therapy | Silver Magazine

Fitness

Post-Pandemic Anxiety & Yoga Therapy

We’ve longed to be out and about, but for many post-pandemic anxiety is taking the joy out of life. Therapeutic yoga can help. After the intensity of two years waiting out this global pandemic and months of praying, begging and pleading to the powers that be to ease restrictions, a brand-new fear arose. What will it be like to step back out into the world again? Most of us expected that once openings were announced, all our anxieties would slip away. Yet for many, it only made them increase. After living so long under stay-at-home-orders, social distancing and no group gatherings, including with our loved ones, we’ve become like prisoners tasting freedom for the first time, grateful, overwhelmed, and maybe even afraid all at the same time. This is exactly how I felt and I was surprised. Where being out and about amid the hustle of people all around was

Lisa Greenbaum April 4, 2022

Mind

The power of therapeutic writing

No, we’re not talking about a gratefulness journal or a daily affirmations journal either. This about using some different writing techniques to help deal with a trauma in life, or when in a difficult time period. And fortunately, it doesn’t mean having to relive that trauma either. That said, it can open fresh wounds that haven’t been fully treated, so if you have a recent experience, it may be worth it to wait a little longer. ‘I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I write and I understand.’ Chinese Proverb A study in the British Journal of General Practice found that “expressive writing” or “therapeutic writing” helped patients in several ways, from decreasing stress and anxiety to improving breathing and reducing chronic pain from issues such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS.) Therapeutic writing also helped reduce physical symptoms of people with breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. A

Alex Hurst October 15, 2021

Mind

Top 5 Mental Health Apps

Our smartphones are with us everywhere we go, often that includes by our bedside. While we use them for everything from shopping to listening to music, there are some apps that can help us with mental health too. Here we rank our top 5 favourite mental health apps. While they can help, we do want to point out that they won’t cure issues such as anxiety or depression. It’s important not to self-diagnose and seek help if you need it. Moodfit: This is a great all-around app for mental fitness. It’s available on iPhone and Android. The app includes breathing exercises, journaling, you can set daily goals and track them as well. Well designed and easy to use! Some items are free and some cost. You can find it here. PTSD Coach Canada: Created and managed by Veterans Affairs Canada, this free app has great resources for those who may

Alex Hurst June 11, 2021

Health

The healing power of touch

Healing touch can ease the torment of pain, improving the body’s own healing response. Even the terminally ill can benefit. SUFFERERS of chronic pain rightfully engage in a search for relief. Conventional and alternative medicine, drug therapy, physiotherapy, hot packs and cold packs — sound familiar? As a certified Healing Touch practitioner working with terminally ill cancer clients, I have seen firsthand what chronic pain can do to the body, mind and spirit. Over a 15-year practice, I have observed that healing touch (HT) helps even those whose intractable pain robs them of any prospect of a gentle journey to the end. There are many definitions of healing. My own is to gain relief from pain and suffering, which is different from curing a disease in the conventional sense. When symptoms of the disease or its effects subside, relief is palpable. HT can help people with many conditions, including chronic or

Francene Cosman November 9, 2020

Longevity

Touch Deprivation: The Why Behind Your Unexplained Sadness

The skin is the largest organ in the body. It has millions of touch receptors that send signals to the brain each time you touch something or somebody or they touch you. This exchange of information, especially when it involves another human, is accompanied by a neurochemical reaction within the body. Unfortunately, there is also a different neurochemical reaction that takes place in the absence of touch. It’s an understatement to say that we like human connection, the truth is that we need it. As much as we need human touch, it’s the one thing we all seem to be lacking. Between the initial stay-at-home orders and now the social distancing, most people are feeling the effects of touch deprivation. Some people have even expressed a sense of jealousy when seeing people touch in movies or on television shows. That’s because touch is so vital to our ability to thrive.

Judy Gaman August 27, 2020