Exam Stress and Anxiety

EXAM STRESS AND ANXIETY

Many teens start to worry and feel the pressure as exam time approaches. 

Too much stress can lead to panic, which in turn can lead to problems with concentration and recall. 

So, looking for ways to keep our teens calm and relaxed will in turn help to improve recall, and hopefully exam performance!

EMOTIONAL STRESS RELEASE

How to do the Emotional Stress Relief technique

- Choose a quiet place where you will not be disturbed and where you can sit or lie down comfortably for ten or fifteen minutes.

- Close your eyes and put the fingertips of your index and middle finger of each hand on the bumps on your forehead (as shown in the picture below).

- Hold your fingertips there gently using a very light pressure and start to think about what is stressing you.

- Go over every aspect of the stressful situation in your mind and keep repeating the thoughts, really focusing on them as fully as you can.

- Keep doing this until you find that it is difficult to think about the situation anymore.

- You may be able to feel pulses under your fingertips. If so, keep holding the Emotional Stress Relief points until the pulses in each bump are beating together.

- When you feel that the situation you are thinking about no longer holds its original negative charge, open your eyes and focus again on that situation.

- Get in touch with how you feel now and notice any changes in the way you feel both mentally and physically.

Although it may seem pointless to many, learning a simple, calming, breathing technique can pay huge dividends. 

Breathing in for a count of 4 then out, slowly, for a count of 8 sends calming messages to the brain.  Practicing this technique every day will help to promote feelings of calm and help them to relax when sat in front of that exam paper.

Cross Crawl – a fantastic exercise to stimulate the brain. It will help you reach your true potential. Marching on the spot can improve your brain power, your concentration, your memory, vitalize lymph flow and so much more.

In addition, try and avoid having too much caffeine during this time.  It can be tempting to opt for caffeine rich “Energy” drinks to keep awake, but caffeine actually increases the production of stress hormones, so is likely to make them feel more nervous!

Bach Rescue remedy and Bush Emergency or Calm and Clear a great addition for dealing with emotional stress and negative thoughts.

FOR CONCENTRATION AND FOCUS

Energy demands from the brain are huge, so it is important to ensure (as far as possible) that the teen is eating properly - so that the brain has access to the fuel it needs to work well.  Breakfast really is vital, as is a proper lunch and healthy snacks.  Staying hydrated, with plenty of water, is also thought to be helpful here.

Our brain needs the omega 3 fatty acids provided by oily fish to perform properly and supplementing these oils has been shown to improve concentration, focus and memory.  There is some evidence that these oils may also help to keep us feeling calmer and more logical.

A combination of B Vitamins and specific good bacteria could also be helpful. 

B vitamins help to support energy production: during exam time the brain is using a great deal of energy, so we need to ensure it is getting as much fuel as possible. 

Vitamin B5 specifically is helpful in supporting mental performance and focus.

B vitamins could be particularly helpful if taken alongside specific good bacteria – I love Super 8’s, high strength and great mix of bacteria strains - There is a vast amount of research showing that our gut flora has a massive impact on our brain function, this mix of bacteria have the most consistent research behind them = both for supporting brain function and memory, and for helping to reduce anxiety.

3 more important steps for brain function

·     Rest, Relaxation, Fun timeout

·     Fresh air/ Exercise

·       Sleep

10 Top tips to Better Sleep and Less Stress

10 Top Tips to Better Sleep and Less Stress

So many people nowadays are putting up with low energy and the main trigger possibly is their sleep pattern. 

They struggled with getting to sleep, staying asleep, and having good quality rest.

These people have just accepted that a lack of sleep is ‘normal’.

Let me tell you – it’s not.

Health benefits of adequate sleep:

·       improves brain function, memory and processing information

·       assists weight loss,

·       improved quality of life,

·       stable moods

·       more stable blood sugar levels

·       even blood pressure

·       curbs inflammation

·       improves overall performance

·       sharpens attention and focus

·       lowers stress

·       emotional stability

Working with many clients to improve their sleeping habits with kinesiology and lifestyle coaching, gently balancing the body has helped to reduce stress and in turn many have found their sleep pattern has improved greatly.  By making changes to their diet and lifestyle, they are functioning better daily.  With the helpful assistance of your kinesiologist, you can find that elusive good night’s rest.

Here are 10 tips to get you started on the road to a restful night’s sleep.

Balance your blood sugars and eat a balanced diet daily.

Eating sugar or carbs first boosts your blood sugar, giving you a burst of energy, which could cause you to stay up later than you’d like, especially if eaten close to bedtime.  If there are peaks and valleys during the day due to higher carbs or high sugar foods (a muffin or a piece of cake for example) or beverages (a coffee drink, soda or juice), or even long hours without eating at all (during which time your sugar levels will fall), then you are more likely to wake at night from the continuation of this pattern

Food sensitivities - Avoiding coffee and tea late at night, large meals and sugary foods, or foods that you might be sensitive to.  Gives your body the opportunity to focus on the healing that happens as we rest at night instead of dealing with the stress of digesting or detoxing the foods or drinks you might have consumed before bed.  

Hydrating your body is one of the most important benefits of drinking water before bed. Throughout the course of your day you lose a lot of fluids. Whether you are working, cooking, cleaning, exercising or running errands, your body is constantly exerting fluids. These fluids need to be replenished, and a great time to do it is 1-2 hrs before you go to bed.  When you sleep, your body doesn’t use up as many fluids because you are lying still, so drinking water before bed is a great time to get these fluid levels back where they need to be so your body can wake up hydrated and ready to go.

Exercise daily - A 20-minute walk and movement outdoors getting fresh air into your lungs daily, a fantastic stress reducer with many other wonderful benefits.

• Helps weight loss
• Relieves Stress and anxiety
• Boosts metabolism
• Improves posture
• Improves concentration
• Stimulates the body to produce endorphins, natural “Feel good” chemical
• Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes

Switch off screens at least an hr before bed, avoid negative news or conversations or anything that

stimulates or upset you, allow your mind and body to relax and unwind. A dark, quite room is

best, as your body needs darkness to produce melatonin, a hormone produced in the pineal gland

that helps your body know when it’s time to sleep and wake.

Relaxation is important, following a stressful day. Create a relaxing environment and a space you

love, declutter your room, clean, tidy and freshen bed-sheets weekly.  Read, write, meditate,

perhaps try a gentle stretch or yoga, take a nice hot Epson salt bath with lavender, to relax the

muscles and mind. Do something you love.

Early to bed – Our bodies need rest to rejuvenate and recharge, aim to get to bed early at least 3

nights a week if not more.  It is highly beneficial to get into a good routine to train your body and

mind; your body clock will thank you for it. 

Listen to music to help reduce stress – Bach, Vivaldi and other composers of that era, the rhythm

matches the heartbeat. Music is soothing to the soul. Placing a pillow speaker on to CV4 – halfway

between the navel and pubic bone, helps to relax and refresh the spirits.

Your bed, mattress and pillow can greatly impact sleep quality and joint or back pain. Try to buy a

high-quality mattress and bedding every 5-8 years.

Reduce stress – Stress and mental unease, plays a huge role in sleep patterns.  Keeping many

people tossing and turning for hours on end.  Waking up during the night and feel shattered the

next day.  Often leading to a spiral of bad food choices and drinks to give you false energy just to

get through the day.

A very effective technique we suggest people to do is Emotional Stress Release.

This is how you do it. This technique can be used anytime, anywhere. Before bed is perfect also.

Close your eyes and put the fingertips of your index and middle finger of each hand on the bumps

on your forehead (as shown in the picture below). Hold for until you feel the stress reduce, a

gentle pulse or have a deep sigh.

Sleep plays a key role in health. 

One large review linked insufficient sleep to an increased obesity risk of 89% in children and 55% in adults.  Other studies conclude that less than 7-8 hrs sleep per night increases your risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

If you are interested in optimal health and well-being, then you should make sleep a top priority and incorporate some of the tips above.

The Gut/Brain Connection - The Importance of Probiotics.

I believe getting in control of your gut bacteria is paramount to great health, when working with clients I find this regularly, the body is craving good bacteria to help fight off  ill health, anxiety, cravings and weakened immune systems. 
I picked up these little books the other day in my local health store and the information is fab, so I had to share some of it with you all..

How your bacteria will influence your mood and food choices.

The gut and brain are connected by the Vagus nerve, which works like a telephone line, sending masses of messages back and forth between the brain and the gut.  The bacteria in the gut are responsible for producing a number of important brain chemicals - including dopamine (important in feelings of motivation and reward) and GABA (which helps to keep us calm).

This means that low levels of good bacteria will lead to low mood and anxiety.  Indeed, studies have shown that supplementing with good bacteria can significantly improve mood and reduce anxiety levels.  This information is naturally important for individuals suffering with anxiety disorders, but is also significant for anyone trying to stick to a weight loss regime.

Increasing your good bacteria will help boost our motivation, and could also help to prevent comfort eating.

Increasing our good bacteria will also have an impact on food cravings! If the microbiome is over-populated with bacteria which feed on sugar or fat, these bacteria will send messages to the brain to eat those foods and provide reward signals for doing so.
The more diverse and healthy our microbiome is, the fewer food cravings we will have and the slimmer and healthier we will be.

Did you know? 
Up to 80% of the immune system is influenced by the gut.

A reduction in our good bacteria can lead to impaired immune response, increasing the number and severity of infections.
Couple this with antibiotic treatments - which attack the good bacteria as well as the harmful - and it becomes easy to see why people can get stuck in a cycle of constant infections.
Imbalances in the immune system can also result in increased inflammation and increased allergic reactions.
Rebuilding and reinforcing our good bacteria is vital to rebuilding the integrity of the gut and supporting a healthy immune system.  This will in turn reduce infections, food intolerance's, allergic reactions and inflammation.

Foods to support your microbiome
Certain foods help to support and strengthen your gut, and the good bacteria which live there.  Trying to incorporate these into your diet will help to improve the health of your microbiome and your body.

• Olive oil
• Oily fish - such as salmon, tuna, sardines, mackrel, and trout
• Fresh vegetables
• Turmeric
• Prebiotic fibres - such as inulin
• Onions, garlic and leeks
• Oats
• Flaxseeds
• Apple cider Vinegar
• Live yoghurt - on the condition it does not contain lots of sugar
• Fermented foods - such as sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi

For both adults and children it is super important to support you gut bacteria, especially after antibiotics, operations and when the body/digestive system is not feeling its best.

Call into your local Health food store for more information from a trained professional and to discover the ranges and strains available.

Niamh Roche

Systematic Kinesiologist, 

Nutrition, Health and Lifestyle Consultant

https://www.facebook.com/thenourishingfairy/

Reduce STRESS with Kinesiology.

A lovely article I came across about how Kinesiology can help ease every day and long term stress.  

Reducing stress in our lives is one of the basic components of good health. Stress is ever-present, and eliminating it is impossible. Besides, sometimes we need stress to propel us to complete tasks, make changes in our lives, or run from a hungry lion (or out of control car, depending on where you live!). It’s the way we deal with stress that usually needs work.

Kinesiology works with the technique of muscle testing which provides biofeedback, and pressure point techniques which are based on the Chinese meridians to assess where energy might be stagnating in the body, causing imbalances. Our physical, emotional and mental problems, such as how we deal with stress, affect the sense of balance in our bodies.

How Does Stress Work?

Stress is a normal physical response to either internal or external stimuli that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. It could be your relationship, work , the traffic, or a real physical danger (that hungry lion). When you sense danger the body's natural set of defenses, called the “fight-or-flight” response, kick in. Hormones surge through the body in an automatic process and can get us out of sticky situations.

This flight or flight response is your body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, alert and energetic, so that you can meet deadlines or perform in an exam. In emergency situations, stress can save your life – giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to hit the brakes to avoid an accident – or running from the lion. 
The problem is though that we rarely come face to face with a lion. The stresses we deal with day to day are the ones that start to undermine our balance.

How Can Kinesiology Help?

Kinesiology offers a method of accessing information in the subconscious and releasing it through the muscle testing technique. Kinesiology aims to create a state of balance that will lead to optimal health.

One simple kinesiology technique that you can do for yourself or others is the emotional stress release technique. It is said that when we are stressed, blood flows to the back of the brain, where past memories are stored. When we are stressed we fall back on old patterns – things that may have worked once in a certain situation, but aren’t appropriate to the current situation. If you are feeling intensely emotional, place your hands on your forehead, just above the temples. Focus on the emotions you are experiencing to a specific incident. By placing the hands on the forehead, you are stimulating blood to flow to the front of the brain, where it is thought that new choice is formed.  The theory is that you will be able to approach the situation in a different way and let the stress surrounding it go.  https://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/article/kinesiology_for_stress

Now a little imput of my own, Dr. Bennett who did the original research on the neuro-vascular points, which are the frontal points on the forehead used in ESR, used a machine called a fluoroscope which took continuous X-ray of the body. He observed the changes in circulation that took place when the points were contacted very lightly. The body, well and truly is amazing in it's ability to heal and relax with useful techniques! 

I have used this technique so many times when treating clients in my own clinic and with family and friends too.  
The results still amaze me.  It is powerful! 

Our first reaction in times of Stress is to place our hand on our forehead, the only thing is, we do not hold it long enough to improve the blood flow to bring new ideas and choices to the frontal lobe.

Give it a go and see for yourself..




Niamh 
Aka The Nourishing Fairy
https://www.facebook.com/thenourishingfairy/

10 Reasons you Need Systematic Kinesiology

How Systematic Kinesiology can change your life..

If your not feeling 100%.. Kinesiology, might just be what you are looking for! Here registered Systematic Kinesiologist, Niamh Roche, gives you 10 ways it can aid your health and wellbeing…

1. Improve general health and wellbeing - Kinesiology is a holistic therapy and works to balance the whole body and help it work as effectively as possible, which in turn can help prevent dis-ease and help you feel balanced.  Each session following Systematic Kinesiology's MCPE principal – Mental/Emotional, Chemical, Physical, Energy flow.  Self care is super important "Lets fill our own cup first so that we can abundantly pour into the people and projects that we truly Love and Care about"
2. Stress relief - Kinesiology can help you feel more balanced and allow you to let go and relax, which can only have a positive impact in terms of reducing your stress levels. 
3. Reduce tension - it is amazing how much tension we carry in our body. Kinesiology is an excellent way of relieving tension in the whole body. 
4. Relaxation – Systematic Kinesiology is a deeply relaxing therapy and some people like to have the treatment purely for its relaxation benefits.
5. Detox the body - Kinesiology helps the body to gently detoxify, We use muscle testing as a tool to investigate and to see what toxins are causing dis-ease in the body and support it with correct nutrition, stimulating the lymphatic system, acupuncture points, holding neuro vascular points and whatever structural fixes are needed to ensure the body is aligned to allow energy to flow smoothly.  Blocked energy leads to pain and inflammation. 
6. Strengthen the immune system - Kinesiology boosts the immune system by kick-starting the body’s own self healing techniques in order for it to be as balanced as possible. By using muscle testing we test the endocrine system and support the body by finding whatever is priority to address.  There is no guess work, the body leads the way.
7. Improve circulation – Systematic Kinesiology helps to improve circulation throughout the body. We highly recommend "Rebounding" also, it strengthens the heart muscles and increases the rate at which blood flows through the circulatory system.
8. Better sleep - the very fact that a Kinesiology treatment is so relaxing and helps balance the body means that you will probably find you sleep better. Most of my clients report having an amazing night’s sleep after a Kinesiology treatment.
9. Calm the mind - even though Kinesiology is a quite physical, it can also work on a mental/ emotional level. By allowing yourself an hour-long kinesiology treatment to relax and unwind, your mind is also able to calm and slow down. One of our most effective techniques ESR- Emotional Stress Release, has left people feeling lighter, relaxed and less stressed, with a new perspective to overcome the problem they may be dealing with.  Bach flower remedies help to support the emotional body also.
10. Increase energy - many people report feeling generally sluggish and tired, which can be a sign your body isn’t working as efficiently as it could. The balancing effect of kinesiology means that you can feel re-energised and re-vitalised. When your body is working as it should be, Energy is flowing correctly. So it will have you bouncing and full of life. You will feel like yourself again. 

Niamh is a registered Systematic Kinesiologist, Nutrition health and lifestyle consultant, Reiki master, Rahainni practitioner and nutritional chef based in County Wexford, Ireland..  To find out more check out my facebook page 
https://www.facebook.com/thenourishingfairy/