Spirituality and happiness

Having a spiritual connection has actually been scientifically proven to make people happier.

Did you know this?

What are your beliefs?

Do you believe there is more to life that just the physical?

Do you believe in God?

Do you believe that we posses a spirit/soul?

I urge you to ask yourself these questions.

Spirituality is different for everyone. There is no right or wrong answer but simply believing, believing in something bigger than you is protective against depression.

I believe this is one aspect of ourselves so many of us are missing in our western society. We are so focused on the physical, material possessions and even our physical health. What about spiritual wellbeing? It’s a whole piece of the puzzle that we so often neglect. How can we feel whole when we are not looking after ourselves as a whole?

It is not enough to simply look after the physical, mental and emotional. The spiritual governs it all. It is our highest self and our most powerful tool.

You may be confused when it comes to spirituality. That’s ok. It’s not something that can be crystal clear in this empirical world. It’s not something that can be proven, it’s simply something that can be felt.

I have always had a strong sense of spirituality. My belief has never wavered but I certainly have been caught up in this physical world and been through times of neglect when it comes to my spiritual wellbeing. During these times I have definitely noticed that my physical and emotion self has been affected. As I was not as in tune with my self, my needs and my higher purpose, I began to neglect certain aspects of myself. I wasn’t eating the way that was best for my body

(I have always been a healthy eater but I have not always honoured my body, eating certain things as it gave me a high or to fit in and not be different). I wasn’t being true to myself, expressing how I felt and working on my emotional wellbeing. I was trying to be perfect, to fit in, be accepted by others, follow our societal model of school, to university to a 9-5 job. I had more to offer. I knew that much but I wanted to do what was right. What others told me was right. Be the perfect daughter, wife, and friend. Not the perfect version of myself for me. While in actual fact I could never be ‘perfect’ and at the same time was already ‘perfect’. This is as we are all perfect already.

Exactly as we are.

In all our perfect imperfection.

As human beings the best thing we can do for ourselves, our loved ones and our society is simply to be true to ourselves. Shine our light, share our story, to be unapologetically us.

We are all spiritual beings, we are all connected in a way that may not be able to be measured but certainly can be felt. If you just take the time to truly connect within yourself you will learn unimaginable things about what you have to offer in this lifetime, how you need to be showing up and who you truly are. You feel things more deeply than ever and experience your heart opening up like never before. You will begin to notice the opportunities that are there for you that you may have missed up until this point. You will discover that you have been living with your eyes closed.

See the magnificence.

Experience the magic.

Know that all is going exactly to plan.

You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

Life is full of excitement you just need to be open to noticing it.

Find a spiritual practice that works for you. Do it every day. EVERY DAY. You will notice the shift. You will never turn back. Coping with the physical world will become so much easier as life will flow with ease. Release the resistance. The answers are inside of you already. Let go and just be. Just be you.

Dionne xx

P.S. I am working on a very exciting new program for you. It will be delving deeper that any of the work I have done before. Lets work on all aspects of your health and wellbeing. The physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Lets uncover what has been holding you back from living the healthiest and happiest life possible.

P.P.S. Life is meant to be fun. If its not ask yourself what you need to be doing differently. It your life and its your choice how you live it.

Top strategies for improving mood when you are feeling down in the dumps

We all have those days where nothing seems to be going to plan. You have so much to do but are simply getting nothing done, sitting and wallowing in your own misery hoping that somehow you will come out feeling better, having achieved something or that magically all your problems will disappear. Yesterday was one of these days for me. Growing up I quite commonly fell into the trap of overwhelm. This would particularly happen around exam time but also occurred any time I had to do something out of my comfort zone. But now this does not occur very often. Luckily after many years of not coping too well I have developed some strategies that work fast and very well for getting myself out of that dark hole. So yesterday after a few things didn’t quite work out the way I was hoping and I had spent the majority of the day feeling sorry for myself, I decided enough was enough. I got up, put on my active wear and went for a run. One of the first strategies I learnt all those years back was simply to get moving. I know when you are miserable that is the last thing you feel like doing but it is the first thing you should do. After being outdoors, getting some fresh air, listening to some uplifting music and getting my heart pumping, I was feeling much better, clear headed and energised. I have had many years to learn what works for me when I am feeling down, stuck or overwhelmed. I hope my strategies can help you too.

1.       Get moving- My all-time favourite strategy for anyone feeling stuck, down or miserable is to put on your running shoes and get outside. Go for a 10 minute walk, go for a run or a bike ride. I don’t care just get moving. When your mind is stuck in a negative spiral, the best and fastest way to change that is to create some movement. When I would be studying for exams and would be feeling totally overwhelmed I would get up, go for a walk and I would always come back feeling so much lighter, so much better. This is exactly what I did yesterday to get myself out of my bad mood. The combination of fresh air, some music and moving your muscles is the greatest way to change your mood.

2.       Breath- Deep breathing can be so powerful. It is a great way to centre yourself. Something that can be done anywhere at any time. When we are stressed, overwhelmed and panicked we often forget to breath. If you feel these dreaded emotions coming over you stop and focus your mind on your breath. This can be enough to change the outcome of your emotions. It is one of my favourite strategies if you are at work, about to go into an exam or in a situation where you can’t just go off for a walk around the block. Simply excuse yourself and go to the bathroom where you can focus purely on your breath for 5 minutes until your mind begins to relax.

3.       Talk to someone- misery is a lonely person’s game. This is how I feel at least. It is much easier to be miserable when you are alone and often when you are feeling down all you feel like doing is retreating to your room and blocking out the world and all those people in it. However, this is actually the worst thing you can do. Talking to someone who can support you is often so helpful in these low times. It helps to get things off your chest, puts things in perspective and it just helps to know someone out there cares. I was alone all day yesterday and once my husband came home and I had some company and someone to talk to I realised I had to pull myself out of my mood. If you don’t feel like you have someone you are comfortable opening up to then there are professionals available and I highly recommend you speak to one.

4.       Rescue remedy- This is a handbag must have. It’s quick, easy and works fast. A few sprays helps to calm you down immediately.

5.       Music- music does wonders for the mood. It can lift you and it can bring you back down. For me I find it really depends on the day but sometimes all I need is to belt out an emotive song to release any pent up sadness while other days I need something fun and uplifting. This is something you will have to work out for yourself but if you are deep in sadness, music is an exceptional way to release emotions. With my run yesterday I had some fun pop music and then followed it with a few ballots to sing along to while stretching. I found that the uplifting music helped me get out of my bad mood while the more emotive songs were a good place to think and put things into perspective.

6.       Pets- Aren’t animals just the best. They are always there for us no matter what. They listen, they don’t judge and they just give some much love. If you don’t have a pet call up a friend who does and go give it a cuddle.

7.       Nature- my first point of getting outside touched on this slightly but nature has amazing abilities to help centre and heal. It has been shown that going barefoot on dirt for 30 minutes a day has amazing health benefits. I love going to the Dandenong ranges and walking in Sherbrook forest. I find it really helps to calm me and I always come home so positive and relaxed. But obviously that’s not somewhere I can go daily so just go outside and spend some time in your garden or walking the streets and smelling the flowers. Others may look at you like you are a crazy hippie but I promise you will feel better for it!

My favourite place to escape to. The Dandenong Ranges.

3 things everyone needs to know about mental health

Are you or is someone you love suffering from a mental health condition? Some information you need to know.­

Last week I attended a seminar on mental health and mood disorders. As this is an area I focus on in my practice I was very much looking forward to hearing all the latest research and clinical applications. However, walking out the door at the end of the day there was one thing prioritising my thoughts. That one thing is the importance of education. Yes, all aspects of education are important but what I am actually referring to is the education of our community when it comes to mental health.

The three main things I feel need to be emphasised are:

1. How common these conditions are.

2. The huge variety of treatment options available.

3. The detriment of not seeking help when you need it.

Mental health is a huge umbrella under which many disorders are placed. The most common include:

·      Depression

·      Anxiety

·      Substance use disorders

How common are these disorders in Australia?

I myself was astounded to hear that Australia has the second highest rate in the WORLD of antidepressant prescriptions per capita, and this is increasing by about 25% each year.

Between the years 2012-2013 anti-depressant prescriptions increased by 96%.

Nearly half the population (45%) will experience a mental health disorder at some stage in their lives.

Over 25% of Australian adults report high levels of anxiety and/or depression.

35% have a significant level of distress in their lives.

26% have above normal levels of anxiety symptoms.

26% have moderate to extremely severe levels of depression symptoms.

In 2015 the number of Australians living with anxiety was higher than ever before.

Depression is one of the most common conditions in young people and increases during adolescence.

At least one third of young people have had an episode of mental illness by the time they are 25 years old.

Are antidepressants the only treatment option available?

The huge rise in antidepressant prescriptions is most shocking but what is even more concerning is the number of our youth being put on these medications. The medication on its own is only a small part of the concern but my main worry is why so many of our youth need these types of medication. More than that many clinical trials have found these medications to only have moderate superiority to placebo and they do not reduce suicidal tendencies. 

This is why I believe it is essential for people to be aware of the multifaceted approach necessary when it comes to mental health. What I mean by this is that anti-depressant medications are not the only option and that their efficacy can be greatly improved when combined with other treatments. The human body is hugely complex and simply focusing on the brain means we may be missing many other contributing factors when it comes to mental health.

Research has found that several factors can actually change the brain structure making a person more prone to mental illness. Stress is a large contributing factor, which can result in neuronal death and structural changes in the brain.

Some other factors that have been shown to contribute to poor mental health include:

·      Neurotoxic substances

·      Inflammation

·      Poor nutrition

·      Challenging life events

·      Loneliness

This shows how multi factorial mental health treatment should be as it should be addressing all of these factors.

Apart from medication, other essential treatments for boosting mood and enhancing brain function include:

·      Adequate nutrition

·      Physical activity

·      Adequate sleep

·      Meaning and purpose in life

·      Social connections

·      Natural treatments such as herbal medicine, nutritional supplements and flower essences.

Why it is so important you seek help.

If you find yourself struggling with stress or anxiety on a regular basis you should do something about it. What seems like a normal way to be in today’s society may actually be changing your brain structure in a negative way that makes you more pre-dis

posed towards other mental illnesses. This is why it is so important to seek help as soon as possible. The longer you delay it, the more damage that may be occurring within your body, the longer it will take to reverse (to whatever extent is possible), the more reliant you may be on medication and the worse your symptoms will get. Don’t delay seeking help as you think ‘I can cope with this for now’ or ‘ill get help if it gets worse’ as by the time it gets to that stage so much more damage may have occurred. Possibly all you will need are some dietary and lifestyle modifications at the beginning but if you leave it too long, medication or more serious treatments are much more likely to be required. I am particularly passionate about supporting our youth as many of these conditions begin in adolescence. If correct support is given to these teens it reduces the likelihood that they will be reliant on medications and will teach them better coping mechanisms that can be employed for the rest of their lives.

One more thing that I think really needs to be emphasised is that mental illness and especially asking for help is absolutely not a sign of weakness. The more we learn about mental health, the more it is discovered that it is caused by many physiological changes in the body that are often not within the individual’s control. What is a sign of strength is actually having the courage to say to someone I NEED HELP. That is the scary part, that is the part that shows you are bigger than your problems and that it the part that means you are willing to put in the work required to change.

Three night time tips to help you get a good night’s sleep

I cannot begin to express how many of my clients have issues when it comes to sleep. Nearly every person I speak to has some difficulty whether it is falling asleep, staying asleep or waking feeling like adequate sleep was not achieved. There is so much that can be done to improve sleeping habits and sometimes the simplest change can make a huge difference. Here are 3 of the most important habits to get in to if you want a restful and refreshing night’s sleep.

1.       Turn off electronic appliances such as computers, TV and mobile phones at least 30 minutes before bed. These all stimulate the brain making you all wired so that falling asleep and staying asleep is near impossible.

2.       Do something you find relaxing such as taking a bath, writing in a journal or doing some deep breathing or meditation before bed to help you wind down. Make this a nightly ritual so your body knows it’s time to go to sleep after this task has been performed.

3.       Make sure your room is conducive to a good night’s sleep. Reduce noise, reduce light, maximise comfort and have a comfortable temperature.

You can also start your day with a quick in bed meditation to help you feel energised and take on the day!