Monsters in the Closet?

Does your child fear the "Monsters in the closet?" Maybe they're under the bed instead, or maybe he or she wakes up screaming from a bad dream and can't calm down and go back to sleep.

Plenty of parents have shared this experience and felt helpless to assure their children that all is well.

Overcoming these fears may be as simple as turning off the TV - kids do absorb all that horrible stuff they see. Even some shows geared for children are full of violence and fear-inducing images.

It might also help to stop talking about fearful subjects when the kids are listening.They can pick up on your conversations and translate them into imaginary terrors even more horrifying than the events taking place in the world. If you yourself are fearful, they will of course pick that up. Kids are "tuned in" far more than the average adult.

Meanwhile, a bottle of Rock Rose on the bedside table could let you all get some restful sleep. This is the Bach Flower Essence of courage - the one that helps banish terror.

Rock Rose is one of the ingredients in Feel5ive - the formula that lets you face stressful events with calm assurance. I use it if I have to go to the dentist (a horror from youth that won't go away) or if I have to drive or ride a long way on icy roads. It also helps when preparing to speak in public, go on a job interview, or any of a hundred other things that create a stressful anticipation.

Sleeping pills are not a good idea for children - and could actually cause greater nightmares, along with other harmful side effects. So if your little one needs a dose of courage to chase away that closet monster, get a bottle of Rock Rose.

Keep Your Patience, Enjoy the Summer

The kids are out of school - and now all that freedom they longed for is becoming boring. So, what do kids do? They squabble with each other!

That can turn make the most patient and loving parent into a jumble of ragged nerves - apt to explode at any time. And no parent wants to yell at the kids. It just happens sometimes when the pressure gets to be "too much" and patience flies out the window.

The good news is, Bach Flower Essences has a remedy. The Bach flower "Impatiens" is just the thing - for both the kids and the frazzled parent. A couple of drops under the tongue for each of you, and you'll soon find your nerves, and your patience, returning to normal.

As the name suggests, Impatiens is the essence of patience. It is used most for people who are generally impatient - those who are quick-witted and move at a fast pace. These are the folks that, when forced to supervise others, generally want to just push the other person out of the way and do the job themselves because they can do it faster and better.

Individuals who have the Impatiens personality should not be forced into that position, but instead should work alone - where they can move at their own pace, uninhibited by others who might do a fine job, but not move as quickly. Unfortunately, we sometimes have to do tasks that don't fit our personalities, and in that case this Bach Flower Essence comes to the rescue.

Let yourself enjoy having the kids out of school... with a little help from Impatiens.

Kids and Summer Camp - the Emotional Conflict

Are your children headed off to summer camp this year?

If so, they may experience an emotional conflict that leaves you frustrated. They want to go, they know they'll have fun, but when they get there, homesickness can become the over-riding emotion.

To counteract this emotion and let them fully enjoy their new experiences, start them on the Bach Flower Remedy Honeysuckle several days before their departure, and send it with them to use while they're away. It will help to balance their energies and keep them in the present.

This is also a good remedy to use when children are forced to attend a new school due to the family's relocation, or when they go off to boarding school or college. These events trigger a mild form of the negative Honeysuckle state, which can delay their acceptance of the present and cause a longer adjustment time.

If your child also suffers from other imbalances, such as lack of self-esteem, fill out the Feel Bach! questionnaire and get a blend made especially for him or her.

Honeysuckle is most often used to treat people who can't release the past - either its pleasant memories or its mistakes. It is seen in widows who can't part with their late husband's belongings or become involved in a new relationship, even years later.

It's also seen in those who can't accept the inevitable changes that come with aging - and this resistance can actually accelerate the body's deterioration, showing up in a "defeated" carriage and poor skin quality.

Along with effectively counteracting homesickness, treatment with this Bach Flower Essence results in an ability to learn from the past, integrate its lessons into the present for use in the present and future, and to cherish good memories while releasing the negative feelings of poor ones.

Is the Economy Making You Sick?

Tonight I read a report that said a Stanford University study found that 95% of all illness was caused by stress.

Not by germs floating in the air or some hereditary predisposition, but by stress.

Thus, worry over the economy - even if you're secure in your own employment or other source of income - could be making you sick.

Normally, I'd think that a generalized stress should be treated with Feel5ive, because it has helped me through so many difficult situations. But this ongoing climate of stress could trigger an intensification of other energy imbalances. These should be treated before they lead to illness.

For instance, a person in the negative Aspen state already deals with uneasiness and fears that take no concrete shape. The uncertainty in today's economy could serve to intensify these fears.

The negative Beech state, in which a person disapproves of and blames everything and everyone around him, has a tendency to cause digestive illness. Now, at a time when even formerly tolerant individuals are pointing fingers at everyone from politicians to corporate executives, this kind of illness could become common.

To ward off stress-induced illness during these unsettling times, I think we should all either take the FeelBach! questionnaire, or study the qualities of each of the 38 Bach Flower Essences. Then we should take steps to keep ourselves healthy and stress-free.

After all, we can't individually "fix" the economy - but we can individually care for ourselves and do all in our power to remain healthy.