Dealing with Stress, Taking time to be still and renew

In our grind to excel on the job, have close relationships, work in our community, we sometimes do not take time to care for ourselves and stay in balance. We don’t take the time to recharge our spirit. We need to check the gauge on our sense of balance.

Today’s we have to be everything for everybody. The sense of urgency that consumes our lives can cause our level of stress to increase. When we realize that we are overwhelm, it is time to step back and get centered. During that down time, we need to stop, be in the moment, and get still. It’s okay to purposefully take time for ourselves when needed, in order to keep stress in check.

Many doctors believe that stress is the cause of many diseases. Stress can take on many different forms, and can contribute to symptoms of illness. Common symptoms include headache, sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating, short-temper, upset stomach, job dissatisfaction, low morale, depression, constipation, anxiety and the list goes on.

“Healing the soul first, then the healing of mind and body will follow.”     Zhi Gang Sha

For a few minutes each day, get into mediation and talk to your soul. Listen to what a higher spirit wants to tell you. Here is a simple mediation:

Get comfortably, laying down or sitting it does not matter and relax your hands in your lap. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, relax your jaw and notice all the sensations of your body for these few minutes. Take inventor of your body; the feeling of clothing on our skin; the heaviness of your arms, thighs and hips; the subtle movement of cool air through your nose and throat as the hot air leaves your body. If you find you’re thought drafting, gentle come back to this moment and the sensations of being still. Take a deep breath and open your eyes and come back. This is living moment by moment.

For those looking for more of a hand on approach, there are treatments that can be done at home or at a spa. These treatments help us to be still, relax and remove toxins.

Reflexology

Reflexology is a therapy that treats the feet in order to balance the whole body. The feet are like maps of the body’s anatomy and can be accessed by massaging the corresponding area of the foot. Reflexology assists the body in healing by balancing glands, relaxing muscles, promoting pain-killing hormone production, and detoxifying the body

Massage 

Massage can help you support general health and well-being or help in the healing process of muscle tears or sprains. It can also increase circulation, promote relaxation, reduce stress, reduce and pain and stiffness associated with muscle soreness or tension, and increase range of motion

Scrubs

Body scrubs are good because they exfoliate and remove dead skin cells, allowing your skin to breathe and so that enriching ingredients can be absorbed in the pores.

Note: if you do not have the time, patience or money for an entire body scrub, try a pair of scrub gloves.

Facials

Facials are beneficial in skin renewal. They nourish the skin by stimulating blood circulation. Blood brings oxygen, which is essential to cell growth and also removes waste products, thus helping to rid the skin of impurities. Other benefits are strengthening, nourishing, and toning of muscle fibers which may help slow the aging process.

Body wraps

Some say that body wraps are only good for losing inches. Body wraps also help to detoxify the body by tricking your body into thinking it has a fever, causing internal toxin to leave through the pores.

Yoga

An ancient practice that provides a retreat from a chaotic and busy lifestyle. A study from Duke University Medical Center suggested that yoga could benefit those living with depression, schizophrenia, other psychiatric conditions, and sleep problems. Yoga is known for its ability to soothe tension and anxiety in the mind and body.

Another study revealed that Women suffering from mental distress participating in a 3-month Iyengar yoga class show significant improvements on measures of stress and psychological outcomes.

Yoga was found to be as effective as relaxation in reducing stress, anxiety and improving health status. Following the 10-week intervention stress, anxiety and quality of life scores improved over time.

We are responsibility to make sure that our spirit is operating under optimal conditions. When our lives function from a place of balance, the world receives our best. Being centered and balances allows us to have a harmonious existence. So, every so often check the gauge —it only takes a minute.

Reference

A randomized comparative trial of yoga and relaxation to reduce stress and anxiety. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17544857

Healing the heart of the world, edited by Dawson Church, Ph.D, Elite Books

Massage for Dummies, Steve Capellini, LMT; Michel Van Walden, PT,NT; Wiley Publishing Inc

Rapid stress reduction and analysis among distressed women as a consequence of a three-month intensive yoga program.   www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16319785/

www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/yoga-benefits-beyond-the-mat

www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-benefits-of-yoga