Stress is a killer!
In my work alone (in a call center) in the last 5 years I've know at least three people who have had heart issues because of stress. One of the three had a heart attack, one had a stroke, and the last one; I'm not sure.
110 million people die annually due to stress. That is 7 people all around the world every 2 seconds.
You do not have to be one of them. There are ways to reduce your stress level no matter what type of job you have.
I'm going to list some suggestions that will help you become either stress free or at least reduce your stress level.
1. Only work up to 6 days a week.
There are many good reasons why ancient scripture teaches that God took 6 days to make the world, and on the 7th He rested and that we are commanded to rest the 7th day.
It does not matter if you are a believer or not to follow this rule. Everything and everyone needs a rest and when you take one day of the week to rest, it renews your body, mind, and spirit. (More on renewing your spirit later).
When you take this day of rest, I suggest you have all electronics off for a 24 hour period. No Television, no radio, and no computer or phone.
Also no shopping and especially no work. Relax with friends and or family. Take time to know them and be with them.
Anyhow when was the last time you just had family time with no distractions?
If your the person that does the cooking for your home, then have something already prepared from the day before, and simply heat it up. Or eat something cold for a change. In other words to "slaving over the stove" on this day.
Take this time to read, and to think about what your goals will be for the coming week.
If possible, give your car a rest too, but if not; at least keep driving to a minimum.
2. Learn relaxation techniques.
I learned way back in high school from a psychology teacher how to relax my body using a bio feedback machine. When you get good at using one, you can slow your heart beat down even, like I did.
If you don't have the money or desire to buy a bio feedback machine, that's okay; I can teach you some basic techniques right now. (Yes and all for free! What a blog hu!?)
A. Sit up on your bed. We will start with your head and neck.
Close your eyes and move your head slowly around counter close wise in a smooth motion. (never a jerky motion). Now do it close wise, and back again counter clock wise.
B. Lay down flat on your back. You may use a pillow if you wish.
Bring your shoulders all the way to your neck and then let them drop slowly.
Do this and then a deep inhale from your belly, not your chest. Hold it for 3 to 5 seconds and then release your breath. (Breath in through your nose, and exhale out of your mouth). You can do it just though your nose if it feels more natural.
C. Now tighten your right arm and then relax it. Do this a few times and then your right hand and open it. Do the same with the left arm and left hand.
D. With each leg, tighten the left one, and then relax. Do this a few times and then do the other leg a few times.
E. Tighten your butt cheeks and release a few times.
F. Curl your toes and hold them and then release them. Do this a few times.
G. Breathe deep from your belly, hold he breath for a few seconds and then exhale.
Do this over and over until you feel relaxed.
To enhance this relaxation of your body, you can play very soft music if your choice if you wish and also you could use a Therapeutic Essential Oil such as lavender to diffuse in your room to bring even more relaxation to your body.
Now the neat thing about it is, you don't have to be laying down in your bed to do these relaxation techniques I've listed above. You could be anywhere including your office at your desk.
3. Take a hot bath with Epsom salt and if you like add Lavender Therapeutic Essential oil ahead of time to your bath salt as well. Soak for awhile and just close your eyes and relax. Forget about your troubles and the world and picture yourself in a hot spa on a nice exclusive island resort. ahhhhh yes.
4. Give a hearty laugh everyday
Life can be very serious at times, so take some time and just laugh at something. Go ahead, give yourself permission; it's okay. Laughter releases stress and makes your whole body feel happier too.
5. Use your 7th day of rest of meditation.
No, I don't mean ooommmmmm, but time to think about life in general. To be thankful for everything you possibly can be. There is always something to be thankful for, even if it's the air we breathe.
6. Start your day out right.
Most people hit the snooze a few times until the very last minute (or sometimes past the last minute) they can, hit the shower (maybe) and rush off to work.
Instead, when your "alarm" which you should rename "opportunity clock" sounds, hit snooze (This is after you have set the clock to sound earlier than you must get up to be onetime) and lay there and think of things to be grateful for.
My friend Mirdza came up with this idea a few months ago. She suggests you start being grateful for all the parts of your body that do NOT hurt, instead of thinking of only the parts that do hurt or are sore. Just lay there and be thankful for all parts of your body that are feeling good. Then from there you can be thankful you woke up at all, and start being thankful for the day.
7. Eat a good breakfast
No, donuts and coffee would not be considered a good breakfast.
Eat something that will make you feel full (but not lethargic) for the rest of the morning. Something nutritious. It will cause your whole body to feel better and your mind will be much more awake and able to work better. (Mama was right, eat a good breakfast before going out).
8. Stop eating at least 3 hours before bedtime. Give your body time to digest your food before going to sleep. It will help you sleep better and possibly give you less nightmares too.
9. Feed your mind with uplifting positive stories in the morning.
A lot of people love to read the newspaper and sip on coffee first thing in the morning. If you haven't noticed already, bad news sells and that's what you're feeding your mind first thing in the morning, negative stressful news. By time you start your work day out, you're body is already feeling stressed from all the negative things you fed your mind earlier.
10. Start your morning out instead with some type of stretching. The Chinese in many Countries do Tia Chi in the morning.
11. Talk with someone you can trust.
Heart to heart talks with someone really help reduce the stress. I'm sure you've heard the term "Getting it off your chest."
Sometimes that's exactly what we need to do. Just vent.
While I wouldn't make it a habit, there are times you need to.
12. Get your own little running water fall.
"Nature tops the list of potent tranquilizers and stress reducers. The mere sound of moving water has been shown to lower blood pressure." -- Patch Adams
13.Renew your Spirit by Prayer and the word of God.
God never intended for you to carry the load on your own.
He says to cast all your burdens on Him. He wants to actually take your burden off your shoulders and put it on Him instead. Don't worry, He's a big God, He can handle what ever burden you have. When you give it to Him, be sure not to take it back. Leave it with Him. Put your trust in Him that He will take care of "it".
Prayer makes a big difference, but it has to come from the heart. If it's just a head prayer, you're not really praying. Ask God to give you peace, and He will. A peace that no one else could even provide.
And what better place to find the will of God for your life than the Holy Bible.
I encourage you to read it daily and think and talk of it too each day.
And now a special 4 minute movie to help you relax and feel good: http://www.naturesinspirationmovie.com/
The next post will be "Diet of fruits, Vegetables, and fish." What types are the best and how often you should eat them and why.
Wishing you more Wealth and Riches in your life!
Dexter
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