Options to Health Blog

 I am back writing blogs. For years I have written eBooks for clients needing information about the nervous system and reducing stress related symptoms. 

I am an information gatherer and continue to participate in Summits: The Biology of Trauma, The Vagus Nerve, Anxiety Summit, Gut/Brain Axis and more. So, why I am posting this on my face reading blog?

You may want information that I am including on my other blog:

www.optionstohealth.blogspot.com 

There is wonderful information out there to support brain and emotional health. As a holistic nurse and trauma specialist, I want you to have the most up to date information that could help you or a loved one. Face reading is a wonderful place to start as it gives you an overview of your gifts and strengths. It may not be enough, so join me on my other blog.

You can also contact me - optionstohealth@comcast.net

 

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.