Jet lag – just hearing the word makes a number of us groan, business travellers and holiday makers alike!

‘I’m on holiday – it’s 4 am and I’m wide awake’

‘I’ve just landed, it’s 2 am and I have an important meeting first thing tomorrow but I can’t sleep…’

Sound familiar? For most of us jet lag seems inevitable – only the lucky few can avoid it completely!

So what’s the answer?

Sadly there doesn’t seem to be one answer that will suit everyone. There are a number of approaches however that have helped improve the situation for some and lessened the effect of jet lag. Some are listed below:

1. Set your watch to the local time (at destination) as soon as you get on the plane.
2. Act per the local time – if it’s time to sleep, try to at least rest, relax and shut your eyes.
3. Keep hydrated – water is your friend, alcohol isn’t!
4. Exercise – personally, whenever I land in the US (from the UK), I head to the gym if at all possible before going to bed. The last thing you will feel like but you’ll be glad you did! Encourages more water intake too.
5. Melatonin – some swear by this remedy.
6. Read – if you are awake in the middle of the night it’s likely your thoughts will wander and you will start solving tomorrow’s problems – reading can help clear your mind and help you to relax.
7. Try to relax – this may sound trite but if the minute you wake up you start bemoaning being awake you won’t give yourself the chance to drift off again. Equally, if you go to bed and don’t feel tired, give yourself time – if the room is dark, temperate and quiet it will help.
8. Earplugs – I couldn’t sleep without them, especially if there’s noisy AC?

But what about reflexology?

As I stated, no one approach works for everyone but the clients I have worked with have found reflexology to be deeply relaxing and several believe it has helped them to overcome jet lag more easily.

Reflexology works through the various reflex points on the hands, feet and face. As we work through those points it helps to bring a sense of balance and relaxation which in turn helps to calm both mind and body. Whilst not a guarantee I would certainly encourage you to try!

Safe Travels!

Complete Reflexology
07768 644643
Claire@completereflexology.com

Welcome to the first Complete Reflexology blog!

I’ve had my website for 3 years and a Facebook page for 2 and have now decided it’s time to blog on reflexology along with anything else that catches my eye so please feel free to check in from time to time.

I recently came across the folder I submitted at the end of my course and amongst it was an article I had written on how I came to reflexology and what had ‘stuck out’ during the early days. The following are a couple of extracts that I hope you will find interesting:

“When I signed up for the Diploma in Reflexology it was for the sole purpose of wanting to learn something new – purely selfish reasons you might say. Was the intention to set up a business? I think I can honestly answer No – I hadn’t thought anywhere near that far ahead. Nor had I really considered what I was letting myself in for 🙂

So you can imagine how 6 case studies, 40 one-off treatments, essays, giving treatments at the yoga show and an anatomy and physiology exam came as a bit of a surprise! What came as an even bigger surprise was just how much I was enjoying it!

Writing essays and taking exams has never been fun – at least not for me. But working on people’s feet, having physical contact with individuals both friends and strangers alike was a whole different ball game and one that I wasn’t prepared for.

Of course I knew I would be handling people’s feet but what I didn’t expect was to find myself hesitant about it and feeling as though I was crossing a barrier that in some cases might not want to be crossed.

Initially it felt that by taking a client’s feet and working through the sequence, I was invading their privacy – did I have the right to know they had an imbalance in their neck, small intestine or prostate reflex? And what was I supposed to do once I knew?”

As I said, I wrote this during my studies and literally hundreds of feet have passed through my hands since then during which time I’ve come to realise that the hesitancy isn’t a negative but a note of respect for each and every client.

Yes I am more confident now as a reflexologist than I was when I started and yes, I am more comfortable talking through any findings and advice following a treatment but the respect I hope will remain.

When that’s gone it’s probably time to start down another path.

Complete Reflexology
07768 644643
claire@completereflexology.com