Stress/Loss during the Holidays and Chinese Medicine Info

Hi, everyone!

I'm going to be honest with you: When I was thinking about this week's blog I initially wanted to give everyone some different types of ways to deal with the holidays if they had a loss/tragedy/difficult year this year. My thought was to find different schools of thought and present their "ways" of dealing with issues. So, I researched all types of religions and different ways of thinking, looking at it from a clinical perspective then from just an everyday-I'm-Not-into-Therapy view, and finally took a look at myself and what my coping mechanisms are.

Surprise, surprise! I found the way that people cope, no matter what their thinking, is somewhat similar in many aspects. No matter what your religion—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and even atheism—the simple, yet effective, ways of coping seem to all be along the same line.

Financial issues, busy schedules, family obligations and lack of exercise all are stressful themselves. Add the holidays and then add a loss or tragedy during the year, and the holidays can become almost unbearable. The pressure and stress can affect us physically, emotionally and spiritually to the point of where the body shuts down in all these areas, creating a situation/mindset that is unhealthy and dangerous.

During my research I kept gravitating back to one area that seemed to resonate the best with me and the way I generally think and try to behave. It may not be for everyone, however, my only request is that you look into this. Try it. You never know. I am talking about acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

Now, I'll tell you, acupuncture kinda scares me. Needles are not my "thing." I have never tried it, and I am still "thinking" on that. (Kinda like the tattoo issue, Hana and Lad!) However, I have not completely closed my mind to this. Have I tried it? No. Will I? We'll see! :)

Anyhow, the Chinese medicine aspect intrigues me. It always has. I have books, articles, etc., on this area. I have painted Chinese symbols on leaves, canvas and in mixed media pieces for years. And now I have come in contact with a good friend from my childhood who is a licensed acupuncturist who practices Chinese medicine in New York City.

Anthony (my friend) has been generous enough to give me some wonderful information on dealing with the stress issue, which can be used at any time during the year. The style that Anthony practices is called Mantak Chia. From what I can understand this is a way of breathing into your body while concentrating on a certain part of your body (liver, kidneys, heart, lungs) and when exhaling producing a specific sound that helps "clean" your specific area, releasing the negative emotion/feeling.

I am going to quote Anthony verbatim on this, mainly because I think it is extremely important to convey this information exactly as it was given to me. Anthony says, "The lungs are associated with the metal element, and the season of metal is the autumn. The negative emotion associated with the lung is grief. The autumn is an ideal time to utilize this healing sound to expel grief from one's energetic system. The positive emotion associate with the lung is courage, or alternatively a sense of righteousness. When I do this exercise I focus my attention on expelling grief while exhaling. I do this perhaps three times. When I am done I place my palms on my chest over my lungs (arms crossed at the forearm, so my right palm is over my left lung), and spend two or three minutes breathing naturally while imagining my lungs as pure white space in my chest, smiling at my lungs, thanking them for what they do for me and consciously linking their function to a sense of courageousness." Check out this link for an example of breathing. (This is not my friend Anthony. Although, he did send me this link.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBVIhpaPs9o&feature=related&fb_source=message

I am extremely fortunate to have Anthony's expertise on this. I have always believed in the power of breathing. I am a voice teacher/vocal coach, and I believe that breathing is not only essential for singing properly but necessary to reduce the stress of performing. I have always advocated deep breaths (in through your nose, out through your mouth) as a way to calm yourself. Honestly, during what was, hands down, one of the most difficult times of my life, I used this technique often.

A last thought on acupuncture and Chinese medicine: These are effective and safe tools that help smooth and balance what can be a challenging time of year, even under the best of circumstances. Take a look at them. This is Anthony's website. I HIGHLY encourage you to check it out. He's pretty awesome. :) http://www.nccaomdiplomates.com/anthonyranieri

I chose to write this blog because my family suffered a huge loss this year. Last September, my dad was a healthy, energetic man, and neither him nor the rest of the family would ever have thought he would be gone within six months. This will be our first holiday season without him. And as a family we have gone through so many transformations since then — lost some friends, gained some new ones. Our Christmas this year will be completely different and I will say that it will be hard. However, we will get through it...for better or worse. We have our families — Brandi has Rob and the girls, Jimmy has Lou and I have Lad and Hana — and of course, we still have Mom, and Mom has all of us! LOTS to be thankful for!

That's it for this week!! Thanks for reading! Please feel free to post any tips or comments you have on this subject!

As always, eat well, stay healthy and be happy!!