HEALTH & WELLNESS By Nanette Wiser
Mental health awareness is one of the hot topics of 2020, trending on social media. Finally, on center stage is the importance of better mental health and destigmatizing mental health issues such as depression, PTSD and more.
One silver lining to 2020 is that leading therapy providers have developed or improved apps for providing online therapy, such as BetterHelp. Couples can use ReGain.us for therapy together. Companies such as Starbucks are offering counseling services.
Managing our mental health is easier now. There are more self-help options and support resources available online to guide you to free or affordable resources in your area. For non-emergency mental health issues, there are more available resources, downloads, exercises, and board-certified therapists available online.
Locally, efforts are ramping up to support mental health wellness. PN Columnist Dennis Merritt Jones writes about a bridge to a better place and emotional resiliency frequently. Pinellas County Sheriff Dept. and other first responders are training their staff to provide support and recognize issues. Peer-to-peer support services are also gaining in popularity as people with non-emergency issues often just need a listening ear, and they can find trained listeners for free on hotlines or certain sites online. www.psycom.net/25-best-mental-health-apps
THE ART OF NIKSEN: The Dutch art of doing nothing is the opposite of multi-tasking, which science indicates is not good for our brains. This isn’t the first global mental health concept we’ve grown to love. First there was hygge, the Danish concept of staying in, cozy and cool. The Swedes popularized lagom, a mindset of everything in moderation. And Marie Kondo’s method of paring our stuff down that does not inspire joy has overloaded thrift shops with castoffs.
Need to restore and renew or recover from burn-out? It’s simple as hanging out, looking out the window and listening to music without purpose. Discover what ways of relaxing fit you best. Knitting. Gardening. Popping plastic bubbles. Petting the cat.
A positive side-effect is that even when we do nothing, our brains still percolate and process information, perhaps generating new solutions to problems. Let’s nik!
FOREST BATHING: Thoreau had it right when he wrote “Walking.” To reduce anxiety and stress, a walk in the woods can soothe our savage beast. Shinrin in Japanese means “forest,” and yoku means “bath.” So shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest atmosphere or taking in the forest through our senses. It is simply being in nature, connecting with it through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.
It is proven to reduce stress hormone production, improve feelings of happiness and free up creativity, as well as lower heart rate and blood pressure, boost the immune system and accelerate recovery from illness.
CLEARING CHAKRAS: Haven’t we all had the experience of walking into a home or even just a room and felt like something has JUST happened right before you got there? Sometimes it’s subtle, like dust settling. Other times it feels much more chaotic, mimicking gusty winds.
Home Energy Clearing Specialist Michele Louise D’Ercole lives in St. Pete Beach and has 40 years of experience studying physical, energetic and
intuitive worlds and helping people clear the chi in a home. “I have always compared the human body to those of a house – the frame equals skeletal structure, the plumbing is the digestive & eliminative channels, the wiring is the nervous system, and the heart equals emotions.”
How does it work? As a Home Energy Clearing Specialist, she starts with an address and no personal details are disclosed. There is an energetic scan of the property’s perimeter, assessing any disturbances in the environment, narrowing in on what areas might need attention, balance of the energy and then finally a move to the interiors. There is a natural pathway for all energy or chi to flow most freely through a space.
Says Michele: “I use a systemic approach to identifying the major areas of discordant electromagnetic fields or disturbances, potentially from a previous resident or other nearby energy. I’ve seen time and time again that spaces people live in absorb all emotional experiences and family dynamics that happen within their four walls. In addition, there is the added influence of environmental and landscape considerations.”
For example, in condominium buildings, all of the floors, the entrance, stairways and traffic patterns of the residents add to energy on each unit along with the ground that the complex was built on. “Over time, I’ve had countless cases where a property has been on the market or listed for rent, ran into a variety of unexpected problems, decided to have the energy cleared, and subsequently have gone under contract within days of a clearing.” FYI: michelelouisellc@gmail.com