It’s September and it’s back to school – time to bone up on our wellness strategies. In today’s complicated world, we need help  deciphering complex, contradictory, and confusing health information. Similar to deciphering complex legal information where a legal consultant is necessary, a coach/educator is often needed to navigate the vast arena of health and wellness information and make it useable. When choosing a health educator or health coach be sure to ask about their credentials: Where did they get their education? Are they certified in their area of specialty? How many related credentials do they have? How long have they been teaching or coaching? What is their personal relationship to health and wellness or to illness? Is their primary goal to sell products? In other words, you need to get the “Wholistic” view before you  choose someone to help with your personal goals.

Workshops which are conducted in a safe, caring, and supportive environment  allow each participant to express and develop their unique gifts. Classes should be designed to inform, inspire, and empower, allowing individual self-discovery through a combination of shared information and experiential sessions. The instructor should be sensitive to the needs of the group, using effective coaching skills such as deep listening and authenticity. So check out your options today – plan now to make your health and wellness a priority and head back to school!

Some of the workshops available from Wellness Paths include:

• Holistic Stress Management
• Humor – Jest for the Health of It!
• Eating Outside the Box
• Blessed or Stressed?
• Empowering Strategies for Hidden Health Hazards
• What’s so Funny about Aging?
• Care & Feeding of the Body, Mind, & Spirit (also available as a CE class for nurses and social workers)
• Aromatherapy for Health & Enjoyment

Blog:
Who cares for the professional care-giver?

Professional nurses and social workers are at high risk for burn-out, sometimes referred to as “compassion fatigue.” Burnout occurs when the caregivers’ needs go unmet and she/he is taking responsibility for another’s healing.
Some of the symptoms of burn-out include:
• Frustration
• Feeling Powerless
• Drained/exhausted
• Detachment
• Withdrawal/isolation
• Self-medicating
• Feeling trapped
• Feeling a failure
• Irritability/anger
• Sadness
• Cynicism
• Depression/anxiety

Due to their intense involvement with patients’/clients’ physical/psycho-social/spiritual health challenges and crises, these care-takers are at risk for an inordinate amount of stress. They often suffer feelings of failure if the client doesn’t improve, adding to the stress. They may also neglect their own needs as they devote themselves to others. Nursing theorist Jean Watson offers some sage advice:

“We need to love, respect, and care for ourselves and treat ourselves with dignity before we can love, respect, and care for others.”

Holistic Care & Feeding of the Body, Mind, & Spirit is a 4 CE program designed and approved specifically for nurses and social workers. This is a four-hour presentation describing the holistic/integrative health paradigm with emphasis on the need for professional care-giver self-care and stress management. Topics include the mind-body connection, conventional vs holistic/integrative health care model, burn-out, nutrition, and coping and relaxation strategies including humor and communication. Experiential sessions allow participants to begin using self-care strategies immediately. Designed to inform, inspire, and empower professional care-givers to better care for themselves as they care for others, this program will allow the integration of holistic/integrative concepts, particularly self-care, into their personal and professional practices.

Holistic Care and Feeding of the Body, Mind, & Spirit is a Wellness Paths class that will inspire you toward greater health. As Bernie Siegel once said:

“Information does not resolve unhealthy behavior. People who smoke or are two hundred pounds overweight are not acting out of stupidity or a lack of knowledge. What everyone needs is inspiration.”

Through the use of story-telling, sharing of personal insights, liberal amounts of humor, and respect for personal choices, participants are inspired to consider their values and personal responsibilities which influence their health. Rather than tell people what they should do to become healthy, Amanda offers various options – paths – for wellness, encouraging participants to choose their own. Several experiential sessions allow the participant to begin using holistic measures, experiencing stress reduction and health benefits right away.

This class was created by Amanda Murphy, a registered nurse who has been on both sides of healthcare – as a professional care-giver and as a patient. She shares her experiences from both lenses as she provides cutting edge, evidence-based information on the causes of disease and on preventative measures that can keep us healthier, happier, and more productive.

A four-hour Continuing Education version of this class has been approved for nurses and social workers. The purpose of this program is to enable the learner to understand and integrate holistic/integrative concepts, particularly self-care, into their personal and professional practices. This class is unique and creative, designed to engage, inspire, and empower the learner. Some of the topics covered include:

• Burn-out
• Epigenetics
• Food as medicine
• Stress management
• Neuroplasticity
• Coping and relaxation strategies including humor and communication
• Several experiential sessions including guided imagery and spirituality.

Call Amanda for more information or to schedule a preview of this or other Wellness Programs.