I received some heartbreaking news today that challenged my ability to stay calm, focused and grounded. I’ve been an on-site health adviser/practitioner at Elephant Pharmacy for the past four years and learned today that the company has closed its doors. Elephant Pharmacy was a small retail chain in the San Francisco Bay Area offering choices of holistic and allopathic options for health and well-being. This company emphasized healthier ingredients, green living and customized services for their loyal customers. As a health practitioner, I was able to interact on the sales floor and/or provide brief health consultations with shoppers. I would then devise a medicinal tea or herbal blend right on the spot, happy to help those in need. What a pleasure! Sadly, these challenging economic times had an overpowering impact on this relatively new business. Employees and loyal customers already are feeling the loss.
I am deeply saddened that Elephant Pharm is gone and will miss this great resource, my fellow employees and the many open-minded customers that chose to shop there. I’ll also miss this vast resource of ayurvedic, chinese and western herbs. But, rather than stay downcast and depressed, I asked myself what would I advise my clients in this situation? It’s time for me to heed my own health & counseling advise. Here’s my quick tips for stress reduction, grounding and renewed clarity of mind:
Breathe...
- Breathe, breathe, breathe. For clear thinking and serenity, we need some good old oxygen to feed our brain cells. When we are stressed our breath becomes shallow and suppressed. So take a moment to sit up straight, put a slight smile on your face and imagine that you are a puff of air flowing inside the lungs, staying still for a moment and then releasing gently into the atmosphere. Repeat with the intention to go just a little bit deeper and this time pause a bit more after release. Continue for three minutes and feel the change in your body and mind.
- Get outside and move your body. Activity and exercise always support a healthier state of mind and being. Movement brings about deeper breathing and grounding of the body. If we practice our movement outside in a natural environment we become more aligned with all parts of nature. This helps to adjust our state of being. I especially enjoy getting out and walking by water since this also helps to cool an aggitated and overly intense mind.
- Creatively look for an unexpected opportunity. We each have our unique talents and mine are harmonized with the world of herbs and flowers. After today’s breathing and walking exercises by my favorite stream, I realized that I need the support of my beloved herbs and flower essences to shift my mind and emotions. Yes, I want to feel my feelings but I’d like to take them to a higher level of awareness and insight. Anotherwords, I’d like to get out of the muck of sadness and grief rising to the surface of hope and clear perception. So, I’m now devising a new herbal tea blend called “Debra’s Be Happy” Tea which I’ll be drinking tonight. After I’ve found my perfect formula, I’ll make it available to clients and friends for stress reduction, uplifting of spirit and clarity of mind. I can’t wait to get started!