Kasona

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Anxiety – that curious beast

Anxiety – that curious beast, it’s holding me back.

There plenty of this flying around, especially in today’s current climate. How can I be anything else?

I was driving the other day and the song Sad still by Quinn XCII came on Spotify. He sings “We don’t want to feel this bad, so we sweep it under the mat, I take this red pill, green pill, black pill, I know deep down we’re sad still”. Then it goes on about our mask, images on instagram, reality stars, how it’s a taboo, and needing something stronger than Advil.

So if we’re taking all these pills and we’re surrounded by “successful” role models, why do we still feel sad?

Well for all those reasons and more. Comparing yourself as not good enough to all the shiny pics on social media, the stories on how fabulous my life is right now, not talking about how you really feel and not living as your real authentic self, all contribute to a less than happy self. Add isolation and uncertainty to all this, it seems like a mountain not a mole hill to climb.

In order to manage and solve a problem, we have to get very curious about when it started, how it works and what outcome you’re wanting. So
when,
how &
what

Three simple rules of the structure of the problem. In order for a problem to remain, it has to be in balance, some good and bad reasons to keep the problem. When the scales are tipped, as in I’m so uncomfortable with this, it’s not serving me anymore or it’s more hassle than it’s worth, then we can work to find a solution.

So the taboo part, I hear people say, “oh people think I’m so together, I’m exhausted at the end of the day keeping this mask up, I feel it starting to crack”. What if people saw you for being human, just like everyone else, not knowing everything, not being in control all the time. Would that be so bad?

Or the other side of the coin. I have clients that say “everyone knows I’m anxious, so I have an excuse not to do the things I don’t really want to, as I say my anxiety is high today, so I don’t have to tell them how I really feel and hurt their feelings”. Who would I be without it, I’ve had this for so long, I don’t know whether it’s the anxiety speaking or me.

Whatever the reason you’re anxious, just know it, own it and decide right now what you want to do about it.

Some clients say, oh I’ll have a think about that tonight and try and let it go. So I say, oh you want the problem for another 6 hours or so and then you’ll be ready, how about right now?

Because it’s become so familiar, it’s like an old relationship, that you know you should break up with, but just don’t have the Ooomph to get you over the finish line.

It can feel tiring to let go of old habits and patterns, I get it. Clients feel like they’ve had minor brain surgery when they come in and see me. Which they have, because their neurons are making new neural pathways or rather reconnecting old ones, re-routing and firing off into another direction. But it’s more tiring to carry them around, The anxiety is like constantly having a heavy ruck sack on your back full of rocks. Each old unserving pattern you let go of, the bag becomes lighter, you feel more able to breathe, you see things differently and begin to appreciate the here and now and get excited about the future instead of worrying about. You know what it’s like at the end of the day getting that heavy bag off your shoulders (or that restrictive bra!!) It feels great to get it off, to finally fully breathe.

So the 3 step – When, How & What.

When did it start – Was it a memory from when you were young, or after a big event in your life. If you can’t remember a time when you weren’t anxious, where did you learn it from? Was a caregiver always anxious, do all your family worry about everything. Some problems are ingrained in our DNA so ancestorial patterns need to be cleared.

How – how do I know I have anxiety, what physical and emotional sensations do I have. Where in my body do I feel it. Is it a constant feeling or does it happen at certain times.

What – what do I want to do with this anxiety. What does it mean to me? Do I want to keep it?. Is it useful, do I get more attention, can I ask for that attention elsewhere, What do I want to feel like, what will happen if I’m not anxious anymore?

Sometimes our biggest fear is not what we think it is. Our biggest fear can be stepping into our most fabulous self, because we might over shadow our friends and family and make them feel inadequate or bad. They might say who do you think you are or reject us? Standing out from the herd and being seen used to mean danger to us, challenging for the “top spot” of leader, banishment could mean death without the protection of the tribe. But raising ourselves up does not over shadow anyone else, you become the sunshine, the bright light that lifts others, that leads the way to freedom and personal success and shows people how it’s done. If others have an issue with your success, that’s for them to recognise and heal within themselves.

A candle that burns bright can light a thousand other candles, but does not become dim it’s own light in the process

3 steps to success

Movement
Motivation
Mindfulness

You maybe wondering why motivation is after movement, surely I need to feel motivation in order to move? That’s not how our minds work. Even the most motivated athletes, speakers or great writers and artists have times when they don’t feel like showing up . But instead of saying, oh I’ll give it a miss today, they move, they go through the familiar patterns and steps that’s led them to the success they’ve already felt. We have muscle memory, when we exercise regularly, that kicks in and helps us through a work out. We also have the same muscle memory in our brain (even though it’s not a muscle) which activates and keeps us moving forward towards our goal. Then as we’re moving and taking action, our motivation kicks in.

We feel motivated to carry on until our desired predetermined time, then we “must” turn and look back at our progress and celebrate our success. That’s a very important step. Our mind will then store that information and replicate it again more easily. So when you’re not feeling the motivation and you start to move, many references will filter in and spark the motivation quicker.

Then there’s mindfulness – In order to cement these new patterns and behaviours we have to practice mindfulness, because it’s easier to snap back into old comfortable patterns (like those sweat pants and sloppy t-shirt you love so much) than it is the keep in the new unfamiliar ones, until they’re practiced and become your new habits.

We need to change the stress levels in the mind and body. We can’t change how we first feel, that’s our human-ness 🙂 but we can change if we react or respond to the situation.
When we’re running too fast in our mind, stop, breathe, look around for 5 things I’m grateful for, then close your eyes, breathe, count to six as breathing in, notice the breathe coming in, hold for three, breathe out for three, change the counting to suit yourself. Say I’m in control or my thoughts, my thoughts don’t control me.
Are my thoughts true, are my thoughts kind, are my thoughts useful to me. I can let the negative go and bring forward my happy and safe place and feel good. Go to a very happy memory where you feel relaxed and everyone around you is smiling. Really feel it. Well done.

I control my thoughts, my thoughts don’t control me

Much love
Karen Aitken
Kasona – be happy, stress less
www.kasona.com.au
0414 973394

Successful people aren’t born, they’re created

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The real jewel in your life (your immune system)

Diamond image by Daniele Levis Pelusi

Your immune system is you. It isn’t a separate organ, it is part of your whole being. It knows you, it works for you and with you. Processing and clearing virus’s, protecting you from harm. Helping to maintain a fully functioning immune system is vital for optimising your health. Food is your fuel, but it needs to right environment to be processed.

Here’s 9 steps to to maintain it

  1. Sleep – Regular sleep patterns with healthy routines is where your body gets rested and it has time to rejuvenate. Your brain clears out toxins when you sleep. It has a unique way of reducing the size of your blood vessel in your brain, so lymphatic fluid has space to clean out waste while you sleep.
  2. Sunlight -Daily sunlight increases your Vitamin D intake and helps you to feel better. Walking or sitting in dappled sunlight or tree bathing as the Japanese call it, increases serotonin (one of your feel good hormones)
  3. Light exercise – 6 days a week do some stretches, walk, move. It doesn’t have to be too strenuous. Little and often is the key. Movement is good for your mind, body and soul.
  4. Reduce stress – Calming your limbic and peripheral nervous system with massage and tapping techniques can actively reduce your stress. Increasing positive neural pathways, letting go of old limiting beliefs and past trauma can bring a better sense of well-being)
  5. Stay hydrated – Drink at least 2 litres of water daily. To stay accountable, measure out in a jug or large water bottle and you can mark on the side the times you need to get to that measure)
  6. Eat vegetables – A plant based diet, with some meat if you want, instead of a meat based with a few vegetables is a better balance. Aim for 5 handfuls of leafy greens. Eat a rainbow as the saying goes.
  7. Avoid sugary food and alcohol – Sugar causes inflammation in your body and alcohol increases toxins, both lower your immune defence.
  8. Take vitamin C – Boosting immune health is easy with vitamin C. Whenever you start with a cold, increase your dose. Vitamin C also enabled the body to absorb iron for red blood cell production too.
  9. Have a probiotic – (Kombucha or Kafir) around 70% of your immune system is located in your gut, so having healthy gut microbes enables your body to produce the right balance of hormones, get nutrients from food, improve moods. There’s many ways to get hold of kombucha. It’s very easy to make it yourself. I’ll do a video soon on how to do it. Check Facebook groups for starter scobies, and kafir cultures can be bought from health food stores.

Adopt these practices and feel good you’re making a real difference to your immune health.

Karen Aitken

www.kasona.com.au

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Finding your calm in the chaos

When the shit hits the fan and you have so many plates spinning in the air and you barely have time to breathe, it is still possible to find calm in the chaos?.

Meet Mabel, when she was a crazy puppy, she’d eat socks, shoes, dead things, poo, the dining room chairs, headboards, coffee tables and the latest is our mattress protector.

Now this picture is staged for demonstration purposes only. The original incident was met with much more swearing and arm flaying, and slightly more nudity (dropping towel due to arm flaying) She was discovered to be devouring our bed when she was left unattended while I had my 30 second turn around and get wet shower on a school morning. At present all 5 of us are sharing the small ensuite, because we currently have no walls or floor in our main bathroom.

Timings everything

At the time we got her we were having house renovations done,
lots of tools, equipment and random baths and toilets around our house, dust everywhere, so much dust!!!.
Work people in, out and around morning to night,
a new puppy (need I say more),
school blues,
after school sports,
teenagers ( need I say more!!),
work and social commitments,
juggling finances to pay for surprise extra things,
tiredness
the list goes on and on

But why did I feel so calm?

Because I’ve found a way to navigate through each and every one of these obstacles. I’ve found my true value, which is

family, relationships and connection.

All the other stress around me is just “stuff”. Yes they can be difficult and challenging, but they don’t affect my core values.

When you change how you look at a problem and see it as an opportunity to grow instead, even if you’re overwhelmed, upset and confused by what’s happened or what someone else has done to you. Say “I’m upset, overwhelmed and confused right now. I accept it” Kerwin Rae an inspirational speaker and business advisor says at times like these, ask yourself four questions.
1. What is the benefit of it?
2. What can I learn from it?
3. What skills will I gain that I didn’t have before? and
4. How is it going to help me move forward to bigger and better things?.

Then watch how your world changes, when you apply this logic to every problem.

My husband and I have had our differences of opinions on, well most subjects, one being getting a second dog. He’s danced his familiar dance, when things have been getting difficult, but I’ve just said, yes you can rant and complain, that’s up to you. Or you can take a breath and enjoy the ride. She’s going to be here for around another 14 years or so, decide if you either entertain or upset yourself with a hundred I told you so’s, or you flip your mind to the positives.

Although Mabel is a family dog, our youngest son (then aged 11) asked for a rescue dog for Christmas. That’s all he wanted, well apart from some chocolate of course. I said to him the other day, “on a scale 0 – 10 how much happier are you since Mabel came to live with us”…he said “mmmm out of 10, I’d have to say 22” So that’s what’s important, bringing love and happiness to our lives.

The stressful times pass. Like raising a child (or dog) and they become memories. You choose how you hold them.

Look at her now. Like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. Still partial to the occasional sock ( the sweatier the better)

“Your final step in your journey isn’t the most important, it’s your next”

I’ve helped many people “flip their switch to positive” with the treatments I offer. Having mindfulness, fasterEFT/Eutapics combined with hot stones and remedial massage has been just what my clients have needed to feel different and open themselves up to change. It’s a unique combination, that addresses old habits and patterns, then rewards your mind and body when you let it go.

If you know someone who could benefit from this, please forward on this email, or book in and see me yourself.

I’m all ears 🙂

Be bold, be couragious, stand tall. Nobody said it’d be easy, they just promised it would be worth it “Anon”

Karen
www.kasona.com.au
0414 973394

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Trust me, you’ve got it

Trust me, you've got this
Relax and take five, you’ve got this 🙂

I’m totally amazed at human resilience and determination. No matter what life throws at people, they have the ability to take a deep breath and carry on.

Stress hits us at times we think we really can’t take anymore. Loved ones getting ill and possibly facing their last breath, business’s where heart and soul has been invested into them folding and leaving you homeless, and day to day grind of putting one foot in front of the other, even though your bed was warm, you got up and ready for work. You smiled at your kids as they tipped the cereal box too far so it goes all over the floor, spilling milk onto their last school uniform, just as the dog throws up all over the rug (because the easy cleaned tiled floor right next to them isn’t where they aim for).

When life gets too hard
When life seems too hard, overloading and down right unfair. Just be safe knowing you’ve got this, you have dealt with so much in your life, that this situation, no matter what it is, no matter how difficult and stressful, is only temporary, you will get through it. But you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out, ask for support, be vulnerable and communicate with a friend, relative or professional that you have an understanding relationship with. Clients, friends and fri-ents know that my door is always open. Just reach out and connect.

When you need help

But what about when the therapist needs some support too, where does she turn?. I recently was so low I really had the urge to run away. I did reach out and messaged a friend and opened up, to be greeted with no response all day, which confused and upset me. I could see she’d read the message (blessing and curse of iPhones) but no response.

Now if I was feeling self destructive I could internalise this and decide no one is interested in what’s going on, but it’s all about timing and choosing wisely. Don’t give up after the first encounter, be acknowledged, be heard, make sure you get what you need. Sometimes a busy friend isn’t the best person to reach out to. Booking an actual session with a qualified professional, be that a counsellor or an amazing massage therapist who you can relax with. Remember, the first pancake you make is usually wet and soggy, you don’t give up on the first one and think they’re all going to be like that, you keep going. If the first one doesn’t hit the spot, open up to another, then another. Pause and gather your thoughts. Breathe and know you’ve got this, you’re in safe hands (your own) and you can and will find the lesson in this encounter and move on to feeling happy again, when you’re ready.

Just remember you don’t have to “fix this” right now. Let it settle, let it be, put it out to the universe to give an answer, ask questions, be curious how and why it’s happened now.

If you’ve been diagnosed with a disease, it’s a dis-ease with yourself. Think about how you can get back in balance with your emotions, your life, your relationships with self and others and how you can nourish and replenish yourself. Get to the route cause of the issue and there you will find your answers, the pieces of the puzzle that maybe were out of place. Your body is a slave to your mind and it has an amazing ability to heal, allow it to happen. Treating symptoms with drugs, puts a sticking plaster over the wound, then a side effect from suppressing the body’s healing system will occur, so more drugs will be needed to feel “normal” again. Please know there is no such thing as normal, it is just a setting on the dishwasher.

Managing the overload
I have clients that all of a sudden start experiencing feelings of being overwhelmed. They can no longer function well at work and are unable to think straight. A client called John came into my clinic the other day. He’s been having dizzy spells, brain fog and anxiety. On further investigation into his belief system and where he learned it, he discovered he was doing a job he felt he needed to do to support his family, his relationship with his wife lacked emotional and physical affection and his kids were now independent and left home. He hadn’t addressed how he felt about how he always felt responsible to his mother, with his father been mostly absent and then dying at an early age. How he has always had so much pressure to perform.

After bringing him to the now, breathing and releasing the negative charge from his emotions, he set some intentions for what he wanted, he enjoyed how excited he felt channeling his energy into this. How his relationship with himself is the most important. How to feel and ask for what he needs. How living a life caring for others is important, but not if it strips you of your identity. Respect and appreciation is not only feels good, but is necessary. A person that is appreciated will do 110% and still want to do more, but someone who has expectations to perform without even being thanked, will feel taken advantage of and their self worth will depleted.

Your happiness is your destiny
I urge you to find your own rhythm and path in life. Life isn’t always easy, but it sure can be fun. Love the ones you’re with, send positive thoughts to those you’re not with and always communicate your thoughts and feelings. Build and nurture your soul. You’re SO worth it.

Best wishes

Karen

Kasona – Be happy, stress less
www.kasona.com.au
0414 973394

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The art of self care and why you should do it

feed your soulThe person that gets the formula for work/life balance right all the time, could bottle it and make millions. But what is right for one person, is the complete opposite of what another person needs.

But why do it? Is it that important to be balanced and look after yourself.. ABSOLUTELY YES.

Recently I’ve been having problems with my lower back. It’s been causing lots of pain, affected how I’ve felt and my relationships. Getting up on a morning has taken more time than usual. How has this happened? Because I’ve been busy looking after everyone else, but letting the things that feed my soul slip.

People view pain in many different ways. It is a useful tool that your mind uses to keep you safe, an energy blockage in your joints and a reminder you have to look after yourself.

Pain manifests in our mind first, then presents itself in our bodies. Dealing with how we view pain is the first step to releasing it. If we concentrate on the pain, see it as a problem, feed it with more references why we should be in pain eg. my back aches because I always have a bad back, my Dad had bad back, there’s athritus in our family so I’ll get it when I’m in my forties too, my back aches when I’m stressed. It’s an endless list why we should have pain. But what if we saw this pain as an opportunity to change and grow? If we acknowledged we feel pain in this moment, but what can I do to find a solution. Do I need to look at my diet to reduce inflammation in my body, do I need to stretch and exercise more, do I need to think positive thoughts about myself and other people? These questions alone can put you on the path to feeling better.

Live boldly
Live boldly

To make a change, I had a big think about what my purpose was, why am I here?. I’m a seeker of knowledge, I watch many Ted talks and inspirational speakers who’ve turned their lives around from being at their lowest to now feeling fulfilled and happy. And I realised my purpose is to help as many people as possible to deal with their stress and find a happier self. Starting with me.

In my stress management and massage work, I strive to empower others. One step is to create understanding on how to evaluate whether the problem is theirs or someone else’s, because there’s many people out there that would like you to believe you are the route of all their problems, so you need to change. But when we step back and take time to look objectively, it could be the issue lies with them and you simply enable it. Then I help work out what steps to success they need to climb to reach their goals. I use the word climb on purpose too, not because it’ll be a struggle, but because when we climb to another level, we can look down and see how far we have come too, not just how far we still need to go.

Problems are present in every situation and each step of our lives. It’s how we perceive them that makes a difference to how we feel. If we embrace the challenge and see problems as opportunities for knowledge, growth and understanding, we make a switch in our minds and we become a happier and healthier self.

I can’t control time, but I can manage my time better. So I’m back on track, every morning before breakfast I start with
Uddyana Bandha breathing  which releases the abdominal lock which channels energy in the central energy meridian
A few simple yoga stretches,
I give gratitude to 5 things in my life and
I consciously let go of negative thoughts I have about myself and others. A thought only becomes true if it’s backed up with a deep belief.
I also walk every day and have regular massages.

Making changes in my regular routine has released my back pain, given me mental clarity and brought greater happiness in my life. I invite you to have a self care policy that gives you what you need to feel good and in balance. If you need a little help in finding it, give me a call and we’ll work through it together.

Find your purpose and skills to change how you think, feel and be.

Karen Aitken
Remedial massage therapist & Stress management coach
0414 973394
www.kasona.com.au

By changing your inner world and your outer world changes too – Robert G Smith

Contact Us

Call Karen on 0414 973 394
Or email kasonamassage@gmail.com

5 Grassdale Rise,
Aberfoyle Park, 5159, Australia

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