I just re-read my March 2023 post – I’m stunned that the last time I added to the page was in March and it is now the end of December! Oops!

Reflecting back on the year helps me to appreciate the peaks and troughs on how life has rolled out for me in 2023. I also encourage you to look at what learning has come out of the “troughs” you have experienced and also have an attitude of gratitude towards your peaks or wins!

For me, I am lucky to be doing the very thing I feel I am meant to be doing. I have worked in health care delivery since 1988 as a Registered Nurse (I didn’t renew my registration in 2022) and I’m now working only as a Kinesiologist.

Please note that I made the word “feel” in bold and italics for a reason. To quote the “Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary” (7th Edition)

Feel:

  1. examine or search by touch
  2. perceive or ascertain by touch
  3. experience, exhibit, or be affected by …
  4. have an impression
  5. consider, think
  6. seem
  7. be consciously: consider oneself
  8. have sympathy or pity

Hmm, powerful word! Indeed, from a kinesiologist perspective, it is pretty well the be-all and end-all of words! To quote out of “Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat”, “you are what you feel”!

Dare I ask – how do you feel 2023 went for you? Some of us do this “feeling” stuff better than others but it can be brought right back to – does it feel good when you reflect on 2023? If it does, fantastic! If it doesn’t, then reflect on how much you felt you had a say in the way things rolled out. If there are any niggles, then there is “work” to be done! Also reflect, what did you do to make things better for you?

If you’re hurting emotionally then I implore you to put a complementary therapist you gel with in your health management team! Now!!

If you are physically hurting, what did you do for yourself to help alleviate the pain outside of taking some form of medication? Now, if I have just caused a reaction/pushed a button – and you’re pretty annoyed with me right now – then that is EXACTLY what I want you to reflect on. Believe me, I have experienced significant debilitating physical pain. But I’m a wimp when it comes to ongoing pain and take action really quickly.

Maybe you feel you have tried everything (including kinesiology). Did you, in all honesty, give the complementary therapies a fair enough go? Once or twice isn’t enough! Or once or twice with big gaps in between?! Yep, I hear it all the time. And, the older the issue, quite likely the longer it takes to get back to comfortable and functional. I’m not saying you have to sign up to us complimentary therapists for life but once you get comfortable you will know when you need to come back for a tweak. And it may just be a little more frequently than you expect because living makes things happen – particularly, the unanticipated hurdle.

As an example, in days gone by, (actually years now), if I had a headache, I would take a couple of over-the-counter pain relief tablets and expect the headache to be gone inside 1/2 hour. I haven’t taken any mainstream pharmaceuticals since 2020 because they no longer did the job. Have I had headaches since then? Of course! I had to find what worked for me and, please note, I am not talking about migraines that puts people to bed for hours or days and causes vomiting and light aversion (but also note, this is also treatable outside of pharmaceuticals). The point I am trying to make is that you find what works for you that the only side effect is that the pain is gone. Pain is a signal from the body that you shouldn’t ignore. There are no medals for who can suffer the most pain!

With regards to headaches, I use different things at different times. It maybe (and these aren’t in any particular order) –

  1. stop what I am doing, go outside and stand barefoot on the lawn/or lie face down on the lawn &/or connect to a tree, do some yoga – in other words, earth connection
  2. rest – I just might be really tired or over-cooked on the computer!
  3. have a herbal tea using filtered water – hydrate and settle the body system with herbs;
  4. activate acupressure points – settle the meridian system – I have a great app on my phone called “Acupressure: Heal Yourself” (one of my portable first aid kits!)
  5. for some reason the combination of Vit C (good quality) and magnesium (also good quality) worked for me – nutritional top up for what must be my deficiencies
  6. definitely essential oils (use with care – particularly around your pets) – always use diluted if applying to your skin – and buy quality!
  7. strategically placed crystals (for me – usually clear quartz on the hairline at the back of my neck) – warning – its tricky getting the tape off in the hair line!
  8. homeopathy or tissue salts – follow the instructions
  9. perhaps a session with a fellow complementary therapist if the headache is proving difficult to move on.

Note: When it comes to purchasing herbs, supplements and homeopathy etc, start at a reputable health food shop (or naturopath or homeopath!). These products are the Health Food shop’s core business and unless your local pharmacy has a resident Naturopath, they may not know a lot about whether a supplement is quality or not (meaning absorb-able in your gut). The pharmacy’s core business is pharmaceutical products. And, never buy your supplements at the grocery store.

My travel kit includes all of the above! Sometimes the headache is gone within 1/2 hour but not always – and then it is up to me to establish my next plan of action.

The point is that you find out what works for you – that doesn’t have a negative impact on another part of your body. It is a bit about trial and error.

2024 – I dub you The Year of Taking Responsibility for Yourself! It is so empowering to do things that feel right for you and this action shouldn’t cause harm to others. Like I said back in March:

  1. I am kind to myself
  2. I am kind to others
  3. I allow others to be kind to me

You can replace “kind” with “love” or “respect” or any other positive word.

If something doesn’t “feel” right for you, then it probably isn’t right for you. But it may be right for others to do it differently. You – respect your boundaries, respect others boundaries and others need to respect your boundaries. That would be a kinder 2024.

Also, I am slowly building a YouTube presence and this link is to my first published video (with less than adequate editing!) talking about my Mum – I’m including this here because it brings up the topic of self-responsibility https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ9mUs0LMXI&t=100s

I’ll take this opportunity to thank all of my clients for trusting me to help them on their journey in life and all the very best for everyone in 2024 and beyond. And remember, you are the only one who really knows what is right for you. Be brave, ask questions and discern what is right for you.

Ultimately, take responsibility for you.