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Archive for the ‘stress’ Category

Feeling Burnt Out? You’re Not Alone!

Posted on: January 5th, 2022 by TouchStone Health

By Julie Robertson, CCLS, MSW, RSW

How Are We Feeling?

Is anyone tired yet? Feel like crying, yelling, or stomping your feet with the latest provincial restrictions? As we continue into this 4^th wave of the pandemic and kids return for another round of online schooling, many are feeling pushed past the point of being able to hold it all together. So go ahead, cry, stomp or yell (maybe into your pillow) and let everything you feel have its place. The more people I talk to these days, the more I realize that so many are experiencing burnout from the challenges of the last two years. Yes, we’re coming up to two years living through the ups and downs of the pandemic, and that is a long time to be under this much stress.

What is Burnout?

Feeling burnt out is a concept we threw around maybe a bit lightly in previous times to describe big stressors such as crunch time during exams, busy streaks at work, or shuttling kids to activities on top of working and caring for family members. Those things all have potential for burnout but add a pandemic on top of that and it seems almost inevitable that most people would be fizzling and fading out this far into it. One difference is that before, we often caught a break. Exams finished, workloads ebbed and flowed, and kids activity sessions ended with each season. Now, there has not been the same balance, no end to the stress of the pandemic, and so much unknown with all of it that we are left is stress mode for way too long with no way to rest and recover. Even if we are eating healthy balanced foods, drinking water, going for walks and getting fresh air, for many people it doesn’t seem to be feeling any better. This is beyond the tired of before and recognizing it for what it is can help switch from swimming in circles to energy conservation mode, allowing the chance to heal when we have space. Burnout can be described as the imbalance between too much stress and the lack of resources to cope with it, or “feelings of depleted energy or exhaustion because of continual stress”.

Some symptoms of burnout could be:

Feeling exhausted, despite efforts to relax and replenish
Irritability or hostility
Difficulty concentrating
Change in sleep habits
Feeling distanced from others, friends, family, kids
Lack of fulfillment in work, parenting etc
Feeling trapped

My Coping Tools Aren’t Working!!

So, hands up if you’re feeling depleted from continual stress? How many are feeling the lack of resources to cope with that stress? Are the tools you usually pull out to help cope just not working under the current circumstances? I don’t think you’re alone with that one! The things that normally help us cope like taking time off with friends, some alone time with a cup of tea, going to the gym, connecting socially with co-workers to vent, or even accessing affordable healthy foods have all been interrupted. Health care workers, teachers, other front-line staff especially are struggling with the heaviness of working in helping professions and holding other people’s emotions. Those working in services jobs also have the stress of face-to-face contact, and grumpy grumps complaining about not getting enough ketchup packets with their order is adding layers to an already stressful industry to work in.

Is Parental Burnout a Thing?

And then there are the parents of school age kids and youth, who are now facing another few weeks (at least) of doing it all and having no space to take a breath and regroup. Parental burnout is noticeable on the whispers, sometimes loud whispers, of many parents who feel like they are hating being parents right now. On top of feeling the burnout symptoms, many parents then add on shame and guilt for not enjoying their kids as much as they ‘should’, or for not being able to provide as much support as their kids need right now.

Now What?

So, after recognizing we’re feeling burnt out, what do we do if our usual coping strategies aren’t working anymore, or we can’t implement them because of the circumstances we’re in?

1. First, breathe. That’s all, if nothing else just breathe. Pretend to smell freshly baked cookies with a deep breath, then blow out to cool them off.

2. Let yourself feel. Everything that is coming up, even the hate, anger or frustration has a place and can be honoured. Just because you have those feelings doesn’t mean they are permanent, but they are valid and can be allowed to be recognized and named for what they are. And scream into a pillow if you need to, just maybe warn people nearby first.

3. Go back to basics of survival. Eat, sleep, create ways to feel safe and prioritize the most important things to get through each day. Oh, and water, don’t forget to drink water!

4. Move. If your body is already stressed to the point of being in fight or flight mode, don’t push it further into stress by pressuring yourself to fit in workouts you would normally do when feeling good. Be gentle, move your body, get some fresh air, or just stretch when you have a few minutes throughout the day.

5. Reframe your thoughts in helpful ways. After letting all the feels do their feeling, look at picking out a few mental statements that have room for a shift in perspective and try them on. Things like “I can’t stand a messy house, I am failing at keeping it together if I can’t keep things organized” could shift to “I can’t stand a messy house, but it won’t be like this forever (even if it feels like it right now). I can leave the toys where they are and focus on doing one load of laundry for today”.

6. If help is offered, take it, or not. If having your mother-in-law in your house for the day to ‘help’ doesn’t feel very helpful, then saying a polite no thank you might be the less stressful choice, and that’s ok.

7. Talk to someone. A friend, a counsellor, a neighbour, a sympathetic pet. Journaling or making voice notes to vent can also be helpful. If you’re really feeling down, call a helpline or head to your Emergency Department.

And that is all I’m going to say because a bigger list is not always better. In times of crisis, illness, burnout, we can let go of all of the extras we have padded onto our lives, the frills, bows and expectations that aren’t essential to what we need, and just focus on taking care of the things that get us through. The frills and bows and be added back on later, if we still want them that is!

If you feel you need more support finding ways to cope that can fit with your circumstances, consider booking a free 15-minute consultation, or go straight to booking a 50-minute session with Julie. All sessions are virtual, Social Work fees are covered by most insurance plans.

By Julie Robertson, CCLS, MSW, RSW

TUINA – ACUPRESSURE BODY WORK

Posted on: May 3rd, 2021 by Anna Totzke

By Anna Totzke, Registered Acupuncturist

Tuina is a type of bodywork based on Traditional Chinese Medicine principles. Tuina focuses on the pathways in the body called meridians to help encourage circulation in the body. Acupressure is also applied to acupuncture points to promote healing. Depending on the client’s constitution and concern, various Tuina techniques are used to help the body to heal by either: unblocking, nourishing, warming/cooling, dispersing/gathering, stimulating/calming, and helping with circulation throughout the body.

I enjoy applying Tuina along with cupping, acupuncture, or moxibustion but is a wonderful and effective treatment on its own. Tuina is also a great option for people that would prefer a needle-less treatment or a more hands-on approach.

Tuina Can Help With:

Muscle and Joint Pain and Weakness: Back pain, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, cervical spondylosis, wry neck, chronic neck and shoulder tension, back pain, sciatica, leg pain, hip pain

Menstrual / Fertility: PMS and menstrual problems, painful periods, irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, fibroids, infertility

Digestive: Digestive & inflammatory bowel conditions (IBS, colitis, constipation, diarrhoea, Indigestion, poor appetite, epigastric pain, abdominal pain)

Head / Sinus Issues: Headaches and migraines, Sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, facial paralysis, toothache, teeth grinding, TMJ issues

Respiratory / Chest: Palpitations, angina, cough and asthma, plumstone throat, rib tightness

Emotional / Mental: Stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia

We Can do Hard Things and Everything is Figureoutable

Posted on: September 14th, 2020 by TouchStone Health

by: Dr. Amanda Cressman, N.D.

I’m always so grateful when the right book comes along at the right time. I’ve had this happen recently when I read Untamed by Glennon Doyle and Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo.

For many people, this year, at this time, in this season is bringing about very hard things where perspective can be lost. These words have helped restore that for me.

In my house, I have a few select quotes that are hung up in rooms as I try to instil these thoughts into my children but also into myself. In my children’s playroom I have this framed quote, “Everything is Figureoutable”. This quote comes from Marie Forleo and her book named just that. Marie is a life coach, an enterpreneur and many other things. She is an example and a reminder that we can define who we are and how we experience things with our attitude and perspective.

A week into having this quote up and framed in our house, I was doing some computer work where I was needing to learn a new system which is one of my least favourite things to do. My youngest daughter saw me sigh, looking defeated and stressed and said, “mommy, you know everything is figureoutable…you can figure this out.” I had put up this quote in their playroom that very week and shared the concept with them, bringing it up when they were frustrated, teaching them that they have the ability to figure things out. When my daughter said this, it made me smile large, seeing that a 5 year old had locked these words in as a belief in a few short days where I obviously had more work to do. I repeated it in my mind

I love this phrase because it’s playful, it’s positive and it’s powerful.

And it’s been very helpful in this peculiar year, in this precarious season as we all have no idea what the next bit of time will be for us all.

But Marie reminds us that everything is figureoutable. I just need to get my mind out of the way to make room for solutions and ideas. If you like this phrase and feel as though it could benefit you, please feel free to download this image.

The second book that has been helpful is Glennon Doyle’s, Untamed. It is a powerful piece of work. It’s raw, it’s real, it’s courageous and it’s important. Glennon shows up authentically on each page and if you have the audio version of her work, she’s as good of an orator as a writer, which is saying something.

Out of many of the highlighted quotes from her book, this one has landed the strongest for me….“We can do hard things.” We are all continuing to experience changes with uncertainty of the coming months, but her words, “We can do hard things” is inspiring and instills in me, “yes, I can do hard things, I’ve done a lot of hard things before and life brings about hard things….I can do this, my kids can do this…we all can do this.”

It’s why I love Naturopathic Medicine, because my job is to help people figure out why they are experiencing what they are experiencing and how to get back to who they wish to be. And sometimes that work is hard. Asking people to look at their lifestyle, to change patterns or behaviours that are blocking them from health is hard stuff.

For me as a person, as a parent and as a Naturopathic Doctor, resilience is what I strive for. Resilient people can weather the season changes of life with grace and and with perspective.

This coming season of life is a big one for us all. It is asking us to be flexible, to be conscientious, to be considerate and to be patient.

For whatever is going on in your life, I hope these words from these two extraordinary women will be helpful…knowing you can figure things out and you can do hard things.

If you like this phrase and feel as though it could benefit you, please feel free to download this image.

Showing Up Authentically

Posted on: May 22nd, 2020 by TouchStone Health

by: Dr. Amanda Cressman, N.D.

This post is looooong overdue. It has been 10 weeks from today that I had been seeing patients in clinic when COVID-19 had changed our lives.

It’s been such an interesting time and for anyone who knows me, you know I love the word interesting as it is a great umbrella word for a variety of experiences. What’s so bizarre and difficult to wrap my head around is the variance of experiences in the past 2.5 months. How this virus can be life threatening to some and not to others, how the isolation has been horrendous for some and absolutely welcomed and enjoyable for others and the financial implications for so many people and businesses. The only thread of consistency is that we are all connected in this, that this experience has affected us all and that among the variances, we are in it together. We all know that life will never be quite the same hereafter- how businesses will run, how we interact with each other and ultimately how we perceive others.

With so much disruption, it is jarring, especially for those who are wired similarly to myself.

The reason I called this post Showing Up Authentically is that I ask people in my practice to do this. I value authenticity and to ask it of others, which means I need to always ask it of myself….especially when it’s hard to do so.

When stress happens we often do one of three things. We fight, we flee or we freeze. My response when all this began was to fight. My nervous system was spun. Sleep was altered with the dreaded 3 am wakeup where my mind racing, the wired but tired feeling throughout the day was present, causing great levels of anxiety, the change in appetite and cravings were not great, to put it politely and the overall heaviness of this new and very unwelcome reality was felt. But with time, the fight died off and the freeze took over, a feeling very new to me – numbness, fatigue, lack of motivation and deep sadness. Collective grief was spoken about a lot in that time and was a great analysis of what we were all experiencing.

But like all things, there is a season, thank goodness there are seasons in nature and in life…as that fight and freeze response had passed to the present reality of acceptance and even finding joy with the changes that have come from all of this.

The point of this article is to remind you that you are not alone and that whatever season you are presently in – whether that be fear, joy, uncertainty, anger or ambivalence…you are not alone. It’s been an honour to connect with people over the last few weeks and months, hearing their experiences, sharing in their story and supporting them…as it’s been really hard for many. There is so much information out there, that many of us are in mental overdrive. It’s hard to digest it all, knowing what to trust, wondering when things will change and how it will all look. With all the mental chatter, it takes work and effort to connect with ourselves on an emotional level, really listening to what we need and giving space to feel it. For me, as a health care practitioner, I’ve struggled with feeling some of these not so pleasant feelings and grateful to have given room for them to be felt.

Everything has a season and this has been one of the most bizarre seasons of my life. I think many can relate to that. The more we share, the more we open up about what is honestly going on in our lives, the more we remind others that we are in this together. Showing up authentically is easy when things are great but not when things are tricky. I hope however you are feeling, wherever you are at, that you are remembering your goodness, your worth and that you are not alone.

Helpful Resource

Posted on: April 6th, 2020 by TouchStone Health

by: Dr. Melanie Reidl, N.D. Naturopathic Doctor

I can’t recommend the ‘Calm’ App enough. With nearly every patient that I see, I write the name of this App on their prescription with the hope that it supports their individual mindfulness meditation practices. Also, I often play a guided meditation from Calm during acupuncture sessions so that my patients can practice mindfulness meditation and learn about mindfulness during their appointments.

Why do I recommend this App so frequently? Research continues to show that mindfulness-based therapies can benefit general psychological health, stress management, pain disorders, and as an adjunctive treatment in depression. When practiced consistently, mindfulness-based interventions can reduce stress, anxiety and depression symptom severity, as well as protect against recurrence of some mental illnesses. Pretty amazing, right?

I hope Calm helps you, wherever you’re at with your mental health, as much as it’s helped me.

In case you forgot…

Posted on: July 31st, 2019 by TouchStone Health

What are your big rocks?

Posted on: December 10th, 2018 by TouchStone Health

Change of season often brings with it just that…change. The easy going energy of summer and transitionary time of fall have passed and we often find ourselves busy with routine once again. Amongst the winter season brings physical and emotional stressors…particularly the months of December-February. Kitchener Waterloo is a busy city with very busy people. I see many people in my office trying to juggle a lot and often come in when the stress has become too much, resulting in anxiety, depressed mood, insomnia, etc. For many, prioritizing self and our health can be tricky when so much is asked of us.

It’s a time to ensure care for self is a priority as this season often brings increased expectations and busyness.

I once heard this great story about a teacher from an elementary class who wanted to remind his students about the importance of priorities. Apparently this is a true story.

Each kid was given:

a gallon jar with the lid
a pile of sand
4 large rocks
a pile of gravel
handful of little rocks
a pitcher of water

The teacher asked the students to fit everything into the jar and they attempted to do so. Many combinations were tried but after 10-15 minutes they gave up, saying it was impossible. The teacher then showed them how to strategically fit everything into the glass jar, proving it wasn’t impossible. First the large rocks went in, staggered upon each other. Next were the little rocks, that fit in between the empty spaces, then the gravel, then the sand and finally, the water. Each smaller item filled the spots that were left open and finally the lid was put on.

The teacher then shared with his class, the point of the exercise: Life is always going to be very full…with demands and expectations from various areas of ones life and our job is to figure out what the ‘big rocks’ are and ensure they are a priority.

I was told this story about 25 years ago and have remembered it. As I have grown, the prediction of that teacher proved true – that life is full with expectations coming from so many places. But when I have identified what my ‘big rocks’ are and ensured they fit into my jar/life first – everything else seems to sort itself out. The key for me though, was remembering that my ‘big rocks’ change from time to time….some weeks/months demand something different where a former ‘big rock’ has needed to become a ‘small rock’ in this analogy.

This simple example reminded me that there needs to be fluidity in our lives with our goals/ideals. Life is full of varying experiences and we need to support ourselves amongst that diversity.

I hope this simple story is helpful, reminding you to honour what your ‘big rocks’ are and knowing that nothing is set in stone, per say…things can change from time to time. But give space for honouring them and seeing if everything you desire fits in the jar more easily and readily thereafter.

Amanda Cressman, N.D. Naturopathic Doctor

Stop Staring, it’s starting to get weird

Posted on: April 24th, 2017 by TouchStone Health

I recently saw this quote written by a friend and it made me laugh out loud. I love laughing out loud…it doesn’t happen that often but when it does, I take notice.

“By the way, your past called to say, stop staring, it’s starting to get weird.”

Dr. Rajesh Ragbir, N.D.

If my past could talk she’d definitely yell this out with a few other words as a reminder to move on, to stop being stuck. It’s so easy to get stuck though, to stop and stare. Part of the staring can be helpful – to reflect, to learn and understand how to change outcomes in the future, but so much of the staring is the opposite of helpful. Why I love this quote so much is the friendly and humour-filled reminder points out that the staring is weird. Just like if you caught someone staring at you for long periods of time, it’s weird. You can’t do anything about it, so stop staring, stop ruminating, stop beating yourself up over a moment that is done.

So much about getting better on all levels of our being, whether that be the emotional, the mental or the physical is about moving on…not being stuck. Yes, reflection is important and necessary at times, but the staring…not so much. What a fun and playful reminder Dr. Ragbir, N.D. gave us with these words. I hope if you catch yourself staring at the past, that you’ll gently remind yourself to stop and maybe in that moment, you’ll stare around at the now where real change can take place and where you can actually do something about it.

Dr. Amanda Cressman, N.D.

Expectations

Posted on: January 9th, 2016 by TouchStone Health

The holiday season is a time of year where expectations run high. We’re told where to go, how long to stay, what to do, what to eat, what to buy and sometimes even, how much to spend. Now, of course they can also be filled with wonderful moments and experiences but that’s not what this blog post is about. This post is about dealing with the expectations from others and from ourselves. We are past the holiday season, but the expectations don’t go away…especially those from ourselves and they are the cause of great frustration and stress for some. So, how do we work with them?

I had a very different holiday season this year, as I kept a mantra in mind. It came from Brene Brown and it really helped. A few weeks ago on her facebook page she wrote, “Choose discomfort over resentment.”

I’ll write it again, “Choose discomfort over resentment”

I liked it immediately but knew it would be hard. I have been very good at ensuring others are not uncomfortable while at times I can be overstressed, overtaxed and inevitably become resentful for overextending myself. This past season, I kept Brene’s mantra in mind and created a holiday season that worked for me.

So, I said no…a few times to a few different people. I said no to others and yes to myself. It was hard but I feel so much better with no uncomfortable resentment lurking inside.

Boundaries are one of the biggest things I talk to about with my patients. Whether we’re dialoging about boundaries with family, coworkers, children, etc. When people breach our boundaries we feel the effects and what can start, as annoyance and frustration can then become bigger issues that can affect our health. This is where I see people with anxiousness, panic attacks, long standing resentments, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, etc.

This year consider using Brene’s mantra. If you haven’t put your needs first in awhile, it may be difficult, even incredibly uncomfortable, but consider it. Choosing discomfort over resentment doesn’t mean others will necessarily be uncomfortable, it just means you’re choosing to do what genuinely feels right. And when we do things authentically, I believe we all win. See what you think.

Dr. Amanda Cressman, Naturopathic Doctor

564-572 Weber Street North, Unit 3A
Waterloo, Ontario
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