GOOD NEWS FOR NERVOUS PEOPLE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 251, 16 February 1917, Page 1 (Supplement)

GOOD NEWS FOR NERVOUS PEOPLE.

BY EUSTACE MILES, M. A. in ' rit-tfits". As we s i dy t! e ad\ ait'se. ent c>lv.mns or different papers we find n.any cures f. r neivo isness advertised. Some eny that dru.s are a panacea; some deny this and insist tivr."b theie must lie tins or that "rerve-looi" as they call it; whereas realty, so far as di;t is eon- < erned, the 1 osj lood-eure for n rvousn.ss is nut t) take ''nerve-foods," but rather to take fVods whi li v. ill na'e the tlood, n general, pure and healthy; then the nerves will feed tliemsel es easily out of it. Ttere are also advertised huyenumLers of mental net ods: some of thrsj aie in the form of "self-suggestion," as ■when ie>plcL toil themselves to be courageoufl, ct asseit th.it th©y;"ctua.ly are I heard cne lady-lect re:* r.d ise the atdien e to stand lefore a looking-glass and look brave whn t '.ey felt inclined to Le nervous. lam loi.n I to say that it mi .ht ha e' en capital in her enß3, sin eto me, at, any iat?, *!;e was rather a terrifi • pe s n to lcok --■flT; and, if she could look bijave when sho lac d the sight of herself in the glas-, she ou?iit not to ha - a teen apI ailed at am-tiling. B t i; would not ho much of a ! elp for a mild-'ooking person to fa:o liims If in t'e glass; t would I o no i rjcti e. BLUSHING CHEEKS. The t'oul le'about "c'.f.'s" ie that, too often, they (all attention to the nerves ncss i c fcif; thoy are iik© t!.© uii es for sle -j lessness. And attention to nervousness is apt to make tl_e<nervo sness vorse then lefore. 1 T. is epe.iall yt!.e c. se i it takes the. t'oim of {>! shing. S> n any i le •! a-ec nsulteJ me o.boti'l l,lus' ingj'flnd it £e;ms ti at their «nly i'ea of a 1 ere is to think about the hi s ing its?lf. and how incon\e.iient it is! ;To think ol this will s nd the b ood' to the part which ia thought or, so that the more a person thinks about his blushing cheeks (in t! c <ase of one person it was a b'l s'ling nise), the more apt ti:at person wilf ! e to hlsuh still more marked-

ly Nor, a costless cine lor n rvousnesi i.j '.lie irartKe of deep <: nd full keithing, with < oncentration on that act. (.','oso the mouth, and then t'isn.iss all thoughts except tho thought t. at w j ira jo inhale (expanding t ; .e as fully 4'S possible in every direction, but wit.ioi.t strain) 301 are inhaling and ea*o and oiserty wel i;s oxyfe.cn. Hold the ar in, and think of it circulating eYei'ywliei'G and refreshing the Lndv and niiaking it cointoi t.blei. J?i cn exhale tlii ought ov. outh or through Uen stri s, and ,as you exhale, tlnn'.c cf yourself as getting rid of nil ibat :s not th orougl.ly pleas nt and dcsirab.e. Tluro are seue.al wys if con entrat■ \\hilo you breati.e: ycu can. coneontrate en the muscu ar action of exlanding tie lungs, or \ou can o.icentrutd, on the air-stream; but. win. 11evir wav you ado, t, you will have ihe rd vantage" o'' tinning your attention away from the nervousness; yo;i diie't your mind from its worry; aid, obviously, >ou cannot feel really n.;nous kiiL sj s- me cf your attention is dovoted to that which makes ;o i 1 e.voi.s. an easy cure. Ti.o Deep and full breathing also helps lo c. re the n r\oneness indirectly inasmuch as it p .rifi a the s-yteai hj.• introducing more oxygen, and getting rid of more eanxmic-acid gas and other subtLr poisons. Almost always 1 l ave the ntr ous person li s s me Kind of a< id sis of t e i lojd; it "is not no es-.a ily iric add that is tjoi.biin--h ie re other end worse kinds of acidosis t ;an t-.:o uric. Or it nay be son.o tixin. Mr. O. i±. tolings has loirnd ti.at one cf the ciircmorg "s lor cxamplo, whilo it is circulating en ns '.say out of the'l cdy, has a iiio-t debasing effect. Tl.o deep and full breathing (as 1)1. l<al>a-liati joints out) alttrs the rh%thm o. t. e br. in; for the bran has us rh>thai as truly as the lungs have theirs; ; nd the rhytl.m of the brain l«Ilends on the rhyihin of the lungs. Deep and IVII . re-thing—as all who liuvo i ra tiscd it and n.ade it a habit w ill testify—! el, s the i ealth « f t.w 1 iodv generally. It is wonderful what effect-, it has ui on the endurance. Viid it impro.es the well-being <1 the nones. Wo need nut e tor into the wav in wi.i h deep and full Ir.athing nflot- tie iur.es; to Hindus have ,oi.o into that matter ccntures ago; wild thev ro o ni e that one of the bee. results of deep and full breathing is tl.o I cnciit it buns to the < nrvous system and to ■ e.f- ; ontrolQL'IhITNKSS AND CONFIDENTS. Then deep and fill I r oath ing is.its It a part 'f the expresion of quietx, * and confident™. Krh stato of mind cit.'er c.iuses —a) ?omo people say—or ai anv rat.-, ;oos witii a s;.e in way or i.j eat*.ing aid a sj.e iai rhythm ot iKcri-' eit; tliis is so tr. o that tho watching of the breathing by means ot t « pne mo ravli, -nd tho wat bing ot ij io 1 e;rt-beat ymens o" tie sphygmograph, and other instruments, en•iWcs ixo: lo to >©) into the mincl ot crim'in Is wlo am Icing examined. Tin re : s a reg' It m< tuod of as'citaininiz how different ihings affect t' e m net L a wrcf.l re i,t y of tie differ.nt k'nd. <f breathing and 1 cart-eat. Now. if hreati.ing is a part ot the exp « si.n, and i ilte ing t e < * session he ps to a'ter t! o mind (. s the late I'rofes-or Wi li:>ra s in:«int in-cl), t'.en why not, wi ether y u adopt <t.:er etircs or net. at nv n now,,e<.« 1 art y I y ait-enng and r< mo Ing i'.s exUs-ion, and «übstiti.ting the exn. tss m of ' onfid n of