Adventures In Relieving Stress
|
Whether we are at work, traveling, or at home, we've all had bad days. Those stressful times can be difficult, but important, to shake. Your mental, emotional, and physical health depends on you to find ways to relax and regain equilibrium. I'm going to be sharing some practices that you can do to help throw off that stress and reclaim your Happy Self in no time!
First, let me explain a little bit to you about Stress Chemicals. Stress and other forms of negativity affect your sympathetic nervous system and endocrine and hormonal systems. Stress sends nerve impulses to the adrenal glands, which in turn puts a number of different chemicals into your blood stream. They affect the pituitary gland, which causes yet even more chemicals to be released. These chemicals include corticosteroids, such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, other hormones, and neurotransmitters. All the chemical reactions can turn into a vicious cycle making it harder to clear yourself from them and the damage they cause.
The good news is there are a broad variety of tools you can use to relax your mind and body to relieve the stress chemicals before they cause too much harm. Let's go on an adventure and try a variety of activities to find what works best for you!
My favorite thing to do to help me get back to my Happy Self is to take long hot baths. Bathing works to clear the stress chemicals from our topical bodies, relaxes our muscles, and it feels wonderful! Epsom salts, Bath Salts, or Sugar Scrubs are perfect agents to use. I also use aromatherapy products such as candles or incense. Soothing music is a beautiful touch as well.
Another important thing to do is to Move Your Body! Yoga, Pilates, or any stretching exercise will help release the stuck stress chemicals from your muscles and spine. Any sort of stretching will do, touch your toes and reach up high into the air, as high as you can reach and then bend back down to touch your toes again. Even one minute of stretching is beneficial. Try to take several mini stretch breaks throughout your day. Take a walk, dance, jump up and down, do whatever you can think of to just move, even if only for a couple minutes a day out of your hectic schedule. You'll be amazed at how this increases your energy and gives you more stamina against stress.
Good breathing practices are critical. Of course, you HAVE to breathe. Good breathing takes some practice and will give you the most benefit of how the oxygen circulates through your bloodstream. Use good breathing to replace stress chemicals with clean energy. This helps your body tremendously and helps your mind react with more stability. The simplest method I've found is to breathe in slowly and steadily. Try it! Take three nice deep breaths, through your heart. Now, focus on your diaphragm filling up like a balloon each time you inhale and deflating softly with each exhale. Allow this process to be very natural and steady. This is the perfect practice that you can do anytime, anywhere. I encourage you to practice this one as often as you can think of it. I find rush hour is a particularly good time for me to work on breathing techniques!
Visualization techniques are another great practice to focus on from time to time. Don't worry if you can't actually SEE what you are trying to visualize. Every person sees things differently. What's important is your intention. For example, think of your favorite desert; really think about it, the way it tastes, the texture, and the colors. How are you doing at imagining that? That imagining is exactly what visualization is. You are all ready an expert! Let's put that expertise into motion with some visualization exercises. Find a relaxing area, sit or lie down, any position works wonderfully for this. When your comfortable, imagine a ball of bright white or very bright blue light as a little spark that starts in the area of your sacral chakra (Your tummy area), allow it to grow into a flame. Allow that flame to grow within you and outside of you. Let the flame fill your whole space and imagine it "burning" out all negative blocks or murky feeling areas. Now, imagine the flame blowing out of you and disappearing into the distance, taking all the negativity with it. Now breathe! You can also do simple visualizations of your favorite Happy Places. The beach, a beautiful sunset, or a loved one always works well for me. Whatever your very own special Happy Places are, spend some time and go there in your heart and mind and notice how refreshed you feel after your "journey".
One last I'll leave you with for now is to begin a journal. Use it to record where your stresses come from, what you did to relieve yourself from it and how that turned out for you. You'll be able to use your journal to fine-tune the methods that work best for you. While you are doing this, remember to mix it up a bit. Try practicing visualization or breathing techniques as you soak in a nice hot bath, or when you are stretching. Mix all the techniques up to find your own variety of stress relief tools. Then, when those yucky, stressful days hit, you'll be well prepared to handle them with ease!
Tracy Togliatti is a Holistic Practitioner specializing in Energy Psychology and Reiki. She offers a free service at http://www.happyher.com/advice/index.shtml
|
|
|
Managing Your Persistent Fears And Anxieties
Everybody deals with fear and anxiety, however some people have a hard time in managing it. As a result, here is a brief list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their most persistent fears and anxieties.When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, the fir...(related: Stress Management)
Permission To Play
At what age does the benefit of play cease? Child development experts agree that play is very important in the learning and emotional development of all children. But do we ever grow out of a need for play? I answer with an emphatic no. All the benefits of play continue into adulthood. Would you like to enjoy the following benefits daily?- Exper...(related: Stress Management)
How To Cope With Stress And Anxiety
Among the hardest parts of living in the modern world is stress and anxiety. With worries about work, the environment, the economy, natural disasters, terrorism, and the general state of the world, it seems that there is no end to the number of things to worry about. Though we cannot control many of these things, they still weigh on our minds and cause us stress and anxiety. However, despite these concerns, we should try to avoid stress and anxiety.Stress and anxiety are, at their hearts, mental problems. They are conditions in which the mind is racing and constantly circling around ...(related: Stress Management)
Empathy - Anxiety & Panic
If you are an anxiety and panic sufferer, then you've probably taken a fast learning track of how many people around you actually suffer from this...(related: Stress Management)
Stress Relief ? A Backyard Hot Tub Is Your Answer
We all know what it's like coming home from a busy day and needing some fast relaxation and stress relief. Many people choose to reach for that quick drink; but why not soak your stresses away? One of the best ways you can sit outside and enjoy the backyard is to install a hot tub and let the water bring relief from stresses and strains of the day. Ancient civilizations realized the healing power of natural hot and cold springs. The Romans built baths because they believed in the value of hot springs. Hippocrates prescribed bathing and drinking spring water for its therapeutic effects in the 4th century B.C. Water hea...(related: Stress Management)
Three Stress Relief Techniques
There is good stress, and there is bad stress. Good stress is the type that propels a person to excel, to reach new heights or to complete a big project on time.And there is bad stress. Stress that comes from conflict or worries. Stress that keeps a person from sleeping and happiness. Stress that calls for relief. Here are ...(related: Stress Management)
Five Steps To Stress Relief
So, you've recognised that you are suffering from stress and you want to do something about it ? congratulations, you are now TWO steps ahead of most people and well on the road to recovery from dis-ease. These...(related: Stress Management)
Stress Can Create Symptoms Of Attention Deficit Disorder
Stress can affect virtually any part of the body and produce physical, mental and emotional symptoms weakening the immune system and impairing coordination and thinking ability. Stress comes from relationships, from school or work situations, and from our own expectations. How we learn to deal with stress makes a huge difference in how healthy we are. Continual stress eventually wears out our body and mind. Studies by the American Medical Association have shown stress to be a factor in over 75% of all illnesses today.Stress is a reaction to a perceived threat. Our stress response helps us prepare mentally and physically to take protective action. These survival instincts are needed when we have real danger. Our muscle strength increases du...(related: Stress Management)
Combat Stress By Creating Your Own Oasis
Stress and anxiety can prematurely age our mind and body. If not dealt with effectively, chronic stress and worrying can place undue strain upon our cardiovascular and immune systems. It can also make us prone to mood disorders and negatively affect our cog...(related: Stress Management)
Put The 80/20 Rule To Work For Your Life!
Perhaps you've heard of the 80/20 rule, but don't know where it came from or how it was adapted. Please allow me to give a bit of background on the 80/20 rule before I jump into the way you can put it to work for you.In 1906, Italian economist Wilfredo Pareto came up with a mathematical principle to describe the distribution of wealth in his country. He found that 20% of the people had 80% of the wealth.A quality management guru, Dr. Joseph Juran observed a theory of the "vital few" and the "trivial many" and inaccurately attributed this to Pareto, thus the "Pareto Principle" was named and the "80/20 rule" was used to describe how to be more effective.Focusing on the "vital few" in your life can make a huge difference in the accomplish...(related: Stress Management)
Stress Buster Tip: Relax From The Weekday Stack!
Everyday can be full of stress but we all deserve a break from life's daily deadlines. Whether you're at home or work we all need to take the time to unwind. Dealing with stress through simple relaxation exercises is a very effective and rewarding approach. I've put together a brief outline of some "Stress Busters" that can help you relax from the stressors we encounter everyday of every week.
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Stress Management