Health & Wellbeing

New Blackmore Vale, July 9, 2021 Health & Wellbeing Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help: We all need it

We all have strengths and weaknesses. There are things you can do easily that someone else would chew over for days and there are tasks you watch others perform seemingly in their sleep that would leave you cold. That’s why it’s a good idea to pool resources or, to put it another way, outsource

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Go to edas-addictionservices.com or tatvacenter.com or call me on 07584 711488 when you need to. Consider this. I enjoy researching, I love writing. What I don’t enjoy or do well at all –in fact, I wouldn’t even attempt it – is building a website. It would be appalling and probably crash the world’s internet. So, I outsource it. It’s a better use of my time and money and gets better results. Yes, on paper that’s obvious but if you’re running your own business and you’re in the early days, that outlay of cash can seem daunting or unjustified. The other advantage of outsourcing projects or tasks is bringing in new energy and ideas. It means the result hasn’t just come from one source so it has a fresher, more up to date feel. It’s similar to the stress management tool I use; Delay, Delete or Delegate. But that is what we bring in when the situation has got too stressful. Outsourcing applies earlier in the planning. It’s prevention rather than cure. This can be applied to work or home. It’s time well spent considering what you could outsource in your life. If your immediate reaction is it’s a waste of money or bad use of your budget, consider what you could be doing whilst that outsourced task is happening. Can you be focussing on the things you do really well and therefore making back the money you’ve spent on the outsourcing? The answer will almost certainly be yes. Of course it’s not just about the money. It’s also about the balance. The quality of your working life. If you can free up headspace by passing on responsibility for something you would struggle with, you will produce better work, whatever that is. You will be more focussed and less distracted, therefore more productive and less stressed. Right now it is essential we support local businesses so this is a great time to consider what you could outsource locally. n Alice Johnsen is a life coach based near Sherborne. 07961 080513 alicejohnsen.co.uk

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New Blackmore Vale, July 9, 2021 Health & Wellbeing Communicating well can improve our relationships’ health

Good communication is essential for healthy relationships. A lot of my work as a therapist is with people who are struggling with relationships –whether they be romantic, family, friends or professional. I often find that a breakdown in communication is part of the problem. Many people don’t talk to each other enough, let alone really listen to each other. With our lives being so fast, we tend not to make time for meaningful conversation, selfreflection or to properly process our thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Often, we are just impulsive or react without thinking. Things can be left unsaid for fear of upsetting the other person; or we feel we shouldn’t burden them. False pride often gets in the way and some think it shows weakness to ask for help. Many people don’t speak their truth for fear of rejection or conflict, causing resentments to build up; then the relationship can become like a pressure cooker and will often ‘blow,’ manifesting in criticism or blame. Avoidance and denial are other ways people don’t deal with problems in relationships. Rather than address and confront issues; some seek solace in work, exercise, drink, affairs etc. Others refuse to talk about certain topics because they feel awkward, embarrassed or uncomfortable. When we do share, we can often say or do things in the wrong way and are misunderstood. Sometimes we’re not assertive enough; other times we can be too pushy. Empathy and sensitivity can often be missing. It’s not just about what we say or don’t say; as we often express ourselves in gestures and behaviours. Poor or no communication can cause anxiety, isolation, loneliness, sadness, depression and even loss. However, with some insight, techniques and guidance; communication can be transformed and relationships can be mended and healed. Whether it’s parents and children, wives and husbands, partners, business colleagues or just friends; it’s important that we all feel seen and heard. Helping people to raise their self-esteem, become more assertive and maintain good boundaries; enables them to get their needs met. We can only really know how we come across to others by asking for and listening to feedback. It’s important to accept constructive criticism without getting defensive. Acceptance, tolerance and humility are all important traits needed for good relationships. If we’re not open minded or don’t listen to other’s opinions, we’ll just remain stuck and have a very rigid frame of reference. A lot of my work is supporting people to change from unhelpful coping strategies to new healthier ways – often beginning with how to communicate in an appropriate, constructive and beneficial manner. Communication is a skill that we can all learn and that can rapidly improve the quality of every part of our lives. n David Stanton is a psychotherapist who lives near Sherborne tatvacenter.com

Medieval herbs at Shaftesbury Abbey

By Steve Keenan

Medieval herbs cultivated by the nuns of Shaftesbury Abbey 1,000 years ago are still present today and the subject of a talk by herbalist Julie Wood on July 15. The herbs had dozens of uses, from medicinal doses to making compresses, oils and salves. They were dried and blended with honey to make plasters and pills, placed on hot stones to create herbal steam baths or simply added to foods. The cures, called leechdoms, were blends of up to 46 herbs in one ointment. The most commonly used herbs included: sage, plantain, nettle, wild celery, costmary, pennyroyal and mugwort. Betony was also commonly used for headaches, neuralgias, nervous tension, and for ‘pain of the loins’. It was also worn as an amulet against ‘terrible nightgoers, against frightening visions and dreams and the herb is very holy’. The medicinal herb bed is one of four at the Abbey: the others being a culinary and utility beds, alongside The Mary Bed, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. “Medieval folk would have relied on their spiritual beliefs and the plants to heal themselves,” said the Abbey’s Annabel Turner. “The nuns of Shaftesbury Abbey had a specific duty of care for the sick and they would have known how to cultivate and make medicines from the herbs for the people.” The Abbey was founded by King Alfred in 888 and became England’s foremost Benedectine nunnery before it was dissolved in The Reformation of 1539. An evening walk of the medicinal herb bed is the subject of the talk by Julie Wood, who is based in East Stour, looking at how they were used historically and how they are still used today. The talk starts at 6.30pm on July 15. Tickets £6 (Friends of Shaftesbury Abbey, £3) and includes herbal teas and snacks. Call 01747 852910 to book, or email office@ shaftesburyabbey.org.uk –numbers are limited.

Medical herbalist Julie Wood

New Blackmore Vale, July 9, 2021 Health & Wellbeing So many health benefits to this sunny-looking yellow flower

St John’s Wort or hypericum perforatum is one of our most studied and probably wellknown herbs. It has come to prominence as being extremely effective for low mood and depression. This does not surprise me as the wonderful yellow flowers usually come out around midsummer’s day which suggest vitality and happiness. St John’s Wort is taken internally for mild to moderate depression, anxiety and nervous tension. It is said to help with pre-menstrual syndrome and depression and anxiety caused by the menopause. It can also be used for alcoholic depression and over stimulation so is useful for people with OCD and children who are still bed wetting, as it stimulates the nerves so stops the heavy sleeping that does not wake them up in time. It is also antiviral and is particularly good for envelope viruses such as shingles, chicken pox and herpes which sit in your system waiting for you to be run down to be able to take a hold and manifest themselves. It is a nerve restorative, not only emotionally but also physically. The herb’s surname, perforatum, comes from the tiny little holes in the leaves that look like the pores of the skin. (You need a good pair of glasses and to hold the leaf up to the sun – no holes and it is not the medicinal St John’s wort!) It is a herb with an affinity to the skin. You can make an oil infusion of the flowers by picking them as they come out and putting them in a good quality olive oil. Pop it on the windowsill in the sun for a couple of weeks, where it should turn red. Using this topically will help with pain from trauma and nerve damage, back pain and sciatica, wounds and inflammation, burns, bruises and sores as well as cramps, strains, various veins and shingles. What is not to like about the wonderful St John’s wort? But a word of warning, taking it internally, stimulates the liver’s detoxification pathways which means that drugs such as immunosuppressants, anti-viral, anti-coagulant and cardiac drugs are all processed quicker in your body so are less effective. This is also true with the oral contraceptive pill. If thinking of taking it, discuss it with a herbalist who will be able to tell you if St John’s Wort is safe with your prescriptions. If you are interested in having a herbal medicine consultation, please do contact me. pellyfiona@gmail.com. 07742 453285

Fiona Chapman is studying naturopathy and herbal medicine at the College of Naturopathic Medicine Meditations in Nature: Fraternising with the fritillaries

Today, I am out wandering around a national nature reserve on the Dorset border, looking for the dark green fritillaries that I know to be abundant here this time of year. A light breeze and ample cloud cover, thankfully, defuse the intensity of the midsummer heat. Alongside the paths, the ancient chalk grasslands are awash with the colours of common rock rose, birds-foot trefoil, hawkweed, thyme and thousands of orchids; pyramidal, common spotted, greater butterfly and fragrant. I have never seen so many orchids in one place; a lavishness only found on land that has never been under the plough. Several species of butterfly flit down the rides. There are brimstones, red admirals, holly blues, meadow browns, small heath browns and small tortoiseshells, all jostling for territories, honeydew, and nectar. Two fritillaries catch my eye, but they are flying so fast and furiously that they are gone in a flash, their bright orange upper wings catching the light as they go. Early afternoon soon turns to late afternoon and as the temperature increases so do they. Suddenly they are everywhere, rising from the vegetation like delicate flames. Dark green fritillaries are a grassland species that are on the wing in the height of summer. They are recognisable by the green hues found on the underside of the hind wings, visible only when they feed upon their favourite flowers. We have eight species of fritillary in the UK, most of which favour woodland or chalk downland. I haven’t met all of them yet but I hope to in time. My earliest memories of butterflies are chasing them around the fields at the back of our house as children; hands poised to capture their beauty in our tiny palms. These wonders, brimming with colour and movement, lit up grasslands and inspired wild imaginings. Now I pursue them with binoculars and camera, rather than a leaf filled jam-jar: they are not as abundant as they once were. Butterflies are universally upheld with reverence and adopted as symbols for many life concepts. For us, they represent rebirth, transformation, endurance, hope, peace, and resurrection. As I walk back to my car, I wonder what butterflies had meant to the Saxons who once lived here. I hope they admired them as much as we do for they bring so much joy. n Dr Susie Curtin curtin.susanna@gmail.com

A walk around...

with retired Dorset rights of way officer Chris Slade

MARGARET MARSH

The parish has few footpaths, so this will be a short walk of about three miles, straying beyond the boundary partly. Start at the church. The churchyard has lots of lovely yews. Then continue down the lane which turns left and leads you south-eastwards up the only hill in the area following, on your left hand side, the parish boundary with Fontmell Magna marked by ditch and hedge with a scattering of ash trees. Ash trees have been traditional boundary markers since Saxon times. At the top of the hill is the boundary with East Orchard where, at a stile, the footpath becomes a bridleway. We won’t go there, but look at the pond, enjoy the views over the vale and return past the church, continuing up the road to a T-junction where you turn right, east. After nearly 100 yards you’ll see a footpath that takes you north for about five furlongs, crossing several fields being strip grazed by cattle so there are numerous electric fences to negotiate, some easier than others. You cross the boundary again into Stour Provost. At a meeting of paths you might like to venture a few yards into a patch of parkland to look at the lake with ducks, swans and dozens of swallows, then return to the previous field and head west along the hedge, south west through the next field, south for a short way down a farm track, south-west again until you see a gateway to your left which takes you southeast along a field edge to some farm buildings and then onto the road. Turn right, south-west, along the road for a short distance then enter a footpath that takes you back to the village where you turn right back to the church.

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Mental health talks... from a shed near you

A series of talks on mental health recorded by a Wincanton man in his garden shed have gone online. Jeremy Thomas’s Shed Talks is a good humoured show about mental health and coping with life – what happens when things go wrong, and what you can do to get better and stay well. Jeremy is a funny guy with experience of serious mental illness, and an advocate of good mental health. Jeremy is going to be in conversation with interesting people drawn from the world of film, TV, music, books, crime, gardening, and business. Interesting people who have achieved something in their lives but who also have had direct or indirect experience of poor mental ill health. By sharing their inside stories with Jeremy, guests will also reflect on personal survival techniques, demonstrating how they recovered from poor mental health and how they now stay sane. Jeremy worked in the music business for 22 years during the 70s, 80s and 90s. He worked with artists such as John Williams, Al Green, Camel, Caravan, U2, The Levellers, James Brown and Rupert Hine to name a few. He wrote his first novel Taking Leave in 2007, a former BBC Radio 5 Book of the Month, going on to co-produce the Emmy Awardwinning BBC documentary Stephen Fry – The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive and cowrite the popular- A-Z Guide to Good Mental Health with Dr Tony Hughes. His last novel was the crime thriller The Santa Monica Suicide Club published in 2016. Jeremy is now a leading speaker to schools and businesses, delivering talks on How to Stay Sane in an Insane World. An authentic, brutally honest and often humorous talk which draws on his own battle with bipolar disorder and addiction, providing coping skills and strategies based around a mental health tool kit. Shed Talks is six episodes strong and here are the guests so far: n Tim Clark OBE - manager of Robbie Williams n Charlie Mortimer – subject of acclaimed memoir ‘Dear Lupin’ n Roma Hooper OBE pioneer of prison radio Mike Fisher – brains behind Bristish Association of Anger Management (BAAM) n Karen Cowan –extraordinary story of growing up with aristrocratic heroin and alcohol-addicted parents and how her marriage to film producer Paul Cowan – The Krays, Dance with a Stranger, The Crying Game saved her life. n Dick Moore – acclaimed mental health speaker, former headmaster of over 22 years who lost his 21-year-old son to suicide. Go to audioboom.com/ channels/5031372 to listen.