Optimal Living | Going Outside to Heal Inside

Barefoot Bathing and Earthing

The groundbreaking benefits behind your barefoot summer

Ah, summer—the season of barbecues, long weekends and holidays. A time of year when many of us just like to kick off our shoes and relax a little more.

This is where earthing comes in. Earthing is the practice of spending time in direct contact with the Earth, and research shows that it has a broad range of physical and mental health benefits.

If you’re looking for a simple way to improve your health and wellbeing this summer, give earthing a try!

What is earthing?
Earthing, or grounding, is the simple act of making contact with the earth. It’s as easy as taking your shoes and socks off and walking outside barefoot.

Earthing has been around for centuries, but was only recently studied and given a name by Clint Ober, an electrical engineer who became invested in the topic after he was diagnosed with major health issues.

Since then, earthing has been shown to have a number of benefits not just for physical but for mental health too. It helps to relieve stress and anxiety, improve sleep, reduce inflammation and pain, and even boost energy levels.

There are a few ways to earth yourself, depending on where you are. If you’re at home, you can go outside and walk around in your back garden or nearby park. If you’re at work, you can take a quick break to go outside and perhaps lay down on the grass. And if you’re on holiday or travelling, you can find hill, dune or beach to walk barefoot on.

The science behind earthing
Earthing is the practise of being in direct contact with the earth’s surface. This can be done by walking outside barefoot, sitting or lying on the ground, or swimming in natural bodies of water.

There is a lot of science that supports earthing and its many benefits. When you’re connected to the earth, your body is able to absorb all of the beneficial electrons that are swirling around us. These electrons have been shown to promote physical and mental wellbeing. It changes the contrary positive charge we absorb from our electrical living. Swapping it for the earth’s natural charge which enriches and enliven our biology.

One study found that grounding for just fifteen minutes was able to decrease cortisol levels (the stress hormone) by 31%. It also resulted in a decrease in anxiety and negative thoughts. So if you’re looking for a way to distress this summer, earthing might be the answer for you!

What are the benefits of earthing?
There are countless benefits to earthing, both physically and mentally.

Physically, earthing helps to release tension in the body, improve sleep, reduce inflammation, and boost your immune system. It can also help to reduce pain and speed up the healing process.

Mentally, earthing can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also help to improve focus and concentration, and increase feelings of calm and well-being.

Earthing during the summer
When it comes to summer, nothing feels better than kicking off your shoes

and feeling the grass, sand, or even tiles beneath your feet. For earthing enthusiasts, this is the best time of year because you can enjoy all the benefits of being grounded outdoors!

There are a few things you can do to make grounding more enjoyable and relaxing. First, find a spot outside that has a nice view. This will help you relax and enjoy the experience. Secondly, make sure to wear light and comfortable clothing so you can move around easily. Lastly, take time to really focus on the sensations you feel when you’re grounding. Notice the textures, temperatures, and smells around you. This will help you connect more with your surroundings and reap the full benefits of earthing.

What to expect when you start earthing
When you start earthing, you might experience a sense of calm and grounding. This is because, when you connect with the earth, you’re absorbing negative ions, which can help to improve your mood and mental wellbeing. Some people also report improved sleep and reduced anxiety when they start earthing, as well as a general sense of good health.

From reducing anxiety to boosting energy levels, earthing or grounding can help you feel your best during the summer months. By kicking off your shoes and connecting with the earth, you can enjoy all the benefits of earthing in just a few minutes. So why not give it a try?

…and not just in the Summer!

The Fountain of Youth – secrets explained

Ancestral or ancient movement practices such as the daily Tibetan Rites have been passed down from exactly where and from whom we don’t know. Just as the pyramids don’t entirely make sense in our accepted time line, neither do the detail and insights of ancient medicines such as the Ayurvedic or Chinese practices. We are still in the west uncovering the deep science behind the millennia of their wisdom.

The fountain of youth or the Tibetan Rites is another mystery, a practice so simple but so effective. It’s all about working with energies – alas another area our modern medicine doesn’t recognise, despite science acknowledging it.

The fountain of youth – as the name suggests – comes from Tibet. Revealed through the monk’s ancient knowledge of the energy healings of China and India combined. In doing the rites it was observed that people became younger. A beauty regime better than skin deep. The exercises activate energy vortexes, harmonising a life force which then flows, attracting more energy. They touch our energy channels ( meridians) stimulating our endocrine system and feeding our organs. Ultimately leading to our feeling recharged, refreshed and regenerated. Alas this is no modern style quick fix. The rites must be practiced ever single day after a year you will start to feel and it will be observed that you are physically between 5 and 10 years younger. In your way, stamina and in other’s observations. But suiting the modern demand for speed, they take only about 10 to 15 minutes out of your day.

Improvements seen : Vitality comes back into your life. Sleeping becomes deeper. Joints and spine feel more supple. Eyes, senses, organs work better and energy replaces fatigue.

So to the how: Start with three of each and build up to 21 over 4 or 5 months. You may be able for more, but this is about organ energy, not physical ability. All breathing during the rites must be in through your nose. You start with the spin, clockwise – with the planet -activating your energy field for the day. While you do the exercise, try to visualise your energy travelling through your spine. The final rite combines both energy directions in the one exercise.

You can combine these moves with your other exercise, more formal western or yoga, tai chi or chi kung – but they must be done daily. Oxigenating your day, your energy. Ideally you would also in time bring in meditation and nasal breathing. But one thing at a time. Let’s get these 5 movements first into your day. Visualising and energising.

You can do it – put the life into your years, not just the years into your life.

Turmeric – Nature’s anti Inflammatory

Nature Sense is not just about being out in nature it’s also about an ancestral rediscovery of it’s gold ..

How better than to take a close up look at Mother Nature’s actual gold – Turmeric – along with it’s radiant component – Curcumin

You may have first come across turmeric as the orangey yellowy spice adding a zing to your curry. It would be doing it an injustice to believe that it begins and ends there. These days Turmeric is everywhere from posh lattes to luxury chocolate and staining your tongue if it’s been sprinkled into a health shot, salad or smoothies.

It’s been around forever – they say the gold that was brought by the three wise men was actually turmeric, which would make sense as frankincense and myrrh were also both revered medicines in times past. So what’s at the root of this root? Why so popular in times present?

It’s been touted as a miracle remedy for everything from inflammation to cancer due to its ability to help boost your cells’ resistance to damage and infection. The most studied part of turmeric is curcumin which is not to say the rest of this spice is not important, it’s just that it accounts for most of it, so has received a lot of attention. And with reason.

First however is a concept called bioavailability. This means how easily your body can make use of something. Curcumin is not so much bioavailable on it’s own and is only fat soluble – but if you pair it with a friend that is – pepper – it is in a class of it’s own! The rest of the turmeric is more bioavailable and is water soluble .. so your best way of availing of this ancient healer is take – both. For instance, I take curcumin in the morning with a smoothie (with Omega or MCT oil ) but during the day I break open a couple of turmeric capsules into what I’m cooking. If I’m feeling achey – as curcumin is great for inflammation – I’ll have one with anything rich in oils at the same time – increasing that bioavailability.

You can’t have too much of this stuff as it’s like some vitamins – it doesn’t hang around for a long time in your system. Basically, the more the merrier. After all it’s been around with proven healthy outcomes in Ayurvedic medicine for over 4,000 years. Now that’s a long time in the bigger system of things!

The internet is full of information on both Curcumin and Turmeric, so no point in duplicating it. The point of this article is to get you looking into ancient practices that have worked, to empower yourself and come back with questions ( if you can’t find answers that work for you). Most of all it’s to open your eyes and mind into living well, knowing that living in harmony with nature and trusting in it’s bounty – gets us closer to our optimal living template and further helping us down regulate the stress and inflammation of modern living.

So I’ll sign off with a few things that Turmeric (and curcumin with pepper) is good for. Essentially it is known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and antioxidant effects and a strong standby for skin conditions, digestive issues, period pains as well as many other aches and pains including arthritis. More recently it’s been found that contribute to protecting your brain as you age and has shown promise in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Here are some of the areas in which both turmeric and curcumin have shown clear benefits, backed by science: Osteoarthritis: Obesity: Heart disease: Diabetes: Liver: Cancer: Antifungal: Antibacterial:

Using your favourite search engine – search Turmeric and your issue and presto you’ll have started on your journey. Also look at the many amazing recipes that uses Turmeric including Golden Milk an age old yogic and Ayurvedic application.

UPDATE: I’ve been asked quite a number of times in both private consults and our Nature Sense course “what my favourite Curcumin supplement is?” – it’s from the nordic company AAVALabs and if you use BMCC at check out you’ll get a discount.

Stone age men didn’t take Supplements

The wisdom of our ancestors certainly is an important measure to optimising our biology but there’s nothing wrong with taking a closer look at how they lived to see what was going on and if it could work for us. To harness their natural wisdom, to supplement a stronger shield against today’s tough living.

However the assumption that previous generations didn’t take supplements is actually not true. Ancient supplements include root, stem, and leaf teas targeted for specific symptoms, medicinal powders ground by mortar and pestles, and highly concentrated oil extracts. Just because these dietary extras don’t look like the capsules and oversized tubs of protein powders, doesn’t mean that they weren’t popping a bit extra of what made them feel good!

Further our ancestors didn’t have the antibacterial living that we experience. They consumed dirt, which we now know contains a wide range of beneficial minerals and probiotics along with good bacteria and viruses. So we’ve to make that up and top it up! Compounding our depletion are the methods that we use to cook, and consume food in the industrial world. These are also pretty different from those of our ancestors which has also contributed to the deficiency in our overall nutrient availability and absorption.

Take our food, generally these days we eat only animal muscle and discard the collagen-rich connective tissues. Previous generations – as recent as our grandparents – simmered animal carcasses for hours, for bone broth, liberating collagen, gelatine, and fat-soluble vitamins from connective tissues. In a way, the soups our ancestors consumed are equivalent to the joint supplements that proudly line the wellness and sports shelves of our health food shops.

To learn more about ancestral nutrition maybe ask your parents what foods their parents or grandparents prepared. Reflect a while about how indigenous tribes can carry water on their head for miles – where some of us in our twenties are too busy balancing the latest charcoal latte complete with a plastic lid – to consider where these notions or needs – came from.

So yes our Stone Age relatives did supplement and Yes we can learn from them! In this modern world the key is to eat simple, eat variety and dump the junk. And supplement? Why not! Perhaps in addition reflect on your curcumin or charcoal latties and ask ‘would my ancient biology like this’ and if so what’s the nutritious story behind it? Because there is one. It makes Nature Sense!

What is Health Optimisation in the 2020’s?

A Historical Look at Health : What can we learn from Paleo Times?

People are always surprised to hear that we as a species are not at our peak! We have this sense that we’re advancing, that we improve with every year. But is this really the case?

From digs to studies it’s been shown that paleolithic humans were taller, more keenly in touch with their senses and showed no sign of disease such as we have today. Their main threat outside of childbirth was from other animals – and each other! But certainly not their own biology as is the case today. Death then was from outside – now death is from inside – predominately the exponentially rising chronic illnesses of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, brain disorders, inflammations all generating from within. Even the current much reported ‘pandemic’ – the overwhelming majority of deaths are occurring due to a reduced internal immunity and secondarily illness.

So is this a key to our health? Our species, classified as Homo Sapiens (meaning wise humans) are the most recent in a line of hominids who’s history stretches back into what’s referred to as the Paleolithic or the prehistoric period which dates around 2.5 million years to about 10,000 years ago.

Post primate evolution we were preceded and at times shared the planet with a number of now-extinct hominin relatives, including Homo Erectus, Neanderthals and Denisovans. Many of whom – as species lived for hundreds of thousands of years – very much longer than we sapiens have yet to achieve. We are the last surviving human species.

Putting this into context – it may feel like we’ve been around creating huge volumes of historical achievement forever, but everything we know has just covered 10,000 years! As if pre-history means no-history, implying there’s nothing for us to learn. Is this right?

It was around 10,000 years ago that our species changed from being hunter gatherers. At that time we lived with the light and slept to the dying embers of fire.

Our diet was obtained by fishing, hunting birds and wild animals as well as collecting berries, fruit and nuts. We were surrounded by a world of plenty living for the most part, in harmony with our surrounds, with Nature. We were at the peak of our Nature Sense.

This most harmonious of times for our species also marks a point in history when we biologically started to disconnect – to devolve. It was when we started to get sick: Our teeth rotting, our skeleton shrinking and chronic disease showing up in our skeletal remains, never seen in previous finds. Despite the great PR that farming receives in our evolution, this marks a decline in not just our biology, but also life for many other animals. We started to domesticate (not just them but also women where their role became dependant and owned as much as the animals!) This sedentary shift ironically brought with it a much harsher life, with less variety in food and more vulnerable to weather as well as a much challenging life of planting, harvesting and building. Bringing us to now where we value any invention that stops us moving and increases our sitting! We are en rout – unless we become aware of our hubris – to be the shortest living of the hominoid species. So much for the ‘wise’ human!

Of course there is no denying the incredible advances in surgery and some medical discoveries but only time will tell if the big pharmacological advances are as beneficial as we believe. After all the medical establishment is the third biggest killer in America with the rest of the west not far behind. We hail antibiotics as remarkable – without question, in many applications they are – but they may ultimately be useless as we are increasingly suffering auto immune diseases. Much of this rising tide of illness is due to our lack of understanding of the importance of viruses and bacteria and the stark fact that we are actually made up of over 50 percent virus and bacteria. To kill them, kills us, kills our innate immunity.

Our overuse and reliance on many of our man made chemicals, the whole way up the food chain from farming to ‘health’ and with it an increasing philosophy of a one shot cure for everything is leading to a Homo Helpless. This idea that the GP’s bible of medicine is somehow more advanced than finding a cause, than living optimally – ignoring our innate natural health – is making this generation the first to die younger and sicker than their parents at any time in history! And now stepping into 2021 we’re set to be even sicker from our increased inside living and screen addictions.

We do not need to be reminded with the world health crisis how elements such as virus and bacteria are so much stronger than we are. Perhaps trying to eliminate the building blocks of all life will seem in time, as backward as we perceive humans who knew nothing of taming fire.

So to close, what’s the solution as obviously our earth is no longer the earth of 10,000 years ago? Awarness and acknowledging there is a challenge is the first step. That we have become misaligned with what our biology needs to thrive a real need to be recognised. Allowing ourselves to consider ‘How do we live well when our lifestyle is predominately sedentary, that our life having jumped from being 90%outdoors to now more than 90% indoors!’ The first is to admit we have a challenge.

But Human’s have survived – and we do rise and thrive in challenge. Let’s acknowledge and then Act.

Realising that we are part of nature, that being apart does not serve us. That learning to live in harmony not just with nature, but our tech. Health optimisation recognises that we need to be in sync; encouraging earthing, healthy living, eating with the seasons, dumping the junk. It’s also about recognising that our good food has depleted nutrients so sometimes supplimentation is needed. That filtering water to eliminate fluroide and chlorine to nurture our guts is important. That many medicines are not the best solution and a recognition that so called alternative medicines are a good first call in many cases. That the simple things are actually the easy way to start. Walking in a park, Forest Bathing, talking with friends, learning to cook so that you can buy organic and make it last. Paleo or Primal eating. Growing veg, not using pesticides in your garden, turning your phone off at night, reading books, chucking hours of social, upping your vitamin intake, stop wearing SPF all the time, bringing in mindfulness, turning off mainstream news, learning how to breath deeply… there is so much that this is just the start of even more information that you can find here.

Choose just one, heal yourself – It’s just Nature Sense.

Nature Sense is about connecting with a reality that makes you feel alive.

Move it Move it

Are you an Active Couch Potato?

Living a modern life for many means we’re spending increasing periods of time sitting. Since 1960 the number of jobs that involves sedentary activity has increased by a massive 83%. That’s a whole lot of sitting! What are the implications?

It was found that our athlete heroes are actually not necessarily better off than those of us who are partial to a bit of sofa love. Dr. Richard Weiler, who’s credentials include physician for a British premier league football club and Senior Sports Physician at the British Olympic Association, looked into what his footballers did off the pitch. What he found was surprising. About 80% off pitch time was spent in sedentary states.

I’m reminded of my favourite dystopian film Wall-e!

It turns out that just because we exercise, it doesn’t give us a pass to have a mega ass-rest. Too much sitting is bad. Just a few hours of sitting suppresses a gene that helps our cardiovascular system maintain a healthy aspect, and reduces the reparative inflammation that works our natural defence against injury. Not good for a footballer, not good for us. This gene specifically reacts to how are we spend our whole day. It reacts to our overall low intensity physical activity. A burst of exercise doesn’t seem to turn these identified genes back on.

These genes are sensitive to sitting but not affected by exercise.

All it takes is over 2 hours of sitting and the gene suppression begins. If you spend about 7 hours a day sitting you need a solution! This is where low intensity physical activity comes in. We’ve to start thinking about doing just a little bit of movement spread over our day rather than packing it all in at the end or at the beginning of our day. When we do these intense exercise bursts we tend to think we’ve earned butt-time and crash on the couch – it’s called the ‘compensation effect’. But the key is we’ve got to stay moving all day. Micro moving! This is good news for those who aren’t that fond of exercise.
Bonus: Moving also helps clear our mind, our productivity goes up and so does our processing.

Researchers discovered 70,000 deaths a year in the UK were linked to a lack of activity. Westfield Health surveyed 2,000 people for the NHS and found only 60 per cent knew inactivity was bad for their health, but sadly only 12 per cent thereafter took action to reduce the time they spent sitting down.

So what can we do?
1) Start using a standing desk or if that’s too much a hybrid standing/sitting desk. There’s treadmill desks too if you feel eager!
2) Set a reminder on your phone and get up to think on your feet.
3) Don’t send internal eMails – visit in person and deliver the information.
4) Take some stairs if it’s just a few floors to get somewhere.
5) Go for a walk in a local park at lunchtime.
6) When you are standing – be mindful of standing with your shoulders back. Balance.
7) No playstation sitting marathons for you ( or the kids! )

.. To be honest it’s fairly instinctive – but also quite personal to how you live your life. Just give it some thought and know a little can make you healthier than a pro-footballer! Who knew emptying the dishwasher could save your life! ?

.. What can you do to Move a bit more throughout your day?

CBD with Therapy

As a specialist in Anxiety Solutions I am increasingly being asked both professionally and by friends just ‘What is CBD’?

We’re hearing so much about CBD these days, people talking like it’s magic, the wonder solution to all. Well it’s not. However people do use it as a food supplement much as people might Chamomile to sleep. Whether clinically proven or not they use it for anxiety, stress, insomnia, PTSD and some situations of ADD with their personal reports ranging along the spectrum of symptoms gone to an ease of feelings.

For my part I help many clients come off anti-depressants with talk therapy, but here too are people who claim great results with CBD supplementation.

My concern over these claims is: – that irrespective of whether someone is taking pharmaceuticals prescribed by a medical doctor or considering CBD – guidance, support and or therapy should always be included. For instance, I find it more than unacceptable that people are prescribed anti-depressants, without actually having the support of qualified talk therapy too. GPs are not qualified in psychotherapy. Ultimately taking an anti-depressant without identifying and supporting what’s actually wrong is just putting a plaster over the situation as opposed to helping someone, empowering that person to understand or cope. And it’s the same with CBD.

I’m in horror ? when I hear that people go to popular high street chains and expect the person who is working the till or managing the stock to be able to advise on CBD? But people don’t even know what questions to ask or what to consider. It’s a confusing area.

All in all. If you want to fix the electrics, get an electrician don’t DIY. All responsible psychotherapists have to undergo continuing professional development and learnings – and that is the case for my part too. So ask someone who knows.

Please contact me for a complimentary consultation.

If you are considering CBD the below are good questions to consider in your choice. The products I use satisfies these.

1) Products grown outside in the sunshine,
2) Grown in organic soil,
3) Grown in Europe under licence
4) No GMO
5) No herbicides
6) No pesticides
7) Only brand qualifying for US prescription authorisation.

And know that the experience that one person has, may be different for others.

CBD isn’t classified as a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, it isn’t in the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 either. As long as no medical claims are made and it is clearly marketed as a food supplement, then it is legal to possess, buy and sell.

I am a psychotherapist, not a medical doctor consequently I am qualified to help with mental health.

Ancestral Health: Why is it important

The future is here: self-driving cars, virtual assistants, and groundbreaking medical technologies—along with stubbornly high and growing rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, autoimmune disorders, allergies, asthma …

We’re living in a time of incredible innovation and advancement, yet we’re sicker and more overweight than ever before. Chronic disease has reached epidemic levels, and modern medicine can’t seem to halt its progression.
Our disease has essentially moved from outside of us – infectious diseases, to now coming from inside – chronic disease and it’s killing more of us than every before.

By following the blueprint for healthy living that our hunter–gatherer ancestors laid out for us so long ago, we can help stave off the long list of uniquely modern chronic conditions, stay naturally lean and fit, and age gracefully.

Chronic disease may be our “new normal,” but it definitely isn’t our “normal normal.”

Paleontological and archaeological findings have gathered much evidence about our ancient’s health, but perhaps the best argument for us being mindful of this health is the fact that remaining hunter–gatherer societies—who live as closely as possible to the way our Paleolithic ancestors did hundreds of thousands of years ago—don’t generally suffer from the most common chronic conditions. For instance Type 2 diabetes is so rare among these and other contemporary hunter–gatherer populations that few reports looking into its prevalence even exist.

Mismatch: Why our Health Is so Different from our Ancestors’ Health

So what happened? How did the majority of us go from being naturally inclined toward health to being seemingly guaranteed at least one debilitating diagnosis in a lifetime?

In a word: mismatch—between our blueprint for living – our genes, physiology and biology on the one hand and the modern environment we’re living in on the other.

All organisms are adapted to survive and thrive in a particular environment. When that environment changes faster than the organism can adapt, mismatch occurs.

Our environment is almost unrecognizable from that of our ancestors, and we aren’t eating, moving, or resting like the hunter–gatherers that we still are, biologically. We know from hard evidence that this mismatch—pitting environment against biology—is the primary driver of chronic disease.

Some of the starkest examples of this include studies and observations of existing 21st century hunter–gatherers reporting that when they leave their villages and trade their traditional ways for a Western lifestyle, they develop diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular complications.

Our hunter–gatherer ancestors provided us with a blueprint for healthy living.

Eat Real, Nourishing, High-Quality Foods

The fastest way to recover your natural health is to return to a way of eating and living that more closely matches what your genes and biology are designed for. We know, without a doubt, that hunter–gatherers did not consume refined sugar, flour, and seed oils, (or what is referred to as “the three horsemen of the apocalypse”) because they promote overeating and inflammation, which is at the root of all modern disease. The introduction of industrial food processing has had the most detrimental effect on our health of any other factor in the last few hundred years—and possibly in the entire history of humankind.

Move

Movement played a major role in daily life for hunter–gatherers. After all, they spent the majority of their time, well, hunting and gathering. They had to exert themselves, and often quite strenuously, to survive: our ancestors sprinted, jogged, climbed, carried, and jumped intermittently throughout the day, on top of walking an average of six miles and running one-half to one mile per day.

In other words, they didn’t sit all day like so many of us do. We spend endless hours working at computers, watching TV, and commuting by car. In fact, the typical city dweller is now sedentary for about 60 percent of his or her waking life and sits for an average of six or seven hours every day. Sitting has been called the new smoking, and for good reason: it’s linked to heart disease, insulin resistance, cancer, and the list goes on. What’s more, research has found these same negative health outcomes in those who exercise but still spend the majority of their day seated.

Sleep More

Conjure up an image of a hunter–gatherer, is he or she lounging lazily on a sofa? Although they were almost always on the move, these people relaxed, too. Our ancestors alternated strenuous and demanding days of physical activity with days of rest, an instinctual response that protected them from injury and fatigue.

Our modern lifestyle is a stark mismatch in this regard. We live in a culture that values productivity and activity above all else and is almost scornful of rest and relaxation. “Resting” for many people means browsing the internet or engaging with some other kind of sleep-sapping, artificial light-emitting electronic device that is anything but restful for the brain and the body. We’ve not only forgotten the value of rest—we’ve forgotten how to do it.

Sleep soundly, and for seven to eight hours a night. You can’t be healthy without adequate sleep.

Stress Less

Our ancestors experienced stress when fleeing a predator or out on a hunt. But, they punctuated these stressful times with moments of calm. We simply aren’t built for chronic stress, as evidenced by the immense amount of research illustrating that it wreaks total havoc on our bodies.

There’s no way to completely remove stress from your life, but you can avoid unnecessary stress by learning to say no to projects or commitments you can’t handle, staying away from people who get your blood boiling, and turning off the news (or at least limiting your exposure to it), as examples. To mitigate the harmful effects of the stressors you can’t avoid, try relaxation practices and techniques such as walking in nature, yoga, and calm breathing.

Prioritise pleasure. Dance, sing, listen to music. Be social, play with your pets, laugh with friends, love your family and spend time outdoors. Eat local and sleep.

Adapted by NatureSense from
Chris Kresser, M.S

Shining a light on our Mood

Here’s some of the QUESTIONS that people ask me in my practice?

Why don’t I have FOMO but JOMO?
I’m anxious but I just don’t know why.
I’m so tired – always, even after I just wake up.
Why can’t I get pregnant?
I can’t seem to think straight – everything’s foggy?
I want to come off my medications …

We all are touched by these questions every day, and every day we have to put them to the side (and where does that stuff even go?) The questions I’m asked in my practice have changed over the years. I’m going to shine a light on what’s going on but also give you an insight into how we can live better, with less stress in our screen filled world and reduce that background hum of anxiety we do seem to carry.

With tech we’re like kids in a SWEET SHOP. We know deep down so much of it is bad for us, but we like the stuff and taking it away would be horrible! We’re at a stage where we think tech is the big solution – and we’re not that wrong – but we need to take stock and understand how to combine our digital delights effectively with our lifestyles in order to not get sick.

Much of what we learned in school is outdated – that we only use 5% of our brain the rest just junk -Mistake! The same with DNA the bits we didn’t understand we labeled Junk – Bigger Mistake! And up until recently we were increasingly we taking our arrogant ill-informed wisdom out on the SUN – it’s evil was the guideline for doctors! That is until very recently when the Nobel prize in science and medicine highlighted the importance of circadian biology. The rhythm of day and night. The sun has got bad press. But it’s one of the keys to our health and wellbeing.

SUPERCOMPUTER
How would you take it if I said Wifi has been around for – yep, billions of years. The receptors working on data transfer the speed of light with software powered by water and chemicals. That’s us and the sun! Our Circadian Nobel prize winners discovered what the ancients long knew about the sun. That is’s vital. Delving deeper into science it turns out, that our eyes do not just do the job of seeing but they run the supercomputer – in not just us but the whole planet – in every single living thing on it. Even in blind people – they still have the receptors to set our software in motion to set our master-clock.

STEPPING INSIDE
We used to live 90% outdoors, now we’re 90% indoors. We’ve lost connection with our WiFi system. Exacerbating the circadian disruption is that inside our bright world we’re further staring into lights – screens. LED and screen or blue light . With the full spectrum missing, the natural built in warning means it’s like you’re staring at the midday sun! Your body thinks it’s high noon – all day and into the night. This excess light time also disrupts our other clocks. A fundamental one is our digestive clock – it seems as long as our eyes are open our mouth is open too! So not only is our sleep – our reparation time – disrupted so too is our eating cycle – we’re now averaging a span of about 15 hours of light time and eating time. We’ve got a biological mismatch of cogs and clocks.

ILLNESS
Without optimised circadian time keeping – the door opens to obesity, coronary and cancer diseases and emotional disruption – from our moods to our ability to think clearly. Clocks and cogs keep things running smoothly. In the way the world eventually agreed to a common clock that GMT is 00:00 meaning we can get flights, launch satellites and use servers globally. But without which we have costly confusions like with the States who have all their dates backwards and have had to rework space programmes because they were using out of date measuring systems when everyone else is in metric. Having a master clock makes things work .. like clockwork.

OPTIMAL LIVING
Our new tech has not been designed to work with us, the more advanced biologic interface. We’ve got to give ourselves a break though. Mother Nature has had more than a few billion years to get to perfecting us. And she never left us the instruction manual … so how do we keep our sweeties, adjust and go forward. It’s no secret that doctors are overwhelmed and left behind – medicine is not helping as it did and for many it’s now even harming. Coupled with that in this digital age, we’ve also got the age of information, people have taken things into their own hands – it’s called Optimal living or Biohacking or if you don’t buy into the computer analogy it comes down to the same thing. How to live in Harmony with tech.

THE DARK
As with most great things – it starts in the bedroom! This is the only place you’ve got actual control of in your 24 hours of modern living. So it must in this modern age truly be a sanctuary so that you can become physically as well as emotionally resilient of your day. There are 100’s of daytime Biohacks optimising modern living that we could go into, but your bedroom triggering our repairing and sleep hormone, melatonin, must be the place you start. And actually it’s the most simple.

First it’s the power of the dark that ultimately brings light into our life. If you’re on your laptop close to bed time or staring at your phone until your turn off your LED light. Well you’ve just told your melatonin that it’s mid day. So it goes away till much later. Or perhaps you ate close to bed time so your body has to work, not repair. Basically what’s happening in these instances is that you’re just getting fat and sick at night. Hack wise, bedrooms must be dark and ideally have red lights only or salt lamps. Think sexy. For that a midnight wee – ideally a night red light in the bathroom.

Learn to respect the bedroom. If you’ve children a red only light is the only light that doesn’t trigger the wake up cells. Red light at night. Parent’s delight!

Wifi – and charging your phone: Don’t do it in the bedroom. You’re just charging your head and stopping your hormone system working optimally. You’re mismatching the code into the supercomputer. It has to work overtime, you wake up tired.

LIVE LONG LIVE WELL
I’m about Anxiety and Workplace Wellness. I’ve only touched the iceberg of optimal living. It’s just one part of my practice, one that takes in understanding the environment that we’re in so we can be well longer physically and mentally. Thriving in a screen filled world. About respecting the supercomputer that we are. Understanding that we’ve moved far from Nature and that’s not good for us. Getting outside more with a good Circadian understanding and a dash of Biohacks are a fascinating growth area to balance this.

Discovering the most advanced computer on Earth

ancestral living nature sense spain and london

We’re mammals that lived 90% of our life outdoors. Now we’re over 90% indoors, “So what!” we shout from our Alexa managed, central heating life, while drinking a diet soda from our internet synced fridge.

I lived the dream. Wide open beaches, hanging with my family and friends watching the sunset. I went for three months – came back after 7 years! On returning, most people didn’t focus on why I went away or what it was like. It was always why did you come back?

Was it a gut instinct. Or perhaps just that seven year cycle of change. Who knows for sure but coming back was, I thought, the end of my practice – Nature Sense, but it was only just the beginning.

Life there was pretty good. On driving back home to my small fishing village, the continent and mountains of Africa to my right would rise and the grounded expanse of the beach lay in front to welcome. It was away from the more formal setting of my clinic in Gibraltar that I developed NatureSense. I’d see my clients – in the hills or on the beach.

Nature is just laden with metaphor where interpretation is oftentimes just not necessary. Change for many just happened – and for many it was easier. Plus there was just a connection to something greater. When you sit on a sand dune with the Mediterranean to one side and the Atlantic gazing out across the strait – knowing that in times past there happened the world’s most amazing waterfall, bursting the banks of the ocean to create the sea. It’s then you know without words there’s a whole ton of stuff that’s so much bigger than you are. It shifts you. You actually realise what the word ‘awesome’ is and it’s a million miles from describing the latest Marvel comic release. It’s something you feel.

How did that fit into London? At first it didn’t – returning back seeing clients – I was working with a new puzzle. So much more anxiety than I’d been used to, so much more medicated depression and worse, loneliness with all the stresses. People I’d seen before leaving the city were stressed because of something identifiable. But here, now – it was like I had to become an Anxiety Whisperer – to decipher and explain that anxiety was a friend not a foe -that it was trying to deliver a message. But one that was getting blocked.

I was finding I had to get people to reacquaint themselves with themselves they’d been on anti depressants for so long that they didn’t really know how to react. I had to convince people that anxiety did have a reason. That it was OK to feel it not fear it.

It was hard – so I had to dig deeper into the story, I had to look into the darkness of the city to find out what on earth was making the experience of this wonderful city so hellish, for so many.

On one of my early morning walks with the dog -( my therapist!) – I realised that I was dealing with people who were quite simply not just disconnected from each other – but from their fundamentals. Sure they were having trouble with their rent, were going through break ups, wanted to talk at meetings but found it scary .. but the thread went deeper. They carried something with them – I first thought it was just being too busy, but that was not really fully the answer. Perhaps it was social media, again not really the answer and eventually I realised it was because they were disconnected from life. There was a wire disconnected in their plugged in world. With a fundamental missing they were working with only half the power. Resilience was missing, emotional intelligence neglected over academic pursuit, eating shit food, Netflicking their nights and weekends away but still being tired … and never ever going for a walk. A simply but fundamental to living well. Or to coin the phrase that is now so often used, but so little understood – wellbeing.

If it was as simple as going for a walk – wouldn’t we all do it. Well no! As it’s not so sexy, it’s way too old fashioned, and besides how advanced is walking? We have smart phones now, we’re totally dominating whatever is to be dominated. We have an app for everything so walking? Seriously!

I had to agree – so I knew I had to go deeper. And that’s how I discovered the most advanced biological computer – us – and how to hack it.

NEXT
Shining a light on our mood

Why Going Outside is Good for You

Time outdoors can do wonders for our mental health, but we often neglect to fit it into our day. Green therapy helps us to feel connected and embrace uncertainty, says positive psychologist and therapist Fiona Austin

Eco therapy, Green therapy, Biophilia… there are so many words to describe the oldest therapy in existence.

With the increase of technology in our lives and the exponential surge in pace, it is no mystery that there’s a corresponding acceleration in anxiety and depression. Bizarrely many are looking away from the obvious natural solution to balance this: Prescribing on one hand even more technology, in the form of apps and CBT bots and on the other hand, even more medication. In reality a complementary answer lies on our doorstep. Simply being outside. This is not new, there’s more supportive data on the efficacy of going outside for health, than we know what to do with.

It used to be that a child that was different was one one that stayed in doors, while the others played outside. Now it’s the other way around. In the past, on weekends many of our parents made room for a walk. Now, it seems people have lost the art of a healthy use of free time. The pursuit of joy is dying with the attention demands of a plugged in life. People opting to just veg and box binge. The fact is, is when we experience a challenge, a change of scenery or pace we become exhilarated and that effort results in positive energy. Sofa surfing drains us, but just walking by the water can be energising! We’re growing apart from what balances us naturally.

As a specialist in anxiety, many people that I see suffer from an undefined hum of dis-ease, stopping them going out or being socially present, or worse just not following their desires. Then follows a type of depression or hopelessness. In my therapeutic programme called Nature Sense – my clients explore a gentle way to reduce their stress, their issues. It’s essentially about developing our innate common sense, the sense that has never let us down and got us through many a millennia to where we are now.

Has nature become an inconvenient place where there’s nowhere to charge our phone? I’m no luddite, but personal technology seems a bit like alcohol, a little can be nice but too much and then we’re in an abyss. There’s a notion that squashing our natural side, our flow is better because we believe, to be in control of nature makes us somehow stronger. Prescriptions that include experiencing nature through a VR headset along with a vitamin D supplement is touted as better than actually smelling and feeling it. But it’s Vitamin N for Nature that we need.

Just because we think we can control the environment doesn’t mean that solution is more effective. On the contrary, it’s the unpredictability of nature that increases our confidence. It’s the patterns that shadows cast that trigger our creativity. It’s the wonder of the smells and sights that take us from our problems, into the moment where we meditate without even knowing how. We’re mindful and suddenly we’re happier.

One of the things I do with my clients in our Walk and Talk sessions is just walking randomly. We don’t stay on a path, we explore – and this is in central London, not some big forest. Simply the metaphor of going off the path can be harnessed to leading into exploring your dreams of what you’d like for your life, if you strayed off the path. Possibilities seem more tangible when you work outside.

It’s been reported to me by clients that normally when they see a therapist, there’s at times a silence but when this silence happens in a walk and talk session, it’s accompanied by the sound of birds, the rustle of trees – they’ve said “it feels easier”. “It’s a gentler therapy, more powerful.”

Of course there’s screentime – we clutch on to our phones in social situations blocking us from connecting. With nature therapy it’s phone down face up. It’s teaching you to connect with confidence and know that the answer to your life is not within the phone, but within the ability to give yourself space to think. It’s mindfulness without the app!

It’s not just my clients, I also teach therapists and coaches irrespective of their school of thought or background. Teaching other therapists is important in a bigger sense too. If we don’t value being outside, who’s going to save it for us. We are the stewards of this fragile earth. It’s important we show how valuable being outside is otherwise the green spaces we have around us, will just turn into car parks. So I teach therapists how to safely and responsibly harness the power of the outside for their clients and for us all.

It doesn’t matter if you’re in a city, the countryside or by the sea, client or therapist – learning to bring the outside within – to heal – is the most wonderful gift. It’s about going outside to heal inside.

After all, the the first lady of therapy is Mother Nature herself, it’s time we let her guide us!

This article originally appeared in Welldoing.org

Fiona Austin is the lead therapist in BMCC: Body Mind Therapy Practice. Where mental health is something that’s integral to your lifestyle.

Channelling our inner Squirrel ?

Seasonal affective disorder nature Sense

.. or are you more a bear?

Understanding SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder.

With the nights getting longer, some of us are truly affected. Understanding that this is just our inner mammal getting ready for hibernation can go a long way to turning around what is for some an extremely debilitating feeling.

It’s a fact that when summer is behind us and autumn rolls in, GP’s start to get themselves ready for the increase in seasonal blues at their surgery. Correspondingly, in the office, managers and HR departments receive an increase in sick notes with the nebulous ‘low mood’ listed as the reason for absence. In medical literature this is known as SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Symptoms of what is medically classified as a mild to moderate depression do include feeling sad but also can include a general lowered mood, anxiety, lethargy, social withdrawal, decreased libido, increased appetite and at its darkest, literally and figuratively, hopelessness.

There’s a widespread misunderstanding that simply clinically observing a sequence of patterns is sufficient enough to conclude there is “something wrong with us”. Then with our feelings named into a disorder, we oftentimes take ourselves off to the GP, who due to time, resources, process never mind a lack of psychological and dietary training – often resort to medication. Increasingly for talk therapists we see people prescribed antidepressants who don’t realise that once you get on that train, there’s no easy way to step off. Antidepressants themselves are definitely not seasonal!

When we understand that our seasonal reaction is normal, our anxiety can dissipate. This in turn can open the door to us using this time for – not just our mental and physical improvement – but also our productivity. Knowing these patterns are actually quite normal and may not need medicating, but just self awareness and informed understanding, can really help.

It’s important before we all press through that shinny foil for perceived winter happiness that we consider a number of aspects. First and in its basic form, we need to both deal with and accept that summers end and that can feel pretty grim in itself. It’s OK to feel this, but better to understand the feeling and give it a more appropriate name. Recharge could be one. Taking a more business perspective it could be considered a good time to capitalise, yes, put our heads down but instead to be more productive while it’s there! Building on this is the inescapable fact that we are actually still mammals, (maybe if a squirrel doesn’t fit your style, what about a bear!) This decrease in our upbeat flip-flop feeling is evolutionarily appropriate. In the not so distant past, winter was a time that food was scarce, the days shorter and colder, so a little extra cosy in the cave feeling, was appropriate. Electric lights and falsely longer days have had a deleterious effect on us. Our body’s evolution took millions of years, relatively new inventions do not mean we have fully physiologically adapted. Hence our body influencing our feelings.

Obviously there are people with SAD that are actually much more than just sad and who are deeply affected. First thing to check – and is normally not part of a doctor’s remit – is our Vitamin D. This is especially relevant to people of colour where Vitamin D insufficiency is more prevalent due to the differing melanin absorption. That said, the more pasty of us do also need this this sunlight boost so as to metabolise effectively and for our cells to function. Light it is said by many is as important as food! This brings us to diet. In the summer, we’re not just outside more but we’re also eating in a different manner. Diet must be considered but again is not part of a doctor’s main training. Let’s just say, takeaway pizza with a side of doughnuts washed down with a coke are not really going to help with your mood. Our nutritional considerations are closely followed by the big one – exercise. Our body including our organs were not designed to be placed quite so much on the softest purchase from Sofaland or propped up in the latest ergonomic chair. It’s all still sitting! We need to get up more. Thankfully, unlike in the US, British and European doctors ‘prescribe’ exercise as a first-line treatment for depression. So get out there! (Even squirrels leave their tree in winter.) Apart from the benefits of movement in itself, exercise positively impacts dopamine and serotonin. The very same chemicals that antidepressants aim to manage. There are innumerable studies that detail regular aerobic exercise is as effective as antidepressants in reducing symptoms of mild to moderate depression. Unfortunately traditional psychiatry lags far behind psychotherapists and health coaches in terms of treatment considerations, preferring medication prior to talking! Not a way forward. Talk therapy is by far the most beneficial route for seasonal blues and may need a minimal of visits to reframe ‘low mood’. Further, if coupled with any of the above insights correctly applied, can make a world of long lasting difference.

Alas, popping a pill and watching Netflix, seems so much more inviting to many! We must realise that the impact of taking antidepressants along with staying indoors even more, is simply not a way forward for our health and longevity. There’s so much you can do before medicating away the winter. We are programmed to have SAD – so let’s start calling it out for what it is as opposed to a named cluster of symptoms. What about squirrelling? Maybe not – but let’s at least talk about it and learn. There’s nothing wrong with having season blues. It is very well treated with talk therapy and can be the key to living an incredible winter, as opposed to one that disempowers.

 Fiona Austin is a positive psychologist and optimal health coach practicing in London, online and in the workplace.

The groundbreaking benefits behind your barefoot summer

.. What can you do to Move a bit more throughout your day?

CBD isn’t classified as a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, it isn’t in the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 either. As long as no medical claims are made and it is clearly marketed as a food supplement, then it is legal to possess, buy and sell.

Adapted by NatureSense from Chris Kresser, M.S

Understanding SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Adapted by NatureSense from
Chris Kresser, M.S