Dorothy, Scarecrow, The Tin Man: Courage!

Cowardly Lion: You can say that again! “*

Like the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz, it is possible for us to find our courage. We are naturally courageous beings but sometimes giving up on ourselves is easier than finding the courage to shine with our best and brightest light.

Courage is the ability to confront fear and move forward in spite of it.                  Courage is to face pain, hardship, death or our own mortality with grace and acceptance.

We often find it easier to be courageous for others. People rarely give up on their spouses, their children, or their friends, but the courage to face ourselves and say “I’m not quitting you” is a challenge for many.

Why is it so hard to find the courage to be our true selves? What does that mean? We are afraid of the future and we dwell with regret upon the past.

What would life be like if we could let go of the fear of being happy? Being happy is easy. Letting go of our fear is not. Remember the Cowardly Lion and be courageous for yourself today!

Live life the way you could, not the way you should

-Shelley Timoffee

* The Wizard of Oz ,1939

By John Zancanaro

• Positive emotions like gratitude and hope can help you feel more present and less worried about the day to come. To feel more grateful, place a beloved photo, flowers or something meaningful near your bed and look at it.

• Open your windows, let the light in and stretch. Your brain stops producing melatonin (hormone which causes sleepiness) when exposed to light. Stretching helps to raise your body temperature and increase blood flow to the brain.

• If you have a shower or bath in the morning, choose scented products like eucalyptus, rosemary, citrus or mint. These scents clear the mind and cause a burst of brain energy. During the day if you are feeling stressed or tired, put a few drops of peppermint or grapefruit essential oil on a Kleenex and sniff for an energy boost.

• Eat something! If you like sweet stuff go for French toast with berries and maple syrup (1 tablespoon limit) or a smoothie with fruit, 100% juice and protein powder. If you are a savoury type – opt for eggs and black beans in a whole wheat tortilla, or heat up leftovers. If you are not a breakfast person, try a banana and some raw almonds or a bottle of drinkable yogurt or kefir.

If depression or anxiety are causing you to stay in bed past your alarm on a regular basis, then talk to someone. There are a lot of alternative therapies available that can help keep you on track and may relieve symptoms associated with this time of year. Don’t be afraid to ask for help to get you through the winter months.

World Health Organization for statistics

“Our family lived in a tenement building in Scotland. Father and Mother had to be both doctor and nurse for any ailment which came along.  Neighbours exchanged home remedies from ancestors, dad for instance making his own ointment with the odour and look of Zambuck*.  I remember once having a sty on my eyelid and dad sent me to a neighbour, Mr. MacNaughton.  I asked him for a bottle of his eye lotion. In exchange I gave him a tin of dad’s Zambuck.

When dad was going to prepare this he had two small iron pots, one fitted inside the other, the larger one holding the boiling water. Each of us was sent to a different drugstore, for only one item. This was in the case the chemist or pharmacist would steal his recipe. I was sent for green swallow oil, my sister for eucalyptus oil, my brother for beeswax, etc. When all the ingredients were there, the Zambuck was made, then poured into sterilized tins and allowed to cool and set.

For a heavy cold, the chest and back were well rubbed with a penetrating oil of eucalyptus and ammonia, with flannel on top and hot lemon drinks prescribed.   A linseed poultice spread on a white cotton cloth was a remedy for bronchitis. The chest was rubbed with Vaseline, then this poultice, which looked like porridge, was place on the chest for half an hour. The patient was given a hot toddy made up of whiskey, water and honey. Within 24 hours, one was cured; the virus left, never to return. For a carbuncle or boil, bread soaked in boiled milk, with a teaspoon of baking soda on it was a very effective remedy.”
-Elizabeth Bruce Jack (1909 – 2011)
*An old recipe which includes beeswax and oils of eucalyptus, camphor, red thyme and pine. A useful embrocation for cuts, bruises, abrasions, insect bites and many more ailments

TBM Seminars www.tbmseminars.com

Every person knows that expressing gratitude is a sign of humility and shows an essential part of good manners. It also suggests that saying thank you may not be enough, but saying it from the bottom of your heart is important.

Thanking others is relatively easy.. but what about just BEING grateful in your day to day life?

Did you know that a recent University study discovered that expressing gratitude for only a few minutes a day can dramatically increase your overall happiness. By practicing gratitude for a month, you can increase your overall happiness by around 25%.

How do I start?

1. Acknowledge good things that happen, even if they seem minor. Being mindful of the good received in present time heightens the ability to remember positive events.

2. Recognize that there are sources of goodness that are outside of ourselves. So much goodness happens to us despite ourselves. What if we said, “Why me?” when good things happen?

If you have trouble recognizing the good things that you have in your life and even insist that there is nothing to be thankful for, then perhaps it’s time to reach out for help. At Soulsease Energy Medicine, Shelley can assist you in clearing negative beliefs and help you restore hope and gratitude in easy ways. She will answer your call at 519-760-435 or reply to an email sent to info@soulsease.com.

Thank you!

Researchers have found that houseplants can purify and revitalize air in our homes and offices, protecting us from the negative effects of such common toxins as ammonia, formaldehyde, and benzene.

For years, people have been told to stay indoors during smog alerts. Today, the list of known indoor pollutants is just as scary and includes pesticides, fumes from detergents and solvents, fibers from carpets, draperies, insulation, even glass—not to mention mold and tobacco smoke.  Plant leaves are able to absorb pollutants and send them to the roots, where they become food for microbes.

To get the most out of your houseplants, set them up (two to three per room) so there is plenty of space around each one for ideal air circulation. Keep the air moist by misting plants. Avoid locations in the rooms where there are drafts or sudden temperature changes. Pollutants are absorbed through the leaves, so keep the leaves clear of dust by wiping gently with a damp cloth.

In the future, we will be cleaning up environmental pollution with plants. Right now, add houseplants to each room to clean the air you and your family breathe.

Top 10 Air Cleaning Plants
1. Areca palm
2. Reed palm
3. Dwarf date palm
4. Boston fern
5. Pothos
6. English ivy
7. Australian sword fern
8. Peace lily
9. Rubber plant
10. Weeping fig

Adapted from ‘Organic Gardening’ September 2011

Flavonols, compounds in chocolate with antioxidant-like properties, are thought to improve circulation, including blood flow to the brain. A 2009 study asked participants to count backward in groups of three from a number between 800 and 999. After drinking hot cocoa filled with flavonols, the participants were able to do calculations more quickly and accurately and were less likely to feel tired or mentally drained.

2. Chocolate Fills You Up

Moms have forever warned of spoiling dinner by eating a treat beforehand. Turns out they were right. Danish researchers gave 16 participants 100 g of either dark or milk chocolate and 2 hours later offered them pizza. Those who consumed the dark chocolate ate 15% fewer calories than those who had milk chocolate, and they were less interested in fatty, salty, and sugary foods.

 3. Chocolate Makes You Feel Better

Chocolate contains phenethylamine, which triggers the release of endorphins. This reaction is similar to the one that people experience when they fall in love. Don’t believe us? Doctors at the Mind Lab in England asked six couples to let squares of dark chocolate melt in their mouths and then kiss, all while hooked up to brain and heart monitors. Both tasks made participants’ hearts pound and brains buzz, but chocolate doubled excitation rates in the brain’s pleasure center during the kiss, especially in women. Cocoa’s blend of sugar and caffeine produces a longer-lasting high, according to researchers

4. Chocolate Helps You Relax

Reach for a Hershey bar when you’re stressed? There’s a biological reason for that. Studies have shown that chocolate contains the compound anandamide that activates the same brain receptors as marijuana. No wonder a bite brings on bliss.

5. Chocolate May Help You Live Longer

A study in the British Medical Journal found that candy consumption can help you live longer—almost a full year longer!—than those who abstain from the sweet stuff. Participants who ate candy one to three times a month had the lowest mortality rates of the group, and researches postulate this may be due to the antioxidants in chocolate. A 2009 study also found that heart attack survivors who ate chocolate were less likely to die than those who went without. Stick to a one-ounce serving to get your fix without wrecking your waistline.

Five reasons to eat Chocolate from Prevention Magazine (Nutrition Tips)

http://www.prevention.com/health/home

Adapted from a book by Hugh Prather