Peace of Mind & Peace of Nose
Lately, I’ve been meeting a lot of people who have been feeling really overwhelmed lately and are looking for some balance and stress relief, and also people who are bothered by the thick blanket of pollen that has been assaulting us here in north Florida recently. Since these issues might be overlapping, I thought I’d offer some ideas/tips for both.
Balance
—Sleep: Check out these tips for getting a good night’s sleep
—Move your body: take a walk around the block or get down on the floor to do a little stretching and rolling around (Bonus–if you have dogs or cats, they will love this, and both of you will perk up from all the attention!)
—Take a look at your recent eating and drinking habits: try to eat more fiber and vegetables (try roasting them for extra deliciousness) and drinking a little more water, and limiting processed foods and sodas/alcohol
—Breathe: Here’s a video showing the 4-7-8 technique and here’s a post on alternate nostril breathing. (However, if your sinuses are clogged up, you might want to hold off on conscious breathing until you can breathe a little easier)
—Bodywork: Massage or reflexology can be a great reset, and if you feel like you don’t have much time, don’t forget about 30 minute sessions. Go ahead and get your next one scheduled, since it’s easy to put yourself last and totally forget, until suddenly your neck or back is in spasm. (Actually, while you’re scheduling your next appointment, I’ll do the same for myself!)
Sinus relief
—Wet washcloth: super simple–just wet a clean washcloth (I often use cold water, but hot could also be good–you could even alternate between the two) and place gently over nose, then breathe. This was very helpful to me during winter when the heat at the office was drying out my nose. I also find this helpful when I feel stressed. With a cold cloth, it’s easy to “refresh” it by waving it around to cool it again, and then place back over nose, eyes, and forehead
—A few products that I love (but receive no profit from! Also, make sure to double-check that none of these things are contraindicated for you, if you’re under a doctor’s care): Arm & Hammer’s Simply Saline spray, Olbas inhalers (I’ve found these locally at Native Sun, Whole Foods, and Earth Fare), and Ricola original cough drops–all 3 of these have been useful to me combating congestion, headaches, and dry airways.
—Bodywork: Guess what? Massage and reflexology can be helpful with this too! Feel free to get in touch with me and we can work to support sinus health through facial massage and reflexology, but you can do some work on yourself as well. The pads of the fingers and toes correspond to the sinuses, so you can try rubbing those areas, and you can do some self massage of your face (which you probably do instinctively), gently pull on your ears in different directions, and rub your scalp (basically just give yourself a good scalp shampooing–wet or dry)
What are some of your favorite ways to feel balance in your life and/or sinuses? Have you been doing them? Give some of these a try, or go back to some of your old “tried and trues!”
**meditating nose picture drawn by my dad!
