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We need to remember that our bodies were designed to go into fight or flight to save us from the dangers of being hurt, ateen or killed by a huge wild animals. Today we do not have to worry about man eating tigers wandering around our neighborhood but we still have stressors all around us. Stress can be valued trait to help us have a sense of urgency and drive when working on a project that has a deadline. However, we do not need stress into our life when we get upset and worked up when we can not decide what to take for lunch or which route to take to work.
Stress is the # 1 killer because it affects your heart, mind, body and soul. If you let stress be a constant part of your daily life, it controls your every thought and decision. You can not think straight and make a solid decision when you are under stress. Stress also affects your concentration, focus and mood. You become more irritable and more than likely do not sleep well at night. Stress keeps your mind spinning and spinning and you do not really accomplish a single thought or action and do not complete a single task all day. I know some people who get stuck on a single event or thought and can not stop considering the thought and even makes everyone miserable around them because it is like a hamster in their little wheel going around and around and getting nowhere, solving nothing.
It is important to get focused and have a plan. A good way to quiet your thoughts is to meditate. Meditation helps you to stop thinking and being stuck on a thought that you can not seem to solve or come to peace with. Meditation gets your mind off the specific file as it may be and concentrate on nothing but calm. It helps you to delete that particular file or at least file it away. Our minds are nothing more than a computer and sometimes we get stuck and need to reboot. One way to get our minds unstuck is by listening to your favorite music, saying specific mantras, listening to subliminal affirmations, reading affirmations or writing your thoughts down on paper. After meditating and becoming more calm and relaxed write down what output would like to accomplish and focus on those thoughts and begin a plan of action to accomplish them and see yourself already there.
Meditation is the practice of quieting stresses to the mind by use of sitting and breathing techniques. Deep breathing is a very calming way to quiet the mind and body and get in touch with your thoughts. Deep breathing also it slows down your heart rate and helps treat anxiety which can result when you get upset and too wounded up with worry.
You can actually add years to your life by meditating and taking time to have a quiet and calm hour or two at least once or twice a week. You actually do not have to spend a lot of money on books, tapes, CD's or classes on how to meditate. You simply close your eyes, do some deep breathing, and clear your mind so that you think of nothing and then simply let your mind relax. If some thoughts come to you that start the chatter all over again, go back to being focused and clear your mind to think of nothing and start over. You can listen to soothing, calming music, you can chant a mantra or just sit quietly in a darkened, cool room just being.
You will be amazed how much calmer, relaxed and focused you can be just sitting and doing virtual nothing for an hour or two you will get so much more accomplished than you ever thought possible during the rest of the day.
Deep breathing from your abdomen is a very good practice to do each morning or whenever you feel stressed, anxious or not focused as it helps you become present and everything else is washed away from your mind during this time.
Another method that helps me reduce my stress is energy healing. This is a very relaxing, peaceful, meditation state where an energy healer works on you clearing barriers you may have which can be caused by stress and keep you from being and doing what we have been called to do. Another term for an energy healer is reiki healer and I was not sure what this entailed until I was introduced to a reiki healer, and I have been going now for about six months. I am doing better each time I go for a session. I am more peaceful, calm and energized then I have been in a long time.
If you liked my article on stress, check out my resource box where you can find more of my articles.
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Source by Kathleen Hoagland
