Wellness is a Many Splendored Thing 🙂

Because the world is so unpredictable and shaky, people are more anxious than ever. It makes sense considering the demands of the extra stressors, our digital dependencies, COVID, the news of war and refugees, and more. As you know, I have developed many relaxation and self-regulation techniques. However, considering our holistic approach to well-being (CLICK HERE to go to my NOGA Wellness Solutions page) stress management and relaxation are just not enough for overall wellness. Since we are made up of the body, mind, and soul, we need to consider the other areas of self-care in the disparate area of wellness. In our NOGA Wellness Solutions® brand, we divide overall wellness into eight areas: Movement, Mind, Ambience or Environment, Nutrition, Stress, Sleep, Spirituality or Soul, and Social. (These will be discussed in further detail, be”H, in upcoming installments.)

Even if our main goal is stress reduction, nevertheless, we need to recognize the impact the other areas have such as diet, sleep, and more. To share a personal example, many years ago when I was social work director in a kosher, skilled nursing facility, I thought I’d be clever. I could sleep a little longer, not eat at home, and then eat breakfast when I got to the facility. My natural, “go-to” breakfast food has always been eggs, which I would eat nearly every morning before work. Eggs give me a feeling of being solidly grounded and stable. I have also loved eggs since I was a small child. Skipping my homemade breakfast, I had time for more sleep. When I’d get to work, after the punch clock (do they use those anymore?), I would go straight to the staff dining area and get breakfast with my colleagues. However, what was served was a fully, carbohydrate-ridden array comprised of toast, oatmeal or cream of wheat, coffee (of course in those days, 30-plus years ago, it sported sugar and of course, caffeine), orange juice, etc. You get the idea. Carb-laden with the extra kick of caffeine. Before I knew about holistic nutrition (and the world never spoke ill of sugar in those days), I did not know about glucose spikes and the insulin response. As a social work director, I had a big responsibility and was on the move quite a lot in our 220-bed nursing home. Soon after I began eating at work, I noticed I was ravenous, shaky, and sometimes irritable by noon. I was on a sugary roller coaster. The social work director of a 220-bed nursing facility cannot become irritable three hours into an eight-hour day 🙂. It took me a while to realize my folly in exchanging my revered eggs for empty sucrose, fructose, and glucose! I had a brainstorm. Since I had a little “in” with the kitchen staff, I asked them if I could get hard or soft-boiled eggs instead of hot cereal. Once I reintroduced my hallowed, grounding breakfast food, the shakiness and irritability stopped immediately. Since then, because of my high energy level, and sensitivity to sugar and refined carbs, I do not often have those kinds of foods anymore, certainly never alone without protein or healthy fats, and B”H, I never have a hypoglycemic reaction.

So, returning to the point of my story, stress management is not only a consequence of having a relaxing schedule or breathing, meditation, and calming techniques. One must stop and pay attention, be mindful and look at what’s happening inside, then listen to your inner wisdom as to what you need to do. This method I call “Stop, Look, and Listen.” (See meme below.) Various other lifestyle elements can impact our reactivity and emotional wellbeing, and we shouldn’t dismiss them since they are in another “category” than “stress management.” In the next few installments, be”H, we will discuss the various areas of wellness in a more detailed way. Meanwhile, please CLICK HERE to enjoy and if you’d like, relax to the free download of my piece “Harping on Clouds” through the end of March.

ALSO, don’t forget to download my new app that is launching in Beta mode (see card below). Feel free to send your comments to: Apps@Toratherapeutics.com

Other free downloadable resources can be found HERE.

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With Gratitude,

Rus Devorah