Namaste

It is almost the end of March. I don’t know about you but the year seems to be flying by.

Self care is an issue that has come up a lot with my clients. As I was reflecting on this, I found, in one of my journals, the quote below that I had written down some years ago.

“If I had eight hours to cut down a tree I would spend six of them sharpening my axe.”
Abraham Lincoln.

Along the same theme:

There is a story of two Zen monks who each went to cut down a tree. The first monk immediately started chopping down his tree. The second monk sat down, sharpened his axe then considered how he would tackle the task. He would periodically stop to sharpen his axe. The other monk just kept going even when his brother suggested that he stop and sharpen his axe. The first monk’s response was that he did not have time to waste and he had to get the task done. You guessed it – it was the second monk who cut down his tree easily and effortlessly.

We can see this so easily and clearly when it is happening outside, or in a story. Life has a habit of taking over, or more accurately, we allow life to take us over. We wear so many hats. We wear the hats of our career, of being a partner, parent, child, sibling, friend, and colleague. All these roles take some time of us.

What time then, do we have for ourselves? In that time do we do even one thing that makes us feel great, that makes our hearts sing? Always? Often not? Never?  Very few of us set aside any time for ourselves on a weekly basis let alone daily.

What are some things you enjoy doing? I say to my clients to make an appointment with themselves, to actually mark it out in their diary. Like any appointment you make, it is a matter of integrity to keep it. Your appointment with yourself is no different. It is an agreement. Use that time to do something that fuels you. It may be going for a drive for an hour (mobile phone turned off!) and listening to your favourite music, having a massage, going to a gallery, going for swim in a new place, anything that makes you feel replenished. Most of us give a lot of ourselves, in time, attention, energy and effort. If we keep giving without stopping to refill our tanks, we run dry.

One of my very favourite things to do is to head down to the beach at the end of the day. I am very fortunate, as the bay beach is very close to my home. If it is cool, I sit on the rocks of the breakwater and watch and listen. There is so much to witness. I seem to hear things, the waves lapping, the gulls flapping and screeching differently. On warmer evenings I go in for a swim. It is something I just love. I feel as if I have washed away the day. I come out feeling exhilarated and anticipating the evening. It is so easy to do and gives me so much pleasure. Yet isn’t it funny how even in this, something which is so enjoyable for me, I can occasionally get sidetracked away from prioritising it? Mostly, however, the replenishing wins out!

Begin today and make some time for yourself. Make it a regular occurrence. Taking the time to sharpen your axe, makes cutting down a tree rhythmic and easy.

Namaste
Love & joy
Ranjani

ILLNESS OF ANY SORT IS LIFE ALTERING. FINDING A LUMP IN YOUR BREAST TRIGGERS A WHOLE REACTION.THE POSSIBILITY OF CANCER CREATES A MYRIAD OF MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL RESPONSES. AFTER A DIAGNOSIS IS MADE THE INITIAL FOCUS AND ATTENTION IS ON GETTING TREATMENT. EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL ISSUES ARE OFTEN PUT ASIDE TO MANAGE THE IMMEDIATE PHYSICAL NEEDS. ONCE THE TREATMENTIS UNDERWAY PEOPLE FIND THEY NEED TO DEAL WITH THESE OTHER IMPORTANT ASPECTS, TOO.

As A SPECIALIST IN MIND-BODY HEALTH, IN MIND-BODY HEALTH,

I see many people in my practice who have had major diagnoses. They find ongoing support and counselling,both during and after their treatment programmes extremely beneficial.A common theme in my practice amongst cancer patients seems to be some significant event or series of events 18 months to 3 years preceding their diagnosis. Loss is one of the most profound, challenging and devastating experiences to undergo. This can take many forms, the loss of a person through death or separation; material loss; job and money; loss of health – physical, mental,emotional and indeed spiritual health.With cancer in general, and particularly with breast cancer, the losses seem to continue and are significant; often your very badges of femininity are relinquished.

Even during the upheaval, when it seems your freedom of choice has been removed, there are some steps you can take towards creating self empowerment.

Feelings

The emotional impact is real and is just as important, if not more so, than the physical to address. Any negative feelings impact on your body. Because your negative feelings are recorded in your physiology it is important to release these and to deal with the issues that preceded the diagnosis as well. There are many ways to do this, from counselling (the‘talking’ therapies) to deeper work (like breathwork). It is vital to allow the feelings to come up and to get help.

There is much talk about ‘positive thought’ but ‘positive thought’ arises from ‘positive feeling’. Notice how you are feeling and take steps to feel, even incrementally,better. Listen to a piece of music, go out into nature, meditate. Ultimately, be present in whatever it is you are doing.

Focus

All possibilities and options exist in what Dr Deepak Chopra calls the ‘QuantumSoup’. In the Quantum soup wellness is floating around together with illness.

Similarly, searching Google for instance,there are seemingly endless possibilities. For example, when you type in the word ‘illness’, it will come up with millions of sites on ‘illness’. But if you want ‘health’ typing in the word ‘illness’ will not bring you what you need. You need to type in what you want ,not what you don’t want. By paying attention to wellness that is what comes up on your screen. Everything is energy; you have the power to focus your attention, to strengthen that upon which you focus. What you desire is obtained by focusing on that desire, not by focusing on the opposite or by focusing on its absence. Health is obtained by focussing on health not by focussing on illness.Focus on the solution not the problem.

Meditation

Meditation is a wonderful skill to have and has wide ranging benefits. Physically, it strengthens the immune system. It also creates mental alertness and emotional calm and brings an inner peace and stillness.

Guided visualisation, where you can hold a vision of health and well-being,is another immensely powerful tool. It can be used very effectively while you are having treatment and afterwards to enhance health. There are many guided visualisation CD’s on health available.What you hold in your vision and put focus and belief into, is what you bring about.I recommend to my clients that they meditate twice a day for 30 minutes (but even 15 minutes is useful!) and use a guided visualisation at bedtime.

You are in every instant making a choice about how you are and how you are feeling. Make that choice consciously,make a choice – don’t live by default.Remember you are forging a new path- a path you want, a path that serves you better. You gain awareness by meditating.You strengthen that path by focusing on what you desire. You give it definition with your feelings.

[ Dr Ranjani Ratnam is a medical practitioner from Melbourne, Australia,specialising in Mind-Body Health.]

Namaste
Love & joy
Ranjani

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