Health & Wellbeing

Health & Wellbeing Meditations in nature: Into a sea of blue in search of adoxa

I have yet to meet anyone who has not felt the healing effect of a walk in a bluebell wood. It is now mid-morning and I am standing in an ocean of dancing bells swaying amid the transient sunbeams that light the woodland floor. The last of the wind flowers, celandine, and primroses cling to tiny patches of ground, steadfastly competing with the abundance of blue, whilst small clumps of budding woodruff and stitchwort are waiting silently to add to the performance when their time is right. A blustery wind shudders through the trees stealing, not only the sweet scent of bells, but also the melodious tune of the territorial blackcaps. Shivering, I pull my coat closer and stop to admire a singular white bell; apparently an outcome of only one in ten-thousand genetic chances. Bluebells belong to the hyacinth family and need undisturbed soils to grow. That is why they are most often associated with ancient woodlands. Their bulbs start growing in autumn so that they are ready for the first warmth of spring, when their carpet of cobalt, sapphire and violet-blue bells can preside over the woodland floor before the canopy obscures the sun. Although they are a native species to northern Europe, Britain is home to over half of the world’s population, making them an iconic symbol of the British countryside. As a child, I recall gathering armfuls of bells for my grandmother, but now they are legally protected and so cannot be picked or uprooted. According to old English folklore, I was quite lucky to survive this theft as children who picked bluebells would be captured by the fairies and never seen again. On a wild day like today, I could believe that mischievous fairies do indeed lie in wait, but probably the gloomy warning was because all parts of the plant are poisonous. Apart from the joy of seeing bluebells, there is another woodland friend I want to meet. That is the tiny, secretive, cuboid moschatel, adoxa moschatellina. She has four flowers at right angles and one on top, making her look just like a town hall clock. At the point of almost giving up, I eventually find a small patch of flowers that are not at all ‘without glory’ as the Greek etymology for Adoxa suggests. Feeling calmed and blessed by this beautiful woodland, I follow the path for home.

Dr Susie Curtin curtin.susanna@gmail.com rewildingjourneys.com Apprehension is natural as we move out of the lockdown

As we emerge from the lockdowns, many are understandably feeling apprehension and trepidation. The last year has been very difficult for many and we’ve all been traumatised to some degree or other by the pandemic. Whether you’ve not been able to see loved ones, or go to work, got financial worries, cooped up with people for weeks and months, in constant fear of getting sick, putting yourself at risk just to survive or actually losing people near and dear to you – it’s all had an effect on our health. There’s been a underlying dread and we’ve all had to dig deep to maintain our sanity. It’s been incredible how just wearing masks has made us feel so isolated; let alone the absence of touch and hugs. We’ve all been on ‘high alert’ and it’s really made us appreciate just how much a ‘hello,’ kind word or smile makes. We all need that feeling of belonging and connectedness; even if it’s only from a stranger sometimes. Human beings are social creatures and we don’t tend to do so well on our own or locked down –but we’re generally also incredibly resilient and even stubborn in a good way! We don’t like to be beaten and our ‘bounce back ability’ is impressive. After all, life goes on for most; so we have to be adaptable. I’ve been very impressed with how tolerant people have been; plus how there’s been a feeling of camaraderie and pulling together. However, many of my clients tell me they feel exhausted; mentally and physically. Being almost continually on one’s guard and having high levels of anxiety is extremely tiring. For many, our levels of stress are still very high, and that coupled with the uncertainty of the future, doesn’t help – so the next few weeks and months needs to be a time we’re all mindful of our selfcare. Yes, we need to be careful as the virus is still around; but it also needs to be a time of healing and convalescence. We need to find things that sooth and pamper us, so that we can relax from the tension. It can be something small or large; but it needs to be enjoyable and pleasurable. Many just need to share their experiences of the past year; so we must make an effort to properly listen. We need to unburden ourselves. I also believe it’s a time for trying new things. Interestingly, my case load of clients is predominantly filled with people who want to change themselves and their lives for the better. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that many have realised how precious life is and they want to be happier than they were before the virus struck. I think we’ve all realised that life should be meaningful, interesting and rewarding – so maintaining good mental and physical health needs to be paramount. You really can’t have one without the other. n Psychotherapist David Stanton lives near Sherborne.

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Health & Wellbeing Stroke journey heartbreaking and hilarious

May is Stroke Awareness Month and Gill Oliver from Sparkford has first-hand knowledge of the effects of this condition after her husband Terry suffered this life changing condition in 2013. Gill shares her story: When my husband Terry had a brain haemorrhage eight years ago, it came completely out of the blue. He counts his blessings that the business meeting that day had been postponed. How much worse would it have been if he’d been far from home, or actually on the road? There was another respect in which we were lucky, too. Unlike families in the covid crisis, I was able to visit him in hospital. Day by day, I grew accustomed to the changes in him, learnt a little of what was happening in his brain and his body; and from day one the brilliant staff trained me to notice the tiny improvements he was making. So by the time he was discharged, I knew he was on an upwards path. And how I could help. It’s often said that every stroke is different; the effects are many and various. But there is a wealth of information and support out there, and that’s why Stroke Awareness Month, championed by the Stroke Association, is so important. Whether through the internet or on the ground, the charities have never been more needed. Alongside practical help, facts and figures, there are many personal stories. You can read ours too, on the website of Headway, the brain injury charity – with a cheery photo taken outside Winstone’s Bookshop in Sherborne! The professionals say you need two things to make a recovery from stroke: grit, and a sense of humour. Terry had these in spades. We clung to every positive and grabbed any excuse for a laugh. And some daft things happened. Those three steps from sofa to mantlepiece, the triumphal realisation he did it automatically it without the Zimmer, the horrible realisation he had no means of getting back… That’s one exploit that did work its way into my second novel, Joe Faber and the Optimists. It was fuelled by the desire to reach out to others in our situation that I set out to write a book about stroke that would be both honest and funny. And while it features some completely made-up characters and situations – a fiddle-playing daughter with a wedding to plan – the stroke, and the ups and downs of those first months of recovery, is faithfully drawn from our own experience, which was heartbreaking and hilarious by turns. Joe Faber and the Optimists is available from independent bookshops, Bookshop.org and Amazon. More details about Gill at gilloliverauthor.com. For details of the support that the Stroke Association can offer, visit stroke.org.uk

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Health & Wellbeing Hop to it and enjoy digestive, antiseptic and soothing plant

For one of our assignments, we need to identify ten herbs that are growing wild. I have had great fun going round the garden and have found many more than ten. One of the herbs I have chosen is some wonderful hops growing in the hedge row. Most people think of hops and beer and that is what they are grown for commercially. As a result of this, hops have been studied comprehensively and they contain a huge amount of chemicals that are very beneficial to us including, vitamins, acids, phytooestrogens, volatile oils and bitters known as lupulin. In the herbal world, hops or Humulus lupulus are associated with promoting sleep. Being relaxing and antispasmodic, they ease tension, anxiety and irritability and help with insomnia. Their multi-action properties make them a very powerful herb to use as they have pain-relieving properties and are antimicrobial and antiseptic. Their bitter qualities promote digestion (something that will often keep you awake if your gut is unhappy) and secretion of bile which protects the gall bladder. The phytooestrogens are chemicals in plants that mimic oestrogen in our bodies and can help regulate it. This makes hops an extremely good herb for women. They will help with period problems, pre-menstrual syndrome, the menopause and night sweats (another thing that keeps women awake) and can act as an aphrodisiac. This is NOT however the case for men – they may depress the male libido! They are also diuretic, which beer drinkers will already know. They are however generally good for the respiratory system and can help with asthma, hayfever, coughs and chest infections – all of which can keep you awake. They can be put into creams to delay wrinkles and keep the skin soft and supple. Hops should, however, be avoided in cases of depression as they can exacerbate it. The herbal world has many plants that can be used for sedatives and to promote sleep but often these problems are due to digestive issues, pain, an overactive thyroid, an unhappy liver, congestion in the lungs or nose or are neurological. Herbal medicine gets to the bottom of why people have the symptoms that they have and by addressing the root cause, seek to help the body to readjust and balance itself. The body and brain want to be healthy and if we give it the right tools, it is remarkable how it will respond. If you are interested in herbal medicine, please do get in touch. I am doing consultations through my college so you can see me, monitored by a fully qualified herbal practitioner, either in person in London or via Zoom for only £25. 07742 453285 pellyfiona@gmail.com

Fiona Chapman is studying naturopathy and herbal medicine at the College of Naturopathic Medicine Life coaching facts – true or false?

“You can’t coach me, I’m a friend.” False. Many clients are friends before they are clients. It’s a different relationship when we meet for coaching and that can be an advantage because the essential rapport is there already. Every coaching conversation is totally confidential, regardless of who it’s with. “You only coach women.” False. Most of my clients are women but not all. I also work with teenagers, men and couples. “We’ll have to analyse my childhood.” False. Coaching is very much about looking forward. It’s not about analysing the past. In our initial session I need to build an overall picture of your story so far but your past won’t be the focus of our conversation. Clients come to me with a specific issue but we also talk about other issues. True. People come for coaching about a specific issue in their life but it is never an isolated thing. Our lives are not clean cut so our coaching conversations lead on naturally to other parts of your life that you want to discuss. “You’ll think I’m silly but...” False. I will never, ever judge you and no subject is off limits. Coaching sessions will always be safe, confidential places where you can speak without judgement. “You will tell me exactly what to do.” False. I’m not going to give you the answers. But through my questions, you will be able to work out your own answers, with my support. “The issues I have are are topic specific so a life coach cannot help me.” False. Whatever the issues, we are still dealing with the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities that face every one of us. The way through the fog has many common threads. If a client does need support from another source, I will help find that additional help. Coaching has to be goalorientated. True. And False. Some coaches focus specifically on moving towards a goal. I use goals when appropriate. They are often incredibly helpful but every client is different so there are no fixed rules. “I will need to book lots of sessions.” False. Some clients need just one session, many three or four. Some clients then come back periodically over the years. n Alice Johnsen is a life coach based near Sherborne. 07961 080513 alicejohnsen.co.uk

A walk around...

LEWESTON

Leweston is a strange parish to explore as it has no public roads that link to a right of way. It’s about a mile and a half N-S and less than half a mile E-W. The voting population is 15, whereas the population of non-voters is several hundred, due to the pupils of Leweston School which has about 500 pupils, both boys and girls, including boarders. Park near the church of the adjacent parish, Lillington, beyond which is a bridleway leading eastwards across a field. At the top of the slope the path leads you past a noisy rookery in a wood on your right. At the end of the wood you step over the boundary into Leweston parish. Carry on easterly across a field. You can see the school on your right. A Leweston School minibus parks opposite my house daily at 7am to pick up pupils. I wonder whether they eat their breakfast at home or in the school? At the far side of the field you’ll join the school drive, which is also a public footpath. Turn left, NE, for a short distance then, at the parish boundary, veer right with retired Dorset rights of way officer Chris Slade

and walk through an orchard until you reach a road. Turn right and follow the road south for about a mile. Although you’re now in Longburton parish, you’ll soon be skirting the boundary with Leweston, an ancient ivy covered bank and ditch. At a junction of four parishes and three footpaths turn right and retrace your route, heading north on the Leweston side of the border. After a couple of fields turn left, skirting a hedge, then right following the school boundary through another orchard. You’ll soon be back at the school drive and can retrace your footsteps back to the car.

Celebrated artists donate works for spinal injury gardens

By Karen Bate

Leading artists across the globe have donated works to be auctioned online in the inaugural Horatio’s Garden Summer Art Auction to raise funds to support people with spinal injury through therapeutic, beautiful, accessible gardens in NHS spinal injury centres, including the original garden at Salisbury District Hospital. The first garden was named after schoolboy Horatio Chapple, son of Salisbury spinal surgeon David. Horatio had carried out research into what patients wanted from a garden while volunteering at the spinal unit. Sadly he was killed by a polar bear while on an expedition. There are now five gardens and the charity wants to bring a stunning sanctuary to each of the 11 NHS spinal injury centres in the UK. Horatio’s Garden Summer Art Action will feature works by renowned British and international artists including Maggi Hambling, Tim Burton, Sean Henry, Vanessa Jackson and Rob and Nick Carter,

Mouth painting artist Keith Jansz

alongside some of the UK’s most exciting emerging artists, including Christabel Blackburn, Patrick Morales-Lee, Dawn Beckles and Hitomi Hosono. Between May 15 and May 30 the Horatio’s Garden Summer Art Auction will include paintings, sculpture, ceramics and photography, ranging in price from £300 - £30,000. The Royal Patron of Horatio’s Garden, Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie said: “I’m so grateful to all the artists donating works to the Horatio’s Garden Summer Art Auction. With their and the buyers’ support, the auction will help ensure the future of the charity’s stunning gardens across the country and will enable work to continue to improve the lives of everyone affected by spinal injury.” Artist Maggi Hambling said: “Beautiful gardens, art and music are a heady combination. I trust the auction will help to make this feast for the spirit continue and thrive.” Mouth painting artist Keith Jansz, who was paralysed from his shoulders down following a car accident in 1995, has donated a painting that aptly depicts a summer garden scene, with the mass of gorgeous blooms reflecting his signature impressionist style. He said: “The last year has made society acutely aware of the value of such simple pleasures as fresh air and nature. In the past, long term residents of spinal units have been denied this enjoyment and diversion. I clearly remember my first experience of being wheeled out into the sunshine, to hear the birds singing and to smell flowers – after months of confinement on the ward it was transformative. But that was before Horatio’s Garden took such experiences to another level. Providing privacy and distraction from the overwhelming reality of the ‘new normal’ following a spinal injury, the gardens are lifesaving. Following my spinal injury, I learnt to paint by holding a brush in my mouth. “The beauty of nature is a constant inspiration for my work. I’m delighted to be supporting Horatio’s Garden by donating this oil painting of sunflowers and delphiniums in my own garden in Oxfordshire to the Summer Art Auction”. Online bidding opens at 9am on Saturday, May 15. Go to: thesaleroom.com.