Ta-Da! Self-Confidence!

Self-Confidence Meter

A wonderful article was found on the web that sums up self-confidence quite well. While we would all love to think we had the confidence of a king, sometimes, this is not the truth of the matter. Case in point, myself- while writing this article for Expanded Well-being (and borrowing it for my blog!).
The proceeding article, after being written, helped immensely in terms of subject matter, and clarification for me. The hope is that it will lend the same support to my dear readers.
In order to gain self-confidence, one must understand it first.
Let us begin by defining what it is: Two main factors contribute to self-confidence; self-efficacy (A person’s belief about his or her ability and capacity to accomplish a task or to deal with the challenges of life.) and self-esteem (1. a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself; self-respect. 2. an inordinately or exaggeratedly favorable impression of oneself.).
We gain a sense of self-efficacy when we master skills and achieve goals that matter in those skill areas. We learn that when we work hard in a particular area and succeed, we gain confidence from that, the type of confidence that leads people to accept difficult challenges, and endure in the face of setbacks. This overlaps with self-esteem because now we know we can cope with what goes on in our lives. We feel we have the right to be happy because we see, through our efforts; that the people around us approve of us and our competency.
We can gain self confidence through setting and achieving goals, and it is probably the best way, because we see the results in concrete form. You can also do daily affirmations to help you build self-confidence, and the two go hand-in-hand, but you may not be able to physically measure the level of success through reciting daily affirmations. If you are in tune with your body on a higher level, you might be able to.
In building self confidence (based on a solid appreciation of reality, with a firm foundation of competence from achieving goals), know that this will not happen overnight. There is no fast way to come into having self-confidence.
Proof will come, albeit slowly, and you will know when you have arrived when you are able to continually reach a balance between low self-confidence, and over-bearing confidence.

Other articles of interest for self-confidence:
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/10-ways-to-instantly-build-self-confidence/
http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/?page_id=191

Confidence Beyond Belief! Click Here!

What is Spirituality?

To understand spirituality, we will first define it, then compare and contrast it with religion. However, there are so many definitions available for spirituality, most relating to religion, but, some feel spirituality has nothing to do with religion. One definition stood out, and for the purposes of this article, was the best one to work with.

“Spirituality (spir-i-choo-al-i-tee) is that which gives meaning to one's life and draws one to transcend oneself. Spirituality is a broader concept than religion, although that is one expression of spirituality. Other expressions include prayer, meditation, interactions with others or nature, and relationship with God or a higher power.” (Burkhardt, M. "Spirituality: An Analysis of The Concept," Holistic Nursing Practice, May 1989:60-77)

World Spirituality

re·li·gion (riˈlijən)- Noun: 1a : the state of a religious religion
>b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.
One brilliant article (according to the Admin, this one had the best definitions for spirituality) written on spirituality holds that, “much debate surrounds the definition of both terms.”  So it would seem, every dictionary looked at derived a different definition for both spirituality and religion.
It seemed very unsettling to find that spirituality and religion should be so far apart. They both seek a higher power, yet, there are no written rules in spirituality as there are in religion, and leaves the possibility of a more accessible means to finding that higher power.
In an article from Psychology Today, it states that spirituality means something different to everyone, and mentions that it may mean being a part of an organized religion to some. Ohio State University is adamant that spirituality has no affiliation with religion whatsoever. We can see the differing views relating to the topics in question, leading us to find out just what spirituality means to us on a personal level.
Finding your own way to spirituality is a journey, not a destination, and should be enjoyed every step of the way, and not seen as an arduous task.

What is Energy Healing?

If you’re reading this blog, chances are, you already know what energy healing is. For those of you looking for an explanation, this article will do its level best to inform you a) what energy healing is, and b) what the modalities of energy healing are.

Healing With Energy

In short, healing is bringing a body from a state of imbalance (dis-ease) into balance (health). However one chooses to approach a state of balance depends on each person and the specifics of the dis-ease. Energy Healing is using the practitioner and client’s Universal Energy forces to bring the body back into ease (health).
Many people are lead to energy healing to ease their imbalances because traditional mainstream medicine, for whatever reason, did not bring their body back into balance. Many do not like the side-effects of the chemicals pharmaceuticals have been known to produce. A few have been raised around alternative healing practices, and know no other way, or choose to opt out of the mainstream medicinal practices.
Energy healing has beginnings, or roots, in both spirituality and science. Most programs do have their basis in a “spiritual layer” of the energy field, whether based upon science or spirituality. There are quite a few different avenues energy healing can take, and since healing involves the energy field of the practitioner and client, use of hands may not be needed, as in distance healing.
Most modalities refer to different types of energy (universal life) forces spoken of throughout the ages such as, chi, or prana, in fact Reiki roughly translates into “Universal Life Energy.” Energy healing commonly involves increasing the flow and quantity of energy, but not only that it also involves balancing energies, and re-patterning the flow of energy.
There are many different modalities of Energy Healing in the world today. One website lists about 1199 different modalities (flavors, as they are called) of Reiki alone! Here is a short list of Energy Healing Modalities found on the web, with a couple more that weren’t listed that the Admin felt ought to be given merit:

• Cranio-sacral Therapy
• Polarity
• Quantum Touch
• Therapeutic Touch
• Tachyon Therapy
• Reiki
• Qigong
• Somatic Healing
• Chakra Healing*
• Kinesiology (Muscle Testing)*
• Foot Zone Therapy*
• Jin Shin Jyutsu
• Shiatsu
• The WISE Method (Holistic Integrated Spiritual Energy)
• Eden Energy Medicine – approach developed by Donna Eden
• Wings*
• Body Talk
• Bio-Electric Synchronization Technique (BEST, or Brain Synch)*

*Not found in internet articles relating to topic.
Articles relating to this post:

1. http://curezone.org/forums/f.asp?f=601
2. http://heartofhealing.net/energy-healing/types-of-energy-healing/
3. http://www.sq-wellness.com/healing-modalities/what-is-healing/
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_alternative_medicine
5. http://www.thehealersway.com/energy-healing/power-of-energy-healing/

More information on Energy Healing- Click Here!

All About Bach Flower Remedies

"This work of healing has been done, and published and given freely so that people like yourselves can help yourselves"

- Dr Edward Bach, 1936

Bach Essences

Bach Flower Essences® (aka Remedies) are all natural, very dilute solutions made from spring water, an alcohol preservative, and the parts of specific flowers. They are used to help balance the emotions and bring about a state of equilibrium in living organisms, and have been successfully used with people, animals, and even plants. Bach Flower Essences® are listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS), have been issued with National Drug Code (NDC) numbers by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are sold as over-the-counter homeopathic products in the United States. Foot Zone Practitioners use them along with the zone therapy for clients with moderate to severe emotional issues.
A brief history of Bach Flower Remedies:
Dr. Edward Bach (September 24, 1886 - November 27, 1936) was born in a village called Moseley, near Birmingham, England.
Dr. Edward Bach was a British Physician, who began to see disease as an end product; a final stage; a physical manifestation of unhappiness, fear and worry. He therefore, began to look to nature to find healing flowers. Over a period of years Dr. Bach found 38 healing flowers and plants that with the right preparation became the 38 Bach Flower Remedies®. These Remedies are enough to remove all negative emotional problems.
By 1932 he had discovered the first of his 12 remedies. These he used on the many patients who came to him for treatment.
In 1933 he began making the second group of remedies, the “7 Helpers.”
In 1934 Dr. Bach moved to Mount Vernon in Oxfordshire. It was in the lanes and fields round  about that he found the remaining 19 remedies that he needed to complete the series. He would suffer the emotional state that he needed to cure and then try various plants and flowers until he found the one single plant that could help him. In this way, through great personal suffering and sacrifice, he completed his life's work.
Dr. Bach separated the remedies into 7 different emotional groups:

• Fear
• Uncertainty
• Insufficient interest in present circumstances
• Loneliness
• Over-sensitivity to influences and ideas
• Despondency or despair
• Over-care for welfare of others

What are the difference between Essential Oil and The Bach Flower Remedies®?
Essential Oil: As the name says it is oils from different plants and flowers. The smell very strongly, some of them should be avoided for people with different illnesses, pregnancy, in the sun etc. The Essential Oils comes from the whole world, however, the quality can easily be very different because some farmers cheat and mix in cheap oils.
Bach Flower Remedies®: They do not smell, they can never do any harm to anyone at any time, they are made by infusion of wild plants & flowers from a certain area in England.
The Bach Flower Remedies® are considered homeopathic. The Bach Flower Remedies® are produced at one location after old directions from Dr. Edward Bach who died in 1936. Dr. Bach was VERY specific with the directions on how & when to make the Essences. He told just before he died that many people will try to imitate and copy the Remedies and his assistances had to promise NEVER to alter the 38 Remedies, because he knew that there would be no more need for more than the 38 and the directions that he had given were the best possible.
How do I take the Bach Flower Remedies®?
The Bach Flower Remedies® can be taken either in a 30ml/1once treatment bottle filled with spring water. From the treatment bottle take 4 drops 4 times a day until relief is obtained, or two drops in a glass of water and sip at intervals. If no water is available the Remedies can be taken undiluted either in the mouth, on the skin behind the ears or on the inside of the wrist.
To prepare a treatment bottle, fill the bottle with fresh spring water and add 2 drops of each Remedy. You can combine up to 6 or 7 Remedies in a treatment bottle. As preservative (optional) you can use brandy, apple cider vinegar or vegetable glycerin, 1 tsp. in the treatment bottle.
What happens if I take too much of the Remedies?
It is impossible to overdose with the Bach Flower Remedies®, they are 100% natural and safe. You can drink a whole bottle of Remedies and not "overdose.". However, if you think that "more is better" you are wrong. The Bach Flower Remedies® work best over a period of time, taken from the treatment or stock bottle at least 4 times a day.
What happens if I take the wrong Remedy?
Nothing is going to happen if you take the wrong Remedies, the Remedy only work on the energy level that we are having problems with. For example, if you have a "known fear" (MIMULUS) and take ASPEN "unknown fear", nothing is going to happen. Your "known fear" will stay and ASPEN wouldn't do anything to you. When you take the wrong Remedy nothing happens.*

Books, Writings & Lectures of Dr. Bach.
Heal Thyself
Free Thyself
The Twelve Healers
Ye Suffer

Consideration of Disease
Wallingford Lecture
Masonic Lecture
New Remedies New Uses
Patterns of Life
Sources:
*Kathy Burrow katsmountain.com- Copyright 2011
http://www.bachflower.com/index.html

All About Essential Oils

As a Foot Zone Therapist, I use essential oils when I give foot zones, if you’re wondering why, it will be explained in this article. The benefits of essential oils in everyday life go further than just aromatherapy, you’ll discover why essential oils ought to be a part of your everyday life, and a part (if not all) of your medicine chest.

Different Essential Oils that are Available

What are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are the volatile liquids that are distilled from plants (including their respective parts such as seeds, barks, leaves, stems, roots, flowers, fruit, etc.).  They are natural and aromatic compounds found in these parts of plants. Essential oils can lift the mood, calm the senses, and elicit powerful emotional responses. Egyptian hieroglyphics and Chinese manuscripts prove that priests and physicians have been using essential oils for thousands of years. In Egypt, the oils were used in the embalming process, and well preserved oils were found in alabaster jars in King Tut’s tomb. Recipes for the production and blending of the oils were recorded on the walls of Egyptian temples in hieroglyphs. Aditionally, there are 188 references to essential oils (frankincense, myrrh, rosemary, etc.) in the Bible.
Aromatherapy
Just one small part of the importance of essential oils:  Aromatherapy is the practice of using the natural oils extracted from plants to enhance psychological and physical well-being. Aromatherapy helps the emotional, physical, and spiritual areas of our being. They help to soothe, stimulate, focus concentration, and can help relieve pain. When inhaled, essential oils go to the brain. The sense of smell is the only one of the five senses directly linked to the limbic lobe of the brain. The limbic is the emotional control center. All other senses are routed through the thalamus and then to other parts of the brain. The inhalation of the essential oil stimulates brain function; think about jasmine or roses vs. a dirty toilet, or a sewage treatment plant. Emotions and memories are evoked first - then thoughts follow.
Why are Essential Oils so Important?
Essential oils of every species are able to pass through the blood-brain barrier (interstitial tissues of the brain that serve as a barrier to protect neurons and cerebrospinal fluid from many damaging substances) easily because they are both small (less than 500 atomic mass units, or AMU) and lipid soluble. The aromatic qualities of essential oils account for the small size of the AMU. A drop of essential oil can be detected across the room almost immediately upon opening a bottle. It is this size that allows the essence of the essential oil to cross the blood-brain barrier and enable the properties to address the fundamental root of illness- a person’s attitudes, belief structures, and emotions.
Essential oils can be absorbed through the skin, where they travel through the bloodstream and can promote whole-body healing. They are used for a variety of applications, including pain relief, mood enhancement and increased cognitive function.  In 1989, it was discovered that the amygdala plays a major role in the storing and releasing of emotional trauma. The only way to stimulate this gland is with fragrance, or the sense of smell. Therefore, essential oils can be a powerful key to help unlock and release emotional trauma.
There are many different healing properties within Essential Oils, each oil has one or more of these properties, and this is the reason I suggested using essential oils as part of, or in place of items in your medicine cabinet.

Extraction of Essential Oils

Properties of Essential Oils

• Antibacterial
• Anticatarrhal
• Antidepressant
• Antifungal
• Anti-infectious
• Anti-inflammitory
• Antimicrobal
• Antiparasitic
• Antirheumatic
• Antiseptic
• Antispasmodic
• Antiviral
• Analgesic
• Immune-stimulant

Ways to use Essential Oils

1. Aromatically- Nose and olfactory system.
2. Topically- Rubbed onto the skin, massage or foot zone, blended with lotion, or carrier oil.
3. Internally- Ingested, with water, or other liquids, on the tongue, or in a capsule.

• Modern Essentials: A Contemporary Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils,Third Edition; 2011; Abundant Health, LLC©,  pp. 6-7, 236-237 (some re-wording at Admin’s discretion)
• http://www.examiner.com/article/summer-health-aromatherapy-essential-oils-5-proven-benefits
• Foot Zone Therapy: Advanced Training- The Nervous and Structural Systems; 2009;  K. Duvall and C. Christensen, p. 40 Academy of Foot Zone Therapy©  (some re-wording at Admin’s discretion)
• http://www.aromatherapy.com/