May... A time of planting

Both physically and metaphorically

So spring is in full swing now and having learnt your lessons from previous growing season, cleared your foundations, fertilised the ground and benefitted from rest and recuperation you are ready to sow the newness in your life.

Working in cycles and recognising that we can create better when we nurture ourselves, rather than punishing ourselves are the themes of May.

Learning how to grow yourself and mirroring this in your external environment is going to be a life lesson that you do not want to miss.

We spend so much time in front of artificiality that we really need to embrace nature and natural in all its glory.

So, what can we learn from the cycle within May?

The whole concept underpinning growth is an acceptance of learning, developing, imperfection and making mistakes.

This is true for both growing yourself as well as anything else that you may seek to grow.

We also need to learn about how we benefit from light.

Have you endeavoured to get out into the natural light within 30 minutes of you waking up for at least 10 minutes?

If not now, when?

The positives of doing this cannot be overstated at all.

Just do it.

May also invites us to enjoy a feast for our senses.

A real feast.

Look around you in a natural habitat. Numerous species are getting busy for their own personal growth cycle.

There will be colours, sounds, textures, scents for you to feed to your central nervous system.

There is huge empirical evidence that doing this has such a positive effect on our systems.

It destresses our autonomic nervous system.

It supports our ability to focus and pay attention.

It relaxes our mind and spirit.

Conencting with experiences outside of ourselves supports feelings of awe, wonder and amazement, which help our mental and psychological wellbeing.

Humans have a higher level of wellbeing, quality of life and creativity if they connect with the power nature. Even just looking at a green scene can inspire more subjective wellbeing.

May is also a good time for getting your BASICS right.

BASICS are your foundation factors for good wellbeing - if you do not have these right then you are not supporting yourself to be well at all.

BASICS are -

Breathing - using your breath to control your state and to ensure your body gets all the oxygen it needs.

Aqua - being adequately hydrated, it is more than you think. I am a 65KG women and I need 3000ml per day to keep me hydrated!

Sleep - you need to have good, restful sleep, otherwise all sorts of wrong can happen! 7-9 hours of good sleep per night keep us well.

Increase your heart rate - you need 60-65% of your maximum heart rate for at least 10 minutes daily to keep well.

Connection - human beings need human beings, end of. We need connection, we need to feel valued, we need to matter.

Systems subsistence - we need to have enough energy for all of our systems to run to the best of their ability. What are you feeding your systems? Is it healthy, is it toxic?

If we do not get into the habit of being well at the easiest time of the year to do so then we are going to struggle when light is scarce, warmth has gone and motivation is minimal.

As you know, I am a neuroscientist, so it would not be right for me not to mention some sort of neurotransmitter in a piece.

The one that I am going to mention is an old favourite -

Serotonin.

There is evidence to suggest that in May our receptors may be getting access to more serotonin that during winter months, which will automatically give us more energy, feel more balanced, and have more subjective wellbeing.

Serotonin, it is proposed, can be created through full spectrum light passing through our skin, which is why we feel compelled to ‘bathe’ in the sun. It is not just for aesthetics but for hormonal wellbeing!

Serotonin underpins so many of our brain functions, it really should not be known as the happy hormone (a pet hate of mine) as that really dumbs down what it is and why we need to understand it.

The hippocampus is involved in regulation of emotional and cognitive processing, with serotonin having an important role in that. There is an inverse correlation between volume of the hippocampi and those with conditions such as depression, anxiety and inflammatory diseases.There is also increasing evidence that shows the hippocampus changes in volume in each season. The more exposure to light the denser the volume of the hippocampi.

Different kinds of light and sound are worth considering…

This is particularly true as when we expose ourselves to 40Hz light and sound sources - gamma frequencies - we tend to work better as human beings. There are more and more research models that are utilising this as both an antedote and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, amongst other conditions.

40Hz has been proven to be an anti-inflammatory frequency which can soothe the brain and body, removing the inflammation of modern living. It is certainly a frequency that improves cognitive, language, motor, mood and sleep functions within the brain.

So together with embracing the lighter days and shorter nights, how can we get hold of 40Hz light and sound?

The spiritual amongst us will be fully conversant of 40 Hz binaural beats as they have been used to promote a state of wellbeing and connection for a long, long time. Medical professionals have been aware of the clinical benefits of them since the early 1980’s. If you have never been aware of them - now is the time to try this as a healing and prevention modality.

We all need to take care of our brains and this is a relatively simple way of doing it!

So here is your dummies guide to using the old 40HZ frequency.

1. You can buy devices that both emit light and sound at the gamma frequecy - do your provenence and buy from a trusted outlet.

OR

1. You can make use of youtube videos/sounds - lots are available.

2. Whichever you choose make time, make space, make sure that you are free of distractions.

3. If you are listening to the sounds always use headphones.

4. Do sessions of at least 30 minutes.

5. Be consistent.

In June I will be inviting you to enhance your current health and wellbeing routine, but for May, how about establishing something that is going to be instrumental in you being and feeling better?

The more we can be connected to our brain health, then the better we understand our hormone and neurotransmitter fluctuations. The better we understand, then the better we can utilise their power and function so that we can be the best version of ourselves.

Learning about our brain is really a no brainer.

“At last came the golden month of the wild folk-- honey-sweet May, when the birds come back, and the flowers come out, and the air is full of the sunrise scents and songs of the dawning year.”