This week I’ve been revisiting the notes of a webinar on women’s health that I attended recently. Various pieces of research are sited which discuss the link between traumatic events in your childhood and chronic health conditions as you get older. It’s fascinating stuff, and no surprise to anyone who works holistically.

Your brain doesn’t forget what it’s been through and if it’s not helped to heal, the trauma can manifest physically.

Many people will find that they seem to cope okay for years if not decades, but then things catch up with them. The stress accumulates over time and can become a chronic problem.

The webinar also notes that any stresses in your life – recent or long ago – can all accumulate and take a toll on your health and wellbeing. It’s worth noting that even happy or positive event such as arranging a wedding or a new job can still add to your stress load.

Talking about the things you’re going through, or things that you lived through as a child can often be the first step in the healing process.

It’s not always easy to talk

I think it can be quite difficult to talk about traumatic things that have happened to you. Sometimes it can take a while to even realise that there’s something that you need to talk about. Especially if it happened a long time ago.

Sometimes you know you need to talk but you just don’t know who will listen or who you can trust.

Not only do you need the opportunity, but you need to know that you will be listened to and that you won’t be judged for what you say.

Sometimes it might be too difficult to talk about the actual things that you’ve experienced, but talking about how those events left you feeling can be enough.

You need to know someone will really listen to you

I’m a good listener. New clients frequently tell me at the end of their first consultation that it felt good to talk and that they’d never had the opportunity to talk like this before.

The things that I frequently hear about in my consultations can mainly be grouped into the following categories:

• Issues from childhood;
• Humiliation or mortification;
• Destructive relationships;
• Loss.

These things might have happened decades ago, but they can still be a powerful force.

They might be the cause of anxiety, a feeling of ‘never being good enough’ or a fear of rejection.

Is there something that you need to talk about?

It might have happened years ago, but you don’t seem to be able to forget about it. You might not have mentioned it to anyone else, or perhaps you mentioned it to your GP and all they could offer were anti-depressants or CBT.

I use natural and gentle homeopathic remedies and herbal drops to help you get through whatever it is that is affecting you.

Now might be the right time for you to talk.

If you’d like to find out more about working with me you can book a free 30 minute discovery telephone call – use the button in the top right corner of this page.

Take care,

​Sarah

Ps. please remember that I’m not a trained psychotherapist or counsellor. Depending on what’s going on for you, it might be that you need more support than I can give you alone. If after we speak I feel that’s the case, I will be honest with you about that.

The post It’s good to talk appeared first on Homeopathy With Sarah.

As I write this post, we are in the middle of the GCSE exams season. If you’re in the same position, I hope things are going well.

In fact, the things I mention in this post are relevant to any period of stress, and to be honest, are the things I aim to do all the time.

However, I know from personal experience that it’s easy for good habits to slip.

Here are some of the things we’re focusing on in my home at the moment. I hope they will give you some ideas to introduce, or perhaps reintroduce, into your own life.

Creating the right environment 

My son doesn’t want any practical help with actual revision, so I feel the best way I can support him is to make sure everything is calm at home and that we’re all sticking to the ‘basics’ of health.

For me this includes focusing on:

• what and when we eat
• keeping life simple
• getting outside and keeping active
• prioritising good sleep

These things help to keep me in a calm and balanced place, so if there are any exam related meltdowns then at least I’m in a good place to be supportive.

Ideas for every day 

You might already have your own ways of managing stress, but in case you need a few ideas, here are some of the things I’m encouraging with my family at the moment.

• Getting up early enough so there’s no rushing or panicking at the start of the day. A calm start to the day gets you off to a great start.
• A few minutes outside in the back garden first thing in the morning. [See a related post about morning mindfulness here]
• Meal planning in advance with a focus on ‘proper’ home-cooked food most of the time.
• Family dinners with no phones allowed!
• Saying ‘goodnight’ to screens/laptops/TV/emails at least an hour before you go to bed.
• Making time for a chat to ‘debrief’ the day.
• Time to quieten your mind to help prepare your body for sleep. For me this means following a short bedtime yoga video. [This is my favourite one]

There is nothing particularly ground-breaking in this list, but each of these small things can have a real impact on your day and sense of wellbeing.

Prioritising, planning and saying no

As well as good daily habits, I’m doing my best to keep life simple with a good balance of things I enjoy doing, things I have to do and down-time just to chill.

Over the years of seeing clients, one of the things that is very evident to me is that the busier you are the more likely your sense of wellbeing and quality of sleep are likely to suffer.

We’re all individual’s, so one person’s too busy might be another’s just right. But if you know you’ve got too much on your plate, or you feel like you’ve not got time to stop and think, then perhaps it’s worth considering if you’ve got the balance right for you.

Perhaps now is a good time for you to look ahead at your plans in the coming weeks and months. Don’t forget to factor in the commitments of children or anyone else you’re responsible for too.

Here are some things you could consider:

• Does it look manageable or do you feel stressed just looking at your diary?!
• Is there anything you might want to reschedule?
• Is there anything you might want to say no to?
• Have you got space in your diary each week to do the things you have to do like food shopping, planning meals, washing and cleaning as well as some time to relax?

Top tip!

If you find it difficult to say no, try blocking out time in your diary.

It sounds silly, but having time blocked out in your diary can make it easier to say ‘sorry I’m not free then’, just because there is actually something in your diary!

And for those of you that don’t have a problem saying no, it can also just act as a reminder not to over commit yourself.

Why not give it a go and see if it helps?

The post A few ideas for coping in times of stress appeared first on Homeopathy With Sarah.

Most of us realise that sleep is important, but that doesn’t mean we are getting consistent, good quality sleep.

If your sleep isn’t as good as it could be, you are not alone, and the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns and disruption to our lives has made sleep an issue for even more of us.

Research carried out by NHS Digital in 2021 found that children and young people have had a particular increase in sleep problems since the pandemic. More than a third of 11-16 year olds reported difficulty sleeping at the time of the research.

The good news is that even if you are not sleeping well at the moment, there are some simple things you can do to improve your sleep.

In this post I’ll be explaining why sleep is so important. I’ll also be looking at how we sleep and in turn, some of the things that contribute to poor sleep.

I hope that by understanding more about how your body helps you to sleep, you’ll be encouraged to make some small changes to your lifestyle to improve your own sleep.

The benefits of good sleep

You probably know that sleep has many health benefits, but did you know it helps with all these different aspects of your health and wellbeing?

• Immunity
• Appetite and weight
• Long term physical health
• Mental health

Immunity

Your immune system is divided into two parts: the innate and the adaptive immune systems.

The innate immune system is the part of your immunity that you were born with. It’s your first response to any form of injury or illness.

The adaptive immune system learns and develops from the different illnesses and threats that you are exposed to during your lifetime. As such it is also known as the acquired immune system. It provides specific defences to specific infections.

Both parts of the immune system benefit during good quality sleep.

Your body carries out repair and maintenance of your immune system during sleep and also actively fights any infection or injury that your body is dealing with at the time.

Research has shown that a lack of good quality sleep means your body is less effective at fighting off infection. This means you are more likely to pick up repeated infections.

It has also been found that a consistent lack of good quality sleep before or after having a vaccine can impact the effectiveness of that vaccine.

Long term health

Good quality sleep has been directly linked to having a lower risk of developing chronic health problems such as type 2 diabetes. It has also been shown to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Sleep has a direct effect on your blood pressure too.

Your blood pressure rises and falls during its 24-hour cycle with a natural period of low-pressure period during the night.

If your blood pressure is high too much of the time it puts more pressure on your blood vessels, heart and other organs. Long-term high blood pressure, or hypertension, increases your risk of heart attacks, strokes and many other health conditions.

Appetite and weight

I’m sure you know that being overweight has a detrimental affect on your health, but did you know that sleep plays a part in your ability to manage your weight too?

Ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates our feeling of hunger is one reason for this.

Research has shown that even one bad night of sleep increases your levels of ghrelin which makes you want to eat more food.

Ongoing sleep-deprivation therefore means feeling hungry more of the time, making it more difficult to make healthy food choices.

I don’t know about you, but I can guarantee I’ll have a craving for toast if I don’t get enough sleep!

To makes things worse, less sleep also reduces the level of the hormone leptin. This is the hormone that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat.

So poor quality sleep means you feel hungrier AND you have more difficulty knowing when you have eaten enough.

As if that’s not enough, sleep deprivation also increases your insulin resistance which in turn increases your risk of becoming overweight and developing type 2 diabetes.

Mental health

I expect you know first-hand that a lack of sleep can leave you feeling irritable, lacking in motivation and less able to deal with difficult situations the next day.

Continued lack of sleep can increase the likelihood of more serious mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

Deep restorative sleep allows your body to activate it’s parasympthic nervous system. This is where your body needs to be to support your immune system, digest your food properly and generally function effectively. [read a related post here]

It’s a two-way process, as the more you’re relaxed, the more your parasympathetic nervous system is activated, the easier it is for you to sleep well. And when you sleep well the more you can manage your stress levels, relax and so it goes on.

The charity Mind gives more information about this cyclical link between sleep and mental health.

What controls your sleep?

Now we’ve looked at the benefits of good sleep, let’s look at how you sleep and some of the things that can disrupt your sleep.

Your circadian rhythm

The circadian rhythm is your body’s in-built clock. It runs on a  24-hour cycle (almost) and it’s responsible for regulating your sleep.

Light – and the lack of light –  is the key to controlling your circadian rhythm. It needs light each morning to ‘reset’ itself for the day and a lack of light each evening to support sleep.

The cycle is assisted by the release of the hormones melatonin and cortisol.

Here’s how it all fits together.

Light, melatonin and cortisol – how the circadian rhythm should work

Melatonin makes you feel sleepy. Melatonin increases in the evening, stays high during the night to help keep you asleep and then decreases in the early morning.

The rise and fall of melatonin is linked to light.

When your eyes sense a lack of light each evening, a message is sent to your pineal gland to say that it’s dark. The dark triggers your pineal gland to release melatonin to help you prepare for sleep.

Each morning when your eyes are exposed to light, the pineal gland receives the message to stop releasing melatonin. This helps you to be alert during the day.

Cortisol is the opposite of melatonin as it helps you to stay awake and alert. You should have a peak in cortisol about an hour after waking up and then it will gradually decrease during the day.

Light seen by your eyes in the morning stimulates this release of cortisol each day.

You may already know about cortisol as a stress hormone. A feeling of stress can also trigger the release of cortisol. This is key as it is one reason that your circadian rhythm may not be working as effectively as it should be and will be mentioned again in the next section!

When these things work together like this, your circadian rhythm is in harmony with your body. You will be alert during the day and sleep well at night.

What can go wrong?

Problems with sleep can happen when the circadian rhythm is disturbed.

This rhythm evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago for our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Given the difference in our lifestyle today and the lifestyle of a hunter-gatherer, it’s not surprising that so many of us are having problems sleeping.

However, with a bit more awareness of what causes the circadian rhythm to be disturbed, it’s not difficult to introduce some new habits to help get better sleep.

In this post I will just mention some of the key things that can disturb your circadian rhythm and sleep.

If you want a more detailed understanding there are many sources of information available that explain things in more detail. One of my favourites is the book The 4 Pillar Plan by Dr Rangan Chatterjee. I wish all GPs gave their patients’ this information!

Light

As we’ve already seen, light is a crucial trigger for your circadian rhythm.

Humans evolved to be active in the daylight hours and rest, relax and sleep during the hours of darkness.

It’s only since the first world war (1914-18) that electric lights found their way into most people’s homes.

Although humans had access to fire, candles and then gaslights, the effect of their light on our circadian rhythm was less disruptive than electric light.

Electric lights, television screens, computer and laptop screens along with tablets and mobile phones all expose our eyes to blue light.

Sunlight is also a form of blue light.

This means that every time you look at any type of screen, your eyes are sending the message to your pineal gland to suppress melatonin release as it’s not time to sleep.

If you check your phone or have one last look on social media before bed you are disrupting the release of the melatonin that you need to sleep well.

Dark

We know that your brain needs to be exposed to darkness to stimulate melatonin and suppress cortisol.

This means that you need a dark bedroom to get good quality sleep all night, as well as less light during the evenings to encourage the release of melatonin.

Unfortunately there are many ways that light creeps into our bedrooms these days.

Electrical devices often have a standby light that stays on all night and electric alarm clocks might have the time illuminated.

What about the windows? Security lights, street lamps and even the moonlight can seep into your bedroom and disturb your sleep.

Our ancestors just had the light of the fire and then complete darkness to help them sleep so we need to try and replicate this in our own bedrooms.

Cortisol and stress

We know that cortisol causes us to feel alert. That’s why there is a natural decrease in our cortisol levels during the day.

We also established that cortisol is known as the stress hormone.

This means that as well as being stimulated by light, cortisol is also released when you feel stressed.

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors experienced stress in a very different way to us. For them it literally was life or death.

They needed cortisol to help them fight or flee from a dangerous situation. The stress response, which you probably know as the fight-flight response, was powerful but short-lived.

Unfortunately, your brains still interprets every type of stress in your life as though it is a life or death situation.

And there are so many things in our modern life that the human brain considers a stress. A ringing phone, a text or email notification, running late for an appointment, an argument or disagreement. And so the list goes on.

Every time you experience one of these stress triggers your body releases cortisol.

Given that our cortisol should be gradually decreasing during the day you can see the problem.

What can you do to improve your sleep?

You hopefully now have a better understanding of what your body needs to get better sleep.

I’m sure you’ll already have come up with some ideas about how you can make some changes each day to help improve your sleep.

Small changes, every day can have a huge and positive impact on your sleep patterns.

If you would like some more guidance then you can read this post on A few ideas for better sleep.

Sometimes there are underlying health problems that can cause bad sleep. If you are concerned that this may be the case it’s important to speak to your GP to rule this out.

If you would like to find out how I can support you to improve your sleep then please get in touch or book a free Discovery Call.

Take care,

Sarah x

The post What sleep can do for you appeared first on Homeopathy With Sarah.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by life? That sometimes you don’t get time to think, let alone time for yourself?

If this sounds like you then perhaps it’s time to introduce a ‘slow day’ to your week.

I used to feel as though I should be making the most of every minute of my weekend. But I realised a long time ago that slowing down – at least once a week – helps me to feel happier, fulfilled and more in control of the week ahead.

I know that some people feel guilty about this kind of thing, so think of this post as giving you permission to slow down once a week! I think you will feel much better for it.

Here are a few simple steps you can follow to help you relax, restore and get ready for the week ahead.

Why it’s a good idea to slow down

It’s good to get into a rhythm.

The human body follows biological rhythms such as the 24 hour circardian rhythm.

Nature follows rhythms too, for example the cycle of the moon and the seasons.

Having one day every week where you can take things a bit slower will give you the chance to nurture yourself and take time to restore.

It will naturally help you be more ‘in the moment’ which is a very good place to be if you’re looking for fulfilment and a sense of wellbeing.

In addition, it gives you time to prepare yourself for the week ahead so you are in control, rather than it just happening in a blur.

Choose the best day to slow down for you

Whatever day falls before work/school/ life gets started again works best.

My day to slow things down is Sunday.

This works for me as we are at work and school Monday to Friday.

This means that Sunday is the perfect day to slow down, relax and get ready for the week ahead.

Whatever day makes sense for your life is fine.

What will your slow day look like?

I suggest incorporating some of the following things as they all play a part in helping you to be happy and fulfilled as an individual, improve your health and keep you feeling balanced and in control. They may well overlap.

• getting outside
• time for yourself
• cooking from scratch
• planning for the week ahead
• catch up time

The main thing to remember is to avoid making extra plans on this day as much as you can.

It’s a good opportunity to remember that saying ‘no’ can be a positive thing.

If you feel any guilt over carving out a little bit of ‘me-time’ then it’s worth remembering that managing your stress is one of the most important things you can do to stay happy and healthy.

If you are happy and healthy you will be better at all the roles you have in your life.

Get outside

I have two dogs, so I have to get outside with them every day. During the week it’s usually just me in the Country Park close to where we live.

On a Sunday my husband usually walks with me. Occasionally my children come along too!

We try and take the dogs somewhere different for their walk – they enjoy the change and so do we. There are so many beautiful places around Colchester it’s a good opportunity to explore.

I like that getting outside with the dogs means I’m getting exercise as well as my daily dose of nature.

If you need persuading, you may be interested to know that there are many scientific studies that prove the physical and mental health benefits of getting outside in nature. Here is one example.

If going for a walk isn’t for you then you might find some inspiration from this collection of ideas from the mental health charity Mind.

However you choose to do it, it’s a great way to take in what’s around you and distance yourself from any distractions for a while.

I am actually a great believer in starting every day outside, even just for a few minutes, but I think having one day a week where you take a bit more time outside is a great habit to get into. [See my related post on morning mindfulness here.]

Time for yourself

Carving out a bit of time for yourself can really help you to feel good about yourself and recognise that you deserve a bit of ‘me-time’.

This in turn helps keep stress levels down which is crucial if you want to keep in good health.

You could spend some time on a hobby, have an uninterrupted hour of reading, a soak in the bath or listen to some music or a podcast. Or anything at all that you can do to relax and enjoy on your own!

If you’re part of a family with children, perhaps both parents can take a little bit of time for themselves at different times? Even half an hour every week can make a difference.

It’s great to also find something that the whole family can relax and do together. For example a family film on the sofa, building Lego or playing a game together, having a walk together or baking together. Perhaps you could have a family brain-storming session together to come up with some ideas?

But don’t forget that even just half an hour for yourself is really important too.

Cooking

Cooking from scratch is good on so many levels.

It’s better for your health as it’s real unprocessed food – even if it’s a cake or biscuits, if it’s baked from real ingredients it will be better than the processed equivalent from the shop.

If everyone in your household can get involved then it’s a great way of doing something together and getting something practical out of it at the end!

It can be a creative and fulfilling experience and is a great way of showing love for whoever you are cooking for. Especially if you are just cooking for yourself as it’s very easy to think it’s not worth putting in the effort when you’re just cooking for one.

In the winter months we often have a roast dinner on a Sunday. Sometimes we all have different responsibilities, sometimes I like to have a couple of hours to myself and prepare everything.

A slow cooking day can also be a good way to help prepare for the week ahead. You can prepare food for easier dinners or cook a one-pot meal that you can heat up later in the week.

Putting together breakfast ideas can be a help too. I love overnight oats. Here’s a recipe from Delicioulsy Ella and another from Jamie Oliver.

Plan for the week ahead

I have used a bullet journal to keep track of my days and weeks for a few years now.

It is always my aim to plan out the week on a Sunday. I start with a page to list things that need to get done that week and then a separate page for each day. I include all my work consultations and tasks, any personal plans plus things I need to remember for the rest of the family and things like putting the bins out!

It only takes about half an hour to copy out things from my telephone calendar, but it makes such a difference to how well each day goes.

It also prompts you to work out any logistics such as meal times and lifts.

You might use a diary or a calendar on the wall, but however you do it, your week is likely to run much smoother if you take a little bit of time to think about it in advance!

You can then cross things off each day and add anything else that comes up as the week goes on.

Catch up time

Last on my list is catch up time. If you have a quiet day at the end of the week it means that there’s always time to catch up before the new week begins.

If there are children involved there might be homework or chores to do.

I always do my ironing on a Sunday and any last minute laundry. I take the opportunity for some quiet time to watch something on Netflix while I iron!

I’m pretty sure that all of us can benefit from some catch up time, even though it might look different for everyone.

Planning my week out and having the time to catch up are probably the two things that help me feel ready for the week ahead. Without them, the whole week is harder.

Happy, healthy and organised!

I hope some of these ideas will inspire you to slow down once a week so you can take stock, have time to think, time for yourself and start the week feeling organised and in control.

The post The benefits of slowing down once a week appeared first on Homeopathy With Sarah.

his post gives some ideas to help you:

• feel more in control;
• be more productive;
• and give your immune system a boost.

I was inspired to write this post after reading the article 5 Ways to Simplify Today.

The author gives you five different ways you could try and simplify your day/week/life.

What I really like is that he suggests you pick only one of these ideas, run with it for a day and see how it goes.

It demonstrates an understanding that real people – you and me – can’t change everything all at once.

It’s something that takes time and effort and is a whole lot easier if we can do it a little bit at a time.

It’s about more than just being organised

Feeling in control isn’t a superficial thing.

Having too much on without enough down time has consequences.

It can affect your immunity, your hormones and your sleep.

Here are some of the ways that I try and keep in control and focused.

I hope that you will be inspired to try one of these things. Or perhaps it will be a reminder to get back to  something that you used to do but have drifted away from recently.

​Keep focused – do one thing at a time

​Keeping my focus is something I always have to work on.

Things that I find help with focus:

• First thing in the morning (or before you go to bed), plan out your day. I use my bullet journal for this but anything will do.
• I try and have two lists on the go. One for the whole week, and then a new one for every day. I include work and personal tasks and tick off as I go along.
• When you know everything that you need to do it’s easier to make sure you don’t miss anything. You just have to remember to check in with your list during the day.
• You could turn this into a big family planner for the week if you need to keep track of more than just yourself!
• By having a written list of my tasks it means my mind doesn’t have to keep a mental note of everything. In turn, this means I can focus on the task at hand.

​

Screen time – take back control (and improve your sleep)

I love my iPhone. My life is pretty much on my iPhone.

I can transfer money. I can check my emails. I can access my work documents. I can check what school work my children have. Not to mention taking pictures of the dogs on our walk every day. I could go on.

Smart phones are fantastic things that can make our lives so much easier in so many ways.

But if we’re not careful, they can take over.

More than that, they can have a detrimental effect on your health and stress levels too.

You can read my related blog post The rest & digest response and why it’s so important if you want to find out more.

Try these things to make sure your phone is not taking control of your life! ​

​1. Turn off the notifications on your phone

I no longer have email, news or social media notifications popping up every few minutes. This will have a huge impact on your focus and your stress levels.

I still have notifications for my text messages. I have a personalised alert tone for the important people in my life. So it’s only when I hear my son or daughter’s sound (and sometimes my husband!) that I will check my phone. I’ve trained myself not to look at my phone for any other messages until I’m ready to do so.

I also have notifications off on my laptop. I now check emails at various points during the day instead of as they arrive.

This means I am in control of when I see them and deal with them. This helps me to stay focused and be more productive.

​2. Have some screen-free time

I try and have some screen-free time every day.

This isn’t generally too difficult for me. When I try and get the whole family to join me it can be more difficult.

I endeavour to make meal-times a phone-free zone. Also family game times or if we’re out together or watching a film together.

I also encourage my children to leave their phones outside their room when they are working.

Encouragingly, they will often do this without me asking them too – they know how much it helps them to focus.

Not only does finding screen-free time help you to focus. It also helps you to ‘be in the moment’ with the important people in your life.

3. Introduce a bed-time routine that doesn’t involve your phone

You are probably familiar with the benefits of some ‘quiet time’ before bedtime – especially if you have children!

In our house when the children were little, this would mean bath-time and then story-time.

Inevitably on some days this wouldn’t happen. That was such a mistake! Trying to put over-excited children to bed is a stressful experience.

I think it’s the same with adults and grown up children too.

If I have my own version of bath-time and story-time before I go to bed, I will generally have a much better sleep.

Not letting my phone be a part of this bed-time routine is half the battle.

Try this –  use an alarm clock so you can put your phone outside of your bedroom at night.

I started doing this a few years ago. It seemed a big step at the time but now it’s just what I do. It’s very liberating once you get used to it.

My children have always had to do this too.

While we’re on the subject of bed-time routines, here are some other things to try:

• avoid the news for a few hours before bed (or anything that is upsetting or scary!)
• if you watch something on TV before going to bed, try and do something mundane afterwards. This could be clearing up the kitchen or writing your to-do list for the next day. It will help your brain and body start to wind-down ready for sleep.
• a warm shower or bath before bed is wonderful way to prepare your body for sleep. Especially if you use some relaxing and calming essential oils.
• have a good stretch or do a short bedtime yoga routine (this is my favourite one)
• Make sure your room is quiet, dark and cool. An eye mask is a great investment – I use one nearly every night.

One step at a time

Small changes can have a surprisingly big impact on your life.

Why not pick one thing, try it for one day and see how you feel?

Perhaps you can talk about this with the whole family and decide on something that you can all try.

If it works for you, try committing to it for a week. And then longer.

Having some ‘rules’ in place will make a big difference and will soon become a routine.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t manage it every day, but if you have the rules in place it will be easier to find your way back to them.

I hope there is something here that will inspire you to keep things simple and in turn improve your focus. If you manage a few of the ideas then hopefully a more restful sleep and a boosted immune system will follow.
​
Sarah

Ps. Struggling to stay in control and a lack of good quality sleep are issues that often come up for my clients. Anxiety and stress are likely to be there too.

If these are things that you struggle with, why not book a free Discovery Call with me and find out how I can help?

I’d love to hear from you.

​

The post The benefits of keeping things simple appeared first on Homeopathy With Sarah.

Getting outside first thing in the morning might not be a priority but it really is a great way to start the day.

The natural light helps your circardian rhythm kick in and wake you up. This will also help you to get a better sleep too. You can find out more about why that is in this related blog post.

Just being outside for a few minutes, or even just standing by your open back door or window will be beneficial.

To help give yourself a calm and positive start to your day you could try the following ideas for a mindful start to your day.

A mindful start to your day

Set your alarm early enough to give yourself at least ten minutes to start your day well.

Get yourself a drink. Focus all your attention on doing this – now is not the time for multi-tasking.

Take your drink with you and stand outside whatever the weather. Or if necessary, you could just stand by an open backdoor or window.

Take a few deep breaths and take in whatever the sky is doing.

Try and use all of your senses while you do this: How your cup feels in your hands; How the air feels on your skin; What sounds you can hear – the birds singing, the wind in the trees, the traffic in the distance? The taste and smell of your drink. And so on.

If your thoughts drift back to your day or any worries you have, consciously make the effort to think about what all your senses are aware of again. This is what keeps you in the moment and when you’re fully in the moment, you can’t think about anything else.

Do this for as long as you like and then go back inside, ready to start your day!

Want some more ideas? 

The weather

I love to keep track of the weather every morning.

I take time to notice how different the sky can be each morning and think about how it is different from the day before.

The seasons

I also love to watch the seasons.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to see trees or plants each morning you can think about how they change throughout the year.

I find that being aware of the seasons is a good way to keep me grounded and feel connected to nature.

The wildlife

The other thing I like to watch in the morning is the birds. It’s fascinating to notice whether or not they appear from their trees when I’m outside. Perhaps there’s other wildlife near you to keep an eye on.

The best thing is when you hear the birdsong in the morning too!

You can add anything you like to your moment of morning mindfulness – whatever works for you.

Why not try this every morning for a week and see if it makes a difference to how you feel at the start of your day?

Take care,

Sarah

The post A moment of mindfulness to start your day appeared first on Homeopathy With Sarah.

Coronavirus and lockdown has served to highlight what I believe is a real problem – how we are taught to look after our health.

A symptom in one part of your mind or body does not happen in isolation​

Boris’s message during the current coronavirus pandemic ignores the holistic approach 

It might be different, but it’s not difficult

Over to you

Interested in finding out more?

The post How to improve your health with a 360-degree approach appeared first on Homeopathy With Sarah.

How I found my sense of balance and calm again

Morning mindfulness in the garden

Do you need to regain your balance?

Perhaps there are some ideas here that you would like to incorporate into your own routine.

Take care,

Sarah

The post The six simple things that helped me feel calm and balanced again appeared first on Homeopathy With Sarah.

The sympathetic nervous system (or fight-flight)

The parasympathetic nervous system (or rest & digest)

Introducing adrenaline the fight-flight hormone

Introducing cortisol the stress hormone

Introducing the rest and digest phase

Why does this matter to me?

Why is that a problem?

Simple ways you can help

The post The rest & digest response and why it’s so important appeared first on Homeopathy With Sarah.

What are homeobotanicals?

Homeobotanicals are organically grown and homeopathically prepared blends of herbs. They are known as ‘Homebotanicals’, ‘HBs’ or ‘the herbal drops’!

They are a safe, effective and easy to use way of bringing your body back into balance naturally.

Each Homeobotanical blend is made from a carefully selected group of trophorestorative herbs. This means the herbs support a specific organ or system in the body.

Once combined into a blend, the herbs are then diluted. This makes the herbal drops very safe to use.

It also makes them more effective – that’s how homeopathic remedies are prepared too.

There are more than 40 Homeobotanical blends that I can choose from to make an individualised bottle of herbal drops for you.

I often pick three, but I can pick up to five different blends to make your own personal blend.

These are some of my favourite blends for supporting women with peri-menopausal symptoms.

Female

HB Female addresses menstrual irregularities and the effects of hormonal treatment.
​
Ingredients: Black Cohosh, Blue Cohosh, Chaste Tree, Cramp Bark, Dong Quai, Motherwort, Pasque Flower, Shepherd’s Purse, Squaw Vine and Wild Yam.

​HB Female supports the endocrine system and helps to regulate and balance female hormones. It can help with period problems such as PMT, heavy flow, pain and irregular cycles. HB Female also supports fertility issues.

Female +

HB Female + is a wonderful blend to support you during the peri-menopause.
​
Ingredients: It has the same ingredients as HB Female with the addition of peony.

​Peony acts on the balance between the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus and the ovaries. It helps to balance all the female hormones.

It can help with the common peri-menopausal symptoms of hot flushes, night sweats and irritability.

Emotional

HB Emotional Stress supports the sympathetic and the para-sympathetic nervous system. [see related post here]
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Ingredients: Chamomile, Gentian, Hops, Lavender, Lime Flowers, Oats, Passionflower, Rosemary, Skullcap and Valerian.

​HB Emotional Stress is a combination of nervines. These are herbs that restore emotional balance and nourish the nervous system. It can help many common symptoms of anxiety by calming an over-active brain. It can address stress-induced symptoms such as indigestion, hypertension and headaches. It also supports depression, exhaustion and sleep.

​HB Emotional Stress can be added to virtually all homeobotanical blends to enhance the effectiveness.

Serena

HB Serena, like HB Emotional Stress, supports the central nervous system. It is an antidote to modern living!
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Ingredients: Astralagus, Californian Poppy, Rhodiola, Vervain (Verbena), Withania (Ashwaganda) and Zizyphus.

HB Serena is rich in adoptogen herbs. These are herbs that help your body manage stress. Adaptogens protect the body against the excessive demands of busy lives when our technology allows us to ‘on’ and available all the time.

HB Serena promotes rest, relaxation and recovery. It can help with symptoms of anxiety, fatigue, depression and insomnia. HB Serena also supports immune function.

Cerebra

HB Cerebra is a trophorestorative for the brain and central nervous system. It supports brain function and memory.
​
Ingredients: Bacopa, Cayenne, Ginkgo, Gotu Kola, Hawthorn Leaves, Rosemary and Schisandra.

HB Cerebra stimulates your brain and allows you to think again! It can be useful alongside blends such as HB Female + to support brain fog during perimenopause. It’s also useful for anyone who is studying or has exams.

Want to find out more?

If you’d like to find out more about working with me, get in touch or book a free Discovery Call here.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sarah x

The post A natural way to support you through peri-menopause appeared first on Homeopathy With Sarah.