Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Bay Path College - Women's Leadership Conference - Lead with Compassion


Stress vs. Peace:What Truly is the Difference?


Peace Black and White

by: Mary-Anne DiBlasioPlan on attending...March 23, 20127:30AM - 4:30PM

Now, as silly as that question may seem, think about it for just one minute. Stress vs. Peace. Stress is what we feel most days and peace is what we want to feel. Do we have to eliminate the stress in our lives in order to achieve peace? No. However, we can limit the amount of things in our lives that we know cause us to feel stress. In addition, we can learn how to change our reaction to and perception of the stressors we can’t limit or eliminate, and learn to react positively to our stressors. The meaning of true peace is not to be in a peaceful state at all times. Rather, it is to feel peaceful in the midst of the drama and chaos happening within our lives. As Wayne Dyer once wrote, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” If we learn to change our perspective of those things that stress us, the stress we feel can be reduced.
From the books, Power of Intention to The Secret, we have learned that we are able to manifest positivity within our lives. We are able to choose how something affects us, both negatively and positively. The glass half full versus the glass half empty is another perfect example of how the same glass can be viewed in two very different ways. People are either in a state of need or in a state of abundance. How we choose to allow something, positive or negative, into our lives is indeed our own choice. We can choose how something has an effect upon us.
There are simple steps we can take that may seem almost too simple to make a significant difference in our lives. But, if we take the time and commit to a few daily steps, we will see a difference. All too often, we forget to nurture the one person who matters the most: ourselves. We spend time nurturing and giving our energy away to so many people: family, friends, spouses, and jobs. We forget to replenish our own energy and well being. When we forget to take care of ourselves, we are not as healthy or happy as we could be. There is a balance everyone should strive to achieve, a perfect ebb and flow of energy that equals the right amount of give and take. Take the time to learn your balance and limits, and how to recharge and replenish yourself.
If you find this topic interesting, please visit Mary-Anne DiBlasio when she speaks in theHealth & Wellness Center at the Women’s Leadership Conference, to find out how to live a more stress free life.
Mary-Anne DiBlasio is a Holistic Health Practitioner, Be Well Life Coach™ and Founder of Western Mass Wellness Center. Mary-Anne prides herself in walking her talk and talking her truth. She believes in empowering her clients to truly take care of themselves, to be accountable for their choices, and to acknowledge and move past their mistakes. In her breakout session she will share with you simple techniques that support change in one’s perspective and how to view and deal with stress in a more productive way. If you are someone who feels any stress in your daily life, this breakout session is for you.
Western Mass Wellness Center is located in West Springfield, MA
413-73B-WELL (732-9355) WesternMassWellness.com
BeWell@WesternMassWellness.com

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Healthy Resolutions

By Mary-Anne DiBlasio, Contributing Writer


maryanndiblasioHappy 2012! Who has their resolutions in order? Who’s following them? Ok, so, right there, we are feeling stress. We are feeling bad that we are not following and sticking to the promises we make to ourselves every January. Am I right? Am I close? 

Here’s the deal: We need to be good to ourselves ALL the time, not just for the two first months of every year. We always try to turn over that new leaf, make a fresh start, and begin a-new. Now, I am all for the motto “no matter how far down the wrong road you may travel, it is never too late to turn around and c’mon back!” However, what I feel is more effective, is trying to stay the course the whole time, albeit detours every now and again, our main staple has to be taking care of ourselves first. 

When the airline steward gives you the low-down on what to do, just in case, what do they say? “Be sure to put your oxygen mask on yourself first then your child or someone next to you in need”. Why? Because if you do not care for yourself and make sure you are in good working order, what good will you be to anyone else? Correct? 

There are many simple techniques to keep yourself on track. The secret to true peace is not to feel calm and tranquil all the time on the contrary, the secret is to be able to remain calm, cool, and collected on the inside thru all the drama and chaos we call life!

Read more at http://www.westernmasswomen.com

Mary-Anne DiBlasio, Holistic Health Practitioner, Be Well Life Coach® and Founder of Western Mass Wellness Center. 
Mary-Anne is a happily married mother of four living in Western Mass. She walks her talk and talks her truth. She founded her Wellness Center back in 1999 after she had a personal need for Holistic Health in a science-based world in 1995. Not happy to hear that there were not a lot of options, she decided to pioneer her own journey for a more natural way to better health and wellness. Four years and much training later, she decided to dedicate her life to offering folks holistic alternatives. 

Western Mass Wellness Center is located at 1111 Elm Street, Suite 21 in West Springfield. Visit her website westernmasswellness.com or call 413-73B-WELL (732-9355). Be Well… Be Wise… Just Be…

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Interview - Cooperative Kids - Part 2

In this clip from the CREATING COOPERATIVE KIDS TV show, host Bill Corbett answers a parent's question about how to help kids dream big. To help him answer the question, he interviews holistic health practitioner, Mary-Anne DiBlasio.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Creating Creativity...

In this clip from episode 8 of the CREATING COOPERATIVE KIDS TV SHOW, executive producer and host Bill Corbett interviews Mary-Anne DiBlasio and Croix Sather in an attempt to define what creativity is in our children and what parents can do to foster more of it.

Monday, January 2, 2012

REIKI SHARE - NEW NIGHT

PLEASE NOTE:

Reiki Shares will now be the first Wednesday of each and every month.  The first Reiki Share of 2012 being Wednesday, January 3rd from 6:30 - 8:30PM.

A Reiki Share is a great time to stop by the Center and see what it has to offer as well as what a Reiki Session would consist of as well as ask the questions about Reiki that you have always wanted answered.

We will also be scheduling Master Only Shares on a bi-monthly basis.  Saturday mornings.  Dates to follow.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Center
either by email:  bewell@westernmasswellness.com
or call 413-73B-WELL (732-9355)

Posted by Mary-Anne DiBlasio
Founder and Holistic Health Practitioner
Western Mass Wellness Center
1111 Elm Street, Suite 21
West Springfield, MA  01089

Friday, December 30, 2011

A Happy New Year to All!

May your New Year be safe and happy!

May you and yours make 2012 a year to remember.  May your heart and soul be at peace during these transitional times.

Stay tuned for updated calender of events at Western Mass Wellness Center.

Posted by:
Mary-Anne DiBlasio

Friday, December 23, 2011

Merry Merry...

On behalf of Western Mass Wellness Center, may you enjoy your Holiday Season this year!

May you have a very Merry Chrsitmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

Stay tuned for great new workshops at the Center and bringing back old ones by popular demand for 2012!!  :-)

From our family to yours...  God Bless...

Mary-Anne DiBlasio and family...
Western Mass Wellness Center
www.WesternMassWellness.com

Friday, December 9, 2011

The True Reason for the Season!

Jesus: Santa.
Santa: Yes?
Jesus: I'm sad.
Santa: Why are you sad? It's Christmas right? It's your birthday!
Jesus: Yeah. That's the point
Santa: Why?
Jesus: Because whenever its Christmas the kids only wait for you and not me! They only celebrate Christmas because of you! Why Santa, why not Jesus? -Dec. 25 is for Jesus not for Santa. Repost if You Believe in the True Reason for the Season!

Remember... it's not about "things" or "presents" or "bigger, better, more". Think of how much money you can save if we all celebrated a good old fashioned Christmas this year! 



Not to mention what else we can save! ;o)


Posted by Mary-Anne DiBlasio
Western Mass Wellness Center

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Truly Enjoying the Holiday Season

The Holidays are fast approaching and sometimes there is undue stress that goes along with the pressure of gift giving and entertaining beyond our means.

This Holiday Season I want you to make a promise to yourself to truly enjoy the Season for what it is – a time for reflecting, a time for being thankful for all you have, a time for compassion and unconditional love.  Whether it is with your family and friends, may you enjoy them to their fullest; or if you are more the type to enjoy the solitude and decide to celebrate alone, may you truly enjoy your own inner thoughts and truly be at peace with yourself this Holiday Season.

So often, we forget the true meaning of the Holidays.  Manufactures and retailers do their best to let you know what you “need” or “should have”.  We can’t even enjoy Halloween without the pressure of Christmas presents lurking behind the masks!  All too well, we know the feeling of falling into the “must have” traps and getting sucked right into the “keeping up with the Jones’ philosophy”. 

This Season, I want you to have dialogue with your family.  A great time for this is right after enjoying a great Thanksgiving Dinner; talking about how great it is to spend time with family and friends.  Enjoy the moment of “Thanksgiving”.  Don’t look any further than that.  Enjoy the moment.  I love the saying “to want what you don’t have, is to waste what you do have”.
Enjoy each and every moment this Holiday Season and try your best not to get caught up in the hustle and bustle that may bring on undue stress.  Now, I am not saying to never step foot into the mall from now until the New Year; I am simply stating not to get caught up in the drama and chaos we truly all want to avoid over the Holidays.

Simplify your life.  Simplify your Holiday shopping list.  Keep it simple.  Keep it local.  Be sure not to lose sight of the true reason for the season.  The traditions we share with our children are what they will carry on for generations to come, think long and hard what you would like that tradition to look like.  Who has the biggest, most expensive best?  Or who truly has the most.
Holidays are absolutely what you make of them.  Make this Holiday a heartfelt tradition to remember!

For more information on How to make a Holiday tradition to remember, check back to the Be Well Blog in the month of December for some great wholesome tips the entire family can enjoy!

By Mary-Anne DiBlasio 
Founder - Western Mass Wellness Center & The Be Well Blog
Contributing Writer for Western Mass Women Magazine  

Friday, October 21, 2011

The Five Aspects of Health

By Mary-Anne DiBlasio, Contributing Writer
maryanndiblasio
 There are five aspects of health that we should all focus on as a whole, and I see all too often at least one of them being overlooked. These five aspects of health are as follows: Physical, Mental/Emotional, Spiritual/Energetic, Nutritional and last but certainlynot least is Financial.
 Physical: Now, this is a pretty well understood aspect of health for most of us. We have a stomach ache, we may have eaten too much or have the flu. We will have physical symptoms and we seek out relief that will take care of the symptoms that we feel. Now, if we display signs of a pretty bad headache, most of us will reach for the closest bottle of ibuprofen; and for immediate relief that will most likely do the trick, but what we also should be looking for is what could have caused the headache in the first place. Our body is great at telling us there is a problem, but most of us are not so great at paying attention to what those problems are or where they could be stemming from.bodymindsoul2small
Mental/Emotional: Also, a pretty well versed aspect. We feel anxious or depressed; we seek out a therapist and possibly a prescription to help us feel better or even an herbal supplement. Again, working from the inside out, we need to look at what is causing the anxiety or depression, and the therapist should be working with you on ways to balance out potential issues in your everyday routine. If the anxiety or depression is coming from an “outside source” than there are options that may not require medication, and again, relief can come more naturally.
 Nutritional: Nutritional health is a tricky one. We are not saying “diet” or “lose weight”, we mean the substance we intake in order to nourish our bodies. With obesity at an all-time high, and fast food restaurants on every street corner, we need to truly come back to basics here, and as one of our practitioner’s says… “Eat like it’s 1800”; When food was natural; no preservatives or additives or “enriched”. Eat whole foods. Good old fashioned from the earth goodness. The more natural the better, before companies basing ingredients on the bottom line get involved.
 Spiritual/Energetic: This is where it gets to be a little more fuzzy or what we would call that “grey area”. Spirituality can be religion, however, if someone is not religious, it does not mean that they are not spiritual; they just may not follow any one particular “organized” religion. The bottom line is, people need hope in their lives. Hope to dream and achieve goals and look forward to future. Hope comes from the inside and folks can get this from various things; anything from meditation to Reiki to going to mass on Sundays.
 Fibodymindsoulsmallnancial: Now this is where folks are like… “Whaaaat?” “Financial, this isn’t part of health, and it is all about investing, and I just don’t have the money to invest.” Well… no! Financial health is an important part of the whole, because financial “stress” is what can cause a whole host of other issues affecting the Physical, Mental/Emotional, Spiritual/Energetic as well as Nutritional aspects of one’s health. Perfect example: ‘I can’t afford to pay my rent this month so 1. I have had a headache for two weeks straight, and 2. I am feeling completely depressed and anxious about it, 3. I feel there is no hope, and 4. I haven’t got an appetite for anything lately (because my headache is so bad I have a stomach ache!) Sounds pretty accurate, yes? 
So, with all that said, it is very important to nurture all five aspects of one’s health; the Physical, Mental/Emotional, Nutritional, Spiritual/Energetic and Financial for complete health and wellness.

Mary-Anne DiBlasio, Holistic Health Practitioner, Be Well Life Coach® and Founder of Western Mass Wellness Center.
Mary-Anne is a happily married mother of four living in Western Mass. She walks her talk and talks her truth. She founded her Wellness Center back in 1999 after she had a personal need for Holistic Health in a science-based world in 1995. Not happy to hear that there were not a lot of options, she decided to pioneer her own journey for a more natural way to better health and wellness. Four years and much training later, she decided to dedicate her life to offering folks holistic alternatives. Western Mass Wellness Center is located at 1111 Elm Street, Suite 21 in West Springfield. Visit her website westernmasswellness.com or call 413-73B-WELL (732-9355). Be Well… Be Wise… Just Be…

Western Mass Women Magazine

Friday, October 14, 2011

Fibromyalgia: Creating a Treatment Plan

Your Fibromyalgia Treatment Plan: Stay Active

Exercise is an important part of managing fibromyalgia symptoms. Staying physically active can relieve pain, stress, and anxiety.
The key is to start slowly. Begin with stretching and low-impact activities, such as walking, swimming or other water exercises, or bicycling. Low-impact aerobic exercises such as yoga, tai chi, or Pilates can also be helpful. If you want to increase the intensity of your exercise, talk with your doctor.
Whatever exercise you choose, focus on three areas: range of motion, aerobic, and strength training.

Physical Therapy for Fibromyalgia

Physical therapy can help you get control of your illness by focusing on what you can do to improve your situation, rather than on your chronic symptoms.
A physical therapist can show you how to get temporary relief from fibromyalgia pain and stiffness, get stronger, and improve your range of motion. And she can help you make little changes, such as practicing good posture, that help prevent painful flare-ups.

Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia

A number of popular fibromyalgia treatments fall outside the realm of mainstream medicine. In general, there hasn’t been extensive research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), but anecdotal evidence suggests that some may work. Always talk with your doctor before starting any alternative treatment.
Popular alternative treatments include:
  • Acupuncture. This ancient healing practice aims to increase blood flow and production of natural painkillers with thin needles inserted into the skin at strategic points on the body. Some studies report that acupuncture may help ease pain, anxiety, and fatigue.
  • Massage therapy. This may help reduce muscle tension, ease pain in both muscles and soft tissue,improve range of motion, and boost production of natural painkillers.
  • Chiropractic treatment. Based on spinal adjustments to reduce pain, this popular therapy may help relieve fibromyalgia symptoms.
  • Supplements. A number of dietary and other supplements are touted as treatments aimed at relieving fibromyalgia symptoms. Some of the most popular for fibromyalgia include magnesium, melatonin, 5-HTP, and SAMe, which may affect serotonin levels. However, results of studies on these supplements are mixed. Be sure to talk with your doctor before taking any supplements. Some may have side effects and could react badly with medication you are taking.
  • Herbs. As with supplements, scientific evidence for the effectiveness of herbs is mixed. A few studies have shown that St. John’s wort can be as effective as certain prescription medication for treating mild depression.

Thanks to Lynn LaDuke for sharing the article.  The Western Mass Fibromyalgia & Chronic Support Group meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Western Mass Wellness Center, 1111 Elm Street, Suite 21, West Springfield, MA  01089.

Call with any questions:  413-73B-WELL (732-9355)