“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller.

Returning to this occasional series on the basic psychological needs. Today the focus is on our need for community.

Human beings are essentially social animals. Throughout history, from the earliest times we have lived in groups and depended on each other. This has been part of our success, if we can call it that.

To varying degrees, people need people. One of the basic psychological needs that must be fulfilled to keep you free from depression and anxiety is that  sense of community. More than this it is about making a contribution to others.  Essentially, you need to feel part of something larger than yourself, part a community of people, working for something that has meaning and significance. 

The Art of Self Care:  Herbal and Holistic Wellbeing
by Vinings’ Herbalist, Ms Yaso Shan

Introduction

Our world is moving quickly. Many of us have very little down time and lots of pressure to constantly perform at a high level. We need to have a great career, be in the best shape, and have a fabulous marriage. Our kids need to be academic geniuses, athletically gifted, and get into prestigious colleges and universities. Having the latest designer clothing and the most expensive car we can afford (or not) proves our success. We then post it all on Facebook so we can compare ourselves to each other.

In reality, our job isn’t the dream we thought it would be, and we are working long hours. Our second job as parents includes shuttling kids all over town and finding time to cook and eat dinner.

What can all this frenzy lead to? Stress. We are frazzled, rushed, and trying to do it all. As a result of all this stress we can experience weight gain, anxiety, fatigue, depression, and digestive issues. The physical symptoms of stress become normal and the doctor prescribes medication. Long term chronic stress can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other serious illness.

Even though we cannot completely eliminate stress from our lives, the good news is that there are better ways of coping with stress in order to reduce the effects on our health. Self-care is essential for your physical and mental health and well-being. Self-care is at the bottom of the list for most women, giving way to the mother, wife and any other role that needs to be filled. So how do you keep up?

An article by Robert Sanders, Life Coach, Timeline Therapist and NLP Practitioner
at Vinings Natural Health Centre

We all need to feel safe and secure. This seems like one of the most straightforward of the basic psychological needs. Your unconscious (or subconscious) mind is naturally sensitive to any threats to your safety and security. This need for security is the origin of our most deep-based fears. This is where you learn to notice dangers and respond instinctively to them.

Common sense tells us that we need to avoid things like fire, physical violence, falling from a great height, being attacked by a wild animal, being poisoned or being severely cold or exposed. These go without saying, and your unconscious mind knows how to protect you from these, so you may feel natural fear when faced with a lion, or something being on fire. You will instinctively avoid standing close to the edge on a high building if there is no barrier. You will want to get somewhere warm or wrap your clothes tighter around you if it gets cold.

We all tend to put everyone else first, and ourselves last, don’t we? But that doesn’t do us any good, or those around us. It’s time to learn the Art of Self Care, in a series of totally free talks at Vinings Natural Health Centre.

Each Tuesday evening starting on Tuesday 18th September, 7pm – 8pm, one of our therapists will share their knowledge and experience on the topic of The Art of Self Care. The talks are free but space is limited so please do let us know if you are planning to come along – call 01444 441 210 and leave us a message – thank you!

We look forward to welcoming you to Vinings!