Category: low mood

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Six Suggestions to Self-Soothe and Regulate your Nervous System

Sometimes there’s just no time to get to a yoga class, to meditate or simply relax because there’s too much to do.  But we all need ways to, self-soothe, relax and regulate the nervous system  in preparation for the next task at hand.

Here are six quick strategies to shift your emotional state. You can try them individually, or for the best results, combine them. They’re also perfect for incorporating into your bedtime routine to promote a restful night’s sleep.

 

Keep The Change

You don’t need your phone, you don’t need an app you have everything you need in your body to change channels and move from stress to a state of serenity.

Relax Your Nervous System.

Bring your left hand to your left ear lobe spread your hand and stroke slowly down your neck toward your throat, then your right hand does the same (same side) repeat hand-over-hand. Feel the warmth of your hands. Repeat to right side of neck. Then stroke down from the chin to the base of the throat. This activates the vagus nerve which triggers your parasympathetic nervous system and improves your vagal tone. All of which contribute to a regulated nervous system. In other words you’ll feel instantly calmer.

When you feel sad  or tearful, this is a great tip to expel stagnant energy from your lungs, as energetically they hold  sadness and grief.

Float your arms out to the sides at shoulder height, breathe in and bring your bring your arms up above your head. Make a pyramid with your fingertips as you  float your hands down in front of your body, hands flatten as if you’re pushing air down, whilst exhaling with the sound Sssss hissing like an old-fashioned kettle. Repeat three times.

When you feel hurt, angry or upset, your heart fire will spike,  like a fire flaring up. To balance this, focus on your energetic heart at the centre of your sternum.  Gently stroke hand-over-hand, downwards in long slow strokes. Pair this movement with a soft nasal inhalation and exhale with the sound Haaaa this helps cool the heart fire and brings a sense of calm. Repeat three times.

Vibration is movement so it can shift stagnant energy making room for fresh energy to circulate.

Sit upright and hum quietly for a minimum of 5 minutes. A 2002 scientific study published in The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine titled “Humming greatly increases nasal nitric oxide“ backs up the claim that humming for 5 minutes produces fifteen times the amount of nitric oxide in the sinuses. This is linked to increased oxygen uptake, blood vessel dilation and improved immune function.

If you’ve had a shock, feel angry and need to change your state read on…

When a dog trembles in reaction to fireworks  they are attempting to shake off  the excess adrenalin coursing through their body that’s making them scared. We can do this too. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, shrug shoulders up and down moving the shoulder blades too, allow the arms and hands to be limp, so that they flail independently alongside the body. Simultaneously bend the knees so that the body is also shaking loosely. This helps to move lymph fluid which carries away waste, stale energy and shakes off the adrenalin. Do this for 5 minutes with the intention to leg go of… state what it is you’re letting go of.

Gargle ‘til you Gag.

Finally, and not one for the office, practise this in your bathroom morning or evening and ideally on an empty stomach. Gargle until you gag or until your eyes water and this will reset your vagus nerve and activate your parasympathetic nervous system.  Rinse and repeat. Enjoy!

Ginger tea
Ginger Tea to Aid Digestion

Additionally,  boil fresh ginger for 5 minutes and drink first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  It can help with digestive disorders, soothe the gut, decrease bloating and can help alleviate inflammation in the body. Not advisable if you’re on blood thinners so check with your GP if you’re taking medications.

Take advantage of the freebies in thestresshacker shop, go to the FREE STUFF button. Try some of the hypnosis programmes too, it’s the quickest way to reprogramme your mind.

 

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7 Surprising Ways to Protect Yourself

As we move into the colourful season of Autumn,  this is the right time to strengthen your defences and protect yourself by reinforcing your shield.

According to Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is a protective force known as the Wei Qi (could be called the immune system too.) The yang energy flows on the outer layers of muscle and skin and controls the opening and closing of the pores that regulate temperature and sweating, this is the shield that helps you to protect yourself.

Protect yourself and strengthen your field to shield you from external pathogens and internal pathogens.

Protect and Shield Yourself

Obvious external pathogens are colds, flu’s and viruses but it may surprise you to know that internal pathogens are things like negative emotions and unhealthy thought patterns, we’re talking  FAGS!  fear, anger, guilt and shame. Banish those yucky emotions.

Since Autumn is a time of letting go and Mother Earth, is shedding layers and dying off, it’s actually quite normal to experience sadness and grief, weepy and low at this time of year.

As we say goodbye to the summer joys and all it’s warmth and prepare for the cold dark winter days ahead it can feel like grieving.

Other internal pathogens are poor attachments in the form of  bad habits or addictions that can return with a vengeance as we reach for unhealthy comforts. When you lose  your drive and feel rudderless this is also a call to action to strengthen and protect yourself.

So how do we combat this and strengthen our immunity? Luckily there are many ways, heres’ a few.

Keep Warm. A simple common sense approach to the changing seasons, such as protecting your body – especially neck/throat area – from wind and cold will help you. Plainly put, you’ve got to start wearing those extra layers even if that big yellow thing is still shining in the sky!

Disicipline. Find whatever way  works for you but  knuckle down and do some regular exercise, whether it’s jogging, an aerobic class, yoga or Qigong get into something that you can practice for a short time each day, ideally working up a sweat. By the way don’t wash the sweat off for at least 1/2 an hour because when you allow it to soak into the pores you strengthen your Wei Qi and  that’s your shield.

Nourishment. Ideally eat food that’s in season and nutrient rich with a variety of fruit, veg, nuts and seeds – the gut biome likes that! If you don’t know how to get your act together on the food front contact a good nutritionist

Stress Free. Reduce stress by practising relaxation techniques or listen to any of the programmes such as Yoga Nidra  available in the shop here at thestresshacker.com .

Sleep Well. Aim for seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. Get into a routine, avoid visual stimulus for at least a couple of hours before you turn in. Clear your mind by writing a list of everything you have to do tomorrow and rise early to address your list.

Boundaries. Look at your boundaries make a note of who pushes them, or where and when your own boundaries weaken and you reach for your ‘fix’. Make a conscious decision to address them by writing out the ways you can deal with your boundary pushers for example learning  assertive skills. Make an alternative plan to avoid the people, situations, times and triggers that make you want to use your comforters, consider other ways to handle this.

Know Yourself Better. In order to establish good clear boundaries, it’s important to know yourself. One simple way to do this is to journal daily. Just write a couple of pages either last thing at night or first thing in the morning before you get up. No rules, just write whatever comes out… over time you’ll see a pattern emerge. Noticing this can help you start addressing the things that get in the way of you feeling strong and you’ll be able to help yourself.

Finally, if you struggle with any of the above enlist some experts and get a wellbeing team behind you.  Go and see a homeopath, get some acupuncture  to boost your immune system and clear stagnation. Find a life-coach or therapist to work through your mental and emotional blocks and lastly set clear goals and then  practice being present i.e meditation and mindfulness.

If you’re looking for a yoga and Qigong class, drop me a line meaI look forward to hearing your thoughts on taking steps to protect yourself.

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Tips for Wellbeing

Are you feeling Weepy? Tips For Your Wellbeing

Are you in need of a boost for your wellbeing? It might be reassuring for you to know that this is the season for feeling grief and sadness. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the season of Autumn relates to the organ of the lungs which emotionally hold grief. Although separate organs, the heart and lungs are interrelated by the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. This means that any ‘affair of the heart’ such as loss, upset or conflict can be the trigger for grief. The heart affects the lungs, and the lungs affect the heart.

So, what can we do to boost our wellbeing at this time? Move!

Here are three ways to improve our wellbeing. We need to move stagnant energy (Prana, Qi or Ki) out of our lungs.

  1. Try some shoulders shrugs individually and both together.  Shrugging acts as a pump to move stale energy and encourage better circulation try it now, where-ever you are, can you feel the lungs moving?
  2. Stand up and relax your whole body and shake your arms, bend your knees, and straighten your legs, repeatedly, shaking off any negative energy through your hands and fingers, like a tree losing its leaves in the autumn.
  3. Take your arms out to the sides float your palms up toward each other and back down again and repeat. This simple movement opens the sides of the lungs brings a bit of energy to your intercostal muscles (that sit between your ribs) and lift both heart and lungs. You’ll feel instantly brighter and more energised.

And Finally…

As Autumn is a season of ‘dryness’, you may have noticed your skin feeling dry and crepey (not creepy!) at this time. To remedy this, set some time aside for self-care. Get some sesame oil (it’s naturally the warmest oil) and heat it. I place mine into a plastic bottle and then put it into a stainless-steel cup of hot water. When it’s warmed, begin to gently massage your body, including the nostrils, ears fingers and toes, including your nails. Allow half an hour for it to soak in before having a bath or shower. NB if you oil your hair, which feels amazing, you will need to put neat shampoo on your hair before the water or it will be difficult to get the oil out. Not only will you feel nurtured and comforted, you  will also sleep well, so best done at night. Repeat once or twice a week.

Autumn is a good time to boost your immune system in preparation for winter so remember, that there are lots of resources and programmes available in the stresshacker shop to make life more manageable for you. 

Try out Healing Now Hypnosis Program if you’re starting to feel under the weather and take advantage of the Freebies!

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Get Organised And Save Time

Some friends and I were chatting recently and discovered something in common, namely a state chaos and a realisation of how much time is lost by attempting too many things at once.  I mean I’m talking, highly talented and skilled women here, so it was surprising to discover how many of us need to get organised in other ways.

We laughed about starting a hundred chores at the same time, okay slight exaggeration here, but…

Can you relate to this?

You start one task, for example clearing your desk, then you go to the kitchen to get a drink, open the fridge, notice the shelf needs a wipe over and end up cleaning out the fridge. Then you remember you’re half way through clearing up your desk, so go back to your desk. Then you notice an email that you should have responded to, start to reply and horror! Remember your were running a bath! Before long the whole place is in chaos! You need to get organised!

We agreed that having a number of tasks on the go feels really stressful. A messy environment equals a messy mind and definitely leads to feelings of agitation and stress. It triggers the inner critic too and before long, you’re berating and beating yourself up, which is very bad for your confidence and leads to poor self-esteem.

Does this or variations of it sound familiar?

But what if I told you there’s a cure for this, that in addition, you will have a nice little release of Serotonin, the drug that promotes internal happiness? Every time we get a reward, the brain releases a small amount of dopamine. Dopamine, a molecule that sends signals from our brain, gives us a temporary sense of pleasure.

When we increase rewards they build up and we eventually get a shot of Serotonin which gives us a deeper, longer lasting sense of pleasure and happiness.

It’s simply a matter of retraining your mind and re-conditioning your behaviours and that’s easier than it might sound.

The positive psychology of Neurolinguistic Programming helps us to get organised and encourages us to ‘Put Systems In Place’ again, this is not as complicated as it sounds.

For example; always putting your front door keys in the same place, will ensure that you wont spend 10 minutes searching for them with the “I’m sure I put them there” lament! It’s a system.

American Author Alan Lakein created the following to get us more organised,  read on now to discover how you can bring structure and simple systems to your tasks.

Cull the Chaos


1. Make a list with no more than seven tasks on it. Write A,B,C or D beside each task in order of priority i.e. the most important jobs will have an A next to them, then B and so on.

2. Start the first A job and complete it. Do NOT move onto any other chore until this first task is completely finished. Then you have the small pleasure of putting a BIG tick beside it and crossing it off of the list, and that’s your first reward and remember a reward equals a shot of feel good dopamine.

3. RINSE AND REPEAT! Do this and you’ll get organised.

 

When I discovered that multi-tasking is a myth,  that something has to suffer when you attempt to do two things at once, I worked even harder to stick to the above system. In a relatively short period of time I retrained my brain and my approach to tasks and have become addicted to feeling good!

Yoga Retreat

Oh, I almost forgot, if you’re in need of a reset and would like to experience a deeper state of peace and tranquility, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is we are now fully booked for the March 2024 Yoga retreat but the good news is that we do have a couple of spaces available on our weekday Yoga Retreat 12 – 14 June 2023.

It’s held in the beautiful space of Florence House in Sussex, suitable for beginners and experienced yogis alike. Please feel free to contact me for more information or questions.

Yoga / Qigong Classes – Last Friday of every month – Bromley

Finally,  alongside the weekly online yoga and meditation classes, I’m now offering an in-person Yoga/Qigong class on the last Friday of every month, in Bromley at a great spanking new venue that has a fabulous cafe serving quality food and drinks, it is in the beautiful green space of Norman Park and has free parking. Beginners welcome. Please get in touch with me by phone or email if you would like to know more.

 

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Anxious About The Ukraine?

Is Your Anxiety Creeping Up?

I’ve had quite a few messages from people who are struggling with anxiety about the attack on the Ukraine and I doubt anyone could fail to be affected by it.

But here’s the thing, if like me you are highly sensitive it’s a bad idea to listen, read or watch too much of the reporting. It is a trigger for anxiety,  it really can have a negative and detrimental effect on your health and wellbeing.

Isn’t that just being ignorant?

I’m not being an Ostrich or selfish when I say that I limit how much of it I allow into my world. I have made myself  ill in the past with anxiety by worrying and feeling anxious about things I have no control over.

These are some of the things I advocate that will give you a sense of control (instead of panic)

Take Gandhi’s advice and “Be The Change You Want To See Happen In The World”  (Apparently he didn’t phrase it quite like that  but you get the gist) Practise being peaceful, in this way you lessen inner conflict?

  1. If you believe in prayer, pray.
  2. Quieten your mind and body with a simple meditation of bringing your attention to your breathing hundreds of times throughout the day. Given you’re a microcosm of the macrocosm Be Peace.
  3. If you actually want to do something, dig deep and donate even the smallest donation will be of help to the Ukrainians in their time of need.
  4. Remember the ‘golden hours’ that set you up for how you’re going to feel during the day, are the first hour in the morning and the last hour at night.  This is NOT the time for catching up on the news, lunchtime or sometime through the day is better.
  5. I went online to Etsy Ukraine.com  and purchased some digital products in an effort to support.
  6. Campaign when and where you feel able to.

If you need additional help to stay calm, relaxed and free from anxiety try  Stress Free With Confidence the hypnosis MP3 that will ease your stress.

Finally if you’re still feeling stressed consider doing some research on the wonderful Ayurvedic herb Ashwaganda. The benefits include helping to reduce inflammation, combat stress and anxiety, improve memory and  help balance blood sugar as well as boosting muscle strength. Personally I found it really helped improve the quality of my sleep.

Thats all for now and thank you if you’ve taken the time to read to the end.

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Open It Now! It’s For You

How are you? It certainly feels like we’re being tested on so many levels in these changeable times.

I’m sure you know that among other things,  stress is a feeling of not being in control which can trigger all kinds of emotional, psychological and behavioural problems.

But how to deal with it? One of the main keys to dealing with stress is to develop flexibility so that we improve our bounce-ability factor and become resilient.

Dare I say the most flexible tree is the bamboo because of it’s ability to bend easily in the wind and then stand tall again.

How can we become more flexibile? Well I could say take up yoga, develop new hobbies, improve your way of thinking by listening to hypnotherapy programmes. But better still, find your own ways. 

Write down 10 things you could do to become more flexible mentally and physically.

Along with sending you my good wishes for the holiday period I want to offer a couple of approaches to help manage stress, anxiety and any other difficult feelings.

A Christmas Gift For You
 
Please do the exercise, as it’s experiential, it will only that will take about 7 minutes of your life and it may prove valuable. Try it now.

1. Sit somewhere away from distractions and close your eyes.
2. Repeat the following words to yourself silently and mentally.
“Be” “Just Be” repeat this periodically until you find your breathing slowing and a sense of quietness beginning to emerge.

You might find the next bit challenging and counter intuitive on one level but just go with it.

3. Invite the negative thought/feeling/emotion into the quieter space by simply saying “I welcome…       (anxiety, frustration, sadness, headache, stomach churning or whatever.)

4. Imagine them as an unexpected, slightly unwanted guest who’s arrived at your door but your good  manners dictate that you’re going to invite them in anyway!

5. When you’ve repeated ” I welcome” let’s say anxiety in, notice where it lives. Do you feel it in your chest? Or stomach for example.

Don’t get lost in the thought or feeling and don’t get too involved, stay mildly detached, you’re merely observing it.

6. After a few minutes of this, welcome in the opposite feeling/emotion/thought. So you might then say silently “I welcome peace and calmness” again repeating it several times.

Notice what peace and calmness feel like and where these feelings sit in your body.

Another odd thing to suggest but do it anyway…

7. Begin to move back and forth between the words  “I welcome anxiety and tension” then “I welcome peace, calmness and tranquility”

8. Finally after doing that for a couple of minutes, imagine you can step back away from the opposites and repeat silently “Be” “Just Be”

Let me know how that works for you.

The second gift I would like to offer is a free mind/body training that will lead to a more relaxed in control you.Download it and practise it until you’re able to do it anywhere anytime on your own. It’s my gift to you along with my fervent wishes that you be well and happy.

It’s a tried and tested method that with repetition will give you a greater sense of control in your world.

https://www.thestresshacker.com/product/relax-autogenic-relaxation-response-program/

Oh and if you fancy listening to an interview I gave earlier in the year about finding your purpose check it out here:

https://www.hotflushrebels.com/optin1597304230526

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Enhance Your Mental Health And Wellbeing

the stresshacker, yoga nidra, dynamic sleep, audio programme

Happy Mental Health Awareness Day!

You may have been wondering where I’d got to and why I haven’t written many blogs recently. Thank you for emailing and asking it’s prompted me to let you know that in the spirit of mental health awareness I have been taking care of my own wellbeing.

At the start of the pandemic in March like many, I began working from home, with clients online and teaching zoom yoga classes, my working week soon became busy. As a result I found myself pretty much cooped up in one room for quite long periods of time.

Although I’m fortunate to have a great view of some trees and sky the fact remains it’s a small room.

To counter stress, the threat of any mental health issues and to keep active, I started cycling and got hooked!

I love the freedom it offers and have discovered places in my area that I didn’t know existed. This activity is so good for the mind because cliché or not, it is true that a change is as good as a rest.

As a result, I have developed more resilience on all levels in addition to feeling fitter; I’ve improved lung capacity and muscle strength

Is your main trigger for frustration technology?

Early on in Lockdown, I had some really frustrating IT issues, at one point my entire website was wiped, boy did that stress me out! In an attempt to stop myself from throwing the laptop out of the window and to protect my mental health and wellbeing, I took off on my bike instead.

And this is when my mental health awareness kicked in

because within 10 minutes I observed a complete shift in my thinking and noticed that I was simply enjoying the moment. Looking at the trees and breathing in the fresh air I felt free and happy. I’d let all that tension and aggravation go by changing my activity.

But how do you make that kind of shift in your wellbeing if you don’t happen to like cycling I hear you ask. The answer is to change your activity sufficiently to alter your emotional state, which will in turn will affect your mental health positively.

Fortunately there’s a really easy solution and that’s yoga.

I’m not even talking about poses or sequences here. I’m talking about Yoga Nidra the practice sometimes called deep yogic sleep.

Here’s how it works, by regular practice we train the body to relax quickly and develop the ability to step back and observe the impact that certain thoughts, ideas and images have on the physical body.

As such we develop awareness, more self control and as a by-product better mental health. Yoga Nidra teaches us to detach from things that can trigger unwanted emotion (unless someone wipes your website that is!) helps us to develop mental resilience and to feel more empowered.

If you want to join us in a live class on Thursday evenings drop me a line or pick up a copy here https://www.thestresshacker.com/product/yoga-nidra-dynamic-sleep/

Here are just some of the things people say after a session of yoga nidra.

“ I slept for a straight 9 hours afterwards!”

“ … a lovely relaxing class”

“I couldn’t wait to go to sleep, and slept longer than usual. Yesterday felt super refreshed”

“Just what I needed, and feel totally rested”

“Wonderful class I enjoyed it so much, had a full 8 hours sleep last night”

Yoga Nidra  is an effortless way to enhance your wellbeing and really does require minimal effort.

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

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Stresshacker Podcast Ep4: Beat Anxiety, Depression And Burnout With Balance

Subscribe to the Stresshacker today!

So many people I see in my practice are lacking energy; they feel tired, anxious and lethargic especially during wintertime. Never before have so many people and, dare I say, particularly women, been so exhausted and frazzled!

That’s the subject for my latest podcast.

Episode 4 of The Stresshacker Podcast offers some valuable ways to re-connect with yourself and others.

I talk about how you can bring much needed balance back into your life and, in the process, counter some of the struggles that we face – such as depression, anxiety and exhaustion.

The pressure is constantly on and our lives are more demanding than they have ever been.

Think about it, are you constantly doing?

In the absence of a nice smattering of being (or certainly doing much less), there’s an imbalance. The more doing we do the more that imbalance will show up in our everyday lives.

Listen to this episode for ways you can regain your sense of balance.

I’ve been so blown away by the response to my adventures into podcasting. It’s a new experience for me and I’m learning as I go.

If you’ve enjoyed these recent episodes, please do like them on iTunes and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. It really does make a difference to how many people find the podcast!

As a special thank you for those who listen to the end, I’d like to offer you half price access to my Wellbeing In A Week short course. Listen to the podcast to find out how to claim it!

I’ll be back soon to bring more peace into your life.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe on Spotify

Subscribe on Google Podcasts

Episode page:  (let me know if this isn’t available on your favourite podcast app)

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Depression. How I Coped

Sorry I haven’t been in touch for ages…there is no excuse.

There was a bout of depression that nearly got me, but I will tell you about that later.

I have just returned from a holiday in Thailand that included bathing and feeding Elephants. Seeing the process of their “poo” being turned into paper.

Learning the secrets of Thai cooking at a cookery school in Chiang Mai. Then travelling further south to explore some of the islands and their beautiful beaches. Experiencing the healing effects of Thai massage.

Why would I now feel depressed?

I became very aware of the negative internal chatter in my mind. Part of me was imploring another part of me to stay upbeat. But I couldn’t. In fact, feelings of negativity had me sinking fast!

I was feeling depressed. Why?

Was it that my wonderful holiday was over? That I’m still grieving? Maybe I was just overwhelmed by my workload? Or perhaps it’s Brexit?

What soon became clear is that the WHY does not matter. Continually exploring the ‘whys’ only brings more negative thoughts to the surface. Changing my state became my priority and doing this quickly, my goal.

Here is what I did to fight the depression

The first and most important thing was to change the “internal chatter.”

At the risk of this sounding like a plug for one of my self-help downloads, I started to listen to Stress Free With Confidence. This is a hypnosis program I made almost thirty years ago. After just two days I noticed my thinking had changed quite dramatically and as a result, found myself smiling again.

My thoughts were brighter. When a negative thought arose it quickly switched to a positive one. The change was automatic and the good thoughts began to flow again.

More importantly was the shift in my feelings and I felt more upbeat.

This helped me to get moving.

Exercise helped me move forward and invigorated me. Walking activates the heart and lungs and changes the way you breathe. When you change the breath it will often change the way you think and feel. A couple of walks in my local park and surrounding streets really helped.

So did reaching out for support from loved ones and close friends whom I was able to share my feelings with. It’s so important, in fact essential, to reach out. Call someone. Talk about it.

Yoga always gives me the space to gain insight into my feelings and this awareness helps me to “catch” myself before I fall too far. I did a slightly longer practice each day.

Having re-booted the stress free programme in the back of my mind, I also started juicing again which boosted my energy.

I applied a great Ayurvedic treatment and gave myself a top-to-toe sesame oil massage before languishing in a bath. This felt nurturing and nourishing.

Sometimes just one small change can make a huge difference to the way you think and feel.

For example if your job requires sitting at a desk all day, get up regularly and move a round. Take the stairs rather than the lift where possible.

Every journey starts with one small step.