Ease Thy Stress – Part 1
STRESS – a common and overused word.
When we experience stress, it affects us in various ways – physically, emotionally and physiologically. We may experience headaches, fatigue, muscle tension and loss of concentration, and excessive stress can cause irritabililty, weight loss/gain, depression and anger although this differs from one another.
The degree of stress is highly dependent on various individual factors – level of commitment (e.g. family, work), expectations from self and others, our physical health, interpersonal relationships, day-to-day events and unexpected changes in our life.
Stress is a fact of nature, it is inevitable. Stress can have a neutral, negative or positive effect on us depending on how we choose to deal with it.
Here are some recommendations to ease the tensed moments:
• Take deep long breaths, even your inhalation and exhalation, for 1 minute (or as long as you can), refocus your thoughts and get back into action.
• Go for a brisk walk and get connected with the nature, which is extremely therapeutic for the mind and body.
• Listen to soothing music and just let your mind ‘rest’
• Go for a massage – Lavender and Ylang Ylang are great essential oils to balance out your senses.
• Watch a comedy, laugh out loud. Laughter is the best medicine.
• Volunteer to do something (nice) for someone. Giving is a rewarding and priceless experience. You will feel happy almost instantly.
• Sweat it out! Regular exercise helps to decrease the stress hormones (cortisol) and increase endorphins – the body’s natural feel good chemicals. Your mood is boosted naturally!
The list is endless. Pick a few that works for you. A little stress daily can be a positive motivation to action. It is only when we push ourselves too hard that it becomes harmful.
“Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath. Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important. Just lie down.” ~ Natalie Goldberg
Watch out for part 2 on Stress and Yoga in the next update.