March/April 1998Articles on the theme "Regeneration"The Cosmic Dance An Ayurvedic Perspective The Jewel Within The Path of the Heart The New You The Psychology of Regeneration A New Light Body? by Audrey Craft
Davis Physical Regeneration Spiritual Regeneration Walking on Fire The Problem of Regeneration Other Feature ArticlesNatural Health Q&A What is . . . A Medical Savings Account
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Natural Health Q & Aby Elizabeth Fenton and Renee GillombardoQuestion The characteristics of emotional health are often vague, elusive and complicated for people to integrate. What are the characteristics of emotional health and healing strategies that can make the process less complex? Answer We believe emotional health is the willingness to embrace change while
enjoying today. If we are willing to embrace change, we remain flexible,
less blocked and restricted and, therefore, more open to opportunities and
options. In short, we are less likely to miss out while life is happening
all around. Three characteristics of emotional health are: A healthy self image involves things like, self respect, accepting personal limitations and celebrating personal strengths, while taking pleasure in life's simple gifts, accepting life's disappointments and not being overwhelmed by fear, anger, love guilt or worry. The ability to laugh at yourself is essential and an affirming attitude towards all people brings rewards beyond measure. Individuals who are able to enjoy healthy relationships with others have the ability to give love, accept love and have satisfying intimate relationships. Additionally, they respect differences in others and are able to feel part of a larger group. They feel a sense of responsibility to their community and their society at large. The ability to be gentle with yourself and others is the core of the third characteristic: the ability to meet life's challenges. This characteristic also includes discovering humor, even in the most difficult situations, accepting responsibility for what you do and being a creative problem-solver. We all possess talents and capabilities that often go undeveloped. Find them and develop them. We need to learn from our past, live in the present and have hope for our future. A religious or philosophical belief provides a foundation and direction. Take pride in your efforts, obtain satisfaction from your work and play and set realistic goals for yourself and others. No one possesses all of the traits we describe. The challenge is to make the ones you have really work for you and have a plan for developing others you want to incorporate into your life today. While we are ready and available to assist you during self-actualization times and times of distress to help facilitate and promote self-understanding and encourage self-exploration, we also recognize and give credit to the healing abilities and strategies that are a part of your life. The strategies are at your disposal. However, they may not be utilized consistently enough to have become habit. You may not consider them healing strategies at all. Remember, you have made it through life this far and likely have had to face challenges along the way. Becoming aware of how you have reached this point can be a powerful tool for future use. What are some of the strategies which you have tried? Which ones could you develop or resurrect and use more consistently? Consider the following possibilities: humor, play, physical activity, sound nutritional practices, meditation, music, biofeedback, massage, creative visualization, art, spirituality, social support and aromatherapy, Some people would not consider psychotherapy to be a natural healing method. However, that is a mistaken belief. We have discussed some of the characteristics and strategies for emotional well-being. The first step in attaining emotional health is creating a clear vision of what emotional health means for you. Unless you have a clear picture of how you want to think, feel and believe you will likely not reach your goal. Imagine your life six months from now and a significant change having taken place in your emotional health. Describe in every detail the change, how it came about and how it has changed your life. Each day reflect on your written plan. The next step is to visualize your plan. Now return to the healing strategies. Choose one you want to develop or resurrect and place it in the center of a circle. In the surrounding space, write as many ideas as possible for attaining the healing strategy, remembering that these ideas are actually short-term goals. Do this with each healing strategy you wish to develop. Display your plan in a visible place, in your home, office, car, etc. Do not overextend yourself; be gentle and go at a realistic pace. If you overextend, you are less likely to remain consistent. More than anything, consistency is the vital component. Ask for help from your support network. Emotional health involves all areas of mind/body functioning, including social, personal, spiritual, vocational and medical. Your quality of life can be significantly increased as you balance your emotional health and incorporate your healing strategies. Our hope is that this helps demystify the myths, reduces misgivings and, therefore, make emotional health less suspicious and more accessible for each of you. Enjoy the journey! Elizabeth Fenton LMHC and Renee Gillombardo LMFT are psychotherapists affiliated with The Center for Healing in St. Petersburg, Florida. (813) 895-4625
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