Self-Care - Pria's Ponderings

How to avoid getting sick this winter

Finding balance, Fitness, Self-Care Comments Off

Dec 262011

One of the best tips to follow to avoid getting sick this winter is to focus on prevention. That means building up your immune system as much as possible. Other than building up your immune system, you must avoid contracting the viruses that can make you sick. Following are steps to make sure your immune system is in the best condition and to avoid those germs.

1. Keep your hands clean!

Make sure to wash your hands whenever possible and keep sanitizer handy. Even when you are getting together with friends and family instead of going to the mall, you still need to make sure you keep your hands washed frequently and before eating.

2. Stay hydrated!

Keeping your body hydrated with plenty of water keeps your system less susceptible to viruses. Water is necessary for our body and mind to function at optimum level and most people don’t get enough. It is an easy fix! Always have some with you.

3. Get enough sleep

Getting at least 6-7 hours of sleep will allow your body to repair itself better and fight sickness. Make sleep a priority and do what you need to make sure you get enough. This might mean you need to cut down on alcohol, caffeine or sugar to sleep better. Make certain your environment and bed-time routine enables you to get the best sleep. Make sure to get enough sunshine daily to help your body have enough melatonin to help sleep.

4. Eat healthy

Eating a healthy diet will ensure that your body is getting all the supplements it needs to be healthy and have all the supplements it needs. It never hurts to take supplements such as vitamin c and zinc as insurance, but keep in mind they do not replace eating well. The holidays can pose a challenge to our efforts to eat well. This might mean you need to eat healthy prior to an event or make a commitment to eat small portions of foods that do not help your immune system.

5. Get enough exercise

Exercise reduces stress and maintains a stronger immune system, making you less prone to illness. Get out there to burn some calories and boost your spirits at the same time. Try yoga at home or partner up with a friend to take an aerobic class at your local gym.

Managing Stress

Attitude, Finding balance, Gratitude, Happiness, Humor, Outlook, Philosophy, Self-Care 1 Response »

Apr 242011

Think about a relaxing waterfall.

Are you highly stressed or anxious? Stress can wreak havoc on our health in many ways. Here are some ways to manage it:

Keep Perspective

It is important to keep perspective. When you feel up, keep notes. When you feel down, take notes. When you are down, read these notes to see how you got through it, and more importantly, that you did get through it.

When you are up, enjoy it, and know that you may go down…Don’t take life too seriously! Remember that the only thing that remains constant is change, “this too shall pass.”

Laugh

Maintain a sense of humor and try to find something funny in everyday life. Be around people that make you laugh. Watch shows that make you laugh. Find as many ways as possible to laugh as much as you can daily.

Journal

Work through issues by writing down what is blocking you from the direction you want to go. Is it you or external events? What is going well? What are you grateful for? Make a list of what you want in all areas of your life. Diagram the different areas – mental, physical, emotional, spiritual. Fill in the boxes with what is working. Which block seems more empty? That area needs attention.

Develop a support system

Ensure you have adequate support to help you when times are tough. Be comfortable with utilizing professional support including life coaches in addition to friends. Even pets can be a source of comfort.

Resolutions and Goals

Goals, Self-Care Comments Off

Jan 122011

A relevant topic as the new year begins is goal-setting. Many people make resolutions for the new year, but may not take that further by setting goals to actually reach them.

What are your resolutions? How are you going to achieve these? What is your game plan? When would you like to reach parts of your resolutions? Is one of your resolutions regarding weight loss? Maybe you could begin by setting an achievable amount as a goal with a doable time line. For instance, deciding to try to lose a few lbs a month.

How will you achieve this? What lifestyle changes will you make? Maybe you could decide on a few simple changes, such as a glass of water before each meal. Eventually, add other easy changes, such as an apple before a meal, having smaller more frequent meals, walking a few times a week and eating more salad. Maybe sodas can gradually be eliminated. Try adding mineral water to small juice amounts.

Small changes add up! Decide what you will do different every week to reach your goals this year.

How Do You Find Balance?

Finding balance, How to find balance, Self-Care 7 Responses »

Mar 212010

Ann Curry from the Today show recently had a segment asking this question and sharing how she finds balance. When her Dr. asked the question of her, she responded that she found balance through her children and job. He told her that this would not be good enough, that we would all live more fulfilled and maybe longer lives if we can find our passions.

She said for her, that was taking pictures wherever she went. I can certainly relate to her interest and the concept that “photos capture moments and stop time. They immediately say something about people, places and events.” A friend of hers mentioned how it was a meditation focusing on everything around you. Nice!

Photography brings me balance by allowing me to capture moments I can remember later. As the family photographer, it connects me more to them. I enjoyed studying black and white photography in college and look forward to developing the interest more.

Other every-day ways I find balance include cooking, cleaning (immediate sense of achievement!), organizing (helps me see more clearly), yard work (being outside, burning calories), and humor (watching a funny show like SNL with Porter).

The segment on the Today show suggested we all spend a day a week on what we love. What a nice concept! What would you do if you could take a day a week to spend on your interest? Maybe we could start with at least a few minutes a day and build from there…

Dealing With The Unexpected

Finding balance, Philosophy, Self-Care Comments Off

Mar 192010

Yesterday seemed like a nice, warm, pleasant day before the expected storm that is on its way to give us about seven inches of snow. Looking back, I’m now remembering that I didn’t get in the intent to fertilize my lawn to take advantage of the moisture. It was about 4:20pm and I was about to take my kids to the local instrument store to drop off my son’s trumpet for repair. I was considering picking up some favorite food of Porter’s on the way back to celebrate his monthly “birthday.” He was probably going to play tennis after work to take advantage of the weather. We give ourselves a “me” day every month on the day of our birth.

We were waiting for Maya to wake up from her nap so I tried to tidy up quickly first. In commemoration of Spring and to treat myself a little, I had put on my slip-on burgundy shoes with a wide wedge heel that were a post-divorce treat. You can probably anticipate where this is going…

I had some notes on my sofa table that I thought I’d get over to my desk in our finished basement. Mid-way down the stairs, near the turn, a wedge heal seemed to catch against the Berber carpet and I felt my self lose balance, literally, not metaphorically. I was conscious of trying to protect my head from the wall. In the process, my left hand ended up going backwards, in the direction our hands are not intended to go, with the weight of my body landing on it.

I gathered my wits and sat there at the landing, assessing the situation, after pulling my hand out. I hadn’t hit my head against the wall in front of me and had probably scratched my knees. My left hand was beginning to feel excruciating pain. I remembered hearing that when you break something, it hurts a lot. And the pain I felt seemed comparable to my drug-free birth from a year prior. My shoes were laying near me.

The Culprit

Colin continued to play his video game in the living room. Finally, I calmly asked him to set that down and help me. Isn’t it amazing how we parents can remain calm and quiet with excruciating pain when our kids are around? I had him get me an ice-pack, which I put on my hand and continued my task of getting my papers to my desk. I realized I was probably not going to be able to use my hand to drive and that Porter’s day was going go not as planned.

Going back upstairs, I asked Colin to call Porter and explain what happened and that I might need to go to the local clinic. Colin thought I was invincible and was trying to process that I was hurt. I sat in excruciating pain waiting for Porter to drive from Aurora, get Maya situated with Colin as brief babysitter while he dropped me off.

At the Dr.’s, while waiting in the examination room, I let the tears roll for the pain and turn of events. How was I going to hold Maya? She couldn’t walk yet and seemed to be about 25lbs. What about writing and gardening? Or even cooking and cleaning? Damn those shoes! Why hadn’t I taken them off before going down the stairs? Why hadn’t I gone slower?

X-rays showed I had broken my hand in two places. I had never broken a bone before. This was my first, at 41 and with a baby not yet walking. Not the best time! We ended up with another mini-crisis as my ring finger was swelling and I could not remove my precious engagement and wedding ring. In the end, it was cut, which was still a struggle to remove. Finally, a tech came to the rescue by prying the ring apart with tools while it was pushed up, preventing another cut. I knew Porter would not be happy with this side development (and he wasn’t). We have lousy health insurance, so this is not a good financial development, outside of the ring. Typically, we pay everything up to our high deductible. $newly fractured hand$

About an hour later, after getting my hand in a splint and bandage and referrals to hand surgeons (I hadn’t connected the dots that this would mean hand surgery, which Porter clarified), Porter picked me up. It was now about three hours since my fall and I still hadn’t had any pain medicine besides two aspirins at home. We picked up a prescription for Vikaden, which I finally took at 8:30pm, since it was supposed to be taken at bedtime, after a struggle getting a snug long-sleeve off my hand in a cast, that Porter finally got off. How was I going to manage shirts?

The Vikaden seemed to help but I seemed to keep waking up andwas lying awake by 2am, feeling my hand ache. Then finally by 2:30, I thought I’d go ahead and blog to keep my mind off the pain. So here I am, typing away with one hand. It’s almost 4am, so I’m not exactly efficient, but at least have the use of my right hand since I’m right-handed.

Meditation Techniques

Alternative Medicine, How to find balance, Meditation, Self-Care Comments Off

Dec 012009

Many of us know the effectiveness of meditation for many aspects of our lives. Some benefits include more energy, a calmer mind. What some may not know is that meditation increases levels of melatonin. This hormone helps our immune system and also promotes restful sleep, slows aging and cell damage, and even inhibits cancer cells.

Managing our lives to make time for meditation requires organization and planning. I know that I have had a challenging time fitting it into my current life with a newly-crawling, nine-month-old infant who likes to be up by 5am to be nursed. My day starts early and there is not a break to be able to quietly meditate by myself. My husband and I have talked about trying to squeeze in some meditation together in the evening, which has not transpired yet. Once the kids are put down to sleep by around 8:30, we are left with about an hour before we are ready for bed (the next day will start by 5am!). I will need to consider maybe trying to get a few minutes in when my baby naps, along with my shower, food, and everything else. What I want to get in during this limited golden 1-2 hours a day is increasingly ambitious. So much so, I forget to do things like have lunch, which I remembered today at 3pm.

Regardless, I commend all of you who can manage any time for meditation. It is best in the morning, as close to your waking up time as possible and before going to bed. A few minutes any time during the day is better than none. There are many types of meditation, including the following two types.

6-7.09, CA 042a

Mindful Meditation

Find a quiet place to sit, either on the floor or chair, keeping your head, neck, and back straight, yet not stiff. Try to keep your mind in the present.
Become increasingly conscious of your breathing, feeling your belly rise and fall and noticing each breath change.
Notice your thoughts come and go, without judgment, trying to use your breathing as an anchor. Keep bringing your mind back to your breath.
At the end of your allotted time, sit for a few minutes becoming aware of your environment and slowly getting up.

Relaxation Response

Find a quiet place to sit comfortably and relax your muscles.
Choose a word or phrase that has special meaning for you and helps you feel peaceful. If none come to mind, try “Ham Sah,” a Sanskrit mantra meaning “I am that.”
While breathing in, slowly state the mantra, making the sound “hammm” as you breathe in and “saah” as you exhale, as if you are sighing.
Breathe slowly, pausing after inhaling and exhaling.
Don’t judge how you are doing and when thoughts intrude, simply return to your repetition.
When ending your meditation, focus on your breathing and sit quietly, slowing becoming aware of your environment and getting up gradually.

Source: About.com: Alternative Medicine

Rituals

Children, Finding Meaning, Parenting, Self-Care Comments Off

Nov 182009

Being bi-cultural, I’ve had to give some thought to the rituals and holidays I want to incorporate for my family. Not living in India, it is challenging to celebrate Indian holidays to the level I would like. Sometimes, I am not able to remember or keep up with certain Indian holidays if I don’t see reminders somewhere, such as the Indian store. This is not an issue for Western holidays of course. There are reminders everywhere. Even though Thanksgiving has not arrived yet, we are all being reminded of Christmas. Culturally, I am fine with holidays that I grew up with here in the US playing a bigger part. All the holidays of any culture celebrate something nice, centered around love. Any language or culture that is expressed in is fine with me. With that in mind, I admit I enjoy the spirit of the Christmas season. I take part in decorating my home, singing Christmas carols with my family, and celebrating at my Unitarian church, along with baking what I can. Despite these rituals, I still consider myself a Unitarian and Hindu. If I were in India, the holidays and related celebrations there would get more prominence in my home.

Outside of the major holidays, I try to incorporate other rituals for my family. One ritual we have started is to celebrate my infant daughter’s monthly birthdays. Since she was born on the 8th, we celebrate the 8th of every month. Recently, for her 9-month celebration on November 8th, I cooked food I knew she would enjoy (spaghetti, which is fun finger food for her) and other goodies for us. She received toys and we sang and danced to the song we have decided is hers from us, Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.” We have been singing this to her since the beginning of her life, and she seems to recognize it.

As an outcome of Maya’s monthly celebrations, I thought we should celebrate my son’s, so he is not left out. Then I thought why leave out my husband and I? With that in mind, My husband is celebrating his monthly birthday today, since he was born on the 18th. So yesterday was Colin’s Day and today is Porter’s Day. I’ve already put it on the calendar for next month and am looking forward to my day on the 9th. The rule is that you get to do whatever you want (within reason) and get an excuse to treat yourself. So my husband would say he had a good start this morning, which included not having to drop my son off to school since a neighbor started doing so. My daughter slept through the night and we got decent sleep as a result. Then he treated himself to the lunch he wanted and he gets to do whatever he wants tonight, which will probably include tennis since it is not too cold today, along with having the dinner and dessert he wants.

Since we didn’t realize it was Colin’s day yesterday until the evening, he is getting part of the day today for himself. That means Mom is doing everything! All the chores fall on me. Although, I am looking forward to tomorrow, the 19th, as it is no one’s day, I am also looking forward to Pria’s Day on the 9th. It is nice to have a day per month to do nice things for ourselves guilt-free and have a day to always look forward to!

Porter and Maya on a nice September day at church.

Quick Stress Fixes

Finding balance, Self-Care, Simplicity Comments Off

Nov 042009

Bhalloo napping As the holidays approach, our stress levels can start to soar. Women in particular feel it as they often feel solely responsible for creating “perfect” holiday memories for their families.

Sometimes, a solution to less lies in gaining more perspective of a situation. Running late can push many stress buttons. But maybe the solution requires just a phone call stating you are delayed and perhaps keeping in mind that being late to your destination will not be the end of the world. I try to learn from the situation to understand what caused my delay to try to correct the situation for the future. This at least allows me to feel some productivity is coming from the situation.

For the holidays, my goal this year is to shop early, as in now. Normally, I get so absorbed in other areas, such as baking, that I delay shopping until it becomes stressful. Since shopping is generally not an activity I enjoy (I know, strange for a female), it becomes even more stressful when there is less time and more traffic and hassle. I will try to prevent that scenario this year. Also, I have to remember that this year I will be trying to do everything with an additional family member and newly-mobile infant as well. Yikes.

One quick, grounding stress fix for me is to repeat a mantra or affirmation in my head until I’m less stressed. I used this technique to give birth without drugs! Have a plan for dealing with difficult, stressed people during the holidays. Have an affirmation ready to repeat in your head and a plan to leave the scene if needed. With three pets I adore, just hugging or petting one helps a lot!

Women in particular can feel easily overwhelmed by the demands around them. Sometimes, just taking a brief break for a few minutes can make a world of difference. Maybe this means the kids are briefly occupied while we slip away to read a few pages from a book we are reading to escape or something spiritual that helps ground us. If we are feeling too negative, it may help to just seek some humor, such as turning to the comedy channel to get a few laughs and remind ourselves to not take life too seriously!

Fitness is a Daily Choice

How to find balance, Self-Care Comments Off

Sep 242009

Colin Strolling on a Beach in CA

Fitness is a daily choice at every level – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. For long-term fitness, balance and moderation is required. It is not about any specific, trendy diet. For our bodies, it is about choosing most of the time what we know fuels us best. Exercising moderation means we can treat ourselves here and there and know that we will make up for it the next day. We use discipline to make that happen! We don’t beat ourselves when things don’t go as we planned. We kindly pick up from where we are and start from there.

I’ve often used a reward system to get through tasks that didn’t feel very fun. In college when studying something not very interesting, I would allow myself a treat or break every 15 minutes or so. I often found that I could go longer without noticing. Sometimes it was about “tricking” myself to just get going. The same process can be applied for exercise or chores. It also helps to make the task as pleasant as possible, such as listening to music we enjoy when exercising or cleaning.

In our diet at home, we try to exercise moderation. If we have dessert one day, we might not the next day or choose something healthier, like fruit. We also try to replace some items with healthier choices, especially when it is barely noticeable. There are lots of new vegan items that are coming out all the time that I’m trying that concept with. It’s an adventure! For instance, I found that “Tofutti” is a fine alternative to regular cream cheese! I don’t notice much of a difference in taste and feel better having it knowing that it doesn’t have the fat and cholesterol of the regular stuff.

Adult On-set of Allergies

Alternative Medicine, Self-Care Comments Off

Sep 012009

I’ve never had allergies and thought I was immune, particularly since I started my life in India and particularly a village where I was exposed to everything it seemed. Then for the first time this past Spring and now late summer, I’ve been struggling with allergies.

I’m learning that adult allergies are on the rise. Since I am still nursing my infant, I’m not inclined to take the regular allergy medications as they apparently negatively impact milk supply. I recently heard about a product called a Neti Pot, which seems to be effective according Web MD without impacting lactation. After some lack of coordination, I think I’ve got the hang of it and am trying to use it regularly. There are different types and can be purchased in stores or on-line. I purchased mine from the local drugstore for about $15. The concept behind the product lies in the idea of nasal irrigation, which originated within ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of healing.

The sad information I am learning is that my new adult allergies will most likely stay with me the rest of my life.

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