Category Archives: balance

Term 4 workshops

These term 4  workshops will be held at Coonara Community House and are subject to confirmation by Coonara dependent on numbers enrolling. Please book directly with  Coonara.

Art Therapy – 4 sessions

  • Wednesdays 9.30am-11.30am October 18th – November 8th
  • Tuesdays 6.30pm – 8.30pm       November 14th- December 5th

Working in Community  Services – 6  sessions

  •  Thursdays  930am- 12.30pm November 2nd   – December 7th

Understanding Resilience – online – 1 session

  • Wednesday November 22nd- 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Stress  to Strength – 1 session

  • Wednesday November 29th – 6.30pm -8.30pm

Your Best Year Yet –  1  session

  • Thursday 7th December – 9.30am – 12.30pm

 

How doodling can help your mental health

A simple and effective way to help your mental health is by doodling. “What is doodling?”  you may well ask. Doodling is drawing simple, spontaneous, and often repetitive lines, patterns, shapes, or designs. While it may seem like a mindless activity, doodling can serve as a powerful tool for relaxation and stress reduction.

There are various ways in which doodling is beneficial for your mental well-being and health:

Reducing stress:

Engaging in doodling can help redirect your focus and attention away from stressful thoughts and worries. It can be a form of mindfulness, as you immerse yourself in the creative process, allowing your mind to take a break from the pressures of daily life.

Improving concentration and focus:

Contrary to the perception that doodling can be distracting, it can actually improve concentration and focus, especially in situations where attention might wander, such as during lectures, meetings, or phone calls. Doodling can help maintain just enough cognitive engagement to prevent daydreaming or zoning out completely. I’ve found over the years that my retention of content in lectures or presentations is better when I have a page of notes complemented by various doodles in the margins.

Improved mood:

Doodling can stimulate the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. Engaging in a creative activity like doodling can boost your mood and leave you feeling more positive and content.

Increased self-expression:

Doodling provides an outlet for self-expression, allowing you to express your thoughts, emotions, and ideas visually. It can be a non-verbal way to communicate your feelings and experiences.

Relaxation and mindfulness:

The repetitive and rhythmic nature of doodling can induce a state of relaxation and calm. It can be likened to a form of meditation, as you focus on the present moment and let go of external concerns.

Coping with anxiety:

Doodling can serve as a coping mechanism for anxiety. It provides a safe and constructive way to channel nervous energy and tension, helping to reduce feelings of restlessness and agitation.

Improved memory and learning:

Doodling engages both the creative and logical parts of the brain. Studies have shown that doodling while listening to information can enhance retention and understanding, making it easier to recall details later on.

Building confidence:

Doodling is a low-pressure way to explore your artistic abilities and build creative confidence. It’s not about creating perfect art; rather, it’s a free form and unrestricted form of expression. You may just surprise yourself with your finished product!

Boredom buster:

Doodling is an enjoyable and productive way to pass the time during periods of boredom or waiting. Having a small notebook and pen or pencil handy – especially if you have long waiting periods at the doctors – is a great way to engage your creative mind rather than zoning out on social media.

Remember, doodling should be a fun and spontaneous activity. There are no rules or expectations for what your doodles should look like. Embrace the process, and allow yourself the freedom to create without judgment. Whether you’re an experienced artist or a complete beginner, doodling is a simple and accessible way to nurture your mental well-being.

Hypnotherapy, Coaching and Reiki

Hypnotherapy, Coaching, and Reiki are three different forms of holistic therapies are all offered at Balance4Life Programs. Each therapy can benefit you in various ways. Here’s a brief explanation of each therapy and the benefits:

  • Hypnotherapy: Hypnotherapy is an evidence based therapy that uses guided relaxation, intense concentration, and focused attention to achieve a heightened state of awareness that is sometimes called a trance. This differs from the sleep state. During the trance state, you are more open to suggestion and can be guided to make positive changes in thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Hypnotherapy can help with a wide range of issues, including anxiety, depression, phobias, addiction, and even physical ailments like chronic pain or irritable bowel syndrome.
  • Coaching: Coaching focuses on helping you to achieve specific goals in your personal or professional life. As a coach, I work with you to identify your strengths and areas for improvement and then provide guidance, support, and accountability to help you achieve your goals. Amongst other things, coaching can help with career advancement, personal development, and improving relationships.
  • Reiki: Reiki is a form of energy healing that involves the use of hands-on or distance healing to balance the energy in the body. As a Reiki practitioner, I use my hands to transfer energy to you, which can help reduce stress and importantly promote relaxation. Reiki can also help with pain management, insomnia, and other physical or emotional issues.

Overall, each of these therapies can benefit you by helping you to improve your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Being able to access all these therapies in one place allows me to offer you a safe and supportive environment for personal growth and healing and can be a valuable complement to traditional medical treatments

Inspirational Leadership and Emotional Intelligence

Inspirational leadership and Emotional Intelligence are two important concepts that are closely intertwined. Leaders who motivate and guide others towards a shared vision or goal are inspirational, while emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions, as well as those of others.

Leaders who possess high emotional intelligence are better equipped to connect with their team members and inspire them to work towards a common purpose. In a recent series of sessions with a national company, I was privileged to work with a leadership group. We looked at how to communicate effectively, build trust and empathy, and create a positive work environment where people feel valued and supported.

Inspirational leaders with high emotional intelligence are also skilled at managing conflict and addressing issues that arise within their team. Learning Emotional Intelligence skills helps leaders at all levels to remain calm and level-headed in difficult situations. Ultimately this will help to de-escalate tensions by modelling emotionally intelligent responses within teams and find solutions that benefit everyone.

Soul Based Hypnotherapy

Soul-based hypnotherapy is an approach to hypnotherapy that incorporates spiritual or metaphysical elements. It is based on the belief that the soul is the essence of an individual and is the seat of one’s deepest desires, motivations, and purpose.

AwarenessIn soul-based hypnotherapy, you are guided into a relaxed state of consciousness where you can access your deeper subconscious and connect with your soul. Through this connection, you can gain insight into your life’s purpose, understand your inner inspiration, and release any blockages or limiting beliefs that are stopping you from living your best life.

Soul-based hypnotherapy can be used to address a number of concerns, including anxiety, depression, relationship problems, and career matters. It can also be used for personal growth and spiritual development including exploring past lives.

Intuition

What exactly is intuition? A question I had to answer when doing my Art Therapy studies last year…. my answer was as follows….

intuitionBy paying attention to our intuition – or “gut feelings” we are able to bypass conscious thought or “rational thinking” and trust in the information that we receive.

It is said that intuition is the language of the spirit and when we listen carefully to it, it opens up our further spiritual development.

There was a moment when I didn’t pay attention to my intuition and deferred to the opinion of a respected professional. You may find a post about that some 8 or 9 years back. The result was that the Universe conspired to give me a lengthy period of “time out” where all  I was able to do was to sit and observe for a couple of months. This allowed me to open up to spiritual development as the most strenuous activity I could do was to read books and reflect. I can certainly recommend listening to your intuition first.

 

Spirituality

art therapy and spiritualityThere has been a long relationship between art and spirituality.

Early civilizations used art to make sense of events around them and to record the culture of the time.

As the various civilizations and their spiritual life evolved, art also evolved as a means of expressing a variety of spiritual, philosophical and cultural concepts.

The action of creating the artwork was and still is a deeply rewarding endeavor as the artist connects with their inner self to bring forward insights and themes in their images for others to appreciate and to reflect upon.

In many cases the action of creating the artwork is a meditative experience leading to an inner understanding of self.

Distraction

It’s been a while since the last update but I do  have a legitimate distraction…. I started studying just as the first lockdown started and have regular assignments to complete. A bit of a backstory to the area that I’m studying in first….

At High School I did Art and my art  teacher was very understanding, letting me hide out in the art room when I should have been in a Japanese or French class. I’m sure they were also aware of home issues at the time and just let me find a space, but that’s another story. End of Year 12, results in and I was offered a place in the highly coveted Art and Design course at the Institute of Technology. Parental influence prevailed – because it would be a waste of time “because I would only get married and have children” – so off to the workforce. At the start of this year, a chance email came in offering  a chance to enrol in a Diploma of Art Therapy, just at the time I was tossing up whether to take on a training course.

Allowing my intuition to guide me (a novel idea) I signed up for the Art Tdistractionherapy course and have to say I am loving it. It is as much for me and allows me to have a second chance at what I set aside all those years ago. The distraction is not about the the course content as such. Each unit requires a portfolio activity with an image/art work to be completed as practice for becoming an art therapist.

Regardless of the assignments, each New Moon I record something in my vision journal. The New Moon in May coincided with an assignment to go beyond vision boarding but to create a ‘Scene Map’  of something as if it had already happened.

Just a few days after creating this image, I received a phone call from a rescue service that I have been registered with for over 4 years… “we have a dog… we know you were looking for a male dog…but…..” .. A meeting was set up and we met with Lucy. An interesting background and when we arrived for the initial “meet and greet” with the foster family- there she was looking out of the window as we arrived.

DistractionSo….. just a few weeks on ….. here’s Lucy! Just 2 years old – a teenager in dog years and a very affectionate nature. Before second lockdown, we were able to take her up to the retreat where she really enjoyed the wide open spaces to run and do “zoomies”.  In the city and in second lockdown she gets to go for twice daily walks. The two occasions she got to meet with grandchildren, she was overjoyed to be around little people and was exceptionally well behaved.  There are moments…. when she gets over enthusiastic about my socks or shoes that we are not in sync with each other but as we get to know each other our respective boundaries will be observed.

Personal Growth

Many years ago whilst still teaching, a professional development activity required us all to undertake an assessment as part of a personal growth program. I can’t remember which assessment it was, but it measured several key areas – a bit of a combination of a psychological and aptitude profile to see if we were mathematically or logically aligned as well our artistic and creative abilities. It also included whether we had strong spiritual beliefs as well as our communication skills. It certainly wasn’t about Emotional Intelligences.

No surprises for me when my assessment came back. If you know me well, then you can probably guess where my strengths and weaknesses showed up. I do remember many of the staff grumbling about having to do “touchy feely” activities as a result of the assessment in order to create a “team spirit”.

Many of the teaching staff flitted about showing and comparing their profiles to each other, but I decided to keep mine close. The facilitators had a good idea of the grouping of various abilities and it was clear that for the most part, we had chosen our teaching areas according to our profiles.

With my result showing somewhat of a deficit in the science area, I made the decision to undertake some studies related to that area for personal growth. I chose to do a course unrelated to my subject matter or even teaching.

personal growthI had just finished a 4 year Steiner Teacher Training course and had discovered that I enjoyed exploring subjects that stretched my mind. As Steiner education looks at the whole child including their health, I decided to find out more about Homeopathy.

This might not appear to the skeptic to be scientific, but I discovered that you do need a logical approach to taking a history and recording and comparing symptoms to the effects of remedies. A bit of a giant physiological jigsaw puzzle. This study took another 4 years part time and as part of the course requirements I needed to study anatomy and physiology. Nothing like diving into and improving my scientific knowledge! Another year of stretching myself although I do like to think it was balanced with the esoteric knowledge imparted during the Polarity Therapy that I studied after that…….

Staying Upright

Staying upright or why I bought my motorbike………This was a question posed on a forum of a club that I belong to and I got to reminiscing on why I bought my current motorbike…..not that I have changed bikes in a long time!!!

Many moons ago and last century, I had the experience of riding pillion on a friend’s brand new BMW. My parents disapproved of the idea of me riding on a motorcycle (never mind that both grandmothers did during WW2) and a plan was hatched. I bought a leather jacket, boots, gloves and a helmet and stored them at my friend’s house. Such is the behaviour of a headstrong teenager!

One sunny Sunday afternoon a group of us headed out to spend some time exploring the roads around York. It was my first trip as a pillion passenger and I loved the freedom of being on the machine, albeit as a passenger.

All was good until we hit a patch of loose gravel on the approach to one of the waterfalls and suddenly my friend had disappeared from in front of me. Time seemed to freeze frame and I slid from the pillion seat onto the tank, just in time to allow my leg to cushion the bike from a roadside culvert. Nothing seemed to be broken – either the bike or me – so it seemed to be best to get back on and have a look at the waterfall down the road.

It wasn’t until later that evening that the knee swelled up and started to turn all manner of colours. My mother asked me why I was limping and I fibbed and said that I had slipped on the rocks at the waterfall.

Shortly afterwards I signed up for lessons to learn how to ride a motorcycle. The next few Saturday mornings were spent  on the concrete pads down near the Perth Lockup. This was on the riverside before the road system was remodelled. Back in those days you had to be accompanied by a licensed instructor who rode alongside you. This was followed by some advanced training at the Safety council where an ex Police instructor taught me to ride over seesaws and through slaloms. All good fun and done on a borrowed 350cc Honda.

My instructor owned a motorcycle shop and had an immaculately restored BSA C11 for sale, but it was just a little more than what I had saved up. The following week a 450cc Honda came into the shop and was within my price range and I could afford it! That was it…. my first set of 2 wheels! I hopped on and twisted the throttle…. I hadn’t accounted for the extra 100cc that I was familiar with and to the amusement of the guys at the shop; I did a wheel stand down the street, fortunately missing all of the parked cars on either side of the street and staying upright!

The bike was mine! My friend with the BMW came over to check it out and laughed at hearing about the wheel stand. He offered for me to take his bike for a ride and to learn how to take it easy on the throttle. I hadn’t gone far when the sound of a siren startled me and glancing in the mirrors could see the red and blue flashing lights….. oh no! I had been travelling so carefully, keeping an eye on the speed. I got off the bike and the policeman approached me. My stomach somersaulted… I hadn’t attached the “P” plates and thought I was in big trouble. “How long have you had the bike?” he asked. “Would you like to join the BMW Club?”

Whew! I wasn’t in trouble; he had pulled me over out of curiosity and invited me to the next meeting. Mr Plod, as he was known, warmly welcomed me when I did turn up to the next meeting and introduced me to an interesting bunch of people with various nicknames such as “Bear”, “Goldie” and the like. This was the start of some weekend rides where they were very tolerant of my novice status. Around the same time, my friend with the BMW got involved with a “patch” group and I was invited to accompany them on a ride to Geraldton, where the local constabulary turned everyone back immediately on arrival.

My friend eventually sold his BMW and bought a Ducati which was somewhat difficult to ride as the clutch lever was exceptionally heavy to operate. We planned a trip East across the Nullarbor Plain with him on his Ducati and me on my trusty 450 Honda and upward to Toowoomba. We got no further than Northam when the 860 Ducati “blew up”. Trailered back to Perth, we lay low as we had farewelled friends and family.

Totally inadequately prepared by today’s standards, we had no tent or cooking utensils.  Just a basic sleeping bag each and we carried an absolute minimum of clothing in our army surplus kit bags. At night we slept on sheepskins that doubled as seat softeners during the day. There was still over 200km of unsealed road to navigate and the closer we got to it, the more stories we heard of the horrific bulldust holes and corrugations. We decided to camp at the start of the dirt and attempt it in the morning; not thinking that the dirt would slow us down or that we were traveling east and would lose valuable daylight to travel by. Surprisingly, I stayed upright for that whole section and we pulled into Nullarbor Station after dark. I was wondering why I was getting strange looks so  I made my way to the Ladies room and had to laugh at my reflection. I had been wearing an open face helmet with sunglasses and the road dust was caked thick on my face except where the glasses had been and lines of mud striping down my face where my eyes had watered from the dust. No smart phones back then, but a photo would have been great to look back on! As it was late in the evening, most of the food in the roadhouse had gone except for a very rubbery toasted ham and cheese sandwich which was micro waved. Hunger won over visual attraction.

Eventually the Nullarbor trip was over and arriving in Port Pirie, I decided that a tent was needed.  I found one in a disposal store and managed to fit it onto the bike with little trouble. Traveling across South Australia and up through the Hay Plains and the inland route to Toowoomba we clocked up the miles whilst not communicating to each other until we reached the inland Queensland town and parted company.

Months later, after my friend stated that he missed me so (in retrospect a major mistake) I packed up the bike again and traveled – this time solo – to Melbourne.  Finding a house and a job was a priority and that happened quite quickly.  I stayed for about 6 months and returned again on my own to Brisbane after my friend was discharged from his Air Force Officer training (this was beginning to be a pattern).  Relationships 101 were not in vogue then and I would certainly not recommend anyone modelling this behaviour…..

A few months later…….I found out that I had been accepted into teacher training college in Perth, which had been planned to coincide with my friend’s posting and training at Pearce Air Force base.. Rather than give up the opportunity for further education, I packed up, rode to Sydney and put the bike on the train and with a student concession card, got a berth for me and my bike on the Indian Pacific train from Sydney to Perth.

The highlight of the next 6 months or so was, after having stayed friends with the other officer cadets and reconnecting,  was riding to the graduation ball at Pearce in a ball gown with flying boots and jeans underneath and high heels packed in my backpack and then riding home safely again after the event ended!

Not long afterwards, my Ducati friend phoned to say he was missing me (again… another misjudgement… or was it part of my lessons to learn?) and “would I make the trip back to Brisbane?”  Which I did. He welcomed me with a pretty sapphire & diamond ring…. another story for another time……

Travel still beckoned, so I sold the 450 Honda and we headed across the Tasman, landing in Auckland where I found a cute red 350 Honda which we rode down the east coast to Wellington and then after a stint packing apples in Nelson to replenish the wallet…… down the west coast and back up to Christchurch. I sold the bike and came back to Brisbane with just a few dollars left!

Word came that I was required to attend a civil court case in Perth, so we loaded the Ducati (which had been in storage) and set off. We didn’t quite do the land speed record, but we did get to Perth in 3 and half days from Brisbane, riding some nights behind semi trailers with the sleeping bags wrapped around us with “ocky straps” to hold them on. We ran out of money as we filled up in Norseman and a quick reverse charge phone call to my parents was made to wire money to Coolgardie Post Office, which they very kindly did and that funded the petrol money to get to Perth in time for the court appearance.

The court case didn’t go ahead with a last minute out of court settlement for a reasonable amount. I decided to buy another bike after the bank wasn’t keen on lending an extra $2000 to a 20 year old female to buy a terrace house in Fremantle. No point in having regrets over that. I would have been stuck in the one place and not had the adventures that were to come.

I reconnected with the BMW WA Club and it wasn’t long before I found an R100RS advertised in the Sunday papers. I was ready to buy it, but my friends in the club knew its history and advised me to look around a bit further. Fortunately, my old instructor had given me a job in his bike shop and the use of a nifty little 400/4 Honda, so I was able to get around on my own again.

Eventually another bike – a R60/5 was advertised and with friends Goldie and Chris in tow, we checked it out. A guy had brought it over from South Africa, intending to ride around Australia, but family issues and lack of finances put a stop to that and it was up for sale. Getting the seal of approval, I bought it and finally had my own distinctive BMW as it had what was called an American or “toaster” tank and it was a perfect birthday present to me from me, in what was turning out to be my “Annus Horribilus”.

I am forever grateful to these guys in the WA BMW Club who taught me how to buy the right tools and how to service my bike. Tappets, timing, oil changes and general maintenance. Saved me a fortune….

Then when all seemed to be on track, a  friend of the Ducati rider turned up from Brisbane, which was awkward as it was clear it was more than just a friendship. It was now time to bow out as gracefully as possible and leave the boys together.

A group in the BMW Club was heading East in September and I asked if it was OK to tag along so that I would have company traveling across the Nullarbor on my way back to catch up with friends in Melbourne. Unfortunately I had to have some surgery a week before their departure date.  I wasn’t sure if I would be able to ride with the group, but I decided that I would make myself better.  It was an opportunity to make some positive changes in my life.

What a trip! With a well loved teddy bear in the bottom of my kitbag, some good clothes for job interviews, a change of daily clothes and a one person tent and some cooking gear were put on the bike. I also packed  my archery bow and competition arrows along one side of the BMW.

Reaching Quorn in  the Flinders Ranges I was able to have my first freshwater shower in a while. Guess what happened next? Going into the rally site along  a dirt road, I went into a spectacular tank slapper and fell off. Covered in dust.  A few of the group looked out for me and then I was ready for my next adventure…

….on to Melbourne…..