Do you or someone you know seem to focus on what is missing or difficult despite many positive things in your/their life?

The first person comes from a place of gratitude and appreciation while the latter is about holding a grievance or anger.

There are multiple benefits to having a gratitude practice. Research suggests it can improve sleep¹: decrease inflammatory markers and increase heart rate variability²: it can enhance your sense of well-being and provide interpersonal and emotional benefits³.

When we develop a sense of appreciation for those around us and cultivate a sense of gratitude for life itself, we are relieved of the burden that comes with seeing ourselves as ‘victims,’” writes Greg Krech in Gratitude, Grace and the Japanese Art of Self-Reflection.

Krech calls this state of appreciation “grace,” a term used in many religions. However, grace as a practice is not a belief as much as a shift in thinking. Or as Krech puts it: “It’s the difference between seeing life as an entitlement and seeing it as a gift.”

However it is practiced, gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Yes, pain and injustice, and cruelty exist in this world. But when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. We often feel more energized to reach out and help others; we feel we have some power to positively affect our world. This again leads to a feeling of well-being…and gratitude. It’s a self-sustaining cycle!

Here are some simple, effective gratitude practices. Find one or more that resonate with you and give it a try for at least 2 weeks and see how you feel.

Every evening, think of 1-3 things you are grateful for. You can write them down if you prefer.

Weekly, write down everything you are grateful for and see how you feel in your body. Notice how you feel emotionally as well as in your physical body.

Verbally express feelings of appreciation to loved ones or friends.

Remember someone that helped or influenced you like a teacher, mentor, co-worker, pet. Recall how they made you feel good.

I hope you find this helpful. I would l love to hear about your experience practicing gratitude.

1. Jackowska M, Brown J, Steptoe A. The impact of a brief gratitude intervention on subjective well-being, biology and sleep 2015; 21 (10): 2207-17
2. Redwine L, Henry BL, Pung MA, Wilson K, Chinh K, Knight B, et al. A pilot randomized study of a gratitude journaling intervention on HRV and inflammatory biomarkers in Stage B heart failure patients. Psychosom Med 2016; 78 (6): 667-76
3. Robert A Emmons   , Michael E McCullough. Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. J Pers Soc Psychol 2003; Feb;84(2)

Emotional learning and memory take place in the amygdala which is part of the limbic system in your brain.  The limbic system has a direct effect on various chemicals for example cortisol & adrenalin as well as hormones in your body.  When you inhale an aroma it travels by way of the olfactory nerve pathways directly into the limbic system and amygdala.  This immediately evokes memories and emotions before you are consciously aware of them.  It totally bypasses your cerebrum which is your conscious thought center in the brain.  Where smells are concerned we react first and think later.  So inhaling a pleasant aroma can help you shift your mood in just 1-2 minutes!!

For example, have you ever walked into a shopping mall, smelled fresh cookies baking, and immediately had memories of you and a family member baking together accompanied by a sense of love or warm fuzzy feeling?  That is because it is imprinted in your amygdala.  I have always loved gardening and keep a few aromatic plants in my yard.  Gardening calms me and helps me to feel grounded and centered.  When I smell a floral oil such as ylang ylang, jasmine, or rose I feel my body starting to relax and my distress starts melting away.   Now I’m not saying all your anxiety or stress magically disappear but it will take the edge off,  break the fight-or-flight response and enable you to think more clearly

All you have to do is take 3-4 deep inhalations directly from the bottle whenever you feel anxious or stressed.  You can also put a few drops on a cotton ball or tissue, place in a plastic bag to take with you and use throughout your day.  Another option is to diffuse it in a room with an ultrasonic diffuser.

Below are just a few oils that are calming to the nervous system which helps in alleviating anxiety and stress.  Remember your emotional response to any oil depends upon your unique life experiences and chemistry.

Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia*        Marjoram – Origanum majorana

Mandarin – Citrus reticulate*          Roman Chamomile – Anthemis nobilis*

Rose – Rosa damascene                Ylang Ylang – Cananga dorata

Frankincense – Boswelia carteri

* I recommend these oils for children because they are very mild and children usually love their aromas.  They are very effective for adults too.

If you would like to find the specific oils your body wants to ease anxiety and/or stress contact me for an aromatherapy session.  Not sure this is for you?  Click here to schedule a free 30-minute consultation with Laurie.

Prevention is key, following the CDC guidelines is crucial but does not address the whole person, body, mind, and spirit.  Below are approaches and techniques that can enhance your immune system using your body, and mind.   

BODY/PHYSICAL

1.Diffuse or directly inhale essential oils with anti-viral properties and/or oils that support your respiratory system. This is a partial list of oils with these properties.   Anti-viral oils:  Sage (Salvia officinalis), Thyme, Myrrh, Tea tree, Niaouli, Clove. Respiratory support oils:  All Eucalyptus oils, Ravintsara, Green myrtle. 

Inhalation is the fastest and easiest way to administer the oils.  You can diffuse one or more of the oils in a diffuser, smell it directly from the bottle, place a few drops on a cotton ball or Kleenex and give one to each member of the family to smell several times a day or create a personal aroma inhaler (available on Amazon, search under essential oil inhaler tubes with wicks). 

After some research, I have created an anti-viral & respiratory blend to support my family during this time.  I want to share it with all of you.  Please understand there has been no testing to see if these oils or blend decreases or stops the growth of this specific coronavirus.  I created a blend that covers a variety of known viruses, bacteria and that support your respiratory system in general. 

Anti-viral and Respiratory Support blend

Combine the following in a 15 ml glass bottle: 

3 ml Eucalyptus  radiata,  3 ml Ravintsara,  3 ml Spruce or Balsam fir, 2 ml Eucalyptus globulus,  2 ml Tea tree,  1ml Sage,  1 ml Thyme, 2 drops clove, 5-6 drops peppermint

You can diffuse this in your home so everyone in the room receives the benefits.  If you are new to essential oils I would start by diffusing for 30 minutes 3-4 times a day.  If you use oils, you can diffuse for 1 hour 2-3 times a day. 

Another option is to create a personal inhaler.  I use this before and after going to the grocery store or out for a walk. You can use it several times a day if you don’t have a diffuser.   

2. Exercise/body movement because it helps your lymphatic system.  Your lymphatic system plays a key role in the immune system, it produces white blood cells and removes toxins and debris from your cells.  However, unlike blood, the lymphatic fluid is not pumped but squeezed through the vessels when we use our muscles. You don’t have to do an intense workout just walking, dancing, yoga or other activity for 15 minutes helps keep this system functioning at its best.  

3. Sleep 7-9 hours per night. This is when your body repairs and rejuvenates itself.

4. Eat nutritious foods. You know the saying, “garbage in – garbage out’.  If you don’t give your body what it needs it can’t take care of you.  Avoid large amounts of sugar, bacteria, and viruses thrive on it.  Eat more vegetables, moderate amounts of fruit and don’t binge on carbohydrates.

MENTAL and EMOTIONAL

1. Decrease stress and fear because it suppresses your immune system.  Meditation, even just 5 minutes a day can help.  Click here for a 5-minute breath meditation.  Perform an activity you enjoy and just be in the present moment with it.  For example, garden, crochet, make models, do jigsaw puzzles, play or make music.  The main point is to focus on the activity and stop the mind chatter of “what if”.  This will help to strengthen your immune system.  

2. Practice gratitude, daily find 3 things you are grateful for.This decreases stress and studies suggest optimistic feelings fortify the immune system.  To learn more about how gratitude affects your health and well-being  click here. 

3. Receive a distance Healing Touch session.  This energy therapy supports and facilitates physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and self-healing.  It produces a profound sense of relaxation which promotes the production of endorphins (feel-good hormones) that help uplift your spirits.  Remember stress decreases your immune system so relaxation enhances it.  It also helps you to process, release, and clear thoughts and emotions (such as anxiety and fear) that are not serving you. 

During this time of social distancing, the safest thing to do is receive a session in the comfort of your own home and the practitioner in their home.   Energy has no boundaries, I have performed distance/remote sessions with clients in New York, Arizona, even Austria from my home in Calif and had wonderful results.  Think of it like radio waves going out and sending information to every home that is tuned in, only now it is sending energy to a specific person. 

I encourage you to schedule a healing touch session at least once a month during these uncertain times.  The session may be with me, another practitioner or you can do an exchange with a classmate if you have taken a healing touch class in the past.    

If you have questions about what a distance session consists of or want to schedule an appointment please contact me: la****@***************od.com or phone: 510 381-3191.

4. Maintain social ties but in a new way.   We are social beings so isolation can lead to depression and/or anxiety which depresses the immune system.  Stay connected with family and friends with telephone or video calls. I love video calls because I enjoy seeing the other person plus facial expressions and hand gestures add to the conversation. 

If you and a friend have no symptoms and the weather is nice you might consider meeting outdoors, staying at least 6 feet apart for a short visit. 

I hope you find these tips useful.  If you have any questions or just want to share a story with me I would love to hear from you.  Stay calm, carry on and be healthy!

• Debbie Downer – Always points out what is “wrong” or not up to their standard, very critical. Or focuses on the negative in life, she emphasizes sadness or shortcomings even in good or joyful stories.  May have low or intense energy vibration depending upon the situation.
• Confrontational Curtis – His beliefs are the “right” beliefs, and you need to change your ideas to match his. Not open to listening or having a real discussion about other viewpoints.  May have very intense energy vibration.
• Veronica Victim – Everything bad “happens to her”, she has no control over her own life. Has a low energy vibration.

The first and third type of person may be draining you of your energy.  They have a low vibration and when they come into contact with someone in a higher vibration they want to drink it in.  These are the people where you come away feeling drained, tired, sad or even depressed whenever you are around them.

The second and sometimes the first personalities may leave you feeling irritated, edgy or angry.  This is related to their energy being chaotic, out-of-balance yet intense.

Here are a few techniques that help protect your energy field so you come away feeling like yourself.

1. Surround yourself in white light – Ideally, do this before entering a room full of people or before interacting with a difficult person.  Surround yourself in a bubble of white light that is only slightly permeable.  You are creating a protective shield around your energy field.
2. Ground yourself (connect to the Earth’s core), set the intention to keep your energy separate.
3. Essential oils – Oils that can help with grounding and protecting your energy field are juniper, cedarwood, pine. Oils that significantly raise your vibration and help clear your field of energy debris are frankincense, rose, neroli, and sage.
4. Limit exposure time to these people – Limit the amount of time you spend talking and in close proximity to that person. Remember our energy fields are always interacting on the unconscious level.  They are not aware that they are draining or irritating you.  Less time around them means less energetic debris from them in your field so you can come away feeling like yourself.
5. Deep breathing – Take 2-3 deep breaths before, during and after engaging with them. This helps you to stay grounded, centered and relaxed.  You may want to imagine or visualize bringing in Earth energy with your inhalation and breathing out any energy that is not yours.  Or if someone is speaking negatively to you imagine breathing all of that out of your space when you exhale.
6. Clear your energy field after the event or interaction – Take a few minutes to perform magnetic passes hands in motion or magnetic clearing on yourself. These are 2 healing touch techniques you learn in a Level 1 class.  Want to learn more about healing touch?  Click Here

If you know Confrontational Curtis  “pushes your buttons”, interactive guided imagery can help change that dynamic for you.  This is more mindful than energetic and can be very effective.  I work with you to visualize the interaction in your mind’s eye and go through different scenarios.  This reconditions your response so you are not reactive to that person.

If you are sensitive to others’ energy and would like some help in learning how to navigate out in the world, let’s talk.  If you have been surrounded by difficult people and need an energy tune-up, contact me for an appointment!

Our modern world bombards you with multiple stressors on a daily basis which keeps you in the stress response (aka “survival mode”).  It adversely affects your ability to reason, your digestive and immune systems, quality of sleep and ability to have compassion for yourself and others.

Benefits of being in the relaxation mode:

• think clearly and improved focused
• digestive system works better
• stronger immune system
• improved sleep
• calmer mind
• easily access emotions of empathy and compassion

By inhaling relaxing essential oils such as ylang-ylang, orange, roman chamomile, or lavender to name a few you will enhance the relaxation effect.

You don’t even have to sit still in order to meditate.  You just need to be in the present moment and not thinking about the past or the future.  You can do a walking meditation.  Whether your outside, inside a building or out in nature enjoy and observe what is happening in the moment.  Don’t think about your to-do list, what happened last night with a family member or what you should wear to that presentation. We can all learn a lesson from our pets, they live in the present (see photo).  Here is a healing touch technique called mind-clearing that can be an active meditation – my gift to you!

Now the mind is tricky and thoughts will come in while you are meditating but just gently release them and come back to the moment.  You see you don’t have to be perfect when you meditate!  Just not dwelling on those thoughts and coming back to the present still elicits the relaxation response.  So don’t give up just because you can’t keep a clear head. 

My second gift to you is a 5-minute breath meditation download that you can do anywhere.  I love doing this when I am out in nature to really feel the energy of the environment.  It is super calming for me.

Some great times to meditate are:

• When you first wake up in the morning
• on your way to or from work (if you take public transit or carpool)
• break or lunchtime
• after arriving home
• just before bed to relax and clear your mind.
• whenever you choose to take time for yourself it is a good time.

With repetition, your body recognizes the 3 signal breaths and that alone can start to put you into a state of relaxation.

You can’t go wrong trying this!  I would love to hear how you feel after completing this meditation.

Notice the seashell in the picture.  Some of it is worn away revealing a smooth, glossy inside with a spiral.  If it weren’t for pounding waves or another animal pecking part of it off we would never see the hidden beauty inside.  The intact outer shell is rough, has some color and protected the creature that was inside for some time.  This shell has been around for a while and probably has drifted to many places.  I wish it could talk to me.

The experience of the shell is like life.  We come into the world innocent and adorable.   As we grow we experience many happy times and challenges.  We get knocked around sometimes and that can change us.  Just like the shell getting tossed around by the waves.  It can make us stronger or leave emotional scars.  Challenges may bring out an inner beauty and strength we didn’t know we had.  It can teach us lessons such as compassion, letting go of the need to be in control or how to nurture yourself.  Challenges can even help you to understand yourself better.

I experienced several challenging years with one of my daughters when she was a teenager.  There were times when I could not relate to her at all or understand her decisions.  I had to learn to let go of wanting to control things, she was making her own decisions and had to accept the consequences.  I learned how to take better care of myself in order to stay healthy and functioning during this time.  This is when I learned meditation.  My husband and I learned how to communicate better and be consistent in a course of action.  Although going through it I felt stressed and over whelmed when all was said and done I felt stronger and had gained new life skills.

The relationship with my daughter improved when she was around 18 – 19.  We have a good relationship now even though we still don’t agree about everything.

Life challenges are inevitable and feel awful when your in the thick of it. However they can also bring out an inner beauty and strength we didn’t know we had just like seeing the inside of the seashell.  If you need assistance with a life issue let’s talk about it.

As an energy worker, I believe there should be some sort of exchange between people so this content is not for free. If you found it valuable, in exchange for payment, I ask that you do one or all of the following: 1) Share it with at least 2 people on Facebook, via email or any social media of your choice.   2) Answer the question or leave a comment.

Laurie Ratto, RN, Speaker, HTCP, CCA has 30+ years’ experience helping people to heal from physical, mental , and emotional pain. She provides a safe, nurturing space for women to release fears and self-doubt, what spiritually ties us to pain. Laurie Ratto specializes in complementary medicine, as a holistic healer, she keeps her RN certification current because she understands the power of balance as we heal.

retro television

Growing up TV was a source of comfort and companionship because both of my parents worked full time and my siblings were much older.  It kept me company when no one else was home, it lulled me to sleep at times when I was feeling scared, it entertained me when no one else was around. Certain shows bonded the family together. I have great memories of staying up late on Friday night with my Mom to watch Johnny Carson.  Once I started to watch a show I was mesmerized and tuned everything else out.  It was my coping mechanism when feeling scared or lonely.

Fast forward forty years, my daughters are young adults and living at home.  They use the TV in a similar fashion.  They want to have the TV on for background noise whether they are taking a quick nap or are working on other projects.  They use it as a way to “veg out” after work.   My husband enjoys watching comedy shows to relax.  The problem is to this day I get mesmerized by the TV, even when I have no interest in the show!

The habit that once served me well is very distracting and stopping me from being productive now.  When home alone I have no issues because I don’t turn the TV on.  However when someone does turn it on I can’t help myself, I get sucked in and mesmerized.  I will even criticize a show, not like it but continue to watch it!  I am working on changing this.

First step is awareness. I know I have an issue that is rooted in my past and want to change it. Second step is making a plan for change. Telling myself I will leave the room and then doing it is key. I also asked my family for support.  If they see me getting pulled in when I said I wanted to do something else they pause the TV and ask if I really want to watch it. Then I make the decision to continue watching or get up and leave the room. This is reconditioning my brain and changing my old habit.

Are you aware of an issue you want to change? Do you need a plan and some support in changing a mindset or habit? Let’s talk and see if I can be your “TV pauser” to get you moving in the right direction again.  Click here to message me.

As an energy worker, I believe there should be some sort of exchange between people so this content is not for free. If you found it valuable, in exchange for payment, I ask that you do one or all of the following: 1) Share it with at least 2 people on Facebook, via email or any social media of your choice.   2) Answer the question or leave a comment.

Laurie Ratto, RN, Speaker, HTCP, CCA has 30+ years’ experience helping people to heal from physical, mental , and emotional pain. She provides a safe, nurturing space for women to release fears and self-doubt, what spiritually ties us to pain. Laurie Ratto specializes in complementary medicine, as a holistic healer, she keeps her RN certification current because she understands the power of balance as we heal.