Life in the Era of Covid-19

Hi All,

Well, summer is coming and we're still hunkering down and social distancing to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus.  If you're reading this, I hope you're doing well.  I hope you're taking care of yourself and most importantly, I hope you have enough toilet paper (ok...bad joke).  Hopefully the hoarding of toilet paper will end soon here in the USA.

Seriously, we're living in a time of global pandemic and it has been difficult for many.  We've had many of our businesses shut down for a good period of time, unemployment is skyrocketing and many folks are struggling to make ends meet.  Others are feeling isolated, depressed and may be getting stir crazy staying in their homes for long periods of time.

On the bright side, we've started to "flatten the curve" of spreading the virus; slowing the spread globally.  Some places are better than others at this, but we're making progress.  Today I'd like to talk a little about how we can do our best to stay safe and help others be safe during this health scare.

an illustration from back in my medical illustration days depicting proper hand washing technique

 Hand Washing/Hygiene  By now everyone is getting on board with washing your hands and using hand sanitizer.  Hygiene is important for your safety.  If you can, wearing a mask is helpful in stores and public buildings.  It's important for our safety, but also to keep others safe as well.  If we're a carrier of the virus, (and we may not know), we want to be sure not to spread this to others.  Masks can help with this.  Social distancing, (keeping 6 feet apart from others), is key as well. These practical little things can make a big difference.  Remember, as we move forward opening up our societies, we still need to take precautions and be smart about it.  Covid will probably still be here after next month and probably for the foreseeable future.

Physical Health  Keeping ourselves healthy is also key.  Physically, we always want to eat a balanced diet. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables every day.  Drinking plenty of water is important as well.  A little lemon in your water will add a little flavor and have a good cleansing effect on the body.  Keep exercising as well.  You don't need a gym to work out.  There's a lot of calisthenics and resistance exercises you can do without any gym equipment.  Walking outside is allowed in many places and is great exercise.  Of course, get plenty of rest too.  If you need ideas just look on-line.  Take care of that body.

Mental/Spiritual  Remember to feed your mind and spirit while staying in and social distancing as well.   Do you read books, or have some topics of study that interest you?  These keep your mind sharp, challenge it.  Hobbies like crossword puzzles, Sudoku, or playing cards will also work your brain.  Feeding the spirit is important as well.  Reading and studying are always helpful.  Now days there are so many resources on-line as well.  Whatever your faith or interest, you can find what you're looking for to help you practice and study right at home, on-line.  It's so easy just to plop down in the easy chair and get sucked into watching the news channels or mindless shows.  Unlimited media intake isn't going to serve you well.  Of course, enjoy some entertaining shows if you like, but stretch your mental capacity and feed your spirit every day too.

Meditation/Prayer  Prayer and meditation are excellent ways to help you keep your equilibrium steady and to stay in the moment.  Prayer is a very personal thing and sometimes unique to each person's faith or religeon.  Expressing gratitude in prayer and meditating on it can provide much needed perspective and a good feeling inside. 

Meditation can be a simple yet very helpful practice.  There are many, many forms of formal meditation practice.  Various music or tones can be added to assist; like some relaxing instrumental music.  Like prayer, it's a personal preference and I recommend you practice the form of meditation that works for you. 

One easy way to meditate is just lying down or sitting in a comfortable chair and relaxing.  While continuing to relax body and mind, focus on continuing to breathe (not to deep or shallow, not too fast or slow).  Breathe nice and easy and relax and let go of your stress and tension.  If it's difficult, you know it's for you - practice every day.  Just stay in the present moment and quiet the mind.  If you're starting out - try 10 minutes.  Be gentle with yourself and don't criticize yourself.  You're fine.

drink plenty of water - adding lemon or lime or some cucumber can be refreshing and
provide cleansing and a nutritional boost

Local Love Most of us live in a town or city.  It can be helpful to your town, neighbors, and friends to continue to support our local businesses.  If you can, get take out from a local restaurant once or twice a week.  Some folks will try out different eateries near their home and experiment with restaurants they haven't tried before.  Many of our local businesses may be closed but may offer on-line shopping or gift cards.  Of course we all shop at the bigger stores now and then, but be selective and if you can keep some of your hard earned pay in the local community.  When we support our local communities it strengthens our towns and cities in many ways.

Hospitals/ER/Medical Needs  Right now a lot of people are hesitant to use the hospitals and emergency rooms and I don't blame them.  As an EMT for a local ambulance service I've been in and out of most of the hospitals in our area a lot.  Typically there are Covid patients (or suspected cases), in most of the emergency departments. The Intensive Care Units or ICUs are busy with them too.  So it makes good sense to limit our trips to the ER and in turn, limit our exposure to becoming infected with Covid-19 virus. (However - you know when you need to get to the hospital - if you need to go and be seen, do not hesitate)

Many medical practices have completely changed the way they do business.  If you have an issue that's not life threatening, call your primary care physician.  They can, many times, do a consult over the phone or even via video call if necessary.  Docs can phone in prescriptions to your local pharmacy.  If need be, most can see you in their office too, if your situation calls for it.

If you need emergency care and you feel like you're in crisis, don't hesitate to call 911.  Emergency services are still operating at 100% and that's what they are there for.

Sometimes you may need to visit a medical facility right away but you don't need an ambulance.  You can still go to the medical centers and large hospitals if you like.  There are other options also available to you.  In our metro area here in Phoenix there are urgent care centers and stand alone emergency rooms in every neighborhood.  You may find these less busy and easier to access.  Whatever level of care you need, just consider - "what is the most appropriate level of care?" - and then proceed from there.  However - do not neglect your needs because of the pandemic.

Living in the Time of Covid  We live in interesting times.  I would stress, be smart and considerate.  Do what you know to take care of yourself and others.  Don't live in fear - have faith, knowing that this will not last forever.  There are measures we all can take to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe....and we should do the best we can.  Know the local resources you have and do your best. Stay in the moment - enjoy every moment - stay out of past regrets and longing for a different future.  Love yourself and others.  Help others that need a hand.  Relax and enjoy a movie or a good book.  Be kind and patient with others...we're all going to need patience during this time.  And remember---be nice to yourself.  Treat yourself with love and kindness always and know we'll get thru this together.

Peace and Love,

Tom

Tom Kreienbrink

Holistic Therapy Solutions - www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com
On-line Illustration Portfolio: www.behance.net/tk-art

#Covid-19 #Holistic #Love #meditation

Take Care of Yourself

Hi All,

I hope you're doing well and taking good care of yourself.  I'm working on it.  It's heating up here in Phoenix....summer's coming fast.  But really, it's always a good time to take care of ourselves, isn't it?

I know it can be a well worn topic, but it's always good to revisit it.  Are we taking good care of ourselves?  How do we do that?  So on a basic level, we're taught to have good hygiene, get some exercise, eat some good food and get a check-up every so often from your physician.  Right?  OK - we're done...have a good weekend.  Well...not so fast.  Perhaps there's more to add to all of that.  How do we ensure we have balance and wellness in our lives?

So where do we put ourselves in order of getting cared for by ourselves?  Do we always put others first?  Is it alright to put ourselves first?  Is that a selfish thing?   I would suggest that some of us may tend to take care of others first, and take the scraps that are left (usually not much if any), for ourselves.  Is that good?  Or - is it just being a martyr, when we really don't need to be one?

I like the analogy of being on an aircraft when the oxygen masks come down in an emergency.  The first thing we're told is that we have to put our mask on first, before we assist others around us.  In other words; its good to love and care for others that may depend on us for help, but if we're not taking care of ourselves properly, we may be setting ourselves up for a crash.

I would suggest - make time in your day for the things you need.  As I suggested before, at a basic survival level, good food, proper rest and exercise are essential for our health and well being.  More and more studies are coming out and more emphasis is being placed on getting 8 or more hours of sleep each night.  We need that re-charge....physically, mentally, emotionally.  I know some people only need 4 or 5 hours a night...but they are the rare exception.  Most of us function optimally on 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night.

Meditation or a power nap every day is also good for us.  It's good to take a period of time each day and slow down the mind, close your eyes, and enjoy a little break.  It can be a formal approach with music and a learned meditation technique, or just closing your eyes and "shutting er down" for 15 to 30 minutes before the afternoon or evening begins.  I try to get in an hour of meditation every day.  It feels so good to let go of the stress and pressures of daily life for a bit and enjoy some deep relaxation.  Its also good to help bring down stress levels in our lives and reduce blood pressure.  It can offer the body and mind a space to do some healing.

What are we feeding our spirits?  Do you have Spiritual beliefs?  Or do you consider it nonsense?  Do you go to church weekly, but maybe let it sit by the wayside during the week?  Having a spiritual practice can be nourishing to the Soul.  Most of us have had some kind of spiritual training....it may be time to dust it off, or look around for a church, class, or Spiritual practice that fulfills you.

Of course, there's so many things we can do with self care.  Love yourself enough to offer yourself the gift of your time and $$.  Be good to yourself.  Do something good for yourself daily, like taking a walk, going for that ride on your motorcycle, getting a massage, or hitting that yoga class.  Do some deep breathing and get your head out of the job or routine for a bit.

One other thing - be kind to yourself.  How to you talk to yourself?  Do you beat yourself up about little things (or big things too)?  We're all doing the best we can with what we have.  We have our daily struggles...be kind to yourself.  Treat yourself like you would treat a dear friend who's feeling down.  We all fall short once in a while - don't sweat it.  Don't dwell in the past...learn from it and enjoy the present moment.

This summer - put your oxygen mask on first...then of course, enjoy and love those around you too.  Be kind to yourself...it's not selfish.  Take care of yourself and enjoy the summer.

Peace and Love,

Tom

Tom Kreienbrink
I'm a massage and holistic therapist located in Phoenix, AZ.
For more information go to:  www.holistictherapysolutions.weebly.com
have a blessed day.

RELAX....and Breathe

Hi All,

I hope you're all off to a great start on your Friday.   My last post was about control.  Today I'd like to stay in that vein a little bit.  I'm featuring some pictures with messages that may help to inspire you to relax and take care of yourself and not try to manage or regulate other people or events.

Here's a great one.  "When you try to control everything, you enjoy nothing.  Relax, breathe, let go, and just live."  How many of us try to manage or control everything or most everything in our lives?  How about controlling people?  How is that working out for you?  Probably not very well.  When we let go and relax and live in the present moment...things begin to flow....and that feels great.  So let all of that go...

What do we think about most of the time?  Do you have thoughts that weaken you?  Obsese about others or maybe you think of how you've been treated by others and how you'll "get even" with them.  Those thoughts won't serve you...Try to let go of the negative thoughts.  Thoughts come and go - you really can never turn off the mind.  However, you can train your mind.  Watch what you think - without judgement.  Observe.  When you have thoughts come that "don't make you strong," or that don't serve you, tell yourself - this is not true - know it.  Then - let it go.  Perhaps, tell yourself what is true, how you are a strong, beautiful child of God.  Let go/train yourself not to dwell on the negative. 

I love this one..."20 Stress Reducing Self Care Ideas."  Self care is very important.  Be good to yourself - mentally and emotionally, and also physically as well.  Great ideas here on this picture...take a walk, watch a good movie, get a massage, read a good book, etc....  I'm sure you can think of other ways to be good to yourself.

Today - enjoy what you're doing (working, cleaning the house, hiking, seeing family or friends, etc).  Be present, without judging - just enjoy the moment.  And be grateful....gratitude makes everything better.  For most of us, this is do-able.  If you have big huge needs and issues...get help.  Ask, search the web, call a hotline, and make the changes you need to...you can do it. 

Have a great day everyone - and a great weekend.  I'll close with one more that I've seen on social media occasionally.  "Kindness - it's free, spread that shit around."  Now go do it (and I'll do it too).

Peace and Love,

Tom

Check out my Holistic Therapy practice and let me know how I may serve you:  www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.comwww.facebook.com/HolisticTherapySolutions
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HolisticTherapySolutions

Acupressure Point - Shen Men

Hi All,

Hope you're well today.  Things are going well here in Phoenix, AZ.  We're having 90 degree days regularly now.  Spring training for Major League Baseball is just about over and soon the water will be warm enough for swimming (at least for us desert dwellers).

Part of my reflexology training included auriculotherapy, or reflexology thru the ear.  Like foot or hand reflexology; in auriculotherapy you can address health concerns in the body by working various points in the ear.

As I was looking around on the internet the other day, I came across a video about Shen Men - a point on the ear.  The video showed how you can gently massage Shen Men for a couple minutes a day, and how that can contribute to stimulating good health.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTRpU4w2VCs#t=41

I'm including a link to the You Tube video.  It's a good little how to video that shows very simply how you can work Shen Men.

The point marked in the upper portion of the ear is the Shen Men point.

Shen Men is a point that comes from Chinese medicine and translated means "Heavenly Gate."  In most auriculotherapy protocols, Shen Men is used.  It's known to be related to the heart.  It's good as a relaxation point and can assist in pain relief, reducing inflammation and addiction.  As the video shows, it's good for overall health.

Simply holding the ear in front and back and gently massaging Shen Men with your thumb can assist with energy and good health.  Try it for a couple minutes once or twice a day and see if you notice a difference.  You may want to try it for a week or more.  Do it while watching tv or sitting or whenever your hands are free - or while quietly relaxing.

Hope this is helpful for you.  It should be good - give it a try.  Acupressure and Auriculotherapy can be very powerful and helpful means of stimulating healing in the body.  If you'd like more info about how I can assist you with Auriculotherapy, contact me.  I'm happy to give you more info and treatment also.

Take care and have a great week. 

Peace,

Tom

Tom Kreienbrink
Massage and Holistic Therapist

www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com

follow on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/HolisticTherapySolutions

Take Care of Yourself this Holiday Season

Hi All,

Well, the holidays are closing in on us fast.  Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas will follow a month after.  Of course, there are other holidays as well.  Here in America, it usually gets pretty hectic, as people are shopping for the perfects gifts to give, preparing for holiday meals and get togethers, and of course, going to one or maybe several parties.  Of course, this all happens while you still go to work and live your life.  It's no wonder many people get overwhelmed and even run down and sick, during and after the holiday season.

So that raises the question; how can we take care of ourselves this holiday season?  If you want to enjoy yourself and come out the other side of the holidays in good shape - you need balance.  Go with the flow and try not to overload yourself too often, or at all if you can help it.  Of course for most of us it's easier said than done.  Sometimes you can slip out of a party early or take short planned out shopping trips when you can.  Pull together with others and share the preparation duties when you can.  Try to simplify where you can and not overdo it too much.  As Thoreau said, "Simplify, Simplify, Simplify."

the holidays can be a real balancing act.

Remember the basics; proper rest, good nutrition, take a good multi-vitamin.  But that's not the whole story.  How else do we take care of ourselves?  How about doing something good for yourself?  Get a massage or a reflexology session.  Pamper yourself.  Enjoy a relaxing meal with a friend and then go to a spa for a little pampering.  Remember guys - massage is just as good for men as women.  Plan a little time to just relax and recharge your batteries.

Take time for yourself every day.  Take 20-30 minutes every day to just relax.  Sit down in a comfy chair, close your eyes and just relax; be aware of your breath, in and out.  That's meditating.  When you do that, bring yourself into the present moment.  Let go of the past events of the day and your life, and don't think about the things your need to do or plan for.  Just enjoy the moment.  It's so good for you and it's a good practice all year round.

Sometime or several times during the day, stop and just be grateful for whatever you're doing.  Practice gratitude while you're at work, shopping, relaxing at home, or whatever and wherever you are.  Being in present moment and practicing gratitude will bring you an overall sense of feeling good.  If you're feeling down at all - it may be time to start practicing gratitude every day - I promise - it's helps.

Feed your mind and spirit.  Are you taking time to read?  Take a little time and do some reading.  If you haven't been studying your spiritual texts lately, it's certainly a good time of year to take it up again.  Go to church.  Take a little time for worship.  Of course,  you don't have to go to a formal place of worship to do this, but it's certainly nice to worship with like minded people - or if it's been a while, to try something new.

Get into the holiday spirit.  There's so much commercialization of Christmas, they're ready for it in stores at the end of September; it's hard not to be a little jaded sometimes.  However, don't let it get you down.  Enjoy the season, go to a concert or parade, break bread or have a drink with friends.   Just make the decision in your mind that, "I'm going to enjoy the season, this year!"

These are a few simple ideas to help, "make the season bright."  Have some fun and enjoy....and remember - take care of yourself.  And - remember those less fortunate.  There's much we all can do to help others during the holiday season.

May there be more, "Peace on Earth, good will toward men." this year.

Peace,

Tom

www.HolisticTherapySolutions.weebly.com

Taking Care of Ourselves

Hi All,

I hope you're all doing great things out there today.  I'm working on it - and yet, I'm a work in progress, (but I keep learning).

I saw this photo (I'm sharing here), on a social media website and it prompted me to think about the many ways we take care of ourselves, or not.  Many of us take care of ourselves in some ways, but may neglect ourselves in others.

Why do we take care of ourselves?  The obvious - it's good for us, good for our health, and it's the right thing to do...I'm sure you can think of other reasons too.

The basics: we take care of the body - nutrition, exercise, adequate rest.  We want to feed ourselves spiritually, and mentally as well.  Most of us try to take care of the body - and may or may not always do a good job of it.  In this path we walk here on Earth, I keep discovering and learning various ways that I can take care of myself.

One of the key ingredients for me is to reduce stress in my life.  I like Thoreau's quote, "Simplify, simplify, simplify."  The less complex my life  - the more I stay in the present - the less stress.  With less stress, I feel better.  Easy, right?  Well - sometimes, yes - and I can flow with life like a river of love.  Other times there's nothing simple about it at all.

Saying "No" can be one of those ways of caring for myself.  Many times in the past I've found myself agreeing to do something, when I really didn't want to, or didn't have the time.  But, out of guilt, or maybe even low self esteem, I said yes.  Typically - this adds stress to my life.  I may obsess about now being committed to something I had neither the desire or time to do.  This can manifest in the body - maybe keeping me awake at night,  tight muscles from stressing, even possibly causing my immune system to be compromised and getting sick, (if you believe in mind-body connection).

You may read this and think I have a selfish attitude, but I would disagree.  Of course, it's a good thing to help when we can.  The act of serving others with love, can be such a powerful force in our lives.  I like to be of service as often as I can.  I like to say "Yes," as well.  However, in the past, my tendency to say yes has caused me to spread myself too thin, on many occasions.  When I do that, I'm not taking care of myself - and the spirit of service turns into a commitment I regret and don't feel good about at all.  It leaves me out of balance and ineffective.

I like the analogy of the oxygen mask on the airplane.  The flight attendant giving the emergency instructions tells us, when the plane loses pressurization and oxygen masks come down, put your mask on first, then put them on people around you.  When I take care of myself first - then I'm much better for those around me.  I need to feel worthy enough and love myself enough to say No, when necessary and let the chips fall where they may.

When I take care of myself in this way so many other good things follow.  Number one - I don't obsess with worry or regret about fulfilling what I agreed to.  This helps me sleep better at night.  This reduces stress in my life and helps me feel better about myself and the world around me.

So take care of yourself - physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Cultivate love in your like and be of service to others when you can.  But - love yourself as well.  Say no when you need to.  It's ok.

Have a great day.

Peace,

Tom

If I can help with your self care with massage, reflexology, hypnotherapy, or energy work like Reiki or CranialSacral therapy - let me know.  I'm here to serve.

www.holistictherapysolutions.weebly.com - or follow Holistic Therapy Solutions on Facebook.

More thoughts on Meditation

Hi Everyone,

I hope your week is off to a great start.  Mine is moving right along...always interesting, that's for sure.  One new development for me is the start of my "Tom K's Wednesday Meditation Group."  We start tomorrow in Phoenix, AZ at 1:30 pm.  It's for everyone from beginners to expert and everyone in between (fee is a $10 love offering).

So I wanted to go back to the blog and discuss meditation a little more.  What is meditation?  At it's core - its relaxing very very deeply.  It's going inside, quieting the mind, relaxing body and mind - slowing everything down.  It's a power nap - can be 10 minutes to an hour (or whatever you like).  It's not necessarily a religious practice, however, just about every religious tradition has some form of meditation associated with their religious practice.

Some benefits of regular meditation practice:  For me, it's the ultimate reboot.  It's the reset button for my body and mind and kind of puts me back out there, everything reset and feeling good.  It brings more balance in my life.  It helps to lower stress levels, blood pressure and brings about better overall health.  Peacefulness - feeling more mellow and relaxed on a regular basis.  Better sleep at night.  Quiets the mind chatter and junk going around in your head.  Basically - all of these things are related...better health; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

What kinds of meditations are there?  That's a question that can be as varied as each individual out there.  You can relax...deep relaxation with some soft music and steady relaxed rhythmic breathing; kind of the more commonly known form of meditation.  After 30+ years of meditating, that's what I like best.  However there's many other methods; Transcendental, yoga, yoga nidra, walking meditation (sometimes walking a labyrinth).  There's chanting, toning, meditating on a scriptural or spiritual reading.  There's also guided meditation or very similar; hypnosis.  Of course, self-hypnosis is a form of meditation.  You can make a meditation out of doing the dishes or doing any task, (by doing them in a very mindful way, staying in present moment). There's many, many more - these are just some off the top of my head.

So one of the things we'll go over in the group/class are the basics.  What are some basics to get going?  Number one - get comfortable.  Sit in a nice comfy chair, lie down, however you want.  Protect yourself - say a prayer of protection or whatever works for you.  Now - breathe.  Take a few slow deep breaths, letting them out slowly and then get into a very conscious rhythmic breathing pattern.  Relax your body - mentally, piece by piece.  Relax your mind - let go of the mind chatter and thoughts of the day.  Bring yourself into the present moment - in gratitude - letting go of the past and staying out of the future.  Stay right in the now - focusing on your nice rhythmic breathing.  When your mind wanders, just gently bring yourself back to right now - and focus on your breathing again....letting go....
That's it.  It's a basic meditation.

Week by week we'll explore other forms of meditation.  The key is to be consistent and to do what works for you.  Be kind to yourself though.  If you find it difficult at first, be gentle with yourself but don't give up.  It's almost like a muscle - it takes time to develop.  Most of us go thru life in a fast paced rat race these days, with cell phones, traffic, and media and information coming at us from every direction.  We didn't get all stressed out overnight and you won't be a master of meditation overnight.  It's going to take practice.  But let me tell you...it's worth it.  You'll feel better in ways you've never thought you could.  You may find yourself requiring less trips to the doctor or pharmacy...who knows.  The bottom line is, it's good to slow down and relax.  Its a part of basic self care.

However you like to slow down and meditate - do it.  Be good to yourself - everyone around you will be better off, and thank you for it.  Take care and be nice to each other out there too.  and have a great week.

Blessings,

Tom

Here's the Facebook invitation.  It's at Beyond Today Co., 11223 N. 28th Drive, Suite F101, Phoenix, AZ.  Phone: 602-633-8051.  The group is on Wednesdays from 1:30-3ish.    https://www.facebook.com/events/631361706914457/
Hope to see you there - it'll be fun.