• Blog
  • Home
  • Services/Approaches
    • Adolescents, Young Adults, & Young Professionals
    • Adults
    • Alternative & Expressive Therapies
    • Children
    • Coaching
    • Couples & Families
    • Talk Therapy
  • Your Concerns
  • About Allison
  • First Visit
  • Classes & Groups
  • Contact

allison@spitzerhealth.com
203-218-2200

Home Archives for Stress

Busy, Burnt-Out, Bummed Out YOU?

Posted on August 25, 2016 Written by Allison Spitzer Leave a Comment

Stop the steamroller that heads to anxiety, stress and depression.images-2

It’s almost September and everyone’s rushing to “Register.” For what???? Classes, sports, after-school “experiences,”  and on and on. Parents dread the crazy chauffeuring schedules and costs. Kids are overwhelmed by the new level of work at school and emotional adjustments to a new environment. Everyone’s huffing and puffing and by October, my phone rings off the hook.

How about scheduling a few family hikes or bikes or day trips? Or committing to an old fashioned family-around-the-table dinner conversation three times a week this fall instead of rehearsal and practices? You ‘ll save on gas, and maybe therapy when everyone’s in the same place at the same time just BE-ing, bonding, and listening to one another. The stress of fitting food, homework, deadlines, chores, friends, exercise may just stop the anxiety before it starts. Worth a try.

Filed Under: Adolescent Issues, Alternative Therapies, Back to School, Blended Families, Communication Breakdowns, depression treatment, Exhaustion, Family Breakdowns, Family Therapy, Kids & School, Life Skills, Marital Therapy, Parenthood, Parenting Problems, Stress, Stress Management, Teen Anxiety, Therapeutic Coaching, Underachievement, Wellness

This Meditation Cools Down Summer Stress

Posted on July 7, 2016 Written by Allison Spitzer Leave a Comment

It’s HOT! When tempers flare, the thermostat’s at 90, your patience is gone, and anxiety, stress and depression put you over the edge, try this (quick), easy exercise to calm your mind. Either have someone read this to you, or record it yourself into your phone, then play it back. Speak slowly and put on soft, gentle background music if you’d like.

images-2
1. Close your eyes. Take deep breaths in and out. Imagine a summer breeze filling your lungs and on the out-breath, see any toxins within leaving your body. Continue until you feel brighter  inside.

2. Fall into a gentle breathing pattern. See the summer sun high in the sky. Imagine its golden rays beaming down into the top of your head, continuing over your face, neck, chest, your heart and back, continuing down your arms, sides, down through your belly, around your hips, down through your seat, your thighs and knees, your shins and out the bottoms of your feet — sending sunshine deep into the earth. Let the  warmth relax each muscle, melting all tensions away. When every cell is vibrating, tune into your sacred body energy (chakra) centers.

3. Allow the crown chakra (top of your head) to see and open to a  small, golden circle that is rotating clockwise. Do the same with your third eye chakra, (mid-forehead), your throat chakra, your heart chakra, and your solar plexus chakra, your sacral chakra, and finally your root chakra. Take your time.

4. Straighten your spine, creating a straight line from your crown  all the way down to your tailbone (“root” chakra).

5. Then, see a water pitcher pouring cool water into your crown. This flowing water is filled with the light of a thousands stars. This starlit water feels cool, and as you receive it, the clockwise rotation slows down a bit. The ripples seem like a summer lake at sunset. They calm you.

.images-7

6. Lower the water pitcher to your mid forehead. As the starlit water flows here, let the motion slow down further, and see the ripples bringing you peace.

7. The water pitcher pours starlight right into your throat chakra, cooling and relaxing our tired voice. As the clockwise motion slows and the ripples form, take a moment to listen to your thoughts.

8. Then pour starlight water into your heart (chakra). When this chakra feels relaxed, send this tranquility inwards & outwards to a friend, relative or neighbor. 

9. Repeat with your solar plexus chakra, and know that when we calm this area, we can become more grounded and centered.

10. As we move this celestial water pitcher down to our sacral chakra, pouring starlight into this chakra and allowing the clockwise motion to slow, imagine the ripples of this chakra glowing with all colors of the rainbow. See the reflection of this chakra’s rainbow lake and gaze into it asking for a vision of the future. Take your time receiving this vision and message.

          

11. Now take three new deep breaths. This time bring the star filled water pitcher down to your “root” chakra (tailbone). As you pour the cooling water into your root chakra, know that this water is healing your entire body and immune system. Let the water flow down your legs to your feet. Let the healing water flow onto the ground and be absorbed by Mother Earth.

12. See yourself as whole and complete and healthy. Take time to have a vision of yourself engaging in an activity that adds health to your lifestyle. Notice that you are strong and joyful.

13. Come back and imagine yourself back in your meditative space. You are relaxed and calm. You feel balanced and at rest. You have stopped the world from spinning so fast and spent these moments receiving healing. You have remained open to the universe and all of the wonderful gifts it has for you.  When you are ready open your eyes.

images-3

Edited from © Heather Estara (via Adam Bernstein, @ BetweenTheWorlds.com)

Filed Under: Alternative Therapies, Anger, Anxiety, Coping Skills, Depression, depression treatment, Hopelessness, Meditation, Motivation Problems, Nervousness, Sadness, Self Help, Stress, Stress Management, Teen Anxiety, Therapeutic Coaching, Wellness

WCBS NY Radio, Allison Spitzer of Spitzer Health Comments on Greenwich School Debate 6/14/1

Posted on June 16, 2016 Written by Allison Spitzer Leave a Comment

https://www.spitzerhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/FED2F715-60A4-4F51-84F9-AA72EE173F04.mp3

Do teens really need to “sleep in?” Though the Greenwich , CT Public Schools think so, the issue should be much more than the daily school starting time.

What has wreaked havoc on our teenagers’  bodies and emotional well being creating stress, anxiety and depression is the overloading of extracurriculars, academic study, volunteer, fitness, and social demands placed on our kids by both parents and educators. Some want their numbers to look good (How many graduates went on to college? How many Ivies?) and parents who want their children to succeed beyond everyone’s comfort level.

images

I say ENOUGH. Starting later is great but won’t have any effect unless we examine  the demands we make on teens to perform and produce like superstars.

In Fairfield County, CT, we’ve created the emotional and physical exhaustion high school students feel. If the evening’s pressures, and the endless texting and FB postings aren’t under control at midnight, it really doesn’t matter what time school starts in the morning. Everyone’s in trouble. We need to manage our  expectations of what we see as  reasonable for our children to accomplish and engage in. It may be less than we hope, less than what we believe they are capable of, or less than needed for the colleges families aspire to have their child attend.

images-2The good news, though, is our kids may be happier, have good memories of this time in their lives, and less conflict at home. They’ll also have to learn to self regulate their impulses, set better boundaries on what they take on and hence be better prepared for the independence of adulthood which lies just ahead. Just talk to the families of kids with serious emotional issues–stress, depression, anxiety, panic, self harm, or addiction. They’d give anything just to see their kid smile. The pressure just isn’t worth it. Sleep’s only a part of the picture.

Filed Under: ADD/ADHD, Adolescent Issues, Anxiety, Anxiety Treatment, Behavioral Problems, Coping Skills, Crying Spells, Depression, Depression Management, Depression Therapist, Exhaustion, Family Conflicts, Family Therapy, Frustration, Hopelessness, Kids & School, Life Skills, Moodiness, Motivation Problems, Parenting Problems, Relationship Problems, School Advocacy, Self Help, Stress, Stress Management, Teen Anxiety, Teen counseling, Teen Troubles, Therapeutic Coaching, Troubled Teens

Hugs : Natural Anti-Depressants

Posted on October 8, 2015 Written by Allison Spitzer Leave a Comment

Research shows that a 20 second hug releases oxytocin, a natural hormone that creates feelings of  wellbeing. If depression, stress or anxiety are holding you down… hugging  longer can help your health!

20 seconds to calmer? At least for a bit….

20 seconds to happier? Even if just for a moment….

20 seconds to lower blood pressure? Better breathing…

20 seconds to better bonding? That’s all it takes? 20 seconds doesn’t cut into the day but can lift your spirits.

Not a “cure,” but one of many, natural boosts, like meditation, exercise, or socializing that can lift us out of the doldrums of daily life.

20 seconds– (a loooooong hug!)  can make all the difference. Why not?

Filed Under: Alternative Therapies, Coping Skills, Depression, Marital Counseling, Relationship Problems, Sadness, Stress, Stress Management, Therapy, Uncategorized Tagged With: depression, Stress, wellbeing

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 7
  • Next Page »

Services/Approaches

If you are having problems with ADD,  Stress, … Read More

Your Concerns

What specifically troubles you, your child, or … Read More

Contact Us

Call: 203-218-2200 203-261-7615 Email: allison@sp … Read More

Follow Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Testimonials
  • Support Groups, Resources, Classes

Copyright © 2022 Allison B. Spitzer, Periwinkle Health. All Rights Reserved.
Coaching Websites by MDT Design LLC