Health & Wellbeing

58 The West Dorset Magazine, June 3, 2022 Health & Wellbeing Walking West Dorset

with retired Dorset rights of way officer Chris Slade

FROME VALLEY TRAIL: 6th WALK

This is the sixth of the walks going down the Frome Valley. It’s about six miles long and takes you in a circuit around Bradford Peverell. Start in Charminster, where there’s usually parking available on the A352 north of the crossroads. Walk up the road a short distance then turn left, NW, along Wanchard Lane, passing an industrial estate. At the end of the lane turn left, SW, down Sodem Lane which soon brings you to the A37 where you turn right and follow the pavement through Wrackleford. If you have time, count the bricks in the garden wall of Wrackleford House! When the road becomes a dual-carriageway, cross it to join the road heading SSW across the water meadows to Bradford Peverell. When you reach the village turn right and walk for a mile westward along the road, first through the village and then past the water meadows. You’ll see on your left the remains of the Roman aqueduct. At the end of the road turn left and walk a quarter of a mile to the Z-bend where you take the unpaved road SSE alongside the Muckleford Nature Reserve. At the end of the Nature Reserve, at Three Corners, take a bridleway to your left that heads uphill across fields. There are lovely views from the top. The path then descends to join the track heading NE down to the village. About 100 yards before the church, take a footpath to your right which leads onto the road where you turn right and go over the hill SE down to Giles Cross. Turn left here and head NE crossing two fords and rejoining the A37. Turn right and head back to your car, possibly pausing to quench your thirst at The Three Compasses.

I bring you tidings of comfrey and joy

Andy Cole is a reiki healer based near Melbury Osmund. He specialises in planting for healing. Energy healing is needed more and more as the last couple of years have taken a significant toll on people’s wellbeing. The initial lockdown put tremendous pressure on people, their relationships and mental health. With some degree of normality returning, it has become more apparent that the outside space is needed by everyone. The healing this provides is of great benefit to all, without knowing exactly why and how the healing is taking place. Gardens for wellbeing are becoming a very important part of the recovery process. These gardens have been specifically designed and planted to enhance the healing provided in that particular space. Some therapy gardens even provide a space where you can pot on plants, weed, plant and get hands on within the space. The benefits of doing this type of activity are unquestionably therapeutic. Firstly, by concentrating on the job at hand it clears the mind of all the stress and clutter. Secondly, you connect with the soil or composts which provide a good grounding for your spirit and soul, you also absorb the positive energies that the soil and compost hold. Finally, you gain the healing energies from the plants you are handling and by the end of your time spent doing these jobs you have cleared your mind and refocused yourselves. By clearing your mind, the problems you had, have diminished and you get the answer to a problem when you’re not thinking about it. If you decide to just sit and unwind in the garden the healing will still take place but will have less focus. Plant of the day: Comfrey Spiritually it helps to ground the soul and releases unconscious thought patterns. The energies help to prepare you for healing or meditation, and enables you to connect with your subconscious, grounding you and clearing the mind. With your mind at peace, your mental wellbeing is improved, your energy levels are boosted which will help to improve overall health. Common Comfrey is a popular plant in herbal medicine and is regularly used to treat sprains, bruises and wounds, and to ease arthritis. It’s been known to cause skin irritation if you are particularly susceptible to this plant. Grow comfrey around your other plants as a living mulch and chop-and-drop fertilizer. Fill a bucket with comfrey leaves and cover them with water. Let it sit outside for a month or more until it smells terrible. Dilute it to feed your plants. Be sure to filter the liquid well if you intend to use it in a sprayer. It’s a must for organic gardeners because its roots reach deep into the soil making it rich in minerals, while its leaves can be used for slug control, and as a composting aid. This plant is a must for bee lovers as they flock to it.

The West Dorset Magazine, June 3, 2022 59 Health & Wellbeing Don’t be in a such a rush to be busy-busy

youcantalk.net is a new wellness and mental health resource launched by Bridport-based duo Kerry Miller, pictured, and Alex Fender. It features lots of free resources to help people relax and take stock.

This is a longer post, but worth it I hope, if you have the time. Keeping active has unquestionable health benefits, and keeping busy can be very compelling, but there is a significant downside to busy-busybusy. There is a famous Good Samaritan experiment which demonstrates this beautifully. Question: Why did the Good Samaritan in the Bible story stop, when others had passed by a fellow human being who was in obvious need of assistance? Earlier studies had not been able to find a link between personality traits and the likelihood of helping others in immediate need. So, seminary students were recruited for a study on religious education, or so they were told, and split into several groups. All were asked to complete questionnaires about their personality traits and religious beliefs in one building and told the study task would continue in another building, some way off. The researchers varied the amount of urgency conveyed to the participants before sending them across to the other building, and they allocated different tasks to complete on arrival. One task was to prepare a talk about seminary jobs, and the other was to talk about the story of the Good Samaritan. One group of participants was told they were late for the next task, the others were told they had plenty of time but they should head over to the second building anyway. On the way to the second part of the test the scene was set for each of them, one at a time, to pass by a man slumped in a doorway who would moan and cough as they walked by. Then, on arrival at the second building each participant was asked to give their talk. The researchers set up a scale to rate the helpfulness of each of the participants. 0: Participant seemingly failed to notice the man was in need of assistance 1: Participant seemed to notice that the man was in need but did not offer any help 2: Participant noticed that the man needed assistance and helped indirectly (told the aide on their arrival) 3: Participant stopped and asked the man if he needed help 4: Participant stopped and insisted on taking the man inside and then left him 5: Participant stopped to offer help and refused to leave the man, or insisted on taking him somewhere Overall 40% of participants offered some help to the man – less than half. In unrushed participants, 63% offered help; with increasing time pressure 45%, and high time pressure only 10% offered help. There was no correlation between which talk they were giving or stated religious beliefs and the participants’ helpfulness. Helping behaviour clearly diminished in the participants who were rushed. Evidently and ironically, a person in a hurry is less likely to offer help, even if s/he is going to speak on the parable of the Good Samaritan. Some participants literally stepped over the coughing man on their way to give their talk. The researchers wondered if doing the right thing becomes a luxury as the speed of our daily lives increases? Or maybe people failed to recognise the need for help when highly goal focused due to time pressure? Whatever, wearing busyness as a badge of honour ‘that don’t impress me much’, in the words of Shania Twain. And like that Shania Twain song, it’s soooooo last century.

CAB Q&A

The Citizens Advice Bureau in Dorchester and Sherborne is offering a single parent some advice about the increasing cost of living.

I am a single parent, with two young children. I am already struggling to stay on top of my household bills; my weekly food shop isn’t stretching as far anymore and now my energy bill is going up too. I don’t know how I’m going to afford all of these price rises. What can I do to stop my finances spiraling out of control? support to help you. It’s always worth checking if there are benefits you don’t know about that you’re eligible for, including support with your energy costs and living costs. On the Citizens Advice website there’s a benefits calculator and advice. There’s also emergency support that you may have access to, such as food bank vouchers or fuel vouchers, and access to grants. If you’re struggling to stay on top of bills, it’s really important to understand what money you have coming in and going out each month. Citizens Advice has a budgeting tool on its website that can help with this.

JANE PURNELL THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE

35 years’ experience Relaxation Deep tissue Trigger point & fascia release Appointments (Poundbury) and home visits For information call 01305 602 406