This past weekend The Seany Foundation hosted their first ever
Get Well Soon event which focused on the holistic wellness of the mind, body
and soul. As patients, as caregivers and as everyday human beings we are pushed
to our limits physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. I cannot
stress the importance of being able to treat every aspect of ourselves to truly
be well. Living in a time and society that promotes busyness and multitasking,
it can be extremely difficult to slow down and take some time for yourself. Here
are 5 things you can do/look into TODAY to help put yourself and your wellness
first!
1.Yoga does a body good!
Yoga is more than increasing flexibility
and engaging in an active exercise. Yoga works to help us decrease anxiety
while promoting mental wellness. According to Healthline.com, which cites many
incredible articles, yoga has also been linked to promoting a healthy heart,
aiding in migraine relief, promotes healthy digestion and much more. In my experience
many people will say “but I’m not a yogi” or “but I’m not flexible like that”,
which may be true TODAY but we all start somewhere. There are many tools and
pose modifications to aid in making yoga suitable for just about anyone!
2. Essential Oils
There are many essential oils out
there that can benefit a variety of things. During our Get Well Soon retreat we
had the amazing Heather Bickel Stevenson, RN, BSN, Soul Nurse, from DoTerra
Essential Oils join us by leading a workshop. She took time working with each
participant to customize which oils were most suitable for them by scanning to
identify key areas of focus.
Heather was able to combine her own
testimony, medical background and essential oil training to discuss and address
the attendees needs and questions pertaining to whatever issues they were
dealing with in their own lives. Naturally, cancer was a focal point of the
conversation but there were other conditions discussed as well including
overall health, migraines, dietary restrictions and allergies.
3. Nutrition is more than calories or a label.
It seems like every year we are hearing
about new fad diets or the latest adjustments to the food pyramid. Sometimes
the information we receive can be overwhelming than it is helpful. One of the most
impactful statements I took from our nutritional guide was when we shop, we
need to decide are we buying FOOD or a Food Like Substance? We have become so
accustomed to counting calories and reading the nutritional labels that we
forget to look at the actual ingredients.
Yes, it is important to be active
but it is even more important to allow food to be our medicine. One important take
away from this workshop was the discussion medicine. When we are prescribed medication,
we know we need to take 2 tablets, every 8 hours, for 10 days and we remain
committed to that prescription. Food should be looked at the same way, with the
same commitment. True food, not food like substances, are not only fuel and a
source of energy, but is actually medicine to our body!
4. Acupuncture and Chiropractic
Acupuncture is a form of traditional
Chinese medicine that uses a very thin needle which is inserted at pressure points,
traditionally, to relief pain. More recently it has also been used as one component
of holistic wellness and stress relief. Although participants had the
opportunity to try acupuncture for free, I saw many of them watch and observe
with much hesitance. When asked about their hesitation, without failure,
participants would look at me clinched fist and wide eyed and saying something along
the lines of “with needles??” as though we were offering a free torturing
session. Don’t get me wrong, needles and acupuncture, like anything else, isn’t
for everyone. We made it a point to explain that the needles used for acupuncture
are extremely thin and if you tapped your arm (go ahead and give yourself a
quick tap!), is more significant then the needle.
Additionally, we a had Dr. Paul Peterson,
DC, DACNB who discussed chiropractic stretching and body work. Participants were able to ask about various aliments
and chronic pain. They were also given a chance to participate in a free demonstration
and experience a different form of healing.
5. Sound Therapy/Sound Healing
Sound therapy, which is also
referred to as sound healing is either used by itself or can often be used in
combination with yoga. Although many different instruments can be used, most
commonly you will find the use of sound bowls (alchemy, frosted or Tibetan),
didgeridoos, gongs, chimes, drums and rattles. Similar to yoga, the benefits
are said decrease anxiety, promote overall wellness and decrease stress levels.
During the Get Well Soon event we
were able to close out the retreat with a sound healing session. As the day
came to a close everyone came out feeling motivated, relaxed, informed and
connected. Connected with more with one self as well as more connected with
those around them.
At The Seany Foundation we understand how challenging life
can get when navigating a diagnosis, a child with needs, doctor visits, treatments,
family, work and all our children. This event was a 4-hour local retreat that was
hopefully either a continuation of self-care already being done or the start of
something new. Although we are most widely known for our famous Camp Reach For
the Sky camps, we work hard to build a community that is present all year long.
Part of that community is learning, together, about health, wellness, nutrition
and holistic medicine. This holistic approach is not only for the Seany
Foundation community, but for everyone!
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Podcast:
1/23 Recap: 8th Episode: Meet Brittany and Ashton Harvey, Founders of Yellow Threads Company! Kahila does a beautiful job of diving into their passion that brought their vision to life. Their clothing line provides patients who need to have easy port access a unique, cute and stylish fashion with discretion. Check them out using one of the various, easy to use platforms, by searching "Cancer the Easy Life":
Android: Podcast Player (purple icon)
iPhone: Podcast App (purple icon)
Soundcloud
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Upcoming Events:
2/6 Podcast
2/15-17: Teen Winter Weekend (register now: http://www.theseanyfoundation.org/camp/programs/)
__________________________________________________
Podcast:
1/23 Recap: 8th Episode: Meet Brittany and Ashton Harvey, Founders of Yellow Threads Company! Kahila does a beautiful job of diving into their passion that brought their vision to life. Their clothing line provides patients who need to have easy port access a unique, cute and stylish fashion with discretion. Check them out using one of the various, easy to use platforms, by searching "Cancer the Easy Life":
Android: Podcast Player (purple icon)
iPhone: Podcast App (purple icon)
Soundcloud
__________________________________________________
Upcoming Events:
2/6 Podcast
2/15-17: Teen Winter Weekend (register now: http://www.theseanyfoundation.org/camp/programs/)
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