health

Spiritual Wellness is a personal matter.

health, mental health, positive thinking, relationships, self care, spirituality, stress, therapy, Uncategorized, wellness

The spiritual dimension recognizes our search for meaning and purpose in human existence. It includes the development of a deep appreciation for the depth and expanse of life and natural forces that exist in the universe. Your search will be characterized by a peaceful harmony between internal personal feelings and emotions and the rough and rugged stretches of your path. While traveling the path, you may experience many feelings of doubt, despair, fear, disappointment and dislocation, as well as feelings of pleasure, joy, happiness and discovery. These are all important experiences and components to your search and will be displayed in the value system you will adapt to bring meaning to your existence. You’ll know you’re becoming spiritually well when your actions become more consistent with your beliefs and values, resulting in a “world view.”

Evaluate your own spiritual wellness with this brief quiz.

Do I make time for relaxation in my day?
Do I make time for meditation and/or prayer?
Do my values guide my decisions and actions?
Am I accepting of the views of others?

9 Ways To Improve Your Spiritual Wellness:

Explore you spirituality – When you are examining the core set of your beliefs and principles, you should put forward questions like: Do I know myself? What do I have to realize in my life? If you are persistent you will find the puzzles of your life and realize your innermost goal.
Pray – All you need to do is find a neat and comfortable place to send your prayers.
Clear out the mind garbage – Consider writing down, at the end of the day, your thoughts; the things you wanted to say but didn’t have the chance or simply write down how your day passed. Sharing will give you a sense of relievement and calmness will take you from there.
Yoga – It will relief the physical and emotional tension. All the things like bad emotions and feelings that interrupt your wellbeing will leave permanently.
Finding the purpose – There is saying: The most precious lessons in life aren’t learned in school. And it’s true. In every failure, there is a hidden lesson we must learn. This is how we evolve spiritually. We shouldn’t run away from obstacles and evade them as they will ruin us. They have come to pass.
Think positively – People complain all the time. What they do is stuffing their mind with limiting thoughts that ruin their life eventually. Being concentrated on the positive side of life, you will be a step closer to happiness. It will flourish your growth and make you forget the worries.
Go incognito – When you are incognito, it’s that special time when you can analyze the situation. You can practice it whenever you feel like it. When you are incognito, you can meditate, practice yoga or apply other useful activities.
Travel – Visiting other places is beneficial for your mind. Being all by yourself in a quiet and peaceful surrounding helps you increase the connection with your inner self. Try one of your local parks!

These activities will make sure you are on the right track in improving your spiritual wellness.

ELM Mental Wellness can help guide your spiritual wellness through exploration of readiness, identifying resources, your strengths and solutions. We will explore your willingness and ability to transcend yourself in order to question the meaning and purpose in your life and the lives of others.

How I quit the donut, 24 years and counting.

health, nutrition, self care, sugar, Uncategorized, weight, weight loss, wellness

Consistently I am asked this question, so I decided to write about it. 24 years ago I recognized I ‘really’ liked donuts, and I could eat a lot of them. When the morning arrived I stood in front of my closet trying to find something to wear to work, then realizing nothing fit anymore. I called in sick to work because I felt and was sick. After crying for a few minutes, it came over me like a storm. This was it, this was my last straw moment, and today was the day to do something! So I dried my tears, put on my big girl panties and sought help.

I had to realize that donuts were not my friend, they were not my therapist, and they certainly weren’t helping anything. I began to dig deep, “what benefit am I receiving from this sugary delight?” I began to journal about when and where I would eat donuts, along with my emotions. I recognized boredom and stress were fuel to my donut fire. I stopped eating them immediately, because I was ready to.

The longer I did without them, the better I felt. My motivation machine was ON and there was no turning it off now. It was all about action.

Almost 20 years ago, two well-known alcoholism researchers, Carlo C. DiClemente and J. O. Prochaska, introduced a five-stage model of change to help professionals understand their clients with addiction problems and motivate them to change. Their model is based not on abstract theories but on their personal observations of how people went about modifying problem behaviors such as smoking, overeating and problem drinking.

The six stages of the model are:

precontemplation
contemplation
determination
action
maintenance
termination

Gold, M. (2016). Stages of Change. Psych Central

Understanding your readiness to change by being familiar with the six-stage model of change can help you choose treatments that are right for you.

Nothing succeeds like success. I implemented a good plan, I was beginning to see it work and experiencing it working over time, as well as making adjustments along the way. The many things that hiding in a donut may have taken from me began to be restored, along with hope and self-confidence and continued determination not to eat one.

Today I understand when we eat something loaded with sugar; your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine. An overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more.

So what’s the magic potion you ask?

This is my recipe:

My last straw moment prompted determination and plan preparation.
Commitment to change with appropriate skills.
Success reducing my sugar urge propelled continued achievement.
Continuing to educate myself and adjust plans to maintain long term sustained change, bye bye donut.

Here are some Tips:

Out of sight is usually not out of mind
Make lower calorie choices when possible
Our environment is toxic – unhealthy food is highly accessible
Don’t let yourself get too hungry
Try a cravings journal
Smart carbs to the rescue – whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables
Take care of yourself, in a non-food way

I have successfully managed my weight health and sugar craving for almost 25 years now.

As you travel the ELM path, I will join with you to explore your challenges and cravings. We will discover your strengths for determination and preparation, as well as what might get in the way. We will create an action plan with small, sustainable goals, and prepare for long term maintained change.

I look forward to hearing about your donut!

Be well!

Kelle Greeson, LPCC CWC

ELM Mental Wellness, owner

How social connections support your health?

emotion, health, mental health, positive thinking, relationships, stress, therapy, Uncategorized, wellness

Are we losing our ability to connect?

Quite simple, Social Wellness refers to your relationships with others.

It encompasses the idea of having positive interactions with others since we are all social beings. It involves developing and building close bonds of friendship and intimacy, practicing empathy and effective listening, as well as caring for others and for the common good.

While we have numerous technologies connecting us to friends, family and people across the country, we find ourselves more and more alone and lonely. Take a moment to observe people in coffee shops or restaurants. Many times conversations are happening over cell phones, between one person who is present and another at the other end of the phone, rather than among the people sitting together. Our behaviors suggest using the technology is primary and having the conversation is secondary. These observations are not intended to criticize technology, but rather to suggest a more mindful use of this tool. Important connections happen electronically and technology can be very useful. It is remarkable the power of a few characters to make you feel connected. Technology isn’t the only force contributing to a disconnection among people. Our culture encourages individualism and distraction from the present moment, materialism, and results rather than progress. We seem to be focused on the relatively insignificant aspects of our lives rather than our happiness, relationships, and well being.

Our social health is affected by social history, cultural values, open-mindedness, and knowledge of healthy relationships.

Social Wellness Facts

Socially isolated people are more susceptible to illness and have a death rate two to three times higher than those who are not socially isolated.
People who maintain their social network and support systems do better under stress.
Approximately 20 percent of Americans feel lonely and isolated during their free time.
Touching, stroking, and hugging can improve health.
Laughter really is good medicine.
Cholesterol levels go up when human companionship is lacking.
Warm, close friendships cause higher levels of immunoglobulin A (an antibody that helps keep away respiratory infections and cavities).
A strong social network can create a good mood and enhance self-esteem.

Social support is thought to impact physical and mental well being in several different ways. Social support provides an individual with a route to receiving psychological and material resources. These resources exist in three categories: instrumental (money or services), informational (advice or important information), and emotional (empathy, caring, trust, and reassurance). Being a part of a community offers various social relationships that provide many different emotional benefits, i.e. experiencing stress-buffering due to sense of belonging. Relationships provide identification with social roles, promote positive psychological conditions such as purpose, meaning, a sense of identity and self-worth.

In my profession of counseling, I work with individuals on a daily basis struggling to connect with others and have meaningful relationships. Here are some guidelines:

Social Wellness Tips

1.Articulate your thoughts both in public and personal conversations.

2.Think before you speak.

3.Volunteer in your community.

4.Make others feel important, while being genuine.

5.Get to know your personal needs and pursue things and people who nurture those needs.

6.Join a club or organization that interests you.

7.Visit neighbors and friends.

8.Contact and make a specific effort to talk to the people who are supportive in your life.

9.Ask questions, and refrain from doing all the talking.

10.Send “Thank You” notes for kind deeds done in your favor.

11.Allow others to care for you.

12.Balance your social life with your personal life.

As you travel the ELM Mental Wellness path, you’ll become more aware of your importance in society as well as the impact you have on multiple environments. You’ll take an active part in improving our world by encouraging healthier living and initiating better communication with those around you.You’ll actively seek ways to preserve the beauty and balance of nature along the pathway as you discover the power to make willful choices to enhance personal relationships and important friendships, and build a better living space and community.

I can help you grow your social wellness by developing:

comfort with expressing yourself
supportive and fulfilling relationships
Attitude towards your relationships (and your willingness to ask for help)
Peer acceptance, close bonds and social skills (like assertiveness or conflict resolution)
The ability to accept others for being different

It is better to contribute to the common welfare of our

community than to think only of ourselves.

It is better to live in harmony with others and our

environment than to live in conflict with them.

What a PLU number can teach you about fruit and vegetable safety.

health, mental health, nutrition, weight, wellness

You know those annoying stickers you have to peel off before eating your fruit and veggies. They actually educate you how the food was grown, safely or not. If you’ve ever bought produce from a grocery chain, you’ll recognize the ones I’m talking about. They usually have a a bar code on them for scanning and a PLU code, which helps your friendly neighborhood cashier identify what type of produce you’re buying.

The PLU is the “price lookup” number and identifies the fruit or veggie, it also helps to identify something else: how the produce was cultivated. By correctly reading this code, you can tell if the fruit was genetically modified, organically grown or produced with chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides

The story behind where your fruits and vegetables actually came from has been right under your nose all along! You just have to know how to analyze the labels and the PLU number. It’s actually a lot easier than you’d imagine

Here’s the basics of what you need to know about the truth behind PLU codes.

If there are only four numbers in the PLU, this means that the produce was grown conventionally or “traditionally” with the use of pesticides. The last four letters (or only four, in this case) of the PLU code are simply what kind of vegetable or fruit you’re buying. An example is that all bananas are labeled with the code of 4011.
If there are five numbers in the PLU code, and the number starts with “8”, this tells you that the item is a genetically modified fruit or vegetable. Genetically modified fruits and vegetables have been tampered with in an unnatural way; essentially, produce that has been genetically modified was created in a lab or over decades of artificial selection, and cannot be found in nature. A genetically engineered (GE or GMO) banana would be: 84011
If there are five numbers in the PLU code, and the number starts with “9”, this tells you that the produce was grown organically and is not genetically modified. An organic banana would be: 94011

If you’re looking to be hyper aware of what fruits and vegetables have been treated with pesticides and other chemicals and which have not, you’ll want to check out the homepage for the Environmental Working Groups. The EWG has compiled two lists to help consumers identify which produce is generally cleaner and which produce is generally tampered with; the Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen.

The Top 5 for the “Clean Fifteen” produce are:

Avocados
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Cabbage
Sweet Peas (Frozen)

The Top 5 for the “Dirty Dozen” produce are:

Strawberries
Apples
Nectarines
Peaches
Celery

How to use Emotions to your advantage.

emotion, health, mental health, positive thinking, stress, therapy, wellness

Do you feel like you can handle whatever life throws at you?

The emotional dimension of wellness recognizes awareness and acceptance of one’s feelings. Emotional wellness includes the range we feel positive and enthusiastic about our self and our life. It includes the capacity to manage feelings and related behaviors including knowing our limits, development of independence, and ability to cope effectively with stress.

Emotions are a part of who we are and how we are perceived by others. Your mood can affect your thoughts and behaviors. Your emotions are affected by certain events like thinking about friends and family and past and future events. Good emotions can motivate and excite us to look forward to new things and activities. When we feel unpleasant emotions, it can be a sign that we don’t want a certain activity or event to occur or continue.

There are good types of stress that make you feel energized, and there are bad types of stress that can have a negative impact on us – not only emotionally but physically as well.

How to deal with situations that cause bad stress: The FOUR A’s

Accept situations that you can not change.
Avoid things and people who cause you stress.
Alter the situations you can change by communicating more effectively,
Adapt to the situation with an open mind and focus on the positive.

(Ideas from http//:www.helpguide.org)

For many of us, it’s not a great disaster that weakens our health but instead how we handle the more frequent everyday stresses of life. So like a rock in a stream, if we do not cope well with daily life our health is slowly worn away until it is time for a significant health effect like a heart attack. P. Granello from Wellness Counseling, 2013.

On the ELM Mental Wellness path, you’ll be able to express feelings freely and manage feelings effectively. You’ll be able to form relationships with others based upon a foundation of mutual commitment, trust, and respect. You’ll take on challenges, take risks, and recognize conflict as being potentially healthy. Managing your life in personally rewarding ways, and taking responsibility for your actions, will help you see life as an exciting, hopeful adventure.

It is better to be aware of and accept our feelings than to deny them. It is better to be optimistic in our approach to life than pessimistic.

Be Well,

Kelle Greeson, LPCC CWC

Owner, ELM Mental Wellness

What Physical Wellness Can Teach You about Quality and Longevity of Life

Exercise, health, mental health, therapy, weight, wellness

Have you tried all the diets, does activity sound and feel like work, do you know your health risks?

The physical dimension of wellness recognizes the need for physical development. Improvement includes learning about diet and nutrition, incorporating regular physical activity, discouraging the use of addictive substances, and medical self care.

The most important contributor to a person’s wellness is nutrition. Nutrition is responsible for fueling all of life’s processes. The atoms, molecules, and cells of your body continually move and change, even though the arrangement of your tissues and organs seems to remain constant. All of the energy you need and all of the pieces of your body come from the nutrients you derive from foods (Whitney & Rolfes, 1993).

Eat meals regularly and include a variety of healthful foods for a balanced diet. Drink plenty of fluids, preferably water. Drink alcohol in moderation.

We all know the benefits of regular physical activity: disease risk reduction, helps control weight, maintains bones, muscles, and joints, and reduces feelings of anxiety and depression. Theory and research tell us the amount of pleasure or displeasure one experiences during exercise may influence the likelihood that he or she subsequently adopts or maintains regular participation. So the most important thing is to exercise often and have fun doing activities you enjoy. Someone asked me “How long do I have to exercise?” I replied, “How long do you want the benefits?”

I have 20+ years experience successfully maintaining a healthy weight through continually evolving and changing my nutrition and my activity. I limit my alcohol, and try to adhere to health assessment according to age markers. I do things to take care of my body. I am mindful of my body’s health, and how it responds to stress and setbacks. I’ve learned planning, setting small goals, and making it fun determine my success.

Kelle Greeson, Owner ELM Mental Wellness.

By traveling the ELM Mental Wellness path, you’ll be able to plan, set reasonable goals, and measure your success and obstacles. You’ll understand and appreciate the relationship between sound nutrition and how your body performs. The physical benefits of looking good and feeling terrific most often lead to the psychological benefits of enhanced self-esteem, self-control, determination and a sense of direction.

Our Physical Body is the home we will live in forever. Take Good Care.

Click to download Physical Wellness Prescription