5 Reasons To look In The Mirror

A mirror can be your best friend.What?

Get out a mirror right now and follow along with me as I take you on a tour of your wonderful, unique face. You are looking at your gifts, your talents, your personality, your communication style, your stress management skills, your resume, your true nature. Your story is written on your face and it is your story to tell.

1. 
   Look at the size of your irises - the colored part of the eye. The larger the irises, the greater your emotional response to life. You laugh more, cry more, experience life more. Many people may have attempted to tone you done. Don't let them. This is who you are. The smaller the iris, the more emotionally restricted you have been. Give yourself permission to experience and FEEL life more fully. It will be a wonderful gift that you give yourself.


2. 
   Look at the space between your eyes. Are your eyes close-set with little space between them or are they wide-set with significant space between them? If you have close-set eyes, you are excellent at details and getting
   things done. Your friend, wide-set eyes, can benefit from your ability to focus on what needs to get done. They, on the other hand, are able to see the big picture and help you create a plan for the future. Together, you make the best business partners.


3. 
   The tip of the nose indicates your degree of trust. Look at your profile. Does the tip of your nose turn up like a ski jump or does it turn down? If the tip of your nose turns up, you are very trusting and enthusiastic in the moment. You are often the cheerleader who encourages others with your
   eager nature. If your nose tip turns down, you have learned healthy skepticism and will accept people and ideas after much thought. You have learned to do your homework and will not rush into something with blind faith.


4. 
   What does the mirror show you about your lip structures? Are your lips full or thin? This is often a trait that changes over time. Most of us begin life with full upper and lower lips and revel in experiencing life fully and talking, laughing and expressing ourselves without a care for what others think. If your lips have thinned, it is often because of being told to "zip it" and you have learned to just stick to the facts. Why not become more child-like and allow for more self-expression, whether it be with the spoken word or through art, music, photography, dance, writing, etc.
   


5. Now let's look at your cheekbones. Draw an imaginary line along the outside of your eyes. Are your cheekbones outside of the line or inside of the line? Cheekbones have to do with adventure. If you have prominent
   
   
   cheekbones, you love physical adventure. Even moving furniture around can get you excited. Taking a new road home from work, trying a new exercise routine, anything new is an adventure. If your cheekbones are sunken and inside the imaginary line, you love mental adventures. Reading, studying manuals, gathering new information, searching the web, etc. is an adventure for you. It doesn't mean that you don't enjoy physical experiences, but if you want to regroup when you are stressed, grab a book and settle down and give yourself a mental exploration.

These are just a few facial structures that help define who we are and how we participate in the world. To learn more about buying my book or setting up a consult, go to my website: www.optionstohealth.com

NH Chronicle Story

I have had the great fortune of having NH Chronicle feature a story about my book, It's In Your Face - The True You Revealed and face reading. The experience has been wonderful, thanks to the fabulous producer Cindy Jones at WMUR. She made the whole day easy, comfortable and fun. The story and the people in it is her focus.

The North Hampton, NH Library allowed us to film a face reading workshop in their classroom. The room was filled with fun, enthusiastic and interesting people who were willing to be filmed as I discussed facial features and their corresponding functions. We laughed a lot, learned a lot and overall enjoyed the experience.

Team Building in the Business World with Face Reading Skills

There is nothing more disturbing or exciting, depending or your perspective, than watching the showdowns in the boardroom on Donald Trump's, The Apprentice. When a team has good chemistry, teamwork and respect for each other, their project flows, productivity is high and personalities mesh. Quite the opposite is true when members of the team clash, disrespect each other and fail to meet expectations. It can be quite a catastrophe.

Building a productive team in the business world is not unlike creating a healthy personal relationship with family and friends. Different and often opposite personalities come together to get something accomplished.

An important facial structure to understand when putting a team together is the shape of the face. The person with a long, narrow face works in a step-by-step fashion. They need to complete one step before moving on to another. Confidence, for them is learned, not innate. They require time to develop trust in themselves especially when learning something new. They are the perfect people to design protocol, systems, manuals, teaching techniques or to see a project through from beginning to the end or to act in a supportive role.

The opposite facial structure is the broad-shield face, where you see more width through the eyes. It is the look of the lion. This person is innately self-confident. They assume that they can handle any situation and tend to face challenges head on and do what needs to be done. They are great trouble-shooters and they are direct and honest.

With the understanding and respect for these opposing structures, a complete team can be assembled. The person with the broad-shield face would love to be done sooner than later and may miss important components of the project. The co-worker with a long, narrow face will keep everyone on track making sure that all the bases are covered. Each individual brings a talent and ability to the table. If everyone wants things done immediately, important pieces of the puzzle may be left out and that will require going back and repeating the process. If everyone has a long, narrow face, the process may get hung up with all of the steps.

Along similar lines are the eyelid structures. The person with exposed eyelids, where you can see much of the actual eyelid, is the Nike ad: "Just do it!" They like direct action and act swiftly and as effectively as possible once they see the whole picture.

Epicanthic Fold

The opposite trait is the epicanthic fold, which is the fold of flesh which covers the upper eyelid. The eyelid itself is not seen. This person is analytical and needs time to gather information, think and process, ask questions and justify their conclusion.
These extreme traits can cause conflict if not understood or respected. Together they are a complete team. The person with the exposed eyelids will cut through to the bottom line and keep things moving along while the individual with epicanthic folds contributes thoughtful, considered responses.

Opposites attract and opposites can create productive teams. Respect the differences. Look at individual traits as talents and abilities that each person brings to the table. Differences equal creative solutions to problems which equals increased productivity.

Every Face Tells a Story - What's Your?

When someone asks me what I do and I tell them that I read faces, ninety percent of people cover their face and say, "Oh no, don't look at my face!"

I gently suggest that their life story is written in every facial feature and it is something to be proud of. Our "crow's feet", grooves between the eyebrows and even down-turned corners of the mouth are part of our unique history, challenges and accomplishments! As we age many of our facial features become more exaggerated and we find ourselves in front of the mirror pulling our faces back, lifting our eyebrows and eyelids to see what we would look like if we turned back the clock.

Let's look at the positive story that some of these traits tell. For example, our "crow's feet" or "laugh lines" are also called EMPATHY lines. This is a learned trait. We have learned to understand, acknowledge and support others' suffering, pain and challenges. These lines represent our ability to laugh or cry with others because we understand and have some insight and compassion into what they are experiencing. People with empathy lines are also more inclined to have a sense of humor and a perspective of "it is what it is."

We are not born with vertical lines or furrows between our eyebrows. This is a learned behavior. It comes from repeated frowning or deep focusing. Most of us with these lines have very high standards and want to get things exactly right not only for ourselves, but also for others. That leads to checking and rechecking everything from the lights, to facts. to figures, etc. This trait is a reflection of efficiency and a desire for positive results. So, if you have a few furrows between the eyebrows, strive for a balance between the details and seeing a bigger picture.

Life experiences and your perception of life create the down-turned or up-turned corners of the mouth. If life threw you some curve balls and a lot of pain, it is possible that the corners of your mouth turn downward. It may be harder for you to be optimistic and trusting. Step back, give yourself a pat on the back for making it through the tough times and decide to "feel the fear and do it anyway!" Those of you with up-turned corners of the mouth have been accused of having "rose-colored glasses." You are optimistic and expect that experiences will be positive and everything will work out. Use this trait to your advantage. Consider motivational speaking or mentoring. Use your perspective to inspire others. For both traits, consider Jimmy Dean's quote:

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust the sails to always reach my destination."

Take out your baby, childhood and adolescent pictures and look at the structures on your face then and now. What traits are still the same? What ones have changed? If they changed, about what age did that happen and what was going on in your life at the time? Keep in mind, our face tells our story. Everyone has a unique perspective that no one else can have. No one has walked in your shoes. Be proud of who you are, how you got here and what you have to offer to the world.

Enhancing Communication with the Understanding of Lip Structures

In most cases, we begin life with full upper and lower lips and a desire and ability to express how we feel about our experiences. It is spontaneous and honest. The child who is allowed to verbalize, express and experience emotion grows up to be an adult with full lips and an ability to be self-expressive. This can take the form of speaking, writing, dancing, performing, drawing, singing and any other creative form of self-expression.

For the person with thin lips, growing up often meant "zipping it", being seen and not heard and feeling like no one was interested in what they felt. It wasn't safe to express feelings. When it came to talking, facts were fine but feelings had to be processed in the mind.

Communication between someone with thin lips and someone with full lips can be challenging. I had the opportunity to witness a conversation between two people who had opposite lip structures. I was presenting a workshop on brain hemisphere integration to parents who home-school their children. Before the talk, the parents held a business meeting.

The president of the group was a woman with extremely thin upper and lower lips. The parent presenting a concern to the group was a woman with extremely full upper and lower lips. They were textbook opposites!

The woman with the full lips talked for over fifteen minutes until interrupted by the president with the thin lips who said, "And the point is?"
The woman with the full lips continued to talk for another ten minutes, until interrupted again by the president who said, "And the point is?"

Needless to say, they were not able to resolve any conflicts that evening because their styles of communication were so different. The president of the group, with thin lips, needed the information to be presented concisely and to-the-point. She wanted to take care of business. The woman with full lips needed to talk in order to discover what she felt the real issue was.

A couple, Cara and Jeff, came to see me because they were having communication problems. The answer was in their lip structures. Jeff and Cara were textbook opposites. Jeff had almost no upper or lower lip and Cara had the fullest lips - Angelina Jolie style.

The interesting piece of the puzzle was that most of their other facial structures, from the lips up, were identical. Pointing that out to them caused them to reflect on the years of enjoyment they had had together. Rather than focus on what was working, they agonized over their communication differences.

As we explored their opposite expressive styles, Cara and Jeff realized that they relied on each others' distinct nature. Cara needed Jeff's ability to see and express the facts based on reflection and consideration and Jeff loved Cara's impulsive emotional reaction to life. They concluded that they didn't want to change the other person. Stress had caused them to deny each others' strengths and differences. By respecting their individual communication style they were able to be a team again.

This week, plan an investigation of your own:

~ Observe the lip structures of people in your life;
~ Look at your own lip structure;
~ Watch the communication styles between people with the same lip structures and those with opposite features.
~ Are you willing to respect different communication styles?
~ Could this information enhance your relationships?

There is no good or bad structure to have. Your life story is written on your face. All of your experiences, perceptions and natural abilities are there for the world to see. What's your story?

Managing Stress with an Understanding of Torso Lengths

The title of this article may sound a little crazy, but your torso and leg lengths reflect both a response and a solution to stress based on your comfort level. When you push beyond what is comfortable for your physical body, you can start to drift, lose focus and your attention span is shortened. When you identify your structure and honor it, life gets easier.

 

Let's start with long legs and a short torso. You have a higher center of gravity and are more comfortable SITTING. If you have to be on your feet for long periods of time during the day you will become physically uncomfortable and feel stressed. If you are really interested in what you are doing, you can force yourself to be up and about. But at the end of the day, you will want to crash, sit, relax, watch TV.

The opposite structure is short legs and a long torso. You have a lower center of gravity and are built to MOVE. To sit still for long periods of time can feel like torture for you. You can get nervous and squirmy when you are not allowed to move.

A client of mine, Jeff C., came for a kinesiology session with the label of ADHD (Attention Deficit Attention Disorder). Typically at the end of the day, he would find himself tired, lacking focus and unable to help his wife around the house. Jeff had long legs and a short torso. He owned a custom framing business and spent the entire day on his feet, both helping customers and framing pictures. I suggested that he get a stool to sit on throughout the day, allowing his physical body to be more comfortable and therefore, allowing for greater focusing, as well. Making that small change for Jeff allowed him to come home from work at the end of the day with more energy and the ability to help his wife with some of the household chores.

Those of you who have "squirmy' kids - check out their leg lengths and torso lengths. You probably already have an idea who needs to move to stay focused and who needs to have more time sitting. Help them stay true to their nature.
If you feel that your torso is neither long nor short, you have the advantage of a more balanced body. There will be times when you need to get up and move to relieve stress and other times sitting down, putting your feet up and relaxing will revive you.

For all torso lengths:
Tune into your body this week and become aware of your comfort level with all of the activities that you are involved with. Get to know what you need to do to prevent overwhelming your body.

* What time of day is most stressful?
* Can you think on your feet or do you need to sit?
* Do you need to move at certain time intervals?
* Do you force yourself to go beyond your comfort level?
* Are you willing to accept and respect your needs?

Sometimes it is the simple things that we do for ourselves that makes a big difference in how the day goes. Determine your torso/leg length structure and give yourself the gift of being true to your comfort zone. You will feel more connected and focused and have more energy to spare at the end of the day.

3 Stages of Stress Reflected in the Eyes

  You FEEL with your eyes. People who know you well can tell by looking at you how much emotional stress you are enduring. Stress causes muscles to contract. The most delicate muscles in the body are first to be affected. Therefore, as stress mounts in the body the eye muscles contract, creating a glassy, tired look, leading to a scary, haunting look.

  You have all heard the expression, "she can't see beyond the nose on her face." That is precisely what happens when you begin to experience the first of three stages of stress. First Stage Stress is more of an immediate response to shock or overwhelm or going beyond your limits of endurance. Blood travels to the muscles to allow for the "fight or flight" response. Eyes becomes glassy and droopy, the skin takes on a shine as the pores close and our mind becomes dull. It's hard to think straight.

It's time to stop and take a break. Drink some cold water to rehydrate and get yourself electrical again. Relax. Get some sleep. Do what you need to do to rebalance.

When the unresolved first stage stress has been going on for days, weeks and/or months, Second Stage Stress becomes apparent. Stress chemicals cause muscles to contract. In the case of second stage stress, only one eye is involved. This is called vertical strabismus. The muscles contract the eye upward so that you see more white under one iris (the colored part of the eye). Depth perception is off, balance and ability to focus is off. Robert Whiteside, one of the pioneers of Structure/Function, describes second stage stress as "accidents waiting to happen."

The stress has gone on for too long. Choose to take care of yourself. Get grounded. Breathe. Drink lots of water to flush out the stress chemicals.

Unresolved second stage stress becomes Third Stage Stress. It is hard to stay present because the focus is on the past and the future. You feel disconnected from yourself. Physically, you will see the eerie look in the eyes as the muscles contract both eyes upward revealing more white under each eye. Find some help immediately. Don't let chronic stress create physical symptoms.

In a perfect world you would give yourself time to meditate, take a yoga class, visit with friends often, take a long bubble bath, get a massage and have all of your needs met. While I highly recommend practicing preventative care with holistic practitioners, I know that many of you only have limited time for yourselves. So, I offer some energy exercises that can support your body and can be done in 3 minutes or less.

THE OVERLOAD EXERCISE

1. Place one hand on your navel;
2. With the other hand, massage under your collarbone (Kidney 27 point);

3. Massage above and below your lips;
4. Massage the tailbone;
3. Reverse hands and repeat.

CROSS-PATTERNING

1. Bring your opposite hand to your opposite knee 3 or 4 times;
2. Bring the same hand to the same knee 3 or 4 times;
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 several time;
4. Always end with opposite hand to opposite knee.

COOK HOOK UPS FOR EMOTIONAL CENTERING

1. In a sitting position, place your left foot over your right knee;
2. Place your right hand over your left ankle bone;
3. Wrap your left hand around the ball of your foot so your fingers reach around the little toe to cover the top of your foot;
4. Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth;
5. Breathe in through your nose - as you breathe out let your tongue fall down;
6. Repeat 7 times.
7. Release your leg and sit comfortably;
8. Put your fingertips together and breathe as in step 5.

 

 

For more information about identifying and releasing the underlying cause of stress with a kinesiology session, go to my website: http://optionstohealth.com

What's the Deal with Intuition?

Your first language is Extra Sensory Perception or ESP. As babies you naturally trusted your inner knowing, seeing, hearing and feeling. It was part of your survival mechanism and served you well. Young children, even after learning to speak English, French, German, Spanish, etc., still rely on their inner language of awareness.

The actual physical structures of Intuition, Telepathy and Psychic Trend can be found along the midline and back of your head. Let your fingers do the walking along the bumps and ridges on your head and discover where your strengths lie.

If Intuition is your strong suit, you will find a ridge that starts at the turn of the forehead and extends along the midline of the head about halfway back.

Intuition can be defined as the awareness of accurate, visual observation or perception of the big picture.

The Telepathy trait starts about midway back on the Sagital suture of the head and feels like a doming in that area. As you run your hand through that section of your head, you may feel nooks and crannies there, as well. There is nothing wrong with your head! You are simply someone who can receive messages through the senses in the same way that you hear via sound waves. Instead, you are able to know what others are thinking and feeling.

Most of you have experienced a telepathic moment. You think about someone who you haven't talked to in some time and suddenly the phone rings and... voila... it's that very person!

As you work your hands to the back of your head, you may feel a fullness in the occipital area. This is where the Psychic Trend is found. You can see this trait beautifully in the profile of most babies. The back of their heads are extremely

domed. They are attuned to the world around them. Many adults have been able to maintain this ability of being congruent with all time.
5 concepts to keep in mind with any of the Extra Sensory Perception traits:

1. True intuition is positive. If fear enters the picture, it is NOT intuition.
2. Trust that you "know what you know" despite what anyone else thinks.
3. Under stress, ESP is harder to access.
4. Document your visions, awareness and what you telepath.
5. No one is 100% accurate because you process your visions through your belief systems before you speak it or put in into words

To help keep yourself clear, focused and integrated, practice the following energy exercise daily.

• Start with your feet together;
• Place the thumb of each hand on the baby fingernail of each hand (looks like the Boy Scout/Girl Scout salute);
• Place the 3 fingers of each hand on your forehead;
• Bring you feet apart and keep them apart;
• Take your hands off of your forehead and massage below your clavicle (collar) bone, close to the midline of the body;
• When you take a deep cleansing breath or feel that you are done, bring your feet together;
• The exercise is complete.

Doing this exercise will integrate the right and left side of the brain and body, allow for a cross-patterning energy flow, thus making you electrical and also rebalance the polarity in our body. It is like putting in fresh batteries!

Face Reading and the Highly Sensitive Person

                 "You need to toughen up." "You're so thin-skinned." 

You have probably heard that a million times. And you may have tried hard to toughen up, to no avail. There is a reason for that.

In 1996 Dr. Elaine Aron introduced the concept of the highly sensitive person (HSP) and much has been written about the topic since then. In this article, I want to present some of the physical traits that are often associated with the person who is empathetic or sensitive by nature.

Let's start by looking at the definitions of the word sensitive:

sen-si-tive 

- adjective

1. endowed with sensation; having perception through the senses.
2. readily or excessively affected by external agencies or influences.
3. having acute mental or emotional sensibility; aware of and responsive to the feelings of others.
4. easily pained, annoyed, etc.
5. pertaining to or connected with the senses or sensation.

- noun

1. a person who is sensitive.
2. a person with psychic powers; medium.

The first physical trait to look at is your actual physical insulation, the thickness of the skin (epidermis) which serves to insulate nerve receptors from internal and external environmental input. This relates to the entire body: the epidermis, the linings of the organs and the sheathes of the nervous and circulatory system. They all reflect the same degree of insulation - or lack of it.

People with thin skin are frequently fine-boned, fair-haired and have small pores. Their forehead lines are very light, to the point of being almost unobservable. Their responses to external stimuli are immediate because the thin-skinned person's nerve receptors have very little insulation.

Once you have the awareness that you are thin-skinned, you can begin the process of discovering what to do about it. First, and foremost, you won't grow thick skin! This is innately who you are. This is part of your gift to the world.

Some things to consider:
~ Choose to be responsible for your own physical comfort and well-being;
~ Get to know what situations feel safe for you;
~ Know that less is more in most situations;
~ Take care of yourself;
~ Use your sensitivity, refinement and discernment as a positive in your life.

The second physical trait often associated with the HSP is large irises, the colored part of the eye. Large irises represent emotional expressiveness. You laugh more, cry more, get angrier and happier, sadder and more joyful than most people. You feel more than most. You are what you feel! And, most of your life people have tried to get you to "tone it down."

As a HSP, you will often feel others' pain, anguish and emotion. You have certainly taken it on and felt as if it were yours.

To stay as emotionally healthy as possible with this trait, it is imperative that you have someone or something as a sounding board or release mechanism. That might include talking to a friend or therapist, having body or energy work, exercising, writing in a journal, crafting, dancing, taking a yoga class, singing, doing whatever works for you. Because you feel emotions on a large scale, you want to avoid stuffing or repressing your feelings.

Big energy suppressed can create big physical symptoms.

The third physical trait often seen in the HSP is a short philtrum. This is the muscular groove that leads from the base of the nose to the upper lip. To determine if you have a short philtrum, place your index finger under your nose. If you can barely fit your finger in the space, your philtrum is short. If you can fit one and a half the width of your finger or more, your philtrum is long.

If you have a short philtrum, you are inclined to take things personally. You are extremely vulnerable to others' reactions and opinions and can experience anger when you feel that you have been overlooked or disregarded. You are, however a superior arbiter of taste and style and will often be drawn to fashion, interior design, photography, painting, modeling, costume design, Feng Shui and areas that relate to how things looks. As a result, you take great pride in personal appearance.

To best use a short philtrum as a positive in your life, turn your focus on to your own accomplishments. Set clear goals for yourself and please yourself. Stand in your power. Know how important you are. Manifest your best at whatever you do.

I offer this energy exercise for all people who are sensitive to their environment. It is simple to do and will increase the force field around you and create energetic insulation so that energy bounces off you rather going through you.

1. Place the index and middle finger of one hand in your navel;
2. Place the other hand on your forehead;
3. Take several deep breaths and wait to feel pulsing under your fingers;
4. Switch hands and repeat.

This exercise is a great way to start the day and may be repeated as needed throughout the day.

I believe that 99% of transformation is AWARENESS. Be aware of your sensitivity and honor it. It is a gift and does not need to be changed. Don't waste time trying to toughen up, grow thick skin or control your emotions.Share the essence of you with the rest of the world!

Just Who Do You Think You Are?

If you were suddenly stripped of your identity, your roles (daughter, son, mother, father, friend, co-worker, sibling, etc.) and your titles (Mrs., Mr., Ms., Dr., LSW, LMT, RN, etc.), who do you think you would be? How would you define yourself? This is not an easy question for many of you. Often you have molded yourself into the person who everyone wants you to be. So many people, when hitting the 50 year mark, announce to their family and friends,

"The first 50 years went your way, the next 50 years go my way."

And, who exactly is this new person? What words would you use to define and describe who you are now or who you want to be as you move forward?

I tell my clients that their life story and resume is written on their face! The information that your facial structures give and a thesaurus can help you on your way to defining your new and yet, innate description of YOU.

For example, if you have a full lower lip, you are naturally and spontaneously generous with your time, energy and money. You don't even need to think about it if someone asks for your assistance. That would also make you kind, giving, charitable, self-sacrificing, impulsive, big-hearted, helpful, selfless and philanthropic, to name a few facts. None of those words have anything to do with a job description or title. However, they clarify who you are for a job that might require those skills.

If you have a long, narrow face you are by nature cautious, learn in a step-by-step manner and are proud of what you have learned. That would make you careful, thorough, particular, systematic, detailed, orderly, logical and fulfilled by your accomplishments. Someone starting a business could certainly use your skills.

Look in the mirror and check out the space between your eyes. If you could fit more than one and one half of your eye width between your eyes you would be considered a wide-set eye person, someone who sees the big picture, is easygoing and broad-minded. Your focus is on the future and you might be considered an entrepreneur. Words that could also describe you might be: flexible, tolerant, unbiased, adaptable, relaxed, open, patient and lenient.

The turned up tip of the nose has to do with trust of the world and the people in it. Most of us begin life with a turned up nose tip reflecting the innate characteristics of faith, belief, hope, conviction, assurance, optimism, sincerity and authenticity.

 

Want to know more or buy my book, email me at optionstohealth@comcast.net