Holiday Hassles

So the school holidays have now started, and it feels like us adults also deserve a holiday. In offices all around the country, people are taking off on their annual break, where work becomes a distant memory, while colleagues jealously wait for their turn in the sun. However, I read an interesting article in the Daily Mail the other day – all about holidays and anxiety – which suggests that this holiday dream is not a reality.  According to the article, nearly half of managers claim a holiday leaves them feeling ‘more anxious’ than before they left the office, according to a survey from the Institute of Leadership and Management, which polled nearly 2500 managers.

So what is causing this problem? Why can we not relax when we are on holiday? Well first of all, more and more workers are taking devices like the BlackBerry and iPhone away with them, meaning they never switch off from the office and their onslaught of emails. Of the third of those polled who work while on holiday, 80 per cent ‘frequently’ respond to emails, nearly 50 per cent take phone calls and 10 per cent go into the office.  More than two-thirds of people who own a BlackBerry or a smart-phone say they check it ‘at least once a day, if not more’. A shocking 40% of all managers told researchers that they return to work feeling ‘more anxious’ than before they left especially because of the number of emails they will face on their return.

Professor Cary Cooper, from the Lancaster University Management School, said the problem has been worsened because employees are so worried about losing their job that they are falling victim to the culture of ‘presenteeism’. This involves arriving early and staying late, as well as staying in touch while on holiday as a way of showing commitment to your employer.

Around 40 per cent of managers are already working more than 50 hours a week, while around 10 per cent do more than 60 hours.

So what are some recommended tips to reduce anxiety on your holiday? If you have to check emails, limit this checking to once per day. Other tips are to inform key contacts that you are away in order to cut down the number of messages you will receive on your return, and leave a clear plan for your absence so that colleagues can get things done before your return. 

However, we would say that there is more to do than that, to make sure you enjoy your holiday and are relaxed and refreshed when you return. In this situation, people are anxious when returning to work, because they are expecting the worst. But 99% of the time anxiety is based on assumptions. So we would say just make sure that you get everything sorted out as much as possible before you go, and then be confident in your ability that you have done everything that you need to do, and what you haven’t done can wait until your return.

Let us know how that works for you!

Self Discipline and Willpower

 Willpower is based on emotion. Discipline is based on the mind. Self-discipline and willpower must work in balance.

 Discipline is based on a natural action. We can discipline ourselves to sleep and wake up at a certain hour, discipline our mind to work in our sleep and discipline our mind to be active in our waking hours.

Discipline allows us to exercise our abilities where anything becomes possible.

When we have the discipline to have an open mind, we learn to observe the activity of our mind and to be mindful of the energy that is created, activity not only of our mind but also our brain and our body. 

 When discipline is achieved it becomes a habit. A habit of this nature allows us opportunity, a self-control that is vital to our existence.

Our willpower is our ultimate drive and applies to the physical world.

Of course we need to apply our willpower, which shall see us through all our experiences. When we exercise our willpower we change and become elevated.  

When our will is weak, we are susceptible and vulnerable, a vulnerability that comes from within, as if we intend to victimise ourselves and allow the self to deviate.  At times like this, we become stagnant in thought and develop a disinterest or discontentment towards all that surrounds us, which can manifest into guilt.

Objectively focusing on our mind enables us to learn about our self, our motivation, desire and the magnetism towards our willpower.  

We can develop our willpower by identifying and observing basic functions that make us do things for ourselves.  

The will to breathe is our starting point.  We can enhance our willpower by breathing objectively, meaning paying attention to the air that we breathe in and the air that we breathe out. 

When we are focused on parts of our body and breathe air into them they come alive, either relaxing or activating, you are paying attention to strengthen. When we breathe life into our actions our willpower strengthens. 

The deeper we breathe the calmer we become and the stronger we become. Exercising our willpower allows us to achieve the ultimate in all that we do.

When you breathe objectively, observe to see if your willpower changes. 

The application of willpower for us to achieve our objectives is extremely important.  It is our own effort, our own need, and our own drive. 

This willpower has to be directed towards our mind, instructing our mind  to behave and to create the necessary instructions to the brain to make us achieve our desires.

Applying our willpower together with our discipline allows us to communicate the changes that are needed. When our willpower and discipline is at its strongest, the mind reacts in such a way that creates change instantaneously.

Counselling and Mental Physical Rehabilitation

While most of the media talk at the moment seems to be about the World Cup, a lot of you have been talking about something very different in our Mind Central poll. So now you have spoken – thanks for voting. Here are the results of the poll to find out which therapy service interests you most. Interestingly the results were tied, with 50% of the votes for counselling and 50% of the votes for mental physical rehabilitation.

Here at the Mind Clinic we have to say that we completely agree with you. Both counselling and mental-physical rehabilitation are important to provide a completely holistic way to overcome any complication in life. However, one thing we would also point out is the importance of relative or carer support and management. This is something that is not often thought about – no one voted for it on the poll – but it is actually very important to ensure that everyone understands each other and that there is no room for miscommunication. To find out more about how these different types of therapy work together, you can check out the mind clinic. When you put these things together, and instruct your mind, you can accomplish anything.

If you have any questions about these different types of therapy, you can ask them in the comments box below.

Look out for the next poll coming soon!

Recovering from multiple sclerosis

We wanted to share a good news story with you today about Amritpal Juttla and her recovery from Multiple Scelrosis (MS). Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological condition affecting around 100,000 people in the UK. MS is the result of damage to myelin – a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of thecentral nervous system.When myelin is damaged, this interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body..

Amritpal could not come to terms with her condition and refused to believe she had MS and as her MS started to progress she became a wheelchair user. In September last year a relative showed her a cutting from a magazine about a woman who had been receiving treatment for her multiple sclerosis at The Mind Clinic in London and was now able to walk again and decided to give it a go herself.

She initially underwent counselling with Hratch Ogali, the founder of the Mind Clinic, to better understand her condition and how multiple sclerosis works. She learnt to off load all the problems that were bothering her. Amritpal was then taught a number of  techniques which involve breathing, mind work and mental/physical exercise. A week later, she was already able to start walking again with a frame. The important thing here is that Amritpal had the strength of mind and determination to work at these techniques, not just during the Mind Clinic sessions but when at home every day in order to overcome her condition. It is very much a personal goal to use the power of your mind to overcome the complications in your life.

Amritpal says she is now regaining her confidence, and getting stronger day-by-day. You can read Amritpal’s full story here

If you suffer from Multiple Sclerois please do share your experience with us. Also, please let us know if you have any questions about the Mind Clinic, and we can help you halt the progression of MS.

Depression Series #6: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

In all aspects of life’s journey we suffer a form of trauma, be it physical or mental or psychological. The result of all traumas carries one form of depression or another.

As the trauma is felt physically and mentally, the return to normality from that point is time consuming.  Any trauma alters behaviour and everyday perceptions, these naturally carry a strong depressive state and with the added influence of the physical restriction the depression becomes magnified and one loses freedom. This kind of depression needs to be worked upon.

It is important not to accept the situation. We have to make the effort and express the need to overcome, rather than allow one to suffer in silence and expect the cloud to shift as a matter of course. 

When there is a strong desire to shift that cloud then there is a strong possibility that we can off load that weight and darkness and focus on recovery rather than dwell to analyse.

If your Post traumatic Stress is due to an experience, whether witnessing an accident, or witnessing acts of war or violence, or being diagnosed with a serious condition, there are several aspects that must be applied to elevate your situation to develop a clearer vision.

Whatever we witness in our life, these are lessons for us to learn from, the focus shifts from becoming restricted with theses experiences to making them more constructive towards developing a greater understanding.

When we develop an understanding we become stronger automatically. There is no room for self-doubt or unfounded fears in our mind.

Time is important in these situations, a lot of healing must take place, this can only happen with the passing of time. To overcome these depressions takes a focus towards freedom, to empower yourself, to strengthen yourself physically and mentally, to become adamant, or desperate to find a way out. 

Always remember to listen to what your mind tells you and accept that as a fact. Listen to your intuition to reach a higher understanding. That in itself will alleviate any influence of any trauma and will open the door to alternative thoughts, all of which are relevant to overcoming and building towards getting back to life.

Patience and endurance is key.  Instruct your mind with  “power” and “strength” Keep active, use your inner power and your natural strength. Repeating these words will prepare you towards a healthier attitude mentally and physically.

 We must always strive to develop the desire to understand situations rather than victimising ourselves with events that are out of our control. 

 Ultimately the focus must always remain onto helping yourself to improving your situation and outlook towards your environment and to always be open and receptive to all changes that may take place in your journey in life.

In these situations there is no pill or miracle cure. Just by understanding the process makes you wiser and helps you handle all situations.

Where do depressions take us?

 There are some widespread common conditions that in recent years have escalated out of control. There is no known medical cure for the majority of these conditions and as the medical professionals try desperately to find a cure, individuals are left facing uncertainty.

When all of these conditions are analysed, and having worked with numerous cases at The Mind Clinic, I am fully aware that depression can initiate a physical restriction. When we suffer any kind of physical weakness we develop the inner belief that the body has become restricted. Depression is the initial trigger to all of these physical symptoms that go on to be indentified through medical diagnosis as one of the many labelled conditions.

One condition that many young people are diagnosed with is ME . ME doesn’t have any noticeable physical weaknesses, but when the minds perception of the self is a weakness the instinct that controls every part of our body begins to dissipate.  The physical restriction becomes increasingly debilitating where the energy is completely drained from the mind and the body where the body refuses to comply naturally (instinctively) as the body’s conscious reaction has been influenced by weakness. Due to the lack of willpower this makes it extremely difficult for any individual to find a way out. 

The power of suggestion is in its extreme in these situations because these conditions are perceived to be a disease that grows and manifests from within. This of course causes further weakness.

Yet looking at it overall the whole idea of this condition is an emotional reaction to situations. Focus is lost to reopen the mind, to bring the natural freedom back to where it belongs.  Our natural instinct can be restored and activated when we apply willpower and refuse to accept any weaknesses.

These weaknesses derive from thought processes and manifest according to our imagination, they can become as restricting and as paralysing as the thought itself. 

 When we are in a negative place our negativity takes us further into the darkness or the unknown and magnifies. ME is simply cured by reaching an understanding and understanding the reasons for it and ways of overcoming it.

 Self-belief returns and the reversal of a behaviour or a belief will allow you to explore and utilise the opportunity to recover from any form of suggestion given by the medical profession or other Alternative therapists.

Bono Back Injury

We are all used to seeing rock stars jumping around on stage, but we don’t often think about them actually injuring themselves while rehearsing. But according to this blog, that is exactly what happened to one particular star, Bono. After hurting his back during concert rehearsals in Munich,  U2 have been forced to postpone the sixteen dates on the band’s summer American tour, including the two dates at Angel Stadium on June 6 and June 7. The band also canceled its performance at the Glastonbury music festival.

 Bono underwent emergency spine surgery last week as he had  suffered severe compression of the sciatic nerve.  He was in severe pain with partial paralysis in the lower leg. The ligament surrounding the disc had an 8mm tear and during surgery we discovered fragments of the disc had traveled into the spinal canal. This surgery was the only course of treatment for full recovery and to avoid further paralysis. Bono is now much better, with complete recovery of his motor deficit. Bono must now enter a period of rehabilitation.

 We at the Mind Clinic have a lot of experience of people with back pain and spinal injuries. Lots of people suffer from back pain and we offer physical rehabilitation for these injuries. But we would say just as important is the mental rehabilitation  – using your mind to heal your back. For example, in terms of the pain from a back injury, it is important to breathe deeply and easily to realign tensions.

 It is when you hear these stories in the news though, that it really does get you thinking about any aches and pains that you have. It is important to remember that ultimately, you can use the power of your mind to overcome any of these physical conditions. Please do let us know in the comments box below how you managed to overcome your back pain.

Depression Series #5: Postnatal Depression

For us to understand the mechanism of Postnatal Depression we must first look objectively at the whole process of pregnancy and birth.

From the moment of conception there are many influences that come into play.  The psychological state is at its extreme, containing excitement, fear, joy and uncertainty. The physical aspect is transforming, hormones charging, physical shape expanding, along with bouts of nausea and sickness.

 Overall all feelings are prominent and exaggerated, which individuals will go through on an hourly basis. 

We then come to the birth itself, which is again extremely daunting and exciting, filled with a tremendous fear of the unknown.  Regardless of preparation whether a natural birth, drug free, drug fuelled, or caesarean the whole process of giving birth will never be as you anticipated and emotions will be extreme both negative and positive.

 Immediately after birth there is a calm, a new life has emerged and you rejoice in the arrival of your baby. Then soon after the excitement comes the realisation that life has changed and will never be the same again.

If we look objectively at all elements the whole process of pregnancy and birth contains transformation on every level, mental, emotional, psychological and physical.

It is during this period of trying to adjust and adapt to this new role where it can all feel a bit too overwhelming. Naturally the physical aspect is beginning the reversal process, but her there is the realisation that part of your body is no longer with you, your baby.

Any separation in life can cause us extreme sadness, but this separation is different. Your baby was growing inside of you, a part of you for nine months, and your sole responsibility that you protected and nurtured, where a spiritual connection was made. Now your baby is an independent life, plus grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends are handling your baby. Of course this is expected and what happens in our society, but that doesn’t prepare you for the feelings that you have.

Anger and possessiveness provoke emotions that are very difficult to vent. When you are in it, it becomes impossible to comprehend because at that moment nothing matters, it is as if everything has been lost.

Ultimately this process is just another natural transformation in the long line of events that took place during pregnancy and birth and must be understood as a natural process. 

It is advisable that before birth individuals put all the above into perspective and develop an understanding about this process, it will certainly ease the burden of suffering and will make this period easier to digest and cope with.

Election, recession and anxiety

Well, we all know the election is fast approaching and that there has been a lot of finger pointing about the state of the economy, and what we have to look forward to. But without getting into all the details of who is to blame, it is clear that have been a tough few years because of the recession. Whether you or someone in your family has lost a job, suffered a pay freeze or pay cut, or just been exposed to all the negative media around the recession – this can all make anxiety build up.

In fact, a recent story in the Telegraph, has detailed how valium prescriptions have soared during the recession. Prescriptions of Valium, the highly addictive pill for stress and anxiety disorders, have risen by more than 11 per cent in three years. Doctors have expressed alarm that the drug diazepam, commonly known as Valium, is now being dispensed almost 5 million times a year in England.

NHS figures show that in the first nine months of 2009, more than 3.6 million prescriptions were written for diazepam in England – an 11 per cent rise on the 3.25 million dispensed in 2006, and an increase of 17 per cent in a decade. If the trend continues, it will amount to more than 4.8 million prescriptions issued in 2009, according to the NHS Prescription Pricing Authority.

So, if you are suffering from anxiety or depression, you may want to talk to your GP about access to psychological therapies, rather than drugs, but the availability of counselling does vary widely across the country and waiting lists can be long. The Royal College of General Practitioners said GPs should be referring those suffering from anxiety for counselling, not drugs as they could result in a lifelong addiction.

Here at the Mind Clinic we completely agree that counselling should be used instead of drugs, and we have a drug reduction programme where medication is already being used. We offer counselling so you can use the power of your own mind to overcome any complications of your own life.

So as the election battle reaches its finale, and we all get caught up in all the election fever, you might also want to spend some time thinking about yourself. And how you can help yourself if you have been affected by the recession. Hope that helps!

Depression Series #4: Moderate to severe depression

The next level of depression takes us deeper into the unconscious mind and is usually due to our discontentment with the status quo.

 Some depressions can become more serious. We develop an addictive pattern that makes us journey to the same place, churning the same thoughts over and over again.  This behaviour can become as severe and as deep as our emotions dictate. The deeper the imagination the deeper the depression becomes.

 There is another very important element to these kinds of depressions, which relate to the mind.  The mind stores the past up to date, which holds our instinct and makes life possible. Routinely we will enter into the mind and journey, but when we become involved in our emotions it becomes extremely difficult to detach.

 Although we are aware that we cannot resolve the past, we develop this desperate urge to keep trying. We go aimlessly searching without a serious objective, just repeating the same.

This form of addiction can easily manifest as we are always in need of emotional explosions and reactions, by magnifying and manifesting events of the past, every thought fuels our addiction. We become alienated, we will feel that none of our present life makes any sense, as if ones sanity is being lost and there is no way out.

 Like a revolving door we can get off at any moment that we choose, but regardless, we keep on going on the same cycle continuing the ride.

Of course in this situation we do not think about what we are doing to the physical self, nevertheless we will notice and complain about minor discomforts such as stomach ache and back pain. 

When a situation becomes deeply embedded it naturally alters our behaviour.  To release our sadness or anger we traumatise the self as a form of self-punishment.  This affects our health and it is through our beliefs that we allow it to spread.

Naturally with all these forms of behaviour we can trigger or initiate an altered state, which on the long term can manifest into some form of condition or another.

All of this is preventable.

 It is extremely important that when we journey into the mind that we make use of the situation and try to learn and understand the way in which our mind is working.

 Always make the effort to question whether your thoughts are imaginary, unreachable, or unrealistic.  Always look at your imagination, what is it creating? Where is it taking you? And why?

 Wait for the answers. In time you will differentiate whether your thoughts are mental processes or based only on emotion.