Getting more energy without caffiene or sugar

As a psychotherapist – including having done work with addicted people – there is a great need for information about learning how to find ways to become more energetic without caffeine and sugar.

Here are ideas that you may wish to try:

Yoga and especially the classic yogic breathing activity called, “The Breath of Fire,” which involves very fast breathing in and out of the nose.

Eating foods that are whole foods, rather than processed foods, including quality protein.

Therapeutic-grade essential oils – a number of oils are especially energizing to the brain, including basil, rosemary, orange, peppermint, lemon.

Practice qigong, an Asian exercise that is similar to – but much easier – than tai chi. Tai chi is also very good for balancing and giving energy if you have the motivation to learn it.

Reduce use of the computer, especially at night before bedtime.

CD guided meditations and imageries, or imageries on your own. When I’m not creatiing my own imageries for my clients, I suggest the wonderful CDs from Health Journeys (http://www.healthjourneys.com/).

Bioenergetic exercises, which are e body exercises that are often amazingly simple and easy and support the flow of the body's energy in more balanced way. One exercise, simply stamping your feet (left, right, left, right), can reduce anger, lift mood and give energy.

Rest. There is no substitute.

Drink water. Plants droop without water, and so do you.

Spend time with people you like, who are positive, caring, fun and supportive.

Is there a person in your life who could benefit from CaringBridge?

Every month, more than 1 million people use the CaringBridge Web site to stay connected during a hospitalization, cancer treatment, surgery and recovery, a significant accident or injury, a premature birth, while waiting for a transplant, or while caring for an elderly parent. These families share information and receive love and support for a wide array of medical conditions.

Right now, I've been receiving updates from my colleague in Arizona who is hospitalized there due to a motorcycle accident. She has a way to communicate with her many friends, colleagues, family members and others, and we have a way to communicate with her, while she also rests and heals.

Spread the word and share www.caringbridge.org with a friend, colleague, or loved one today. They'll be so grateful for your help.

Yoga soothes symptoms of menopause

Yoga is good for so many ailments and conditions -- back pain, depression, insomnia, the list goes on.

Now, here's a new study that suggests that yoga is also very, very good for the harshest symptoms of menopause, especially reducing hot flashes and night sweats. Read more:

Yoga soothes worst symptoms of menopause

What does it mean to grow in recovery?

To grow in recovery – whether from food, drugs, alcohol or another addiction -- we must grow up emotionally.

This means getting honest with ourselves and facing up to the self-defeating thoughts and actions that put our sobriety at risk. In down-to-earth language, "12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery" teaches us to identify our personal limitations, then provides tools for working through those problems in daily life.Learn to avoid confusing self-concern with selfishness, using the program to try to become perfect, ignoring relationship troubles, holding onto the belief that life should be easy.

Read a sample chapter online of 12 Stupid Things That Mess Up Recovery, published by Hazelden.

Lots of good reasons for self pay for psychotherapy

Are there good reasons to bypass your insurance company for psychotherapy benefits and pay directly for your psychotherapy?

In a word, yes.

A few years back, a University of Illinois study of Fortune 50 corporations found that fully half of the companies surveyed used employee medical records in making employment-related decisions. And of those, nearly 20 percent didn’t inform the employee. A 1991 survey of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment found that almost a third of the employers that maintained employee medical records let their personnel departments read those records without notifying the employee.

If you choose to pay the bill yourself directly to the therapist – the private pay option – you have lots of other benefits:

You may pick the psychotherapist of your choice, rather than having a business telling you who to see.

You will have flexibility in the kind of treatment modality that you receive determine your own goals and length of treatment.

You will not receive a mental health diagnosis because the therapist will not be reporting to your insurance company.

You will be assured of complete confidentiality. Your health records will not be shared with anyone without your written permission. Your spouse, parent, significant other, boss, brother or friend will not know that you are seeking psychotherapy unless you tell them.

You will not "bump into" co-workers who may be seeing the same therapist because that person is the only therapist contracted with your place of employment.

You will not have to worry that a record of a mental health diagnosis may affect your future capacity to obtain health or life insurance.

You will be able to stay with your psychotherapist, even if your insurance plan coverage changes.

At first glance, some folks may have difficulty believing that private pay is a realistic option. Yet counseling or therapy compares well with the price of other important services and personal needs – auto repairs, health club memberships, dental work – and is related to present and future happiness and life satisfaction. People who genuinely want to make changes in their lives manage to identify priorities and budget their money differently.

Here are some ways people are able to afford to pay privately for therapy:

Examine your budget closely and determine what expenses you can defer in your life for six months or a year. Fewer new shoes and faraway airline tickets? Less stops at your favorite coffee shop or big-ticket restaurant? More modest gifts at Christmas, weddings and other holidays?

Ask about a payment installment plan. Ask your psychotherapist of choice if he or she is able to identify other payment plans for you.

Some psychotherapists offer reduced fees to students and others, such as activists, artists and low-income people. Sometimes reduced fees are also available for highly motivated people who can come to daytime appointments or other off-hours times rather than evening hours, which are usually at a premium.

Discuss with your therapist how you can extend the value of your psychotherapy treatment. This may mean that you will have fewer appointments (perhaps once every three weeks) and participate in other activities such as journal writing, self-help groups, reading and structured talks with a trusted friend or mentor) to keep the momentum going.

Keep in mind that psychotherapy can also save you MORE money in the long run. Benefits can include less money spent on stress-related illness, less problems at home that may cause a financial drain and improve your job performance. For more on specific benefits of therapy, click here.

One last note regarding confidentiality and special circumstances to consider:

There are a handful of situations where therapists are “required to act” that apply whether you have signed a release of information or not and whether insurance is utilized or not. These include: court-subpoenaed records, in the case of child or elder abuse or in the case of harm to yourself or others. In these cases, the therapist is required legally and ethically to protect the involved parties. In most cases, you and your therapist will be discussing these situations as a part of your treatment to decide how best to handle each individual case.

Breathing -- we can't live without it!

Breathing is always a good thing to do. When we talk about breathing, the recommendation is for CONSCIOUS breathing – bringing the air in and letting the air out, slowly and deliberately. It is one of the easiest and most simple ways of feeling more autonomy with our emotions and relaxing ourselves, especially under stress.

When you learn more about the stress that you experience, it is good to begin to experiment with ways that you can feel that you have some resources in dealing with your stress –rather than feeling the stress is controlling you.