Our new look & tips to get off the Adrenaline Cycle

As the weather cools, your body also wants to 'cool' & slow down. It is harder in the mornings to leave your bed & more inviting to get back into it at night!

We notice many of us struggle with the idea of 'when' to rest & more importantly 'how' to rest (when there are soooo many things to do). This newsletter is dedicated to show you how to slow down in different areas of your life and through that calmer space achieve more. No need to tense every muscle to make that deadline or that appointment on time (you will get there - trust yourself & the universe!).

You'll also notice our 'new look' and brand new website - we hope this offers you much more. We look forward to hearing what you think via our Website Feedback. And please check out the What's New section in this newsletter - as much has been & is happening at the Centre.

We wish you all joy & the causes of joy, now and always!

The Source of Wellness Team

Adrenal Stress - the cause of many illnesses & pains

Adrenaline - a very useful hormone that puts your entire body on high-alert, ready for action. Too much of a good thing and you're looking at heart disease, chronic pain, sleeplessness, lack of concentration, irritability, depression & many more 'unwanted' states of health.

Adrenaline is a stress hormone, produced by your adrenal glands (at the back of your ribs). It's role is to 'save' you in times of crisis, such as:

• Quickening your reflexes to respond when a car cuts you off in traffic (& prevent an accident)
• Speeding the rate of neural messages which helps you to 'think quick' - helpful in an interview or exam, a work meeting, or argument
• Puts your major muscle groups on high alert, which is a great tool when playing sport or even if you need to move quick to catch a falling object or save your child from crossing the road in front of a car

For the above & many more reasons, adrenaline is a fabulous tool in our lives and helps us to achieve great things & save us from danger. But ... too much of a good thing makes it bad. If you require, or get into the habit of, an 'adrenaline pace' to get through your daily schedule everyday, then you get 'adrenal burnout', leading to system burnout and illness.

Adrenaline activates what is commonly known as the 'fight or flight' nervous system. This means that the body's functions are limited to what is absolutely necessary for survival. Adrenal stress can cause conditions such as:

• Heart disease including heart attack & strokes. Stress increases your blood pressure increasing pressure on your heart. It also affects how your blood clots increasing your heart attack risk. Stress also makes other risk factors (such as high cholesterol) worse, which lead to heart disease.
• Lowered immunity. With the body's resources eaten up with the high-alert adrenaline state, when you come into contact with common viruses & bacteria your body is worn out and so you suffer from persistent & recurrent colds, flus, chesty cough, sinusitis
• Constipation, diarrohea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Adrenaline stops digestion. Long-term reliance on adrenaline to keep pace with your workload will result in your body never getting 'time' to digest. Meaning going to the toilet can become a nightmare which you suffer silently with or rules what you can do and when due to pain, bloating or incontinence.
• Muscle and joint aches & pains. In the adrenaline state blood flow is restricted to major organs and major muscle groups. Your muscles are contracted ready for action causing pain & adhesions with long-term reliance on this. Plus being contracted the muscles pull on your joints which leads to joint pain as well!
• Eventually your entire system can just shutdown and conditions such as depression & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can result. Your body can't cope with ongoing adrenal stress and everything goes from 'high alert' to 'go slow'. With even the slightest activity exhausting you completely.

These are just a few of the conditions that can develop with an over-reliance on the 'survival mode' created by too much adrenaline (ie stress) in your life. Please read the sections on Mind & Lifestyle on ways to be aware of slipping into this mode & how to come out of it.

Can you be stressed & not know it?

Can you be stressed & not know it? Yes! Over time your baseline stress hormone level gradually increases in line with increasing demands on you & your time. You can in fact be an 'easy going' person & suffer 'adrenal stress'. You need to know the signs. Some are subtle, others more obvious. The obvious ones are easy, such as, you:

• Become easily irritated or angered
• Feel anxious or depressed or cry easily
• Experience 'road rage'
• Feel helpless in the face of problems that previously you handled calmly & many more

The more subtle signs, which you can overlook or 'learn to deal with', include:

• Your mind is always active. There is not one moment in your day where you are not thinking, but then you
• Wake at night, thinking of nothing
• Your breathing is fast (relaxed breathing is about 8 breaths per minute - 15 breaths per minute is too high!)
• Body aches & pains, recur more frequently, stay for longer, may even become chronic (and something you learn to live with)
• Your rate of speech is quick
• You eat fast, without taking the time to chew each mouthful properly
• Can't sit still, you need to be 'doing' something all the time
• You swear more often than usual & many more

The best way to use your brain (which is the size of a planet) is to take note of yourself while you are doing things. 

• List 5 things which relax you. Note how many times you do any of these over 2 weeks. Did you do even one from on your list?
• Of the 5 things that relax you, are they all 'doing' active-type things? Do you have anything which involves being still & noticing the world such as: sitting by water & enjoying the view, listening to the birds, watching the sky float by, meditating, a long bath
• People often cite reading a book or doing crosswords or watching tv as relaxing and they are, but they do involve your mind being overactive. Include at least one 'non-thinking' relaxation on your list, something that is just about experiencing stillness - something that allows you to 'feel', so that you relax more deeply by getting your mind to switch off!

Know yourself more. Use your mind as your self-awareness tool, recognising the subtle signs & slight changes in your behaviour that show your balance has tipped - that 'too much' is going on and then take action (ie create relaxation time in that week) to prevent more serious health issues manifesting such as illness, aches, pains, sleeplessness, irritability or more serious life issues such as poor work performance, divorce, loss of friendships from occurring.

Prevention is better than cure!

Ways to prevent adrenal stress occurring

We all need a certain level of stress in our lives - it motivates us. Every challenge we face in life demands a response from our adrenal glands producing adrenaline. And everyone will at different and recurring points in our lives 'get out of balance' and do too much. It's okay, but remember to right the scales you need to do something to bring you back into harmony...

We suggest the below ways to get back into harmony with yourself and your life & prevent illness:

• Know yourself, write down 5 things that give you joy. Keep this list handy and refer to it once a month to stay on track with your own happiness
• Add to this list, 5 things that relax you. The 2 lists may be different (eg playing with your kids may give you joy, but doesn't necessarily relax you). Things like singing, long bath, strolling, kissing your partner, playing with your model train set & so on
• Breathe, breathe, breathe ... everyone holds their breath when they are tense, concentrating, frustrated. Make it a habit to check yourself in these situations and remind yourself to Breathe - Breathe Slowly - Breathe Deep into your belly (want to learn more, come to our Monday Meditation Class)
• Structure activities so that you have 'rest times' on weekends (at least one hour) & each weekday (at least 20 minutes). Just a time where you do one of the things on your 'joy' or 'relaxation' list

We offer many ways of balancing your mind & body and giving your whole self a rest.

• Acupuncture is very relaxing and creates a sense of ease in your body by balancing the meridian energy & regulating many body systems in each treatment. Can also be used as a detoxification program!
• Talking through a problem can relieve your mind & body of much tension with either our Life Coach or Counsellor
• A relaxation massage can soothe your state of feeling or a remedial treatment massage to alleviate the built-up tensions in your body brings about overall wellbeing
• Kinesiology which can determine the cause of ongoing & recurrent life stresses by a process of muscle monitoring and the breath
• Nutrition & Herbal Medicine - so many ailments can be alleviated through proper diet. Once your system has been detox'ed you feel more alive & energised and more able to cope with your daily life
• Exercise & Meditation (including Qi Gong / Tai Chi) - always do both! Exercise burns off the 'stress energy' you accumulate during your day and meditaiton teaches you calm approaches to life's challenges - they are a winning duo and we offer both here.

Life is a constant monitor of 'balance' & knowing what your benchmarks are for staying healthy & sane while doing the things you need & want to do in life! We are here to help & advise whenever you hit 'one of those patches' where everything happens at once. So please call upon us.

Great Courses, New Treatments & much more

What's New

We have a new website, please let us know what you think via our Website Feedback. To help us meet your needs we are offering $5 off your next treatment or class (workshops excluded) for letting us know of any glitches, or layout issues you find on our new website. If you click a link and it does not work, just let us know and we'll note your file with your $5 discount. So please help us & be rewarded!

New Treatments & Website Free Info Sections

• Shiatsu Therapy: is more than a massage, it incorporates the meridian system of energy & organ balancing, stretches, acupressure, cupping and more. Great during pregnancy, chronic pain, or to get a wholistic therapy with your massage! Make an appointment with Greg Derwin for this wonderful treatment
• Naturopathy & Homeopathy Consultations: come in to see Tiina Kallio, for a wholistic health diagnosis which may include blood analysis, dietary & lifestyle overview, herbal medicine, homeopathic medicine, & more
• Couples Counselling & Family Counselling is now offered. Everyone hits roadblocks sometimes in their relationships. Our Counsellor, Jean Daher, offers you an independent resource to help everyone be heard & find resolutions among differing viewpoints.
• Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine & other TCM modalities is now available on Saturdays with Christine Kim. Christine is well experienced in treating a wide range of ailments from muscle aches & pains, to more serious illness & disease, come in for an initial consultation and she will devise a treatment plan for you!
• We have a new Recipes section which is full of delicious, quick & nutritious meals for you to prepare by our Nutrition Specialist, Kathryn Elliott. Please try them and let us know what you think!

Upcoming Workshops & Information Sessions

• Destress Your Life. Thurs 7 June 6.30pm OR Sat 9 June 1pm. Must book. Learn great tips to get more out of life with the Destress Program with Tiina
• Healthy Eating Shopping Tour. Sunday 17 June 10am-12.30pm. Learn what to buy, how to read food labels, what to ask the butcher & grocer, & how to cook your food for best nutrition including great recipes.
• Weight Loss - The Keto Way. Wed 4 July 6.30pm OR Sat 7 July 1pm. Must book. Learn how you can safely lose up to 20 kilos in 12 weeks using this proven diet method.
• Life Plan - 6 week spritzer. Starts Saturday 21 July. Get yourself on track addressing your eating habits, exercise routine & all the reasons why the other times didn't work! Personalised Nutrition / Exercise / Life Coaching plans are devised & implemented so that you get real results long-term.
• Women's Self-Empowerment Group starts Thurs 26 July 7-9.30pm. Connect with yourself & other women in creating a stronger you!

There is something for everyone and we look forward to seeing you soon. To book or make an appointment, just Contact Us.