Thursday, April 12, 2007

Just Relax: How to release stress in minutes

From Parade Magazine, September 24th, 2006 (The bolded statements are mine)
Stress is your body's normal response to a threat of any kind and the "danger" does not have to be huge. It can be running late for a meeting or having an argument with a friend or colleague.
Even if the danger is small, our bodies release chemicals that have a galvanizing effect on every cell. Many Americans today -facing long hours at work, financial pressure, and problems with spouses and children-constantly are under stress. Even childhood is not as simple as it once was, and adolescents have a full vocabulary of stress.
But it doesn't have to be this way. You can learn simple techniques to keep a clear head, reduce your stress, and put less strain on your body.
1. TAKE A DEEP BREATH OR TWO (AND USE THE MANDALA CARDS!)
The most direct way to de-stress is to take two or three slow, deep breaths whenever you notice that you are anxious or under strain. This is not as easy as it sounds, because when you experience a threat, the center of your breathing moves from your belly to your chest, and your breathing becomes quicker and shallower. Your body then sets in motion the sympathetic branch of your nervous system, which releases the stress hormones and suppresses the parasympathetic branch, which triggers the flow of chemicals that have a calming effect.
The good news is that, by paying attention to your breathing (and using the Stop and Breathe mandala card), you can switch off the stressed parts of your nervous system and return to a state of calm. As you inhale, imagine that your belly is a balloon and you are slowly filling it with air. As you exhale, make sure your belly stays relaxed as it lets the air out.
2. THINK THE GOOD STUFF (AND USE THE MANDALA CARDS)
Since stress is the body's way of dealing with threats, a simple way to de-stress is to use your body's response to good things to your advantage. A few moments spent thinking how lucky you are to be alive or how in awe you are of nature's beauty all send a chemical that life is good throughout your body. Though we react to threat in a 10th of a second, it takes longer for the "all clear" to sound. We have to spend 6 to 10 seconds appreciating our good fortune (or meditating on the mandalas picture in the cards) for our body to relax. But if you can produce a genuine smile, then your body cannot feel stressed at all.
3. SLOW DOWN
When you multi-task, -by talking on the phone while driving, for example-, your body and mind require more energy. When you slow down, you relax your body and reduce the demands on your mind. So when feeling stressed, do a common activity slowly, carefully, and with focused attention. Even getting up from your desk slowly gives your nervous system a break. (Use either "Consider the consequences" or "What is the kindest choice?" cards to remind you how stress affects your body and how you could slow down.)
4. CHANGE THE TAPE
Sometimes, all we need to do to de-stress is to change the tape that runs in our heads. Most of us have a habit of making problems worse by saying things to ourselves like, "This is terrible", or "I have really screwed up". Instead, say supportive and positive things to yourself, such as "I can deal with this", or "I deserve success and good fortune."
5. LET IT GO
There are occasions in life when you need to recognize that you cannot change the situation. In those cases, you can make a conscious decision not to stress yourself out over something that you can't make different or better. (Use "It's just a passing thought" card to remind you that thoughts come and go if you just give them time and don't hold on to them.)
As I say over and over again, the more you use the mandala cards, the more you and your body heals. So go ahead and place them everywhere around your home. You WILL change your life!

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