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About Psoriasis Support Canada
Psoriasis Support Canada "Brain Trust"
How does Psoriasis Support Canada develop content for its website and patient guides? With the help of our friends: The Psoriasis Support Canada "Brain Trust."
Health and Wellness
Susan Wright is a lifestyle coach with a focus in transitional coaching with a breadth of experience in the healthcare, fitness and wellness industry. Her business, Wright Momentum provides an approach to coaching that is holistic and practical with the intention of moving individuals and organizations toward improved performance and well-being.
susan@wrightmomentum.com
Read articles by Susan:
At some point in our lives, we all struggle with not feeling confident. Typically it’s the murmurings of our own voice or consciousness that gets in the way of feeling confident and self-assured. Sometimes it’s not only our internal script that hinders us but also the bombardment of messages streaming in from our external world. So I ask you this, what message do you want to hear (or what message will you listen to) and what message will serve your esteem and aspirations in a positive way?
A message such as, “I am healthy” can move you further along the path of positive choice and action more so than a message like, “I am unwell”. Maybe I’m stating the obvious, but some may say “How so?” Well, it’s a matter of establishing your own monitoring and filtering system so that you wire your brain to hear the positive messages and seek out the opportunities and things that support you. Thankfully, we have all been given a mind that can perceive, monitor and filter information that comes through our senses. Our senses are charged with all sorts of information. It would be unjust to underestimate what our senses enable us to experience and what our minds are capable of deciding is relative for us to examine. It’s important to note how we unravel this whirlwind of stimuli. We can simply begin by paying attention to and acknowledging what we experience and feel.
Our lifestyles and life stages are so rich and varied with ample opportunity for renewed confidence. Sometimes, when our confidence is shaken, it’s necessary for us to reflect and consider a time when we felt “on top of the world”; feeling fully confident and ready to express our true value. Experience does attest to the fact that self-confidence occurs when we are truly aligned with what feels positive and meaningful. Conversely, I’m sure there have been times in life when choices that were made fell out of alignment with our values and the voice we heard wasn’t our own, but rather one of judgment.
Everything we say and do has meaning in the context of our lives. Everyday we have an opportunity to positively regard ourselves and thoughts. To empower ourselves with a powerful voice and disregard those all too often nagging negative thoughts, we can begin with one small action; try starting the day with a thought worthy of your highest self - that person who stands up and says “I matter, I’m great and this world embraces me!” Let your voice and internal messages be powerful and confident.
Confident Regards,
Susan Wright, Hons B.A, ACPC
Curiously, I often ask my clients to stand with their eyes closed. I’m never sure of what they’re thinking but after a simple exercise in noticing and being present to their stance and experience, many observe they are balancing on their forefeet, crunching their toes and/or leaning forward. So rather than finding themselves in the present, they are thinking and leaning into the future. The result is a lack of balance or at the very least, a discomfort represented by this misalignment. This is a very simple way to notice how we are being and sometimes feeling. We might say, “I feel pulled, off-centred, tired or hyper;” all a reflection of our state of being. What if we were to move a little slower? I can already hear the groaning voice, “I can’t, I have too many deadlines, but…., not in this life!” Instead, we book a two-week vacation, call it quits or just burnout. Somehow these options are more compelling. We fantasize about the serenity of a holiday, a dramatic departure or a display of excuses and self pity. However, if we were to manage that groaning, inner voice and find a way to pace ourselves and therefore our actions, then maybe we would not miss so much of what’s important or even helpful in achieving our daily tasks. We live in a very stimulating and interesting world. However, without a feeling of presence and centeredness we are not fully capable of understanding it or even experiencing the beauty of it. Life is made up of our experience in it. It is often satisfying and quite necessary to slow down just enough to appreciate what we are sensing, hearing, being and doing. Then we can notice more of what we experience in a way that allows us to make the subtle shifts that enable us to move gracefully through life. Next time you sense the quick passing of time, I hope it’s because you were doing something that made you dance rather than lose your timing. Moving steady, Susan Wright
In today’s world, with so many options to choose from, living healthy can become somewhat confusing. Let’s just start with what we already know. We know we need to sleep, eat and move to function. What we sometimes fail to realize is the connection between these three elements and the impact on ourselves and our lifestyle. Maybe I’m writing on this particular topic, since I myself have had less sleep this past week and generally fallen into that path of least resistance. Okay, I’m human, but I sure don’t like the consequences and I’m quite aware that my positive attitude will start to take a detour. To move out of the detour and back on track, I advise myself and others to go to bed at a regular time each and every night (I think my mother has said this more than once). For now, consider a baby or young child; what happens when they miss their bedtime? They end up wired and cranky. Adults behave the same but worse; they take that mood and energy to work the next day! Then to circumvent the morning crash, we ingest a few cups of coffee and move in a less than functional or operational way. These three components of healthy living; sleeping, eating and moving, are interrelated and by making a positive change in one area we impact the entire cycle in a favourable way. Once we create a healthy sleep routine we tend to eat at appropriate intervals, thereby eating less at night and more upon waking. And of course, the sleep has given our bodies a chance to heal and repair therefore improving our capacity for quality movement and even exercise. When we start to consider our options for living well, I hope it now seems a little less confusing. We don’t necessarily have to run out and buy the next best-seller health book, wonder food or gym membership, although sometimes inspiring. What we really need to do is set up a routine for health. Once that routine is established, then it might be a great time to insert a few new options or try a new challenge. If creating a routine seems mundane and far less exciting than hiring a personal trainer or coach, then go ahead and seek out someone who will help you create that routine. However, deep down we all have the innate wisdom to know what it takes to be well. The key is to access this and consciously rediscover the power of choice and positive regard for one’s well-being. Healthy Regards, Susan Wright
