listen that that advice! In reality, deep breathing is a quick, effective way to relieve stress.
Deep breathing is the process of inhaling and exhaling with long and steady breaths. When inhaling, fill your lungs to capacity to move your diagphram and let the exhaled air escape through your motugh. Intersperse each long breath with 5-10 normal breaths. Remember to inhale to take in energy and exhale to release tension and anxiety.

What to do:

1. Loosen any tight clothing.

2. Lie on a firm carpet or mattress with your knees bent.
3. Close your eyes. Breathe slowly and rhythmically throughout the exercise.

4. Inhale, slightly deeper than your regular breath for 4-5 seconds. You're inhaling energy!

5. Exhale slowly and purge the tension and anxiety from your body. Then relax.

6. Exhale completely.

Practice deep breathing at elast 3-5 times daily, preferably i nthe morning, afternoon and evening, as well as during stressful periods.

Handling Holiday Stress

If you’re feeling stressed this holiday season, you’re not alone. Dealing with the shopping, the traveling, the house guests, the expectations (and so much more!) can make anyone feel overwhelmed. But even if you can’t just ignore the items on your “to do” list, you can still make this holiday season less stressful – just by changing your attitude.


Have you ever recognized how much energy it takes to be negative? Instead of concentrating on what’s wrong and upsetting (and how much you have to do), use that energy to enjoy yourself more! Here are some recommendations for how to create a positive attitude:

• Make realistic expectations for yourself. Break tasks into small pieces.

• Change negative messages into positive ones. Instead of, “I’ll never get everything done in time!”, say: “I have been able to get everything done before. I will do it again.”

• Keep a good sense of humor. Happiness actually leads to more productivity.

• Instead of worrying about what might go wrong, use your imagination to do your job well. (Someone once spoke wisely when he said that “worry is a misuse of the imagination.”)

• Avoid an “all or nothing” attitude. The holiday will not be ruined if everything is not perfect.
• Look at “mistakes” as opportunities to learn. Think feedback, not failure.

• Practice acceptance. You are where you are, and fighting against that is not going to change it.

Remember, you can always reach out for help! No one expects you to be superhuman (except maybe you).

Massage: More Than Just Feeling Good

Massage offers many more benefits than the ones about which we already know: relaxing the muscles, stretching, removing toxins.  One of the greatest benefits of massage is that which cannot always be so quantified.  There is great value and power in touch.  When people connect through touch, they share an energy and connection that is mutually beneficial.  Massage therapy may make you more alert and lessen symptoms of depression such as fatigue and irritability, according to the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. “The healing power of touch extends across the life span,” says the Institute’s Tiffany Field, Ph.D., “from helping babies grow and children concentrate at school to decreasing chronic illnesses and disease.”  

Individuals can benefit from the power of touch through something as simple as a hug from a good friend or a friendly pat on the shoulder.  Other benefits, of course, come from regular massage therapy from a professional therapist.  Many therapists have experience in many modalities of touch and energy therapy, and working with someone who performs their therapy from an energetic perspective can help people to re-connect with their bodies, reduce stress, and greatly enhance sense of well-being.  By putting the body in a positive energy state, it can effect healing on its' own as well as open up the body to more traditional forms of healing.  Find out for yourself what true power touch can have in your life.

This holiday season, give the gift of health to yourself or to loved ones.... For a limited time, purchase a gift certificate for any of the following services at a reduced fee*:
Massage Therapy
Relaxation Training
Personal Training
Sports Conditioning
Nutrition Coaching
Weight Management Groups
Self-Esteem Groups
Parent Coaching

*Individual certificate = $75
Couples certificate = $150
Receive $20 off of your session for referring a new client

The Truth About Self-Care

You probably know, deep down, that taking care of yourself is important… But do you know what “taking care of yourself” looks like? You may say that caring for yourself means exercising, eating well, not smoking, etc.  And yes, self care does refer to these physical components. Taking care of one’s body involves regular physical activity, healthy eating, adequate sleep, stress management, and regular medical care.

But self-care is more than that. It also includes emotional wellness – an awareness of your feelings, an ability to express those feelings, and an ability to cope with your emotions. How does this relate to self-care? Well, where do you think your emotions go if you don’t identify and express them? Do they go away? Think about it. Have you ever noticed that even when you’ve “forgotten” something that has made you sad, that memory comes rushing back the next time you are sad? Or that when you are angry at someone, you can recall all of the other people who have done you wrong? For better or worse, emotions don’t just disappear; if you don’t deal with them, they live inside of your body. Taking care of your emotions is just as important in taking care of yourself as getting a good night’s sleep.

With the stressful holiday season fast approaching, it is tempting to put self-care on the back burner. But during this time of year, self-care is more important than ever. Not only are there more demands on your time, but emotions may be heightened. Practices such as listening to your body, setting healthy boundaries, and being aware of internal negative messages can help you get through this season in a much healthier way. If you don’t take care of yourself this season, who will?

The Staff at Total Health Concepts

www.TotalHealthConcepts.net