Singing Bowl Therapy for Stressed Elephants

I love animals, and I am passionate about helping people live an inspired and resilient life.  When my friend Sharon Carne shared this blog with me, I knew I needed to post it here for you to see.  What a great perspective on managing stress.

A good friend of mine found a video called “Bowls for Elephants” and shared it with me a few days ago. It touched my heart so deeply I felt you would love to see this.

The video, Bowls for Elephants, is about the Patara Elephant Farm in Thailand. This farm specializes in rescuing domestic elephants from difficult circumstances and bringing them to health.

Many of these elephants have been mistreated, traumatized and deeply stressed.

In this film they are documenting the response of several of their most stressed elephants to the sound of singing Tibetan and Crystal bowls.

How incredible to watch one nervous and frightened elephant physically relax and bond with the player of the bowls.

And all of this happened in only a couple of minutes! Wow!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlGQwb54tNQ

What I also find so fascinating is that the response of the elephant is the same response I see in humans who experience the sound of the singing Tibetan and Crystal bowls.

What does this look like?

Tight muscles relax.

Breathing slows down.

The mind quiets.

Circulation improves.

Hormones are released that triggers the body’s natural healing response.

The body instinctively returns to its healthy natural patterns.

Symptoms of stress dissolve.

We create deeper bonds with others.

We feel more connected with the natural world.

I could go on and on with this list.

Singing Tibetan bowls have been around for thousands of years. There is good reason for this.

A carved singing crystal bowl has been found in Egypt dating back to 1700 BCE. The ancient Egyptians used sound as one of their main healing modalities.

This is not new.

Throughout our history on this planet, our ancestors (all over the planet) KNEW that the human body is a resonator for sound. It responds to certain sounds with a natural healing response, bringing the body, mind, emotions and spirit back into harmony.

I encourage you to search out a bowl or other sound healing tool. Hold it in your hand and make a sound with it.

MOST IMPORTANTLY – FEEL the vibrations of this sound travel through your body.

For travel through your body it does. ALL sound travels through your body.

The right sound feels EXQUISITE traveling through your body. And your body responds with a natural healing response.

Sharon Carne, BMus, M.F.A. is an author, speaker, musician, recording artist, sound healer, Reiki master and consultant. Sharon is the founder of Sound Wellness, whose programs are at the forefront of education in how sound and music can be easily applied to your everyday life - to reduce stress, help you concentrate, energize you, inspire you, support your health and so much more. www.soundwellness.com

Turning Hopeless Situations to Hopeful One- the key to resilience

"A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success."  By Elbert Hubbard

 Sometimes our greatest lessons in life come from the struggle....

Many people are paralyzed at the prospect of a potential failure. And, many people quit just before they reach the finish line. I can say this because I have been there too.   

Fearing failure and the embarrassment that is associated with it (self-imposed embarrassment) was a challenge for me growing up as a painfully shy child. As a young adult working in the Correctional System as a Correctional Officer, my first career many years ago, helped me overcome my own fear of failing. 

A troubled teenager showed me that failure is a belief or mindset. This young man, we’ll call him Bob, experienced a childhood that you see on movies (horror movies). Eventually drugs and crime became his way of life, and coping. Being placed in a custodial facility likely saved this young man’s life. Bob was one of the most difficult and challenging youths I had ever dealt with. My mentor Jon once told me that staff get the toughest challenges to teach the staff the lessons they haven't learned yet.... interesting....

At Bob's Plan of Care monthly meetings the team would talk about his  progress, goals, and treatment plans. Every month the feeling of the team was that we were somehow failing him. 

His destructive and sometimes unmanageable behaviour only improved for little glimpses, and you had to look hard to see the little temporary improvements.  This perspective all changed during a conversation I had with Bob after a facility shut down (riot).  Bob was very curious about how I viewed his involvement in the incident. This was most intriguing because Bob had never voiced interest in how others perceived him or his behaviour. I shared with him my hope for him to enjoy a healthy crime free life. Bob surmised from that I was disappointed in him, his behaviour and progress.  He went on to say something that was one of my biggest learnings in life. While the staff saw only minimal progress, Bob saw many successes (not failures) during his stay at the facility.  His hygiene had become a daily practice, his conversations were not laden with F bombs and other crass words,  and he had learned what appropriate and respectful relationships looked like, because he witnessed this every day from the staff. Best of all, he had learned how to forgive himself and let go of the thoughts and memories that held him back.

Bob helped me see a perspective that perhaps failure is a mindset and that failure and the fear of failure mindsets result in you looking and waiting for the big F- FAILURE.   

A mindset of growth and success allows you to noticed and appreciate the successes, no matter how small they are. This teenager, barely old enough to drive taught me that little successes when combined create a big picture full of hope and opportunity! What an example of resilience!

Wherever Bob is in the world today, I hope his life  has continued to allow him to teach others,  and to live in peace and happiness.

Don't buy your ticket for the burnout train

How you manage stress on a day to day basis can save you a ticket on the burn out train, stated Dr. Ganz Ferrance, my guest on a recent webinar that I emceed for Economic Developers Alberta.

Dr. Ganz Ferrance holds a PhD in Psychology and has been helping individuals, families, couples and organizations reduce their stress, improve their relationships and enjoy more success for over 20 years.

The first step to dealing with stress is recognizing it, and according to Dr. Ganz, this requires us to actually step back, not react and assess the situation and recognize it's impact on us.  Managing stress requires people to be self aware. 

Dr. Ganz offered a few practical tips to manage stress:
1.  Journal- write down your stressors, a summary of the day, or simply vent.
2. Take mini vacations- sit in your car and take 10 breaths before going into the office, or into the house after a day at work.  This helps you detach.  Rituals such as this can be powerful stress reducers.
3. Avoid taking work home.
4. Take breaks during the day (lunch, coffee, get some fresh air). Take a technology break by unplugging, and avoid checking emails before bed.  Doing this will result in a more restful sleep.
5. Understand the law of diminishing factors- the longer you stay at an activity, the less productive or efficient you are. So, take a break every 30 minutes or so. You'll have more energy, increased focus and the results will be more favourable!

Here are some tips to improve team relations and productivity during stress and change in the workplace:
1.  Take breaks- this is a great way for you to connect with your colleagues.
2. Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clear, and understood in the team.
3. Change can be tiring. Build your team, nurture the team and resolve issues, to reduce change fatigue. 
4. Communicate effectively, respectfully and frequently.


To register for upcoming webinars with the Economic Developers Alberta, visit www.edalberta.ca

Staying Focussed and Managing Time... There is a solution!

Sometimes it can feel like there are not enough minutes, hours and seconds in the day.   There are 86,400 seconds in a 24 hour day, 8760 hours in a year. No matter how you slice it, we have the same amount of time available every day.

Have you had those days where it feels like you have moved the piles of paper far too many times, or maybe you have 10 electronic documents open, but none completed?  It might be time to shift gears in terms of how yo manage your time, energy and actions.

86400 seconds

Here are some tips that I have found help keep me focused, productive, creative, and high energy:

1. Use a timer. I love my iPhone because I use the timer, stop watch and alarm frequently throughout the day.  Just for fun (actually just for a reality check), I recorded every activity I did during the day from returning calls, to email, to doing dishes, marketing tasks, going for a walk with the dog, preparing presentations and working on a new book.  This gave me great insight to where I spend my time, what tasks I may be able to delegate (or drop), and how long tasks take.  I time my activities. For example, working on this blog I set my iPhone for 15 minutes. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you are timing yourself. 
2. Pick your Big Three. I use a red file folder or Big 3 list... these are the three things that must (did I say MUST) be done by the end of the day. Do these first, early in the day so you free up your energy for other tasks.
3. Have a GREAT IDEA file. Many times people get sidetracked by new ideas, creative bursts something new... this is when the skill of discernment comes into play.  Ask your self questions like.... Is this a must do or would be nice to do project?  Does it need to be done now? Then if the answer is no, put it in your Great Idea file, which you look at once per week.
4. Forgive mistakes. We can sure zap alot of time by being wrapped up in the drama of mistakes.  Blaming ourselves. Then sharing the story with others. Blaming self some more. Playing it over in your head. When I used to teach stress management to children and teenagers (a life time ago in another career), we used an exercise called the Worry Jar and Worry Time. The key was to provide yourself with a worry time (not before bed, and no longer than 10 minutes). During that scheduled time, you could worry but after the timer went off, it was time to stop and forgive and move on. Or, put the worry in the worry jar.  This has served me well as an adult, and funny thing is, there is nothing to worry about at the scheduled time, so I freed up 10 minutes to do something fun, relaxing or helpful.

 I encourage you to choose one of the four ideas and try it for one week.  Let me know how it works.  Add your comments and best strategies to the comment section so that we can all learn from one another.

Until next time, let's make it a great day!

In my book GPS Your Best Life, Co-authored with Debra Kasowski, we offer a number of strategies to create work life harmony.  You can find it here:

Just for the record, I stil have 1 minute 26 seconds left on the timer.  Whoot Hoot!

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Why Bouncing Forward Expedites Success

To bounce forward™ is to be resilient … to stand tall, lean in and grow through change, challenge, crisis and adversity.

 

 Let’s face it. We all have challenges, even the most successful people. Just by the very nature of living life, being in relationships and wearing different hats, there will be times when life just seems to be a series of road bumps and detours.  As we speed through life, situations will crop up that test our values, patience and integrity.  Resilient people and resilient workplaces move through these situations with more ease, grace and dignity, and, they usually learn the “lesson” so the situations show up fewer times in future.

On May 5 I am part of a wonderful tele series (free) with other transformational leaders who are all committed to helping others live an empowered life. I will be speaking about my best tips to Bounce Forward in Life, and will share my Bounce Forward solutions model.  You can see a few of the many tips below...

This is truly a special One-Time Virtual event that is designed to help you recognize what is holding you back from feeling and being your best. You’ll learn--

● How to bounce forward, what to do to live a FEARLESS and CONFIDENT life
● How to increase your positive energy, happiness, & outlook
● Identify your purpose and how to achieve it
● Break the cycle of self-doubt and negative thoughts
● Release the past & live in the present
● The behavior and mindset of incredibly confident women...who once weren’t
● Anti aging beauty secrets through balancing hormones and proper nutrition&
● How to find the courage and strength to say YES to your divine feminine essence

And much more… Get started now! http://liveanempoweredlifenow.com/CharmaineHammond

Tap into the minds of women who are incredibly beautiful, accomplished, successful and empowered. Extract exactly what you need to motivate, transform and succeed at creating the life you’ve always dreamed possible. If any of this resonates with you then sign up now. And kindly share this with your friends, relatives and women you know who could benefit from this fabulous experience. Join us for Live an Empowered Life Now if you're ready for that real change. If not now, when?

In the meantime, here are a few tips to start bouncing forward....

1) Use a timer for different activities such as hanging out on social media, errands, taking care of your home, work projects. When you are aware of how much time certain activities take, you can plan more efficiently and eliminate time wasters.

2) Complete the most challenging and important tasks early in the day.

3) Avoid watching scary shows, doing paperwork, and checking emails before you go to bed, this impacts your ability to have a good night sleep, and sleep is essential to resilience.

4) Take time for you...every day.

5) Have a weekly plan so that you can ensure you confirm appointments, travel etc...., all the details that become a stressor when they end up in a crisis because there was no plan.


Please join my fellow top experts and me here.  http://liveanempoweredlifenow.com/CharmaineHammond

What I learned about business (and life) from sailing

Charting your course to workplace resilience

Charting your course to workplace resilience requires you to:

•           Know your shoreline
•           Understand how wind works
•           Set the sail and adjust with the wind
•           Watch the horizon for storms- telltales tell all
•           Know how to right the boat
•           And to have some fun

Christopher setting up the boat with our dog Toby patiently waiting... he enjoyed the water too!

My husband Christopher and I love to sail, although that was not always the case for me. About sixteen years ago we were in a sailboat accident that almost cost us our lives.  Swimming for our lives that day in the lake taught me a great deal about resilience, and I made some discoveries later about how similar sailing was to life and business.

When I coined the term Bounce Forward(TM) to define resilience (it is often understood as bouncing back) it was based on my big learning that I was not as resilient as I thought.  After our sailboat accident it took me almost seven years to get back on the boat. And a few more to actually enjoy it.

Bouncing Forward (resilience) requires us to:

1.           Know your shoreline- have your eye on the goal (always) and know your back up shoreline if the situation or plans change. In business your shoreline is your goal and overarching vision. That day in the lake, my shoreline was 4 ½ miles across the lake – the distance we had to swim to make it back alive if not rescued.
2.           Understand how wind works- in sailing you must know how the wind works, and understand to watch for wind changes by the colour of the water, differences in waves and by watching your sails. In business and life, wind happens...financial challenges, staff turnover, policy changes, new equipment and systems (some which drive you nuts), and stormy wind that is tough to get through. But, when you understand how the wind works, and how to sail through it, your team can follow your lead and stay afloat.
3.           Set the sail and adjust with the wind- in sailing you need to know how to set the sail, and of course adjust as the wind changes. The same is true in business. You must know how to choose the right course to reach the goals and manage the challenges, and then adjust as needed as change or new demands surface. In sailing, the more accurate the set of the sail, the better the journey.
4.           Watch the horizon for storms- telltales tell all. Our sailboat, a 20 foot Tornado Catamaran has huge sails with a 32 foot mast. You can imagine the size of the mainsail.  The sails are outfitted with telltales- a little piece of ribbon affixed to the sail which shows you how the wind flows along the sail.  When the sail is not set accurately the telltales flap about in the wind and do not lie flat and stream along the surface of the sail cloth. In life, and in business, there are telltales to look for (your gut reaction, warning signs, changes in team performance, etc). Use these telltales to help you set the sails in business and adjust as needed.
5.           Know how to right the boat – in sailing sometimes the boat capsizes. This happens in business and life to. Bouncing forward means that in these challenges we can ask for help, right the boat and get back on the journey with minimal drama.
6.           And to have some fun- this makes the journey worthwhile, and a lot easier to get back on the boat next time.

This story and these tips are part of my Bounce Forward keynote and seminar program.

What is YOUR desk saying about you?

If your desk or office could talk…. What would it say about you?

That was one of the many questions that Elizabeth Hagen and I discussed on my Corporate Conversations with Charmaine Radio Show (you can listen here http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/08/15/guest-elizabeth-hagen-and-ayesha-mathews-wadhwa


Would your desk say any of these messages?

• “You need to get organized!”

• “Wow. What’d you do? No more clutter.”

• “I am drowning in paper!”

• “Clean desk = great results!”

• “There is no more room for piles!”

• “Ah…. Freedom… I love this tidy desk!”

• “I can’t support all this junk”

• “How many times are you going to move that piece of paper?”

What would your desk or office say about you, if it could talk of course? Elizabeth is a certified professional organization, speaker and author and coaches business to achieve higher levels of success. Her passion is seeing people smile as they move away from a state of being overwhelmed to a state of organization. Elizabeth states that it is possible to have more focus, more prospects, more clients, and more business! She is the author of Organize with Confidence: Now is your time, and Growing your Business with Confidence.

Elizabeth stated that some of the biggest overwhelm culprits are: PAPER, Email and Time. Do any of these sound familiar to you? When people are overwhelmed, they often do nothing, instead of something or one thing. Being overwhelmed can actually paralyze us, whereas when you step in to action, you reduce anxiety, and bring about relief.

Here are a few tips from Elizabeth to reduce the overwhelm and increase action to organization:

• Increase Your Focus- be self disciplined, do what you said you will do

• To Do List Cards- use 3x5 index cards with one item per card- ten of your most important tasks/to do list actions (instead of a lengthy list or a bunch of sticky notes) then focus on the first few

• Deal with paper

o Ask “what is my next action?” with each piece of paper

o Then, implement Elizabeth’s F Plan

 Finished (recycle, shred, file)

 Fast (not finished but very fast to finish) and Get It Done!

 For Others (delegate for someone else to do

 Future Short Term (file the paper in a file with the date you need to respond or get this done)

Listen to the recording to learn more about the Other F.  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charmainehammond/2012/08/15/guest-elizabeth-hagen-and-ayesha-mathews-wadhwa

What can you do today to tackle one of the piles or lists that is creating overwhelm? The index cards are GREAT for focus and decluttering. I also love using the Ticker File System (see below), and Elizabeth recommends these as well.  There are files for every day of the month, a yearly file and blank files. This is a great way to manage the Future Short Term process that Elizabeth talked about in her interview and the F System.


You can learn more about Elizabeth at: www.elizabethHagen.com


Check out Elizabeth’s awesome books. Do you know someone that could a little more organization and less overwhelm?