The pleasures of a bath

A warm bath is a daily oasis for many people. Relaxing in ahot bath will ease the effects of tension and put you in a better state of mindto deal with your troubles.

Remember, the bath should be warm, not hot.

Some well-chosen herbs in your bathwater could make you soakeven more effective. Different herbs provide subtly distinct sensations whenadded to bathwater. Place one type of herb or a mixture in a cloth or net bag,and then toss the bag into the bath or hang it on the tap as the bath fills.Use the guide below to help you choose:

·        Stimulating, for a refreshing early-morningbath:lovage, mint, rosemary, sage, orange, pine, thyme

·        Tranquillizing, for an end-of-the-day bath:camomile, sandalwood, lavender, marjoram, marigold, mint

·        Relief for sore muscles or joints: arnica,wintergreen, lavender

·        Relief for itchy skin: parsley, sage, rosemary,basil

·        Antidote to fatigue or stress: pine, sage, fir(plus a cup of cider vinegar)

Every few days, stay in the bath long enough to soften skinon your feet, elbows and elsewhere. Then rub those areas with a wet pumicestone or abrasive puff. After removing rough skin, rinse off and apply bodylotion.

How to alleviate joint pains

Women and Mental Health Conditions

For women, the most common forms of mental ill health are stress, tiredness,and depression.

Women and Stress

When there is too much pressure on us, we become irritableand physically tense. Pain in the neck, shoulders or lower back, headaches, dizzinessand tiredness are some of the signs of stress. We experience extra stress whenmore than one important event or crisis takes place at the same time. A crisissuch as the death of someone close to you, losing your job or getting divorcedwill cause a lot of stress. Various health disciplines give advice about how todeal with stress. Most suggest a combination of exercise and healthy eatingwith rest and relaxation. They all caution us against setting our standards toohigh and trying to be perfect – or, as women so often do, trying to beeverything to everybody.

When you are experiencing stress, it is important to findout exactly what is causing it. If you do not resolve the root problem, thestress will continue. Discuss your problems with a trusted friend or in agroup. You might also consider using the services of mental health workers.

Women and Tiredness

Many women are overtired because they have to cope with somuch as the main caregivers of society. The double shift (working away fromhome during the day and at home during evenings) also takes its toll. Too muchstress affects the body’s immune system, with the result that we feel tired allthe time and get sick often. Poor diet also contributes to high fatigue levels.Tiredness is the body’s way of calling for help.

To address tiredness, it is important to try and find outwhat causes it. Try to pinpoint what is bothering you in your personal life. Atthe same time, you should eat, sleep, and rest well. Try to do interestingthings that make you feel good - join a support group or learn a new skill.

Women and ‘Nerves’

For centuries, women have complained of suffering from their‘nerves’ – a term used to describe stress, tiredness, and depression. For somepeople, ‘nerves’ include physical symptoms such as tiredness and weakness.Others experience ‘nerves’ as an emotional state. ‘Nerves ‘mean differentthings to different people, but the condition almost always goes together withfeelings of powerlessness and lack of control.

Sometimes people use the term ‘nerves’ to refer to seriousmental illness, but the vast majority of people who feel they suffer from their‘nerves’ are not mentally ill. They are usually in situations, which almostanyone would find difficult. If a woman says, ‘I am suffering from my nerves’; sheis talking about the difficulties she faces in a way that is sociallyacceptable.

So in some ways, to suffer from ‘nerves’ may get you out ofdifficult situations. ‘Nerves’ are an example of what an anthropologist hascalled ‘the weapons of the weak’. The problem with using a weapon of the weakis that it will not change your situation or resolve problems in the long run.People tend to take those who say that they suffer from their ‘nerves’ lessseriously.

What is needed is for all people who suffer from ‘nerves’who are stressed, worried, exhausted or upset, to be given support  to talk about the real problems they face andto gain more control  over their lives.Achieving this goal depends on the kinds of relationships and support we buildinto our society.

Women and Depression

Most people experience difficulties in life: sometimes wefeel happy, at other times we are sad or dissatisfied with ourselves and withlife. It is quite natural to feel sad when something upsetting happens. However,when you feel stressed and tired all the time, it is important to act. Visit ahealth worker to get advice and check that you have not developed an illness.When stress does not go away, you may become depressed .People who feelpowerless and trapped often experience depression. They feel sad and worried,but also angry with themselves, with their loved ones and with theircircumstances. Sometimes they feel so frustrated and desperate that theyconsider taking their own lives.

Many women lack confidence and self-esteem, and feel theyhave no control over their lives. These feelings can contribute towardsdepression, which is the most common mental health problem among women. Hereare some of the signs of depression:

·        You withdraw from people around you and fromthings that you usually enjoy.

·        You are irritable and see things in a negativelight

·        You are constantly unhappy and cry easily

·        You feel guilty and blame yourself easily

·        You feel hopeless and despairing

·        Your work becomes less important

·        You no longer care about your appearance

·        You have little energy and are always tired - evenwhen you wake up in the morning

·        You find it difficult to concentrate – you startthings but rarely finish them

·        You sleep  a lot less of more than usual

·        You eat very little or a lot more than usual

·        You lose interest in sex

Sometimesdepression can be dealt with by talking your problems through with a friend, ina group or with a mental health worker. However, it sometimes becomes so severethat you also need to take medicine so that you can start to function better.Medication should be combined with counselling, where you share problems with amental health worker to find ways of getting extra support and dealing betterwith your situation.

Depressionis often not understood. People with depression often feel judged and thismakes their recovery even more difficult. As one sufferer says, ‘People expectyou to snap out of it, but I couldn’t’. So people with depression are oftenunwilling to admit they have a problem, or they use euphemisms such as ‘abreakdown’ ‘or ‘nerves’. As in any other illness, eating well, exercise,relaxation and rest are important. These together with expressing yourself andtalking your problems through form part of many therapies. Life- skillstraining, which empowers us, helping us to express ourselves better and toresolve conflict, is also helpful.

Woman to Woman

www.dan-the-bookkeeper.co.za

How to Deal With Daily Stress

Here are tips how to manage the many small stressful events inyour daily routine:

·        Plan ahead for the morning crunch. Set thebreakfast table and make packed lunches the night before.

·        Plan what you will wear. Check clothing fortears, runs, or missing buttons.

·        If a child needs help deciding on clothing orgathering papers for school, get this organized the night before.

·        Get up before the rest of the family in order tohave some time to yourself. Read the newspaper or do a crossword puzzle.

·        Store plenty of microwave meals for your familythat can easily be put on the table at a moment’s notice.

·        Too many errands and chores to do? Enlist yourchildren’s help, or hire a trusted neighbourhood teenager to do some of thesetasks.

·        You can use a standard kitchen timer to helpmanage your schedule. If you do not want a telephone conversation to get toolengthy, set the timer for 15 or 20 minutes. Also use it ot time exercising orhousecleaning (‘I’ll do this for just 20 minutes”)

·        Get an aquarium. They come in all sizes, for anysize room or budget. Watching colourful fish swim gracefully through the waterwill distress you in no time.

·        Spend time with your children. Flying a kite ofplaying a favourite board game is relaxing and makes the whole family feelcloser.

·        Spend time away from your children as well.Occasionally hiring a babysitter can make a big difference to your stresslevel. To save money, consider sharing a babysitter with other parents.

·        Take time out for a hobby you truly enjoy,whether it is knitting playing the piano or pottering around the garden.

·        Listen to music. Start with lively music thatmatches the way you feel, and work into slower pieces. On the other hand, dothe opposite - start with soothing melodies and end with energizing music.

·        Get enough sleep. Most adults need at leasteight to eight and a half hours a night. Your efficiency the next day will morethan make up for the extra time lost to sleep. Go to bed at the same time everynight and wake at the same time every morning - even on weekends - if possible.This way you will not tamper with your body’s rhythms.

·        Try volunteer work. Nothing will take your mindoff your own troubles and give you a greater sense of accomplishment thanvolunteering your time and energy to a good cause

·        Buy cards and gifts throughout the year for.Then you will not have to rush around before birthdays and holidays.

·        Keep a record of the things that make you feelstressed. This will help you to become aware of the real stressors in your life.

·        Give yourself permission to be imperfect. Letthe dishes go unwashed one night.

·        Getting a pet is another excellent way to reducestress. Not only will a pet give you warmth and unconditional affection, butalso merely petting a friendly animal can help lower blood pressure.

www.dan-the-bookkeeper.co.za

Tips for an office workout

Many people are trapped in an office from 9 to 5 every day.There is not even time to break for the official cup of tea or for the hotdogoutdoor during lunch. For many it also means no change for any form ofexercise. Wrong!

You can have an office workout. Here is how:

·        Change your telephone instrument with one whohas a speaker function (many cell phones also have this facility). Use thisfunction when busy with a call and use the few minutes to walk up and down inthe office.

·        Do a few push-ups every hour off the edge ofyour desk.

·        What about some static squats, in which youhover over the seat of your chair, every 20 minutes.

·        Do some leg stretches every 30 minutes to getthe blood flowing.

·        Do calf raises while standing in in the officefor a few minutes.

·        Use some heavy objects of the office, forinstance, a door stop or heavy duty stapler to do biceps curls, tricepsextensions, and shoulder raises and presses, all while sitting in your chair.

·        Take the stairs instead of the elevator, walkinstead of driving whenever possible, etc. Any bit of activity you work intoyour daily routine can only help.

·        If there is a gym at work, force yourself to gothere during the lunch hour, even if it is only for 15 minutes.

Keep your fitness goals in mind, and even if you can onlymanage a few 30-minute sessions a week, keep at it.

Love and marriage

Woman

Food

South Africa

10 Ways to Improve Your Day in Just 5 Minutes

Five minutes. True, it's not a heck of a lot of time. Butit's just long enough for you to do one thing -- and maybe that one thing thatwill turn your day around.

In our busy 24/7 universe, it often seems like there's notenough time to do everything you want in a day. But take five and try these 10simple ways to lower stress and boost your mood and energy levels. They mayjust help you find the extra spark you need to meet the challenges of the day.

1. Make your bed. Starting off each day with this smallritual can help create a calm environment for you in your bedroom. GretchenRubin, author of The Happiness Project, writes that many people benefit frommaking this modest step part of their routines. By checking it off your to-dolist first thing, you've got one less thing to worry about for the rest of theday.

2. Pack a snack. Before you head out the door in themorning, go into the kitchen and grab a fruit (like a banana, apple or grapes)or a healthy snack (like unsalted nuts or low-fat cheese). This way, when acase of the munchies strikes later in the afternoon, you won't be reaching fora bag of chips or a candy bar from the vending machine out of convenience.Besides, you know what they say about an apple a day.

3. Clear your desk. You may not be able to overhaul yourcloset in five minutes, but you can manage to tidy your desk at work. Fromstray papers to scattered coffee mugs, clutter can make you lose focus and curbproductivity. Declutter your outer environment and you may feel lighter on theinside and more motivated to concentrate on the task at hand.

4. Pump up the music. Several studies have found thatlistening to music can help lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and boostmood. The right music has the power to change your attitude. So load up yourMP3 player and create a special playlist that will make you smile -- whetheryou're working or working out.

5. Sniff a lemon. For a quick de-stressing trick, turn to anunderrated sense -- your sense of smell. Japanese researchers found thatlinalool; a substance found in lemons, has anti-inflammatory properties and mayreduce the flight-or-fight stress response. Other scents like basil, juniper,and lavender have also been found to lower stress. 

6. Stretch. You don't have to be a yogi to benefit fromlight stretching. Lift your arms above your head at your desk. Or better yet,stretch your legs by walking outside. Stretching can help improve your circulationand flexibility, and may help ease the tight muscles that accompany stress.

7. Meditate. Try meditation and deep breathing to relax andturn your mind off. You don't need any special equipment to practicemeditation. Find a comfortable position in a chair or on the floor. Meditatingon a daily basis, even just for a few minutes, has been shown to fightdepression and ease stress.

8. Keep a gratitude diary. Take a minute every day to writedownseveral things you're thankful for, whether they're big or small things.It's easy to vent about weather, traffic, or job woes, but complaining bringsnegative energy along with it. Being thankful for what you have can make youappreciate all the positives in your life.

9. Turn off your electronics. Just becausewe live in a wiredworld doesn't mean you need to stay connected every minute of every single day.Staring at computer screens and electronics all day long can zap your energyand encourage inactivity. So log off youremail, phones, and Internet (yes,social networking web sites count, too). This is especially important to allowyou to unwind and relax before bed.

10. Prioritize. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you havemultiple tasks crowding your mind. Make a list and finish your most dreadedduties first to avoid the anxiety caused by procrastination. Make a list andcheck off each task as you complete it. At the end of the day, a list ofaccomplishments is a great visual reminder of how productive you were.

By Jennifer Soong

Find joy and passion in life

Finding something you love to do is a good start toincreasing the moments of joy in your life, and your passion for living.

Today's pace of life prevents too many people from findingwhat they love to do because they feel so tired. But when you give in to theurge to take photographs or make your own clothes or do woodworking, or becomea first-class baker, you're giving yourself a gift. It takes energy, but italso creates energy in the passion you find for a new activity.

You may or may not be able to change careers, but doingsomething you love even as a hobby brightens you up. You'll look forward togetting up in the morning, you'll feel more interested and alive, and otherpeople will be drawn to your energy. If schools really wanted to increase the qualityof kids' lives, there would be a place in the curriculum for finding things youlove to do and working at them, attaining a level of expertise that lets youexpress your creativity.

As adults, we can re-educate ourselves about joy and passionby skipping the night class in business management and studying sculptureinstead.

Ouma se kombuis

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) - Home Treatment

For as long as you have a menstrual cycle and ovulate, yourhormone-producing endocrine system has powerful, cyclic effects on your body.If you have symptoms that are or may be premenstrual syndrome (PMS), use thefollowing home treatment measures as initial and on-going treatment.

Keep a menstrual diary. By recording your symptoms, theirseverity, and the days when you have your period and ovulate, you can identifypatterns in your cycle and plan the best treatment with your healthprofessional. You can also use your menstrual diary to plan ahead for, preventor reduce, and better cope with your premenstrual symptoms. Whenever possible,plan to take extra good physical and emotional care of yourself during yourpremenstrual days. It's also useful to let people close to you know when yourmore trying days will be. See examples of symptom diaries or use this menstrualdiary.

Begin or maintain a moderate exercise schedule (at least 2½hours a week). Exercise helps reduce depression. Women often report thatexercise helps relieve tension, pain, and mood-related PMS symptoms.

Take daily calcium and vitamin B6 (50 mg to 100 mg). Calciumand vitamin B6 may help relieve PMS symptoms.

Follow a sensible and balanced diet that provides therecommended levels of vitamins and nutrients.

Use a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to reducePMS pain. NSAIDs relieve premenstrual and menstrual pain and reduce menstrualbleeding. They reduce inflammation, which is from increased prostaglandinproduction during the premenstrual period. NSAIDs work best when taken beforeand continued at regular dosage intervals throughout the premenstrual painperiod. For some women, this continues into the first days of menstrualbleeding, to relieve painful cramps. If you have regular cycles, start takingan NSAID 1 to 2 days before you expect pain to start.

Avoid or eliminate unhealthy habits, such as smoking orhaving too much caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, or salt.

Reduce stress in your life.

Create a support system. Join a support group of women whoare managing their PMS or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). With yourloved ones, plan ahead for ways to reduce the demands and stress placed on you,as well as the amount of stress that your premenstrual symptoms place on them.

Wear a more supportive bra, such as a sports bra, if yourbreasts are tender during your premenstrual days.

If you have cramps, you can usually relieve them withover-the-counter medicine and home treatment. These self-care measures can helpyou figure out which changes are most useful in relieving your PMS symptoms. 

Itmay be best to:

Try one or two techniques at a time, instead of all of themat once. This will allow you to identify the most helpful techniques.

Try the technique for two to three menstrual cycles. Sometechniques may require more than one cycle to be helpful.

Stop using a technique if you have tried it for 2 or 3months and it doesn't seem to be helping. (But if it is improving other partsof your life, you might want to keep doing it even if it isn't reducing yourPMS symptoms.)

My beautiful body

Chill out!

Bogged down by deadlines, family commitments and a demanding social life? Take a deep breath...

You don't always need acupuncture, aromatherapy, hot-stone therapy or an Indian head massage to relax. There are many things you can easily do in the comfort of your own home to get rid of some stress.

Wash away the stress

Water has been used as a stress reliever for centuries. Go for a swim, sit in a sauna or relax in a Jacuzzi. Twice a month, soak your body in a hot bath to which you've added a cup of sea salt and a cup of bicarbonate of soda. It will relax your muscles and make you drowsy, helping you have a good night's rest and ensuring you wake up feeling refreshed and energised.

Shake it off

Exercise releases endorphins (feel-good hormones) and also burns off excess energy, which would otherwise make you feel grumpy or irritable. Try Tai Chi, an exercise regime from the East, which has been described as movement meditation or an alternative form of yoga. It aids flexibility and relaxation. Here are a few exercises for you to try:

- If your body is feeling tired and stiff, lie on your back on a firm, flat surface with your feet slightly apart and your hands at your sides. Relax your arms and turn your palms upwards, with your fingers slightly bent. Lie in this position for 10 to 20 minutes while concentrating on your breathing. Before getting up, turn onto your left side and place your left arm underneath your head. Lie like this for at least two minutes before pushing yourself up with your right hand.

- Lie on your stomach with your legs slightly apart. Put your hands on top of each other, with the palms facing down and turn your head to the side so that your cheek is resting on top of your hands. Close your eyes and breathe rhythmically through your nose. This exercise is especially effective for calming you down after you've had a fight with someone.

- Sit with your feet shoulder-width apart. Rest your palms on your thighs. Close your eyes. Spend five minutes passively listening to sounds in the distance, until you feel relaxed. You can do this behind your desk or in a parked car. Try it after struggling through traffic on your way to an important meeting or after a disagreement with a colleague.

Sweet dreams

Lie on your back in bed. Close your eyes and place your hands in a comfortable position behind your head. Press your thumbs into your ears to shut out the external noise. You will hear a sound rushing through your head – that's completely normal. Listen to it for 10 to 15 minutes, then bring your arms down to your sides, relax and go to sleep.

Vitamin C

Researchers at the University of Trier in Germany have found that vitamin C helps us to relax and lessens our stress levels. Research subjects exhibited a marked lowering in levels of the harmful stress hormone cortisol, as well as lower blood pressure after taking 1 000mg vitamin C three times a day.

You can bolster your levels of vitamin C naturally by eating lots of citrus, strawberries, broccoli, guavas, spanspek, green pepper and tomatoes.

Laugh it off

When you laugh, feel-good hormones are released that inhibit levels of the harmful stress hormone cortisol, and bolster your immunity.

The joy of music

Some types of music, especially baroque music, calm you down by slowing your brain waves. Try listening to music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi (especially The Four Seasons) or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when you're feeling stressed.

Acknowledgement:  Ideas.co.za

Woman to Woman

My Beautiful World

37 creative ways to de-stress

Your life is boring. The two most exciting things that happened to you this week was an afternoon of sunshine when you had washing on the line and the phone call on Sunday night was not from your mother-in-law.

  

Your social calendar for the immediate future contains two birthday parties for three-year-olds and a PTA meeting. You feel the only time you see other people is when you go to the supermarket or the Laundromat. When you start watching infomercials on morning TV, you should know it's time to do something new.

There are things every one of us should do at least once a year – if only to remind ourselves that we are alive. Remember who you used to be, get a good babysitter – if you need one that is, and let the games begin.

• Go for a long walk in the rain – who cares if your underwear gets soaked?
• Go away for a weekend, but don’t decide on a destination beforehand. Just get in the car and see where it takes you.
• Read all your old love letters.
• Go and watch two movies in one day and have a pizza and some wine in between the two.
• Get up early and watch the sun rise.
• Go to an outdoor symphony concert.
• Phone an old friend you have not spoken to for ages.
• Wear something outrageous and different to what you would usually wear.
• Buy a lottery ticket.
• Reread your three favourite poems and books – preferably in bed or in front of a fire.
• Go for a long walk next to the ocean.
• Swim when it’s raining.
• Buy something you don’t need at all, but would like to have anyway.
• Phone an old boyfriend on his birthday.
• Let the dog sleep under the duvet on a really cold night.
• Talk through the night to someone you really care about and only go to sleep when the birds start chirping.
• Invite the nice new person at work for dinner – don’t just promise to do it.
• Eat oranges and broccoli and chocolate fudge and pizza for supper – just because that’s what you feel like.
• Go and see a play or a live concert.
• Spend an hour on the phone to your best friend gossiping about someone you know, preferably your boss or your mother-in-law.
• Have a picnic.
• Go to a restaurant you have never been to before.
• Go for a massage or aromatherapy.
• Watch the sunset.
• Ask your hairdresser what he/she would like to do with your hair.
• Use some of your hard-earned savings and suddenly decide to go and see your friend in Milan or Dubai, or wherever.
• Learn to let the dishes stand for a day.
• Sign up for singing lessons, dancing lessons, or judo classes, or paper marbling, or live drawing, or writing classes, or Tai Chi.
• Put in a day’s leave and go camping in the wilds or in a nature reserve for a long weekend (no toddlers in nappies allowed on this trip – that’s what grandparents are for).
• Go to a nursery and buy some plants, even if they’re for the balcony of your flat.
• Go to the local tourist information bureau and pretend for one weekend that you are a tourist in your hometown. Visit the museum, climb the mountain, visit a gold mine, or crocodile ranch, or take a township tour.
• Invite ten very dissimilar people to a dinner party. Drink a tranquiliser beforehand.
• Commit one hour a week of your time towards helping others in some way – whether volunteering at a community organisation or visiting your mother’s aunt in an old age home.
• Buy flowers for yourself.
• Go out for the evening and say “Expect me when you see me” as you leave.
• Walk barefoot in wet grass.
• Go out for breakfast.
• Leave the TV off for an hour, day or a week or until it hurts.

Acknowledgement: Susan Erasmus, Health24.com

Ouma se Kombuis

Happiness means longer life

A scientific review found evidence that people who feel positive about life, not stressed or pessimistic, have a tendency to live longer and experience better health than their unhappy peers.  But what if you're feeling down?

Get some exercise – this will boost your feel-good hormones; phone a friend – a kind voice at the other end of the line can sometimes make you feel a thousand times better; eat something – a sandwich might make you feel better instantly, especially if your blood sugar levels are low; bury yourself in a book – there's nothing like an interesting story to take your attention off your own troubles; get out into nature – a walk on the mountain is guaranteed to lift your spirits; take a nap or a bath – often you just need some rest to perk you up.

Health24