I hope you’re coping with the start of daylight savings. I always feel a little jet-lagged for a few days. There’s a conflict between my clock and my body clock for a while. I know it can be particularly challenging when you have young children because they don’t pay any attention to the clock at all. I do love daylight savings though. It’s so nice to have that extra daylight in the evening. I just have to discipline myself to go to bed and get up in the morning according to the clock. This Sunday was an exception though. I woke up at 12.30pm!! I missed Sunday morning altogether! After a few busy weeks I must have been very tired. Last Saturday we had our Grand Shop Re-Launch which was fabulous. The shop was buzzing all day and we got lots of lovely feedback about our new range of products. Thank you so much to everyone who popped in to support us. By co-incidence, Saturday was also Manningham’s “Support Small Business” day. As a small business we also do our best to support other small businesses. My daughters, Leah and Michelle, have worked hard to source local suppliers, small Aussie businesses and cottage industries so we have some unique products that have been made with love. It’s becoming more and more important to us to know the “back story” behind the products we sell. I actually believe that supporting and providing an outlet for people’s creativity contributes to better mental health. Being creative and having an outlet for that creativity is actually really good for you. You may have noticed for yourself that when you’re stressed, anxious or depressed, one of the first things that suffers is your creativity. You may find that you have no motivation, energy or head space to be creative or artistic. The truth is, however, that creative therapies can be really healing. Art Therapy and Music Therapy, for instance, tap into the right side of the brain and can create profound changes in people struggling with mental health problems. As the subject line of this email says, this week is Mental Health Week. As you may know, I’m an Occupational Therapist, as well as being a Clinical Hypnotherapist. Early in my career I worked in a Psychiatric Centre and I used creative activities as a major part of treating patients. Working with paints or clay, doing leatherwork and screen printing were all great ways for people to express themselves, learn new skills and build their self-esteem. I found it much more effective than most “Talk Therapies” at the time. We all have many aspects to our personality. This week might be a good time to check in with that creative part of yourself and see how happy it is. Has it been pushed aside for some reason or is it free to express itself? In her book, Mind Over Medicine, Dr Lissa Rankin says that being creative is a really important aspect of overall health. The other keys factors in Mental Health that are often overlooked are nutrition and exercise. For example, here are 13 benefits of exercise from Sophie Breene: 1. Reduce stress. 2. Boost happy chemicals. 3. Improve self-confidence. 4. Enjoy the great outdoors (Boost Vit D). 5. Prevent cognitive decline. 6. Alleviate anxiety. 7. Boost brainpower. 8. Sharpen memory. 9. Help control addiction. 10. Increase relaxation. 11. Get more done. 12. Tap into creativity. 13. Inspire others. If you haven’t read it already then you might also want to take a look at a recent eNews I wrote called Rethinking Depression about the role of brain inflammation in depression. Speaking of mental health, I want to share with you an email I received yesterday morning from a past client. It made me cry. I feel so blessed to be part of people’s journey back to health. “Hi Alison, I just feel the need to email you and say a huge thank you! Thank you for so much! Thank you firstly for having such a beautiful shop, every time I step into the shop, I feel so much love, caring, hope and happiness! It’s such a wonderful place to be! Secondly thank you for helping me a year or so ago, the awareness you gave me and the slight nudge towards the right path you pushed me has been life changing! I remember coming into my first session with you with negative nasty depressive thoughts, thoughts of no hope, thoughts of guilt, thoughts that everyone else was at fault for my miserable life……..and 18 months on, with your guidance, I realised that they were just that… thoughts. I was sucked into the world around me and was spiralling deep down, I was sucked into believing that medication was the only way to help me…..but I’m so glad that somehow I was brought to you. As now my life is amazing, I have learnt that it’s not the outside world that defines us, it’s the inside, the beautiful, amazing, abundant life that not many people in this world even know about! But I am so thankful that you showed me that, so so so so thankful! In terms of depression, as I reflect, what is that word? I know now that is it actually just thoughts that destroy us and make us believe that we are worthless, and the medical world’s solution is to give medication which in turn makes us worse. But what really needs to be treated is what you provide, the soul needs to be cleansed and have the ability to shine in every moment of every day! I wish that there were more centres around to heal people’s thoughts and lives, just like yours. I wish that the medical world opened up to healing the heart, healing the soul, healing the body and healing the mind! So please spread the love with what you do. You have made a massive difference to my life and I have absolutely no doubt you will and have changed many, many, many more lives! So thank you so much for being you and what you do! Much love, P.S – I still to this day “sleep talk” to my beautiful children, a tip from you that has also changed my life and my girls’ lives. A simple message to the unconscious mind is a very powerful tool that will change the way my children see the world.” Wow! Feedback like that blows me away. Learning to choose your thoughts and change your beliefs should never be underestimated. Many of our practitioners can support you to make these changes. Not only Hypnotherapy but Kinesiology, Belief Busting with Tina, and Energy Healing can work magic. We’ve even found that weekly sessions on our Crystal Light Bed have had an amazing effect on anxiety and depression. If you’ve found something that’s helped you manage a mental health issue please email me so I can share it next week. Now, take a look at the Right Hand column for lots of info on our other events, therapies and our exceptional practitioners >>>>>>> Also scroll down to review us on Facebook and receive $20 off your next appointment, Have a happy, healthy week, Warm Regards, Alison Burton pioneering the future of healthcare Simply Natural Therapies 41 Tunstall Square East Doncaster VIC 3109 03 9842 7033 info@simplynaturaltherapies.com.au www.simplynaturaltherapies.com.au TAKE OUR HEALTH ASSESSMENT TAKE OUR 30 DAY WATER CHALLENGE SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE HEALTHY PREGNANCY AND BIRTH TOOLKIT VIEW OUR WELLNESS WEBCAST on our Secret Remedy for Health