10 Steps To No Stress

Imagine going around thinking that tides are caused by an earth monster breathing. That's what ancient mariners thought when they saw the tides.

Quite a few years later when humans began recording tides and events around them, they found that tides were closely related to the movements of the moon and the sun.

Tides occur when the moon pulls upwards on the water while the earth is pulls downward in tug of war. Although the sun is much larger than the moon, the moon is closer to the earth and exerts more gravitational pull than the sun.

We too have tides in our lives. The push and pull of will versus desire. Internal and external forces dragging us down. When we try and force what is not meant to be by pushing or pulling until it breaks.

This can cause a lot of stress to our lives and put us in a precarious position of not listening to the flow of life and not knowing how to get out of the tides. The stress and strain it puts on our mind, body and Soul can lead us to great despair.

Stress can prematurely age us, lead to depression and/or chronic fatigue and darken our perspective on life.

When we are under stress, our bodies can produce up to 1500 biochemical reactions. Oxygen and glucose rushes to our cells, and neurotransmitters and hormones are pumped out in droves.

Stress is caused by many factors including relationships, traumatic events, financial woes, work (or lack of), technology issues (just thinking about what one would do without a cellphone can cause a panic attack) and a myriad of internal buttons that can short out homeostasis - our internal equilibrium.

When we have our back up against the tides or we are challenged in any way, our brain sends a message to the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which controls the output of cortisol and adrenaline.

Adrenaline keeps us alert by increasing our heart rate and blood pressure and quickly mobilizing energy reserves. Cortisol is a slow dance that helps replenish energy supplies and prepares our immune system to manage any bacterial/viral threat or injury.

Chronic stress impairs not only the ability of the immune system to relocate immune cells but also the ability of those cells to do their job of recognizing and responding to the pathogenic agent.

So what can we do to alleviate stress from our life?

1. Have a sense of your body. Where you are, what you are thinking, what you are doing.
2. Have a inner sense of your muscles, your balance, the inflow and output of energy.
3. By being tuned in to your bodies, internal and energy, you can pinpoint when oyur bodies are pumping out stress hormones.
4. Watching the negativity of television news can make you sick when you take it all in. If you have to be informed, read a newspaper, without a newscaster’s inflection or opinion.
5. Let the stress run out of your body by moving your body (sports or any physical activity).
6. Eating habits can lead to a vicious cycle of depression and poor health. Consuming enough fruits, vegetables and drinking plenty of water can lead to less stress and a happier outlook.
7. Music therapy/relaxation- pick a favorite song in a favorite chair/place. Become the music.
8. Lie motionless in your body and feel the vibration of silence.
9. Having a good support system, i.e. people around you who love you and are there for you is an excellent source of encouragement.
10. Have fun in whatever you do and enjoy this life in which you have been blessed.
    

These are only the tip of the iceberg. What are some of the things you do to release stress?