Can Neo-Feng Shui® improve your mental health? Absolutely!

What is Neo Feng Shui® (NFS)? Where was it developed and by whom?

NFS was developed in Denmark in 2000-2002 by Sagar Constantin and has since proven itself as an incredibly strong tool to create balance within a space and support the people within.

In the early 2000s, NFS was mostly used in private residences. But institutions such as schools and day care centres followed quickly.

Businesses then started embracing NFS. They discovered it decreases stress and absenteeism but increases productivity which directly influences the bottom line. Not to mention the noticeable and positive impact on mood and the collaborative atmosphere in the workplace.

More recently, the health sector such as doctor’s offices, hospitals, specialty clinics and institutions are using NFS to support the healing process of patients.

Different from traditional feng shui, NFS has taken the essence and basic principles from the old wisdom but removed the layers of religious beliefs, superstition, cultural influences, traditions, etc. resulting in a feng shui philosophy that’s best suited to the 21st century. It focuses on creating well-being, a feel-good environment that supports the people and function within a space. NFS offers significant tools and depth that make it powerful, useful and yet simple, clear and precise.

One of these tools is ‘The Three Levels.’ All colour, materials and shapes that are used in creating balance in a space are divided into three levels and they influence you on the mental, emotional and physical planes. Here are some examples:

• Patient A is sitting waiting for an appointment. The waiting room influences how comfortable and calm he feels before seeing the doctor. The pictures on the wall and the layout of the space all influence him.
• Patient B is lying on a bed in a hospital room. The colour on the walls, the motif in the pictures, the patterns on the furniture and carpets in the room can affect the mental state of the patient by comforting her or causing unnecessary stress and worry. The physical environment can form part of the mental, emotional and physical rehabilitation of the patient.

Institutions that have children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, for example, can design a space to support the children by implementing a physical environment that can emphasize grounding, comfort and trust. They can limit busy colours, flickering fluorescent lighting and distractive layout. They can also reduce both visual and actual noise.

The diagram here illustrates simply:

• how the colour brown is divided into the three levels;
• how each level affects you;
• and the resulting reaction.

This same division can be applied to all colours.

Have you felt out of sorts in certain environments but right at home in others? Now that you know a little about NFS, can you put a finger on why you feel this way? I’d like to hear about it.

Brain imaging studies have found that living in a city or growing up in one can affect brain function during a stressful situation.

According to projections by the United Nations, the world is becoming more urbanized, with almost 70% of people expected to live in urban areas by 2050.

Studies suggest living in a city increases the risk of depression and anxiety, and schizophrenia rates are higher in people born and brought up in cities. But until now, there hasn’t been research into how human brain structures might be affected by urban living.

So researchers at McGill’s Douglas Mental Health University Institute in Montreal and the University of Heidelberg in Germany used magnetic resonance imaging to study brain responses of healthy German students who were taking a math test under stressful conditions.

Study participants faced time pressures and, in some cases, investigators scolded them through headphones.

The researchers reported in the online issue of the journal Nature that, when exposed to those stressful conditions, two areas of the students’ brains known to be involved in processing emotions became more active.

The amygdala is an almond-shaped mass located deep within the brain. It plays an important role in processing and remembering emotional reactions. Researchers found the amygdala was more active in those who lived or had been brought up in cities. According to Jens Pruessner of McGill and his co-authors, a brain mechanism links the urban environment to social stress processing across the human lifespan.

“These findings contribute to our understanding of urban environmental risk for mental disorders and health in general,” said Pruesssner.

He said these findings might point to the importance of taking time away from the hustle and bustle of city living.

“I think what’s important is to realize that you might be more exposed to a higher amount of social stress if you live in the city,” Pruessner said. “Therefore you should account for that by giving yourself more chances to take a vacation and pause from the stress, to find times for recreation.”

In the case of schizophrenia, scientists suspect that both genetic and environmental factors are involved. The new findings point to the social stresses of city living.

“We’ve all known that there has to be something else involved that triggers the onset of schizophrenia, and it’s called stress,” said Chris Summerville, the chief executive officer of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada in Winnipeg. “So if you have higher levels of stress in urban areas, then it stands to reason you would probably have higher levels of schizophrenia.”

The findings did not come as a surprise to a man rushing for a commuter train in Toronto.

“Seriously, if you lived in the country and you didn’t have to deal with the traffic and trains and all the noise, I think you would be a calmer person,” said David Smith.

David Hine, who now lives in the small community of New Ross, N.S., after living in cities and towns, said there is a greater sense of connectedness in rural life.

“In the ups and downs of life, it’s nice to have the security and support of a community,” Hine said.

In these studies, a city was defined as having more than 100,000 inhabitants, a town more than 10,000.

Does city living affect your stress level? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Contact me for all your professional writing and mental health advocacy needs.

Source:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/06/22/city-stress-brain.html?ref=rss

Water is crucial for your body mechanics. Your body can’t function without water just as a car can’t run without gas or oil. All the cell and organ functions that make up your entire anatomy and physiology depend on water for their functioning.

• Water serves as a lubricant.
• Water is the base of saliva.
• Water forms the fluid that surrounds your joints.
• Water regulates body temperature because cooling and heating are distributed through perspiration.
• Water helps to alleviate constipation. It moves food through the intestinal tract and eliminates waste. It’s the best detox agent.
• Water helps to regulate metabolism.

Water is crucial to your physiology. So it makes sense that the quality of the water you drink is just as important as the quantity. Drinking water should always be clean and free of contaminants to ensure proper health and wellness.

How much water do you need to drink?
Some experts believe you need to drink one-half of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you might want to drink at least 80 ounces of water or other fluids per day. Other factors include the amount of physical activity you engage in and the climate where you live.

At least 20% of the water you need comes from the foods you eat. The rest comes from the beverages you drink. Water is probably your best choice because it’s cheap and has no calories or added ingredients.

Sweetened soft drinks and sodas contain added sugar. That means you’re absorbing extra calories without any nutritional value. Sports drinks contain minerals that may help keep your electrolytes in balance. They’re good for recovering after a hard workout, but look out for added sugar and calories you may not want. Fruit and vegetable juices can be a good choice because they contain vitamins and minerals your body needs. Read labels, though. Vegetable juices may be high in sodium. Caffeinated beverages like tea and coffee count, too, but too much caffeine can make you feel jittery.

QUICK TIP:
A trick to ensure you’re drinking your daily allowance of water. Fill a pitcher or jug with the portion of water you need to drink and keep it on your desk at work or handy at home. You now have your goal clearly marked. As you drink, you know you’re on the right track to getting enough water into your body.

And those frequent bathroom trips aren’t a bad thing. The best indicator you’re drinking enough water is when your urine comes out pale yellow to clear. A dark yellow colour, however, shows your body is dehydrated and is concentrating the urine in an effort to conserve water.

Contact me for all your professional writing and mental health advocacy needs.

Sources:
http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-education/water-health.htm 
http://nutrition.about.com/od/hydrationwater/a/waterarticle.htm

My brother, Wilson, born nine years after the last of his four older siblings had become our precious “son.” An animated child, his sharp wit made us all laugh. And he was so curious. Kept us busy with his endless stream of questions. We doted on him.

But schizophrenia had changed him. Radically. Into a sad, aloof young man. Who couldn’t communicate with our family.

On rare occasions, Wils had given me a glimpse into his struggles. “I hear voices. They tell me, ‘Go to the hardware store. Buy poison. Drink it.’ Sometimes they say, ‘Go to Niagara Falls. Jump into the lake.’”

Then one day, he just disappeared. Which was so strange. Because he always kept in touch with me by phone. I had spent three months searching for him all over the city—posting flyers with a photo of Wils in hospitals, rooming houses and homeless shelters.

Trembling, I unlocked the door. My thoughts raced around wildly. Could my brother be in some kind of trouble? Committed a crime? I just couldn’t shut off the noise in my head.

I phoned Detective Cook.

“Hi, Grace. I have something to tell you. The issue is serious. I cannot discuss it over the phone. I’ll be right over.”

That really upset me. I paced in my small living room. My brother must be in awful trouble. That’s why Detective Cook couldn’t talk over the phone. But nothing, nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to hear.

The buzzer rang. Even before I heard the knock, I opened the door. Detective Cook had bushy eyebrows, which made him look quite stern. He wore plain clothes.

“We found the body of your brother in Lake Ontario this afternoon…” Detective Cook said.

We found the body of your brother? Body? What was this man doing? He was talking about my brother as if he were dead. Why? Wils is only thirty. The youngest child in the family. The youngest doesn’t die first??

“A couple from out of town was strolling along the lakeshore… ” I heard him say. “Spotted a shape out on the lake. They told the police. The Metro Police Marine Unit had to use a chainsaw to hack the body of your brother out of the ice… ”

Chainsaw… Hack…  Body… Nothing made any sense.

After a long time, I heard myself talk.

“When can I see my brother?”

“I’m sorry, Grace. His body is frozen solid. It will take about a week for it to thaw out.”

Frozen solid? I pictured the little ice cubes Wils loved to pop into his mouth and suck on as a child. Only now we weren’t talking about innocuous ice cubes. My brother had become a human block of ice!

“Do you have a photo of your brother?” Detective Cook asked. I gave him one. He left.

I collapsed on the couch. And wept uncontrollably.

I made several phone calls. First to Mom.

“Mom, Wils is no longer with us.” Mom had spent most of the afternoon weeping.

“Heard… News. About a body. In Lake Ontario.” A mother’s instinct. She knew. It was her baby—her “angel Wilson.”

“Mom, I’ll call you in the morning, okay?”

I phoned Dad.

“Oh, my God!” he cried.

Next I phoned my oldest brother James in Singapore. And my two other siblings.

I went to bed, but sleep eluded me. Propped against the pillows, I gazed at all the photos I had of Wils. Until light filtered in through the curtains. It was dawn.

James flew in from Singapore two days later.

An environmentalist, James wanted my brother’s body cremated. Mom and I resisted. That very dreadful illness—schizophrenia—had ravaged Wils emotionally and mentally while he was alive. We wanted to make sure his body was preserved intact in death. James yielded to our wishes.

Dad and James worked together to find a funeral home, pick out a casket, find a burial site and a priest to conduct the funeral service.

The coroner finally delivered his report. Now we could bury Wils.

The snow fell gently on the day of the funeral. Father Philip preached a short but moving sermon.

The light snowfall had made the cemetery grounds a bit slippery. With my hand in the crook of Mom’s elbow, we both walked to the burial plot.

The casket was closed. “Open it! Open it!” Mom cried. She wanted one final glimpse of her baby. Mom burst into a fit of weeping. I fought hard to choke back my tears. When Mom had calmed down, she placed a rosary and some dried yellow rose petals from her garden on the casket.

My brother’s death paralyzed me. With grief and depression. For about a year. It marked a very low point in my life. I couldn’t work. And tons of regrets beset me. I should have done this. I should have done that. Made myself more available to Wils. But I’ve finally arrived at peace. I know Wils would have wanted that.

This year Wils would have turned forty-seven. He now has a new body. A new mind. A new wholeness in Christ. Voices don’t torment him anymore. He lives in peace. In glory. Best of all? I shall see him again—in eternity.

Contact me for all your professional writing and mental health advocacy needs.

Bipolar disorder, with its many ravaging faces, had stalked me for 28 years. During manic phases, I’d lost jobs, squandered money I didn’t have and engaged in casual sex. When I became depressed, it left me so debilitated I hid under my bedcovers for days.

But that particular summer, depression wrapped itself around me like an iron cloak I couldn’t shake off. Each moment dragged like eternity. I sank into despair. Life became unbearable. I had only one recourse—suicide.

I planned it all. Researched the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties: The Canadian Drug Reference for Health Professionals. Read what dose of the medications I had would cause a coma. Just take more than that. Way, way more. That should cause death.

On the pre-arranged night, I placed the vials of meds on my kitchen counter. One by one, I emptied them all. Between gulping glasses of milk. Then I lay down on my bed. “Tonight is my last night.”

Dad found me lying in a coma eleven days later. He rushed me to the hospital.

My kidneys had shut down completely. Liz, my sister said, “At one time, twelve doctors were working together on the dialysis machine. To flush out all the poisons from your system.”

I had stopped breathing. The doctors hooked me up to a ventilator.

But they offered no hope. They said to Dad, “Your daughter will be a vegetable for life. You’ll have to send her for warehousing.”

As soon as my pastor heard what had happened, he called up my closest friends. They held two prayer meetings. And begged the Lord to heal me. A few days later, I regained consciousness. Clearly, the Lord still had work for me to do.

But I couldn’t speak. I tried to communicate with pencil and paper, but it was a struggle. Why wasn’t my hand obeying the messages my brain was sending?

It was a long slow process to recovery. I still have the childish scrawls—very different from my usual, beautiful script—my attempts to ‘speak’ with family and friends.

And my leg muscles had grown flaccid. Just after three weeks of lying immobile on my back. I had to learn to walk again. First with a four-wheeled walker, then a pair of crutches and finally a cane. 

“You won’t be working for a long time,” my GP said, during my first visit with him after my discharge from the hospital. And for the next couple of years, I believed him! I didn’t work.

Then I heard about Biz Futures—a program designed for adults with disabilities who wish to start and run our own small businesses. I phoned the coordinator of the program. And became a student there. Experts taught us all aspects of what it takes to run a business:

• Marketing strategies
• Presentation skills
• Business operations
• Pricing strategies
• Time management
• Mission statements
• Positioning
• Market research
• Business vision
• Business finance
• Stress management

I graduated from the program. Ready to run my business.

Today I earn a living by offering professional writing services and speaking to audiences about what it’s like to live with mental illness.

I still struggle with the cycles of bipolar disorder. But I’ve made a vow to myself. I shall never put my family through such agony again. I now take serious measures—practise my unique personal medicine—to manage my illness for my sake and my family’s. These measures include:

• Medications: I take them every night.
• Exercise: I walk every chance I get. To the bank. The psychiatrist’s office. The grocery store. The studio where I paint. And I walk fast. This releases the endorphins—the “feel good” hormones.
• Routine: I wake up at the same time each morning and try to go to bed at the same time each night.
• Socializing: I live alone. So it’s very important for me to connect with other human beings. I book dates (coffee, lunch or dinner) with family and friends.
• Taking care of Mom: She lives in a nursing home. Mom has raised five children single-handedly. No mean task. I visit her three times a week. And always cook a little food for her. Just a tiny gesture to show my gratitude. I can never repay her. She sacrificed her entire life for her children. The greatest gift I can offer Mom? My time.
• Creative outlet: Just a few years ago, I took up painting. And I enjoy this so much.
• Earning a living: I cannot work in an office from 9:00–5:00 because of my mental health problems. But I can work around these issues by running my own business. Working again has greatly empowered me: I enjoy a renewed sense of healing, self-esteem, pride and dignity.

Contact me for all your professional writing and mental health advocacy needs.

After about a week of this, I talked with one my teachers. My favourite teacher, Mr. J. I said, “I just can’t focus in class.”

“Why don’t you stay home for a week? Take the pressure off yourself?”

So I did. But I didn’t want to fall behind in school. There were still assignments to hand in. For one project, we had to pair up with a classmate. My partner, Wendy, came over to my home. We worked on the assignment together. When I returned to school, everything seemed fine.

But a few years later, I ran into the same problem. I was in my second year of university at McMaster. Only this time it was worse. I’d sit in class. Not absorb a thing. After every single lecture, I’d say to my roommate, “I’m depressed!”

I didn’t understand the full meaning of the word until many years later. But I couldn’t cope with school. So I just dropped out.

The first time I was admitted to a psychiatric ward was at the Mississauga Hospital, now known as the Trillium Health Centre. It became my ‘home’ many, many times. It was there that I experienced violence of a sort I never dreamed possible. Violence against people like me—people who struggle with mental illness. Violence against us while we’re going through one of the most vulnerable periods of our lives.

I hated being in the hospital. So I kept running out of the ward every chance I could. I wasn’t a danger to myself or anyone else. But the nurses couldn’t be bothered to keep chasing after me. So they placed me in a four-point restraint. Yes. Four-point. It means exactly what it says. They strapped my arms and legs tightly to the four posts of the bed. I can still remember one nurse, Jan, saying to her colleagues with such cruel relish, “Tie her—spread-eagle fashion.”

Every time I broke free of my restraints, they placed me in a straitjacket again. This happened at least four or five times.

Here is a painting I did—a self-portrait of that experience which took place about 35 years ago. Over the last 39 years, I can count at least 13 admissions to different psychiatric wards:

• the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital (now Lakeshore Hospital)
• Queen Street Mental Health Centre (now a part of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)
• the Clarke Institute (now also a part of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)
• North York General Hospital
• Mount Sinai Hospital

But the Lord was merciful to me. No one strapped me down in any other hospital.

I’ve been thinking… When is the use of restraints justified in the mental health system? Only in these two situations:

• when people are a danger to themselves; or
• when they’re a danger to others

These are the only two instances when using restraints in the mental health system can be justified.

Contact me for all your professional writing and mental health advocacy needs.

But this year, the Gems Committee decided to do things differently. Our studio assistant, Marlena, invited some of us artists to submit paintings. She said a jury would then decide which pieces should be entered into the auction, based on our technical skills, creativity, the medium we used and some other requirements.

When I paint, I use realism to reflect my subjects. This is a style in art  where subjects in a painting are shown as close to ‘reality’ as possible, i.e., the way the subject actually looked.

But for the auction, I decided to try something different—use an abstract style. The result? The painting featured on this page. There are lots of colours in this painting. But there is an image hidden in it. Can you see it? I’d love to hear your comments.

It’s very difficult to talk about mental illness. It carries a stigma that leads to discrimination. We’re afraid we’ll lose friendships and feel isolated. This leads to unnecessary suffering and death. Stigma is also one of the biggest barriers to seeking treatment worldwide.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Talking about mental illness can:

• take the mystery out of it
• strengthen friendships
• help with recovery
• break down stereotypes
• take the taboo out of something that affects us all

Bell is launching its second annual Bell Let’s Talk Day on February 8, 2012.

Myth or fact?
Challenging the myths about mental illness can be a good way to get us thinking and talking…

• Myth: People with mental illness can’t work.
  Fact: Chances are we probably work with someone who struggles with mental illness.

• Myth: Mental health problems are very rare.
  Fact: Mental health problems affect one in five people.

• Myth: People with mental illness never recover.
  Fact: People with mental illness can and do recover.

• Myth: People with mental health problems are different from normal people.
  Fact: There is no measurable standard for who is ‘normal.’

• Myth: After experiencing a mental health problem, people are weaker.
  Fact: Many people who go through mental health problems actually feel stronger.

• Myth: People with mental illnesses are violent and unpredictable.
  Fact: People with mental illness are more likely to become victims of violence.

• Myth: It’s best to leave people alone if they develop a mental health problem.
  Fact: Most people with mental health problems want to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. This can be a great help in their recovery.

• Myth: I don’t know anyone with a mental illness.
  Fact: Someone we know or love has experienced a mental illness or struggles with it.

• Myth: People aren’t discriminated against because of mental health problems.
  Fact: Nine out of ten people with mental health problems experience stigma and discrimination.

Contact me for all your professional writing and mental health advocacy needs.

Sources:
http://time-to-change.org.uk/take-action/talk-about-mental-health
http://camimh.ca/2012/01/the-second-annual-bell-lets-talk-day-is-coming-up-on-wednesday-february-8-2012/#more-339
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/905865/bell-let-s-talk-2012-join-the-conversation-to-support-canadian-mental-health

Highlights

• Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians through illness in a family member, friend or colleague.

• One in five Canadians experiences mental illness and depends on support from families, communities, the economy and a stretched social service system.

• Mental illness affects people of all ages, educational and income levels, and cultures.

• The onset of most mental illnesses occurs during adolescence and young adulthood.

• A complex interplay of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors causes mental illnesses.

• Mental illness can be treated effectively.

• Mental illness is costly to the individual, the family, the health care system and the community.

• The economic cost of mental illness in Canada was estimated to be at least $7.331 billion in 1993.

• Eight-six percent of hospitalizations for mental illness in Canada occur in general hospitals.

• In 1999, 3.8% of all admissions in general hospitals (1.5 million hospital days) were due to anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, major depression, personality disorders, eating disorders and suicidal behaviour.

• The stigma attached to mental illnesses presents a serious barrier to diagnosis, treatment and acceptance in the community.

In the course of a lifetime, every individual experiences feelings of isolation, loneliness, emotional distress or disconnection at times. These are usually normal, short-term reactions to difficult situations, rather than symptoms of mental illness. People learn to cope with difficult feelings just as they learn to cope with difficult situations.

But in many cases, the duration and intensity of painful feelings or disorienting thought patterns may interfere seriously with everyday life. Ordinary coping skills are taxed, and people may need help in regaining balance and restoring their fullest functioning.

Mental illness can be treated. A variety of interventions, such as psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), medication, occupational therapy and social work can improve an individual’s functioning and quality of life. Since mental illnesses involve disorders of brain functioning, medication often forms an important part of treatment.

Making the correct diagnosis and tailoring effective treatment to the individual’s needs are important for an overall management plan. Treatment is more effective when individuals are active in the choice of therapy, Sometimes, alternative decision-makers may need to get involved to protect the health of the individual.

Treatment requires a variety of health and social service providers and volunteers working together to provide a comprehensive system of services. When service providers work as a team, they ensure continuity of care.

Contact me for all your professional writing and mental health advocacy needs.

Source:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/miic-mmac/chap_1-eng.php

The Tobaggoners. Children find joy in such simple things as coasting down a snowy slope.

That particular afternoon, we walked over to Withrow Park. What I saw warmed my heart. Kids were playing in the snow. Others were tobogganing. When children fell off the toboggans or slid off them, they just dusted themselves off and walked right back to the peak of the hill. And started all over. I love kids. They’re resilient. Fearless. Free spirits.

I tried to photograph the children. Have you ever tried to capture a moving subject on film? I hadn’t. If you train your camera on your subject, you don’t get what you want. Because your subject has already moved way past your view finder. Sounds like common sense, right? But this was new to me. A novice photographer.

Sean gave me an important tip. Stand near the foot of the slope. And focus my camera on where I expect my subject to be within a couple of seconds. That made all the difference! I captured what I had set my sights on—a shot of a child flying down the slope.

A few days later, I did the same thing at Riverdale Park—near Riverdale Farm. There were loads of kids tobogganing there. I took more photos.

I printed up the shots I had taken. Then I created a collage, using photos of three of the children. And that’s how I produced my painting, The Tobogganers.