When in pain, why you don't want to take painkillers!

Many people will reach for pain killers at the slightest sign of pain. This is of course the best thing for us to do, according to the advertising campaigns for painkillers, as it will help you to keep going!  Therein lies the problem, pain is actually an indication that there is something wrong with the body and it is its' way of telling us we need to stop and pay attention to what is going on.

As their name suggests, they are pain KILLERS (and they might kill you too - but that is another story) they will not treat the cause of the problem that has lead you to having a pain.

Pain is actually the last symptom that appears and the first one to disappear. So, when you take a painkiller to make the pain disappeared this doesn't mean that all is well, on the contrary you have just hidden your greatest ally that is helping you avoid getting into even more health problems. The reason the body is sending out the pain signal is because we have ignored all the other signals it has sent and it now has no alternative. Previous signals may have been fatigue, discomfort, stiffness, thirst for example and only when these are ignored or dealt with in a way that does not help the body (like taking alcohol or coffee) does it send pain signals.

Many of my clients will call for an appointment because of the pain. This is the easiest thing to treat and as I said will be the first symptom that disappears. From their perspective they are better, however as I see that this does not mean that the person is in a state of health. They are just in a state of slightly less ill health.

Unfortunately our 'healthcare' system is not focused on health but on disease. It is very good at fixing emergencies. For many chronic conditions people will often hear their doctors say: 'you will just have to learn to live with it'.  You are not guided to what you have to do in order to learn how to live with it!  So many people have come to accept that if there is no symptom then there is no problem and if there is a symptom and the doctor does not have a tablet for it then nothing can be done.

This is far from the truth. Usually the reason people have got to that point is that they have not been learning what their body is attempting to tell them and just taken more pain killers to hide the problem.

Body~Mind Coaching helps people find relief from pain by making them more aware of what they are doing that might be causing the pain helping them become more aware of the more subtle symptoms so they can correct the problem before it causes pain and therefore addressing the root cause.

SO... next time you notice pain, take a moment to find out what your body is asking for, what is it that it really needs. If it is a headache you may want to read my blog on 2nd Oct 2012

Thank you for reading and be well.
Any questions or comments on this I would be happy to answer. You can post them under comments below or contact me

Radio interview live on 25th March

Listen to me being interviewed by Gerry Reilly.
The programme is called 'mind your own business' and is all about local businesses and business news. 
Having been in my health business almost 20 years and starting a second business, called Bilingual Babies, last July, I think I know a thing or two about business. You will be able to find out more about how all this came about!

Mon 25th March 2013 ,
6pm to 7pm.
Swindon Community Radio: 105.5 FM

Happy listening!

De-stress and relax the Body-Mind-Coaching way

Next workshop (same details as below) is on the 6th April
Venue: Integral Yoga Centre, Stratton, Swindon
Time:1pm to 4pm
Investment: £35

De-Stress and loosen up workshop

Relaxation the Body~Mind Coaching way

 Just relaxation, no effort, no strain, no pain!

More flexibility, more fluidity, more energy … And lots of fun!

9th Feb - 1pm to 4pm  £30  Integral Yoga Centre, Stratton, SN3 4PU

Book by 31st Jan get £2 off  p/p — Book for 2 and  get £3 off

And save £100 min on the cost of private sessions

If you can't make the date, let me know as I am planning an other one

This workshop is for you if:

-You get stressed easily, just by thinking about things you find stressful (like a bad day at work), yet find relaxing difficult. 

-You would you like to ease back tension wherever you are, whether standing in a queue or having a conversation at a party.

-You find it difficult getting to sleep because you are either uncomfortable or your mind is racing.

-You often find you neck and shoulders are tight and /or get headaches

- If you want to know easy ways to relax properly especially if your idea of relaxing is to sit and watch TV.

Did you know that the process involved in getting stressed is the same as the ones we use to relax?  If one is easy then the other is easy too, when you know how!

This is not Yoga,  there will be no sitting cross legged, meditating or chanting . The simple techniques you will learn will help you in your everyday life. 

Be warned, this could change you life!

Knowing how to reduce pain levels,  how to get a better quality sleep, how to go about daily life chores with  less effort means you will have more energy. 

Who knows what you could do with it!

You will discover the joy of relaxation, through simple movements and techniques you can use, in your everyday life, to improve your posture and well-being

Feel free, centred, balanced and energised

Suitable for everyone! No experience of any kind required.

Wear warm, loose, comfortable clothing.

Numbers are limited so book now call: Julie Nicholls  01793  495551

Fear of public speaking: 5 questions to help you manage your fear of public speaking

Here are some tips to help you with fear of public speaking.

1) If you were just talking to 1 person what would you say?
The issue is not actually self-conscious but other conscious. When you can be free of what others think of you, then you can be yourself and truly shine. Realise that all the people in the room are likely to know less about you topic than you do (unless of course you are in an exam)

2) What is the opportunity?
Is it really public speaking you are afraid of - or is it the consequence of something imaginary happening? Ask yourself: What is the worst thing that can happen? When you have the answer ask yourself what would happen next,… then what happens, then what… then… the worst thing that happens is often not as bad as we make out or it can be a re-routed opportunity. Whatever does happen you can learn something from it and you can always do better next time.

3) What is the real issue, the 1st trigger?
Mostly, we are not being self conscious enough the rest of the time (when not faced with an audience) to be aware of what is happening to the body and knowing what the initial first symptom is and what exactly triggered it. If we can spend time figuring that out then it becomes much easier to know how to manage it. Read more on this on my stormy weather blog (30-10-12)

You will probably find that it is something that happened in childhood probably at school when you first had to speak up in front of a classroom full of your peers (as you thought-ready to pick on you) and though this probably isn’t relevant any more it can still be the thing that is holding you back now.

4) What is the consequence if you don’t do the presentation?
Rather than focus on what might happen- what might go wrong when you speak in public, figure out what are the consequences of you not doing it. You may realise that doing it (possibly imperfectly) is better than not and this can then motivate you.

5) What is it you want to say?
As Peter Roper puts it: “know what you want to end with, then know where you are starting and massage the middle”. Don’t spend time focusing on all the detail, (unless you are giving a technical lecture) think about what impression you are wanting to put across, what is it you want your audience to get.

Now you have considered all of this do you feel any differently about public speaking? Your comments would much appreciated below.

If you still want more help then contact me and we can discuss how you could move forward and how Body~Mind Coaching can help you overcome fear of public speaking quickly, easily and for good!

New Year Resolution: Don't stop. Start instead!

Belated Happy New Year! It is amazing how easily one can get sidetracked. My son developing chickenpox on New Year's Day was just enough to send all my plans out of the window.

So here I am now with this question for you: have you made your New Year’s resolution?  If so are you still on track? Or have old patterns got you sidetracked too.

Does your resolution sound something like: stop smoking, stop eating so much chocolate, stop this or that. If not, that's great. You problem you already know all about setting SMART goals.

If they do, then unfortunately you are unlikely to succeed. There are too many reasons to explain why in this blog. However, one of the main reasons is that when you focus on the thing you don't want, (like not smoking,) your brain just focuses on the smoking and so wants more of it.

The unconscious mind can’t recognise a negative. For example: if I say to you: don't think of the pink elephant with a blue tutu and a red umbrella, dancing on a tightrope; this was the very image you had in your mind, even though, I said, don't think about it!  If the brain can't think about the elephant then it has far too many other options and can't decide which other thing to think about, so it just keeps thinking about the pink elephant. However, if I say, think of the hippopotamus in a muddy hole you think of that instead of the pink elephant.

So if you want your resolutions to succeed, think about what it is you will gain from your particular action. Think of how you will feel, what you will be able to do, what will change in your life. Then think about what you need to start doing in order to make that happen.

If you're resolution is to have a healthier and more relaxed life, then here are some questions to help you.

Reduce stress questionnaire

Which 3 areas of my life do I feel cause me most stress?

Give each area a score out of 10 (10 being the greatest stress)

When I feel stressed, it leaves you with the following symptoms emotions or moods:   ….

I allow myself time to relax and unwind:  True or false

If false, what gets in the way?                        Do you feel guilty for taking time to you ? Yes / No

The way in witch I relax is: …….

I allow myself to do this once a week/ month/ quarter/ year?

When I do this, I feel completely peaceful and relaxed?

If not then what does leave you feeling relaxed and peaceful?

(If you don’t know check out relaxation workshop on my events page)

What could you change about your 3 areas of stress to help you be more relaxed?

Could you have an hour away from your responsibilities and have time just for you at least one a week?

What are you willing to do, to make your life more peaceful?

How would you feel if you made those changes?   

Is it worth it? 

I really do hope so, and I hope you can commit to making it happen.

Remember as Ralph Waldo Emerson said "We become what we think about all day long." 

If you are not sure where to begin or how to set your goals then book a free 30 min Body-Mind Coaching taster session to see how I can help you.

Quote: 'Blog' when you contact Julie by phone or email  

Whatever your resolution is, have a wonderful 2013

Christmas: 5 tips - have a party with a difference.

You may want to include some of these into your daily life for a more fulfilling and interesting time with friends and family.

1) Share: Avoid wanting to make everything perfect. This just creates stress.  Remember what this is all about, being together, sharing and having fun.

Share what you are grateful for.

2) Change: Change seating places during your meal (between each course for example or for each meal of the day). A new seating arrangement can give a different perspective and type of conversation too.
3) The power of Silence: have 1 course in silence and use all your other senses -sight-smell-taste-feel-listen-touch to enjoy the time. Then, if you fancy you can discuss what you experienced.

4) Communication: - one at a time-every one takes turns in sharing something (may be something that was meaningful for the year or their achievement or something that was fun,  why it is important to them) and everyone else listens till it is their turn rather than everyone butting in with their bit.
-When you speak, you could take more pauses than you usually would and hold some pause for longer than you usually would. Does this help you get your message across better?

5) Games: Have some games that aren’t necessarily about anyone winning, like making the shapes of numbers with your body

  For fifteen more game suggestions then please email me:  subject line: party play.  Please rest assured your details will not be passed on.

If you like these you might want to attend a Body~Mind Coaching workshop contact me, check the events on the website or follow me on Facebook


Have a fabulous time and enjoy your meal.