| Learn 2 Chill |
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| Ibiza, Home of Chill |
| My name is M35HA (pronounced mee-sha) and I have worked in mental health for several years. I have experience working with people with chronic anxiety and depression, victims of torture and abuse. What I have found is common is that when a person pays a little more attention to their body's and thought management, the symptoms of anxiety become more tolerable. OK if there is a clinical depression medication may be of benefit but following this regime complements standard medical intervention and particularly with fluid balance it actually enhances it. Additional to this, I play hand drums in a samba band in the UK. This is extremely therapeutic and highly recommended. |
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| Chilling Out - A Beginners guide In order to attain that more relaxed state of being you must first set a framework for calm. That is a fully hydrated and reasonably well fed body, will be more suseptable to the techniques that will follow, than a dry and hungry body. Step One - Fluid Balance You open your eyes in the morning. The first impulse is to empty that overfilled bladder. OK do it. Then REPLACE the water you have lost. This will need to be about 500ml (a pint if you think premetrically). Then every hour try to drink about 500ml of water. If your tap water is drinkable use that. If not filtered or bottled will be as good. When at least 2.5 litres have been consumed - please not all in one hit or you'll know where you'll be - you should be fully hydrated. Tea and coffee are minus signs in terms of your fluid levels. They actually dehydrate your body. I'm not saying rule them out but to replace what they make you lose. If you make your last caffeine contained drink before 6pm. Your heart will not still be overbeating at bedtime. Hang on why is this site telling me to drink water? Your brain is about 82% water if it is dry it won't work as efficiently. When you have a hangover your head hurts because it is bone dry. I recommend a book detailing this further: "Your body's many cries for water" - by Dr Batmanghelidje. Step Two - Breathing Often when people wake up they feel overwhelmed with the prospect of the day. Others have found their days so taxing that they are unable to sleep. What if we create some calm by punctuating the day with structured times to just breathe in a relaxed way? How? Laying down, sitting up, in a chair or even standing. Give yourself a gentle shake all over. Shoulders, arms, fingers, legs and toes. Now find a spot immediately in front of you. This could be a part of a wall, a picture, a part of the ceiling - whatever. Now focus on this and just breathe. Now take a deep breath in, through your nose for a count of 7. Hold your breath for a count of 4, then blow out through your mouth for a count of 8. Repeat this three times, then don't do anything. Just allow your breathing to return to its usual rate. It feels like you are slightly drunk but euphoric. It feels great! This is because most people only breathe through the top part of their lungs. The times to do this are: first thing in the morning; just before or just after an activity; just before bed; Say about four times daily (QDS- for those of medical persuasion!) How is this going to help me? What this technique does is, it provides more oxygen to the brain so it can think a little clearer. The times to do this are first thing in the morning, after you have completed an activity or before you start one, last thing at night. Say about 4 times daily. If you feel stressed when say out shopping. Stop. Straighten up your back and just concentrate on your breathing, then perhaps a quick "7-4-8" to revive you. NB If you are treated for any respiratory disorder you may need to seek medical advice before attempting this. Step Three - Thought Management Buy a blank hardbacked book. This will be a nice place to put those painful thoughts inside. Often people hate their thoughts which is actually hating a part of themselves. By breaking this cycle and placing thoughts into a nicer place it sends a signal to perhaps start likeing that aspect of their being. Keep this book by the bed and download your thoughts. For example, "I saw this website today and it told me to write all my thoughts down. I don't know what to write so here goes I am feeling very....." and so on. This creates a dialogue between the conscious and subconscious. It is a little like counselling. The difference is you become counsellee as well as counsellor. It is powerful and over a period of time you can look back and trace a path of development, self awareness and insight into what makes you feel good and what causes your anxiety levels to rise. To supplement this carry a small pocket book for when you are out and about. So that if in say a supermarket you need to download, you just pop out the book and jot down a few key points as to what is going on inside you. Other people won't know what you are doing, "Look at that person, they are really efficient writing out their shopping list like that. I wish I could be that organised". Only you need know the truth! That is the beauty of this. You never need to share this. It is just for you alone. Step Four - Music Now to some people the sound of dolphins mating can really bring out the homicidal maniac. So this section I invite you to find a piece of music that is slow in tempo. If you listen to fast music your heart rate really speeds up. That is not chilling out it is winding up. Instead have music that is of a slow tempo perhaps a themed chillout CD - The Cafe del Mar series is a personal favourite or whatever you like provided it is slow. Even Metalica do the occasional ballads! Once a day for up to 10 minutes sit down and do nothing but listen and breathe. By doing this at set times you will find yourself looking forward to that time to yourself. You ARE worth it after all. Step Five - An Outlet I said earlier that I get great therapy playing drums. Again this may not be everyone's cup of tea so here's what would help. Find an activity that you can do at least once a day to let out any left over frustratrions you may have. It could be a cycle ride, walk jog your body your choice. Another thing to look forward to in the day. Step six - Massage Work out your tensions by GIVING it not receiving it. A win:win situation for your frend or life partner. Step Seven - Bed Take a warm bath/ shower on the way to bed. By altering the body's temperature at night it fools it into forgetting to be tense by going into warm up mode. In the bath a few drops of lavendar oil are quite soothing and help relax.Just before try a hot milky drink. In the UK, old people have known this for years having a milky hot chocolate can be very settling. A psychiatrist at work told me that when milk is warmed it produces a chemical that reacts well with the Serotonin (feel good chemical) in the brain creating a feeling of ease and calm. When you get to bed, a lot of people are hung up on the fact that they are not sleeping. Some feel guilty at this So what about if you say to yourself "Ok I'm going to bed to relax if I fall asleep its a bonus". Also a few drops of lavendar oil on your pillow sends a calming message to your brain. Perhaps if you are awake try a little more "downloading" - Step 3. Please note that this page is only the beginning. To attain a relaxed state of being takes time and patience. You will not reach this on day or week one. It must be said that alcohol and illicit substances will undo any positive effects reached with this guide. |
| If you have any ideas or comments about what has helped you relax or chill out please post the group. We'd love to hear from you. Just click the underlined above this text or email me. |
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| Me |
| Its the 21st Century, yet mankind has never before been more strung out and uptight than at any other time in history. What if we could push the pause button whenever we wanted to regain control of our feelings? This site is about enabling you to tap into your own resources to add some calm into what can be an overwhelming lifestyle. |
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| (Pictures of my percussion work in theUK and in Ibiza) |
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| As this site is not paid by corporate or govenmental sponsorship therefore I welcome contributions via PayPal. Please click below if you would like to make a pledge. |
| Recipe for Chillout Tea: |
| This is a delightful drink originally from India though has travelled the world. Ingredients: Tea (leaves, preferably Darjeeling or Earl Gray though tea bags will suffice) A cup of soya milk Sugar/ honey to taste A pinch of cinnamon A pinch of ground cloves 3 cardamom seeds Method: Heat all the ingredients until just under boiling. Strain. Serve. Drink. Smile. Chill! |
| The exciting new percussion driven movement in Southsea |
