by Jackie Foskett, CHT

Last month, I introduced using simple Breathwork to release a stressful moment and/or gain a feeling of calmness for your health and well being. I also discussed portion sizes and simple ways to get movement into your life for overall health and wellness. So, how do you keep walking this path? How do you remember to BREATHE when in need of calming or stick to the appropriate portion for healthy eating? How do you keep your body moving regularly and easily?

A Written Commitment is Powerful
You make a commitment to yourself, that’s how! It’s your sacred promise to yourself. Write it down, place it where you can see it and then say it out loud to yourself on a daily basis. It works!
Writing is powerful because it engages your right brain-the area that is home to your subconscious. Then when you say it out loud and with focus, you are then working with both the right and left brain and conditioning your mind for success!

I like to think of a commitment as an umbrella that covers all of one’s humanity. It embraces the promise, the mistakes, the lack of motivation, the forgetfulness, the fear, the resistance, the anxiety, the doubt, the anger, and any other feelings, and even the loss of purpose.

Choices that Honor Your Word
Commitment is the act of giving your word and then doing everything you can to make the CHOICES that honor your word. No matter how you are feeling, you have this umbrella to keep it all ok, and you keep coming back to that protection by CHOICE, choosing what is in alignment with your goal and your word for your health and well being.

Like any flight plan that goes from here to there, sometimes there will be lifts, drags, cross-winds, storms and even lightening that will cause you to deviate from the intended course. Yet, as the main objective is to arrive safely, you continue to make course corrections until you arrive at the goal. Non-serving attitudes say: “I can never do this, why bother, I’m so off course, what’s the use?” and so on.
Commitment says: “oops, I’m off track, what I can do now?” or “where am I going? oh, yes, I said I would do (blank), I know what I can do now, I’m choosing to get back on course”. And you get back on. You have your Umbrella of Commitment to keep coming back to. You’re using your Umbrella of Commitment!

Making a Commitment for YOU Now
What commitment would you like to make for yourself right now? Example: I promise to treat myself with respect, to honor my body with good fuel, water, movement , rest and care. I promise to invest daily in my health and well being by making choices that are in alignment with my goal.

Notice How it Feels
Go ahead now and take a few minutes and write your commitment to yourself. Notice how it feels after you’ve done that. Notice how you feel in a week. Choose the Umbrella of Commitment and watch how you succeed!

by Jackie Foskett, CHT

A common challenge I hear from clients entering my Weight Release program is about overeating, or eating when not really hungry. Besides for the emotions that may be driving the unwanted behavior, and using hypnotherapy to assist in getting to the source and making the appropriate changes, you can use a very simple method to begin to know where you are on the hunger verses stuffed scale !

Imagine a Gauge
This technique requires you to simply STOP and tune in to your body. Imagine that there is a gauge in your mind with the numbers 1-5. This gauge can be round, straight or any other shape you might create. 1 means very hungry, those gnawing feelings in your belly, 5 is full, no room for anymore food at all. It is almost uncomfortable. Beyond 5 is the Thanksgiving meal where you can’t even move. Don’t go there!!

Now just ask your body what number your gauge is at. I know this may seem strange, but it can be as simple as saying to yourself, “what number is my gauge at?” or “how hungry am I?” and just go with the first number that comes up. It’s your inner knowingness that you are accessing. I know this is an area where most of us are a bit rusty. We’re not accustomed to trusting our instincts, intuition or our inner voice. But I encourage you to give it a try and with practice, it actually gets easier and you’ll feel more connected to your body and its needs, as opposed to feeling unconscious and disconnected from your behavior around food and eating.

If it’s at 3 for example, and you’re thinking of having a second helping, perhaps you might want to stop eating at this point, or just take one or two more bitefuls, then re-evaluate where your hunger-satisfied gauge is at.
Use this gauge as soon as you begin to think about eating, as well. Are you really hungry, at a 1 or 2 or are you at a 4 and eating out of boredom or due to some other emotion? Test it out. If nothing else, you will become aware of how you might be using food to compensate for other needs. Tune in so you don’t tune out!

by Jackie Fosket, CHT

Does fear keep you or someone you know from receiving regular dental care? As a long time Registered Dental Hygienist, I have heard this reason many times from patients who have neglected their dental care. Various studies suggest that anywhere from 10-20% of the population stay away due to anxiety or fear of the dentist.

Unfortunately, neglecting dental care not only has negative oral health implications such as badly decayed teeth and gum disease, it can play a role in more serious medical problems. Recent studies have linked gum disease (periodontal disease) with heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, premature births and low birth weights.

Inflammation and the Immune System
It’s all about inflammation and the biochemical mechanisms of that inflammation in the circulatory system. The bacteria in the mouth under the gumline produce toxins that can set up an inflammatory response. This inflammatory response produces various biochemicals that have a negative impact on the immune system and contribute to the body’s inability to function optimally, which can lead to some serious health problems.

It's All Connected
You know that old song that goes something like "the hambone’s connected to the hipbone, the hipbone’s connected to the thighbone and so on”, well, the mouth is connected to the rest of the body!! There is a tendency to think “it’s just my teeth”. This can be harmful thinking. Getting regular dental care to remove sources of decay and bacterial infections, as well as treating gum inflammation, is an important part of overall healthcare.

If anxiety or fear of dental treatment is keeping you from taking control of your healthcare, besides for finding a dentist that uses “laughing gas” or conscious IV sedation, which are both acceptable methods to treat dental anxiety, consider using hypnosis.

How Hypnosis Can Help
Hypnosis can work in 2 ways. First, through hypnotherapy, you can release the fear associated with either a past dental fear, perceived dental fear from negative stories heard from others’ experiences, or from feelings of helplessness and loss of control. Secondly, you will learn relaxation techniques or self-hypnosis to use while in the dental office. This gives numerous benefits since relaxation, as opposed to fear, produces endorphins, the feel good hormones. These hormones assist in the relaxation process. And when mind and body are relaxed, sensations, such as a dental team member working in your mouth, are perceived more favorably. Additionally, when fear and anxiety are removed and an anesthetic is needed, it will be work more readily and optimally, requiring less time in the chair and a much more pleasant experience for all.

Get Support in Releasing Dental Fear
Getting rid of dental fear is more than “just about your teeth”. It’s really about your general health and overall well being. If you are one of that 10-20% of the population avoiding dentistry because of “fear of the dentist”, find someone to assist you in releasing these fears and anxieties. You will be taking care of YOU very profoundly. Step under that Umbrella of Commitment, you deserve it!