Mental Illness Awareness Week
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Hygge
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Why is Self-Care Such a Big Deal?
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You hear about self-care everywhere these days. People tell you to take care of yourself so you can take care of others. But what exactly is self-care? Maybe you think of long baths or marathon episodes of your favorite Netflix show. By definition, self-care is an intentional act one takes in order to promote their own physical, mental, and emotional health. And during this time of the year, especially THIS year, when things are at an elevated level of stress and anxiety already, it’s so important to keep yourself balanced.
Self-care comes in a few forms. Physically, we need self-care in the form of plenty of sleep at night, exercise, and eating enough healthy foods. So if this means skipping out on that late night movie or passing up a second helping at dinner, look at it as a form of self-care. Emotionally, self-care looks like making sure you have a safe place to express and process your emotions. A trusted friend or family member can be a great choice. A therapist that you see regularly can also help create this space of emotional self-care.
Mental self-care is another piece of the puzzle. Finding things that are mentally stimulating for you such as books, movies, and other topics you find inspiring. Another mental self-care practice would be to stay away from things that drain your mental energy such as negative social media, and focus more on positive things that help your mind such as meditation. Social self-care is another part. In the world right now, it’s tough to keep this one up in the ways we used to. But being able to make time to connect with friends and maintain relationships is extremely important to your social self-care, even if it has to be done virtually or looking forward to future plans to get together.
As we head into the next year, may we be mindful of making all of these aspects of self-care a priority as we notice we need them so that we can be more productive, better able to handle life stress, and more compassionate towards ourselves and others.
If you're looking for ways to add to your self-care routine, check out our INjoy meditation classes, Workshops, and therapy sessions.
Meet the Self-Care Senorita
/Self-care has always been something that we can benefit from. But now more than ever, it is so important to take the time to show ourselves what it means to be cared for. Even if taking time out of your schedule is difficult because you have a million other things you need to be doing, schedule it in anyways. It might sound backwards, but taking care of yourself is an important piece in order to be fully present in our relationships with others. This means it helps us in our relationships with spouses, coworkers, children, being our children’s new homeschool teachers, and the list goes on!
When it comes to self-care, one of our favorites in the business is Tori Snyder, also know as the Self-Care Senorita. Read our interview with her below to find out how she got started in the self-care business and some tips she uses for self-care in her own life.
1. How/When did you start your Self Care Senorita business?
Self-Care Señorita started on July 22, 2019. The concept of Self-Care Señorita happened because of exhaustion and burn out. I had been working a high powered job, serving my community, elder at my church, taking care of family responsibilities, and a single mom. I was completely drained and exhausted. My body literally shut down, and I ended up in the hospital. The doctor told me I needed to rest, no work, no fuss for two weeks. At that point, I knew I needed to make drastic changes in my life. When I was in the ambulance being transported to the hospital, because they thought I had a stroke, I remember crying, wondering what would happen to my son if I died. Work, commitments, none of it was worth it anymore.
2. What's your vision for the business?
What started as a blog and a shared journey, I figured if I didn't know what self-care was, and how to practice it, other people probably didn't know either, has now morphed into a community. That community, filled with people who are being authentic and real, and open and honest about ways they need to do better with self-care. For some that is working towards better eating, or cooking. Other's its therapy and healing wounds. Self-Care Señorita is the place to be able to educate and ask questions of what self-care could be for you. We are currently in the process of launching our self-care subscription boxes that cater to themes of self-care every month. At a great price point, there is no guilt in buying it for yourself or purchasing it for a friend in need.
3. What are your favorite go-to self-care tips?
I love a great cup of coffee and have gotten into at home pour over Vietnamese coffee. Starting my day off with gratitude and intention setting has changed my frame of mind on how to accomplish and be productive for the day. I love to snuggle up with my toddler and watch movies or find a comfy spot and read.
4. What advice do you have for parents, teachers, etc starting school in this crazy time right now and how do they find time for self-care?
Never feel guilty for taking a moment for yourself. If your metaphorical cup is empty, you can't pour anything out of it to your children, who right now need more love, patience, and understanding. Find little ways every day to fill your own cup up. If you can't plan for a block of time to do something that is self-care for you.
For more information on the Self-Care Senorita, check out her links below!
www.facebook.com/seflcaresenorita
Instagram - Selfcaresenorita
Self-Care Senorita Site
YouTube Channel
Annual Staff Retreat
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Each year, co-owners Victor Barbetti, PhD, and Kristy Weidner, LCSW, invite all staff at the Village to attend our annual staff retreat. With each staff member having such hectic schedules this time of year, it’s always a great way to bring us all together and spend some quality time with our Village family. This year we welcomed our acupuncturist, Ari Odamaki, as well as three new therapists, Loraine Hayes, Michaela Carlson, and Moira Ryan, to the Village.
Special arrangements are always made to incorporate a fun activity for the staff, and this time, Kristy led us through one of her latest breath meditations that she’s been practicing at the inJOY Meditation Studio sessions. We followed that up with a discussion of best policies and practices, incorporating mindfulness into therapy sessions, and each staff members goals for the future. We ended with a healthy, potluck lunch together. We are now going into the new year with new ideas, new goals, and more inspiration to serve our community.
Staying Healthy in the Fall Season - A Lesson on Acupuncture with Ari Odamaki, Certified Acupuncturist
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I’m often asked this question regarding the length of study required in the acupuncture profession. Currently in the United States, a Master’s Degree is the entry-level standard for professional practice. The length of training for the Acupuncture program is 3 years. The Oriental Medicine program, which includes acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, is 4 or 5 years. Where I received my graduate training at the Tri-State College of Acupuncture, a minimum of 2,168 hours of training were required for the program in acupuncture; and 2,978 hours for the program in Oriental Medicine. Most students completed more hours by taking extra courses throughout their study. My curriculum in Oriental Medicine consisted of Chinese medicine theory, diagnosis and treatment techniques in acupuncture, didactic Chinese herbal studies, acupuncture and herbal clinical training, biomedical clinical sciences, counseling, communication, ethics and practice management. In both programs, a year long internship is completed in the final year in the school’s community clinic providing treatments as supervised student practitioners. While each state’s regulatory board has their own requirements for licensure, most states require most, if not all of the NCCAOM certification examinations and/or national board certification. To become board certified as a Diplomate of Acupuncture, one must show professional competency by passing all 3 certification examinations in Foundations of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture, and Biomedicine.
The World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture to be effective for over 43 common disorders. Conditions I often treat in my office include: allergies, asthma, anxiety, depression, arthritis, joint pain, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, colds, flu, cough, bronchitis, fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, gynecological disorders, headaches, migraines, high blood pressure, immune system deficiency, infertility, insomnia, knee pain, musculoskeletal injuries, sciatica, shoulder pain, skin disorders, stress, tension, and tendinitis. Acupuncture has been shown to improve generalized oxygenation and blood flow. It balances the autonomic nervous system and restores homeostasis. It can reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure and promote relaxation by stimulating the release of oxytocin, a hormone that regulates the parasympathetic nervous system. Acupuncture also increases the production of anti-inflammatory secretions. It can help relieve pain by releasing natural painkillers such as endorphins and adenosine.
Fall is the time of year when the yang energy begins to submerge and the yin energy increases as the sunny and warmer days decrease to cooler temperatures. There is a shift from the expansiveness of summer to a more contractive time of slowing down and introspection as we draw inwards both physically and emotionally. We move forward from the abundance of summer and begin to prepare for hibernation by conserving our energy and sleeping more. When we are in tune with how the seasons affect our bodies, we can adjust our lifestyles to be in natural rhythm with the change of seasons. By doing so we can strengthen our immune system and protect our health during the fall to fortify and sustain us through the winter months.
In Chinese medicine, the fall season is associated with the Metal element. Much like the ore deep within a mountain, the Metal element represents the most refined part of ourselves and our core issues. The emotion connected with Metal is grief or sadness and the meridians associated with the element are the yin and yang pair of the Lung and Large Intestine channels, which reflect the season’s nature of letting go. While the lungs carry oxygen to the body and exhale carbon dioxide, the large intestine absorbs nutrients and eliminates digestive waste. Both the lungs and large Intestines are organs of absorption and elimination. In emotional terms, the yin and yang pair of Lung and Large Intestine channels which are associated with grief are involved in releasing what no longer serves us and making room for new experiences.
In addition to treating more respiratory issues in the fall such as seasonal allergies, sinus infections, asthma, coughing, and colds, it is common to see more emotions associated with the grieving process and difficulty in letting go. In Chinese medicine, the back of the neck is thought to be particularly vulnerable to invasion of wind and cold, so dress warmly and wear a scarf to cover your neck. Eat warm foods and avoid raw salad and cold beverages. Eat foods which are available seasonally. Fall vegetables and fruits include squashes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, beets, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, pears and apples. Since the taste associated with the metal element is pungent or spicy, add in some horseradish, onions, garlic, ginger, or mustard in your cooking.
For more information on acupuncture and scheduling an individual session with Ari, check out her bio and session information.
New to acupuncture and want to try it out without paying for a private session? Register for Ari’s upcoming workshop “Staying Healthy in Autumn with Acupuncture”.
