Stress Management Magic

Good day!  Let’s begin with a “mini-relaxation” right now, right here at the desk.  It will give you a boost no matter what time of day it is! You deserve one minute, don’t you?

Sit with your shoulders down and relax, but lift your neck to separate the vertebra and discs.  Press your low back into your chair, which in turn will help both the abdominals and back, open the chest area by sitting just a bit straighter.

Now take a breath in through the nose slowly, think about all it WILL do for you mentally and physically.  When you exhale (through the mouth) remember this purging breath will empty the carbon dioxide making room for more oxygen, and it CAN be a house cleaning breath to shoot the negative out the fingertips into oblivion.  That’s a great thing to do for managing stress.

Take another mindful breath slowly. Think about it working in your body and mind. Now exhale slowly and purge the negative out.  You are in charge of your mind.  Now your oxygenated brain can use that finely tuned intellect to absorb what you need to retain from the balance of today’s information.

You’ve heard the old adage, “Speak before you think”.  There is so much more wisdom in these four words that we often understand.  Perhaps an even more productive saying could be “Breathe before you speak”.

Often times when we are under duress, and faced with a difficult scenario, we speak before we actually gather our thoughts together.

When in difficult situations, perhaps facing a screaming combatant, we will actually within draw by holding our breaths.  Think about it. In turn our muscle, tendons and ligaments begin to tighten.

Instinctively we are preparing for the “fight or flight” syndrome and our stance becomes that of preparing for defense. By unconsciously holding our breath we cut off our needed oxygen supply to make a more rational decision.  Our brains need fifty percent more oxygen to think optimally.

We need to put aside any doubt and release any tendency to “make things work out” or to force an outcome.

There is unlimited abundant energy and you direct whether it be positive or negative.  Refuse to be negative and affirm, “I am getting better.” No matter how you feel at the time, whether you believe it or not, your positive affirmation makes the statement true.

As you speak these words, the body responds with positive energy, growing and healing.  You will create brain cell impressions that reinforce your words.

If you do this expect an attitude of rejuvenation and be grateful for possibilities other wise not known.

We often become “compelled” and then “consumed”, hurrying through life. Compel yourself to seek peace and healing, and be consumed by those things.

Compel yourself to seek better responses to stresses. Don’t give your power away by reacting to someone else’s emotions.  Don’t be stripped of your joy in daily life.

Begin to form new habits.   Be compelled and consumed by thoughts that will aid your peace and healing process.

The things that you think, and the quality of your oxygen, will ultimately become your life and health.

YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF WHERE YOU GO FROM HERE.

Breathe and think positively.  Teach your brain to create those “cell impressions” from which you can empower yourself simply through your thoughts, and therein ultimately your body physiology will be changed for the good.

As you speak the words the body responds with positive energy growing.  You will create brain cell impressions that will reinforce your words, and your words, chosen carefully, will help to heal your own body.

Scientists are now proving that “the ability of mere thought to alter the physical structure and function of our gray matter” is NOT just an idea posed by those who participate in visualizations and meditations.

Mental practice resulted (as seen in a series of tests) in the reorganization of the brain. The scientists also discovered that mental training had the power to change the physical structure of the brain. How cool is that!

So now we know that scientists concur with those of us who participate in mind training (such as visualizations and meditations) to be used to enhance our lives. At all ages the brain retains the ability to change its structure and function in response to thought and / or experience.

Renew your mind, create new brain cells, and heal your heart and every fiber of your body.  Practice using the two options mentioned earlier in this article, and begin to rejuvenate your life.

Breathe and think. Think and speak. Be clear.  Do not let stressful obstructions or hindrances darken your day.  No matter what the situation is (like it or not) you always have the choice in your response.

Sometimes a problem may seem to take on a life of it’s own whispering into your ears.  If something is worrisome shrink the problem to nothingness by commanding your mind to focus on the good in your life and not that perception of desperation so many cling to.

Ninety-nine of all we worry about never comes to being.  It is a fact. Let it go the quality of your oxygen, the things that you think about and the words that you use will ultimately become your life and your health.  I repeat: You are in charge of where you go from here.

Let’s luxuriate for another minute!  Begin to repeat our personal healing minute.  Sit with your shoulders down and relaxed, but lift your neck to separate the vertebra and discs.  Press your low back into your chain, which in turn will help both the abdominals and back, open the chest area by sitting just a bit straighter.

Now take a breath in through the nose slowly, think about all it WILL do for you mentally and physically.  When you exhale (through the mouth) remember this purging breath will empty the carbon dioxide making room for more oxygen, and it is a way to shoot the negative out the fingertips into oblivion.

Inhale deeply again, please.  Now your oxygenated brain and body can use that finer intellect to bring forth better choices in words and deeds.  Create a wonderful day for yourself and others.  Start an epidemic of smiles!

This is for EVERY ONE of you out there is cyberspace!  Whether you are a student, a parent, a child, an employer, an employee, or a senior citizen……take a minute and think about what follows.  Change is possible at ANY age!

After studying and teaching stress management for over thirty years, I have some simple but life altering techniques, observations and realizations.

We all have the power to transform the natural stress that comes from living into energy capable of improving our physical and spiritual health

Secret number one is that the essence of life is transformation. These simple words hold the key for changing your life for the better. Join me in transformation and see if it isn’t so.  These are thoughts for the day that can transform your life and the lives of others

Cherish your pets and the lives of all animals.  They are gifts to us and can be dear friends.

When someone asks for a donation, try to give with whatever you can – So many people have been left homeless-and we are not their judges; just their brothers and sisters.

Breathe deeply and mindfully.  Do it again!

Remember to look for all those blessings we take for granted.  The breeze in the trees, the sound of singing birds, the laughter of a child, these are all blessings we can enjoy!

Take a walk. Crunch leaves as they begin to fall from the trees. Watch the changing colors…it’s AWESOME.  Love!

Humble beginnings or wealth from the start, what truly matters are things of the heart.

Take your family for a walk, or just do something spontaneous for fun together.  Love deeply.

Don’t keep yourself in a prison.  Take a break from your electronics and refresh the memory of talking to a real human, or sitting in the sunshine!

Take a breath.  Stretch.  Smile.

Make a point of actually playing with your children while they are small. Catch a fish, catch a ball, and catch precious moments. We are only here for one short period of time.

Watch the sun rise as darkness lifts, watch the sunset.  How many times have you left to see the stars at night or revel in the full moon?  Not enough in a lifetime for me.

If you can’t leave – take a mental vacation.  Even if it’s just for a minute or two, visualize a favorite place.  Listen to the sounds of nature.  Take a breath and use your mind to renew your zest for life.

Cherish the earth.  It is our home.

Cherish your body.  It is the only place your Spirit has to live!

Don’t let the sour expressions or negative attitudes of people affect your day.

Let your light shine through and be grateful for small miracles.  Start a cycle of sharing smiles and positive thoughts.

Say a prayer kneeling, with head bent and a humble heart and God will tend to your needs.

Take a breath and exhale all your negative thoughts.  Create a wonderful weekend for you and those you love!

Every single thought listed on this post is a form of stress management!  Our thoughts guide our actions.  Our actions build our lives.  Make them “right” thoughts and “thoughtful” actions.  It is a choice!

You can do it!

You CAN meet and rise above ANY stress that manifests in your life.  It just takes practice to create the brain cells that will be poised and dynamically respond with positive force.

The first step is to take a deep and mindful plug of oxygen into your oxygen machine!  When in difficult situations, whether it’s loosing a database, or perhaps facing a screaming combatant, we actually hold our breaths.  Think about it.  In turn our muscles, tendon and ligaments begin to tighten.

Instinctively we are preparing for the “fight or flight” syndrome and our stance becomes that of preparing for defense.  By unconsciously holding our breath we cut off our needed oxygen supply to make a more rational decision.  Our brains need fifty percent more oxygen to think optimally.

We need to put aside any doubt and release any tendency to “make things work out” or to force an outcome.

There is unlimited and abundant energy and you are in charge of whether it is positive or negative.

One of the most important exercises in managing stress is to expect the unexpected, and keep a habit of storing in your brain the belief that we are able to handle whatever happens to us!

None of us knows from moment to moment what our lives will challenge us with next.  In order to begin to manage stress we must be flexible to the idea that a new challenge may pop up, one we never dreamed would happen, and that no matter what we will meet the challenge.

The next step to begin real management of stress is to REFUSE to be negative and affirm, “I am getting better.  The situation will resolve with my calm perseverance.”  No matter how you feel at the time, whether you believe it or not, your positive affirmations make the statements true.

As you speak the words the body responds with positive energy growing and healing.  You will create brain cell impressions that reinforce your words. Do this repeatedly and you will find at some point that the thoughts automatically come to fruition in your mind and you will find a positive resolve with peace and the use of your own calm intellect.  It will happen!

Now take a few deep breaths and when you exhale remember your exhalations are making room for more wonderful oxygen to think optimally. Visualize all the negativity flying from your fingertips into oblivion and use your inhalations as a power surge for the mind and the body.  CREATE a wonderful day for yourself and those around you!

Each day offers a variety of experiences and encounters.  If stress and trepidation have captured your spirit you will find yourself dreading, not only each day, but anticipating the future as time that will be less than wonderful.

Instead of anticipating new adventures and rewarding experiences, you will be in a mental “funk”, and in reality, not feel as good physically.  Fear and stress equals a double edge sword that will take your life away and destroy any hope for joy and the future.

Stop it!  Stop wasting your life.  Since you get to CHOOSE your thoughts, CHOOSE to expect good.  You don’t know what the very next nanosecond will be like, let alone the next hours or days

Why shouldn’t you expect good?  Why not!

Even in the face of difficult circumstances you are still capable of guiding your thoughts and intellect.  You have an unlimited strength from within if you just tap into it.  Expect good to come – if not this instant – soon.

Claim trust back if it’s been dashed by time and circumstance.  Create order in your life and seek transformation to a solution that is good and acceptable to you and others.  There is always order and a silver lining if you can bear the temporary rocky road to get there.  Learn from those times that seem impossible.

You are stronger than you even know.  You may have just been trained to believe you are less than you feel in your heart.  Sometimes criticism from family and peers pierces the heart and acts like a train barreling into your self-esteem.

Esteem means, “respect and admire”.  It seems in life that many people are more apt to be critical and tear down others than to be respectful and admire them.  Perhaps it is because they themselves were treated in that manner.  Perhaps it is because negativity is rampant and people seem sure “the worst is to com”.

BELIEVE THE BEST IS YET TO COME.  DRAW GOOD TO YOU.

EMPOWER YOUR LIFE WITH POSITIVE THOUGHTS. EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO FAIN YOUR BELIEF IN THEM AT FIRST, CREATE NEW BRAIN CELLS AND TEACH YOURSELF TO DO THESE THINGS.

WHY NOT?  THE THOUGHT POLICE HAVEN’T COME TO FRUITION AS YET.  THOUGHT IS STILL ON THE FREE RANGE IF YOU BREAK OUT OF THE PRISON YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE IN.

Don’t believe unwarranted words.  None of us are perfect.  We all make mistakes, but that is part of maturing and learning to choose the best choices for our own lives.   You have a warehouse of “goods” within you, ready to be tapped into at any moment.

Transform your life.

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Once you are able to “exercise” your thoughts, the value of stress management training, yoga, meditation, exercise class, videos, any type of schooling or training, will accelerate to optimum intellectual levels and with a calm demeanor.  Use your oxygen and begin from within you…..today!

Welcome to the tedious and distracting overload provided by technology.  Some refer to it as the “Attention Crisis”.

Technology has provided us with some awesome things – a plethora of websites to get information from, emails, blogs, YouTube videos, music, current news (past news too), the weather, and a never-ending line of opinions, photos, movies and games.  This is NOT a complete list.

You may be literally fatigued from it all.  You may find your nerves are shredded by all the stimuli, and the things you feel you must check out in a day’s time.

For all the wonderful things available you may find you are squandering your time and lower your productivity.  Keep in mind many of the above mentioned things should be done in your “free” time – excluding, of course, the family, school, your workload, aging parents, and the myriad of other demands in this twenty-first century living.

All Americans are vulnerable to finding themselves more stressed out than ever and really overwhelmed with it all.  You may be facing the limit of your human ability to cope with all the stimuli in your environment

With this entire happening, what may be worse is you find your coping mechanisms are becoming less effective, and your stress level increasing.  No matter how you multitask, your list just seems to grow.

By the end of each day you may emerge with eyestrain and having accomplished nothing much at all.   You have been distracted by all the “input”, and we haven’t even mentioned continuous advertisements on television, the radio, newspapers and magazines – along with non-stop “hearing distractions, no matter where you are!

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?

First thing you can do right now is take a minute.  It won’t kill any project you have begun.  You need mindful oxygen. Stress makes you take shallow breaths…withholding your oxygen.  In turn, you are depleted of what you need to manage your life and make good decisions. Take a breath in slowly through the nose.  Now exhale through the mouth.  Do this several times.

Next you need to really pay attention to the “overall picture”.  It will help to prioritize.  Build a list (doesn’t have to be fancy), but make it honest.  What do you really need to do? .  Ask yourself whether you really are focusing on the right things

Study your habits.  Do not be an accepting and passive consumer of everything that is put in front of you. Tame your appetite.  LIMIT YOUR INPUT!  Open-ended cruising of all that is offered WILL cause you ultimately to lose track of your goals, and your time, which is your life!

If you sleep eight hours a night you still have three hundred and fifty thousand waking minutes of each you.  Now compute how many minutes a week you truly spend passively reading and hearing “stuff”?   You can waste so much time following fluff.  How much time do you spend healing you?  How many minutes with the family and loved ones?  How many minutes to breathe and relax?

You want to take down your stress level?  Tame your wild stallion and pick and choose the most wonderful ways to spend your minutes and hours. Laugh with someone, pray with someone, walk alone to the top of a hill and sing.  Hug like it feels inside; shake hands with a hearty and warm grasp. Fly a kite.  Splash around in the small puppy pool with the puppy.  Go outside and get on a bike and ride it.  There isn’t an age limit!

Or if you are actually not supposed to be taking time to read this, then bravo.  You took a minute or two to change your life.

Now take in a deep breath and think:  I feel better. Turn your hands up and exhale through the mouth and SEE your negativity, and any unresolved issues, fly from your head to your arms and out the fingertips.

This world tosses stress around like raindrops pelting down on a stormy day.  Major stresses will affect your life at some point. They may have already done so. There may be one, there may be many, but to know how to manage stress, and put techniques into practice, might save your mind, your life or the life of another.

There is no guarantee how long life will be for each human. Keep in mind, it is fragile and life needs to be cherished. Within a nanosecond your life can change for all the remaining days you have left to live on this planet.  This is important to keep in mind, because it happens. It is factual.

Be prepared for what you don’t expect.  Perhaps, with practice of stress management techniques, you will find a windfall of strength and endurance, previously unknown, in surviving any tragedy.  You can’t prepare for everything, but you can teach your mind how to calm down and learn to differentiate between necessary, urgent, and critical challenges that may arise.

The potential to handle “life” and its challenges is bundled up within you.  It all depends on the quality of life you desire, your willingness to make the first move, and your willingness to practice, practice, and practice!

Techniques to learn stress management are not difficult!  They are rewarding, to say the least, throughout your life.  Your profession, raising a family, staying on a diet, completing a school project – all these things can be more complex that learning the techniques that will help every moment and every sequence of events in your life.

So what’s the problem?  Don’t wait until a major stress evolves and you find YOU with stress that is out of control.  Start today.

DEDICATE as little as a couple of minutes every waking hour  (that’s only twenty four minutes in twelve hours) or fifteen minutes in the evening, to practice breathing.

YOU ARE AN OXYGEN MACHINE AND WITHOUT IT YOU DIE IN A FEW MINUTES.  WHY NOT REFINE AND USE YOUR OXYGEN AS IT’S MEANT TO BE USED: TO HEAL, RELAX AND REGENERATE.

If you practice faithfully for a week or so, each day, you will begin to notice the breathing becomes more natural to you.

You will be able to draw upon this type of breathing when a stress is triggered by something, and you will be able to empower your response and calm your bodily functions.

Begin today to change your life forever. The easiest and most effective way to begin is right this moment.  No matter where you are reading this, take a moment, sit up a bit straighter to allow good oxygen.

Let your shoulders relax downward and with a little effort, pull them back slightly.

You have opened up the lung area and now are prepared to receive fresh oxygen.

Take a deep inhalation through the nose.  Allow your lower abdominal area to fill up like a balloon.  Hold it for a moment.  Now exhale through the mouth and allow the “balloon” to empty from the bottom upward.

Read and do the above paragraph again.

Read it several times and slowly “use” your oxygen.  You can’t go any place in your car without gas!  (Stress causes shallow breathing) Don’t deplete YOU.  Do this breathing for two minutes.  Can you afford not to?

Your inhalation will relax and regenerate you.  Your

exhalation is actually a housekeeping technique – sending out the carbon dioxide and making room for oxygen.  You can also visualize sending any negative incidents or feelings right out with the exhalation.  Purge your body and make room for new life and new thoughts.

When you have mastered just this simple technique then move to add another such as walking, yoga, a  stress management program, or other training.  Be comfortable with your own breathing and it will empower you.

The Problem with Stress Management Training………..

You know you need it, but there is always a reason (or justification) to enable you to “wait till things settle down” to begin to learn how to manage your stress.

So many people, who desperately NEED help, are simply in denial.

“I don’t have time.”  “I can’t afford classes.”  “I just can’t!”

Don’t be one of those folks who begin to seek help and then just put it off until another day.  Don’t wind up having a heart attack.  It happens more often than you think, with stress that is not managed, a huge factor in causing the problem.

Heart disease kills more people in the USA than any other stress related disease or medical issue.  Cancer is next in the line of our biggest killers.  Many scientists and medical practitioners are now admitting that there is high probability that stress has been the initiator of many of these fatalities.

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“Coronary heart disease is also much more common in individuals subjected to chronic stress and recent research has focused on how to identify and prevent this growing problem, particularly with respect to job stress. In many instances, we create our own stress that contributes to coronary disease by smoking and other faulty lifestyles or because of dangerous traits like excess anger, hostility, aggressiveness, time urgency, inappropriate competitiveness and preoccupation with work.”

The American Institute of Stress

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It is time for you to begin to manage your stress. This day is yours – CREATE a beautiful one for yourself and those around you.

Quick Tips

THINK before you speak. Take a breath and it will spark your intellect, RELAX and regenerate you, simultaneously.

Remember words are sharper than any knife and they pierce the heart.  Once you speak them you cannot erase them in the mind of the person to whom you were speaking.  Do not allow yourself to respond negatively for it will simply increase the stress already present.

Take THIS opportunity to tell someone you love or appreciate him or her.  The feeling YOU get when you pass love or a positive thought to someone will help dissipate your negative thoughts.  You will also find a positive response to you can elevate your peace.

Make these moments of value and the worth of your actions will ultimately come back to benefit you! It always works… The things you think, and the way you breathe!

The things that you think within, words you speak, and the quality of your oxygen will ultimately become your life and health. YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF WHERE YOU GO FROM HERE.

Breathe and think positively. Teach your brain to create those “cell impressions” from which you can empower yourself simply through your thoughts. Ultimately, if you are consistent, your body physiology will be changed for the good.

Put aside any doubt and release any tendency to “make things work out” or to force an outcome. Open your thoughts and your life to the source of all intelligence and let go of worry.

Worry changes nothing for the better. The only thing worry does is increase in increments and cause more worry, more problems, and more stress.  Worry affects us physically in a negative manner and it changes nothing!

Spend time on thoughts that are positive and quality and you will draw those things positive to you. Be mindful of your oxygen intake, and as you exhale send all those negative thoughts into oblivion.

If you think I may be repeating some things simply phrased a bit differently – I am!  Repetition is the key to learning.  Once you have created these new brain cell impressions your “new way of thinking and speaking” will become second nature.

What is the past is the past. The future is but a “hope for the best”.  The moments you have are now. Make them of value to you and those in the circle of your life.  You are in charge.

If you want – really want – to change your life, take that yoga class you’ve thought of joining.  Join a group to help one another. Buy stress management tapes and CD’s.  Go to a therapist!  Get more help on line.  Be the master of your future and get help now!

Now take a deep and mindful breath and visualize wonderful oxygen regenerating you and relaxing you.  When you exhale visualize all the negativity and unresolved worries fly from your fingertips into oblivion.

The facts:  First take a few nice slow breaths and exhale fully.  This will sharpen your intellect and help relax you for this reading.

If you have been stressing lately about the amount of alcohol you are consuming, or if you find yourself drinking when no one else knows, you had better start right away to make some BIG changes or you are HEADED DIRECTLY IN THE PATH OF A FREIGHT TRAIN!  This is not a joke.

Even if you think you are in control and just have a drink or two when no one is around – YOU’VE ALREADY GOT A PROBLEM.  If you have the “need” for a drink this warning is as serious as stopping at a red light in major city traffic.  You are headed the wrong way on a one-way street.

You can lie to yourself, justify your drinking, or just say it’s no one’s business – but this writer speaks from personal experience on both sides of the fence….the drinker, and the one who suffered the effects of living with a drinker.  This is serious business. It cannot be stressed enough. If you continue your stress level will increase.

If you think having a drink takes the edge off for a while, you are kidding yourself.  It’s like any drug only more insidious.

Ultimately you’ll need more to get the same feeling.  This drug causes much more damage than others because it is legal and so readily available.

Ever have a blackout?  Ever gotten angry when drinking?  Have you ever said or done something you wish you hadn’t?  Ever thought about what it costs to continue the habit?  Have you lost your family and / or the respect and love of friends?  Ever hidden a bottle or lied about your drinking?

Most people with a problem (possibly unrecognized, as yet) have experienced at least one or two of these scenarios.

No matter what the scenario – married, divorced, children, partnering with someone, or alone – overindulgence of alcohol can not only RUIN your life and the lives – it is a spirit, intellect, and health killer!

The problem is that alcohol has been advertised to be “socially acceptable”, a way to take the “edge off”, and a way to find your “confidence”, some profess true feelings come out, or that it is one of the best legal ways to party hearty.

DON’T FORGET WHO IS ADVERTISING:  big business, politicians who have there hands out, and people who are in the middle of the struggle and don’t want to drink alone.

Those are NOT very good recommendations!  If you are a parent and you love your children SEEK HELP NOW.  There is no shame in it.  From grade school to the elderly, America is fighting the battle with alcohol.  It takes courage to make this move, but you won’t loose everything ultimately, if you do something now!

If you don’t care about yourself enough, yet, think what you are possibly doing to someone else because of your drinking.

Alcohol stress for the NON-DRINKERS

This is a true story about a little girl who deals with the effects of alcohol EVERY DAY of her young life.

This is what a child should be worrying about (boy or girl) -  “Is there enough bread to feed all the geese?”

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McKenna was nine years old the day I met her.  I rounded the corner while taking my energetic puppy for a promised walk.  I walked a few yards and noticed a little girl across the street on her bike.  Her outfit was pink and her hair red. Not the kind of red that reminds you of a fire truck.  It was a soft red, almost  light pink.  It was cut in a cute bouncy style.

I introduced her to my dog so they could become friends.  She was “sparkly”.  Funny, that’s the only word that comes to mind.

She has dreams.  She sings.  I asked if she was good and she was modest and said “Some people think I’m good when they hear me.”  I asked if she thought she was good and said it wouldn’t be conceited to tell me.  She told me she thought she was good – but with purity and no diva attitude.

She asked if she could sing for me and I said yes.  When she started she was a little nervous, but she got more relaxed and belted out a very nice rendition of the song she was singing.

She was actually very good and I told her I enjoyed her singing.

Then out of a clear blue sky she told me this:

“My dad’s an alcoholic.  I know he loves me, but alcohol took my dad away.  I’ve known it since I was five.  He never keeps his promises to us and my mom warned me to let me know if he crushed my heart some time along the way.”

My heartbeat quickened.  I knew if I allowed the tears in my eyes to express themselves, it wouldn’t be right, or helpful for McKenna, this beautiful nine year old.  I could feel her genuine pain.

She was however, mature beyond her years and ready to understand and forgive.  I explained some things about addiction and she listened hard.

She rode her bike next to us all the way to her boundry.  I turned around and backtracked because she was so hungry to talk about it.  She has lived on this planet only nine years and is already suffering the pain living with someone who is an alcoholic brings.

She asked me if I would walk that way again and I said I would love to see you again.  She hugged me and we waved good-by.

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McKenna’s pain has only begun.  Times will get harder.  I can pray for her and be her friend.  A child shouldn’t have to feel this way!

Know this:  just because you may not be an “alcoholic” (you may not even know you could be) – and you think you are just a social drinker, be sure to plant a seed in your mind to monitor your habits.

As creatures of habit we get into the “habit” of things easily; they are harder to break.  Remember alcohol is a seductive and sneaky drug that at some point can creep up on you and rule your life!

Don’t wind up like the man I saw laying on the side of the road, sleeping under cardboard.  His shoes were off and I couldn’t see his face, but I could see the empty bottle of bourbon next to him.  Head towards the path a friend of mine went down.  He actually made a decision to quit all on his own.  He had been in jail, almost lost his family, and knew he had to do something.   He quit cold turkey and has not had a drink in twenty-five years.  His life is wonderful now and he has no regrets.

Don’t think your children aren’t watching.  They see and hear more than you think.  Don’t forget the statistics of high school and college age students who have DIED from alcohol poisoning is on the rise.  Don’t forget alcohol may seem to take you up temporarily, but as it wears off it becomes a depressant!

Now What Do I Do?

First of all, take a breath.  Before ANY fearful or major happening in your life, USE MINDFUL OXYGEN. It will help relax you and empower you.  Refer to earlier posts if you are not familiar with breathing techniques as there are a few on line practices on this website.  No charge, of course.

Seek help.  If you are hiding alcohol, have been drunk this week, or can relate to any of the scenarios above:  PLEASE SEEK HELP.

Most communities have Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and Alanon (for those suffering from the actions of alcoholics).  Look online for help and websites offering more suggestions.

Contact a church, a family member or friends…there is help available and there is NO SHAME in asking for help.  There is hope in it!

Don’t leave your spirit in an empty bottle of alcohol.  The choice is yours and yours alone.

Today is the day you need to begin to REALLY learn to manage your stress!  There is NO TIME to wait.  If you want the rest of your life to become more peaceful and less stressful – begin now!

Breathe in through your nose slowly, expanding from your lower abdominals upward, hold for a few seconds.  Now exhale through your mouth slowly and empty out the carbon dioxide from the lower abs (deflating like a balloon) upward.

Read the above paragraph and do it again.  Again.

You are physically giving your mind and body more oxygen that normal breathing.  Actually when you are “stressing” about things your breathing becomes shallow.

With the additional oxygen your brain will be able to think optimally (it needs fifty percent more oxygen that the rest of your body).  Your muscles and tendons and ligaments will begin to relax instead of tightening up and ultimately causing pain.  This is the way your wonderful body works.

Repetition is the mother of all learning, so do it again.

Breathe in through your nose slowly, expanding from your lower abdominals upward, hold for a few seconds.  Now exhale through your mouth slowly and empty out the carbon dioxide from the lower abs (deflating like a balloon) upward.

Each time you take “seconds” to do this, you are REALLY beginning to manage your stress.   This point cannot be diminished in importance.  Perhaps by mentioning that humans die without oxygen after just a few minutes, you can keep in mind the importance of mindful breathing.

You know why it is important to begin now!  With statistics of   unemployment facing two million families, all the economic woes, the oil spill, earthquakes, war on several fronts and the treat of new wars, the illegal alien fiasco, more foreclosures, and all the tragic events that are taking place, along with “normal” stresses (family, deaths, weddings, childbirth, etc. etc. etc.) you plenty of reasons to stop putting off learning to manage your stress.   Don’t say you don’t have time.

Do you have time to have a nervous breakdown?  How about hospital time for the physical ailments that WILL come with out of control stress?  Do you want to scream and take your unmanaged stress responses out on your children or your mate?  Do you want to find yourself going postal?  Violence comes to many who have ignored all the signals they need help.

If you don’t help yourself you aren’t going to be any good for anybody or anything else.  Your stress will compound and your physical ailments from it will increase in increments.

Breathe in through your nose slowly, expanding from your lower abdominals upward, hold for a few seconds.  Now exhale through your mouth slowly and empty out the carbon dioxide from the lower abs (deflating like a balloon) upward.

The magic begins with your oxygen.

When you have practiced this breathing add another technique to it.  As you inhale think:  “I am pulling in needed oxygen to help me think and act calmer.”  As you exhale think: ” I am sending with my exhalation, all my worries and damaging negative thoughts into oblivion.  Try it again.

Breathe in through your nose slowly, expanding from your lower abdominals upward, hold for a few seconds.

“I am regenerating and relaxing my mind and body”

Now exhale through your mouth slowly and empty out the carbon dioxide Breathe in through your nose slowly, expanding from your lower abdominals upward, hold for a few seconds.  Now exhale through your mouth slowly and empty out the carbon dioxide.

“I release my negativity to make room for healing oxygen”

Make your affirmations short if it is easier.  Inhale and think: “Peace”.  Exhale and think: “Release”.  The thoughts that will help you most in your own scenario are those to use.

IF IT SOUNDS JUST TOO SIMPLE – IT IS!  Because this technique is simple, and can be done anywhere, it is invaluable to get in the habit of using your own oxygen to empower, relax, and regenerate YOU.  Be wise and take advantage of this gift.

We all face adversity in our life.  It is not the adversity that defines us. It is how we respond to it.  During tough times, do you spend too much time feeling sorry for yourself, or wondering what life is all about?   Think about it honestly.

Step aside from your own self-pity, and worry that accomplishes nothing, and try to find gratitude for moments life presents – small moments of rapture – if you choose to see them.  You will be moving towards a happier and more peaceful life.

Listen to the bird singing a song outside the window in the morning, or the sound of raindrops on the roof that sing a melody of a cool spring rain and be grateful for your ears that hear.

Feel the wisp of a breeze across the face on a hot summer’s day.  Listen to someone laughing.  It will brighten your moment even if you don’t know why they are laughing; be grateful as laughter heals

Be grateful for a body that heals from life’s injuries and sustains itself without much help from you – for decades!    “Learn how to dance in the rain”.

It almost sounds too simple to be important, but one word, “gratitude”, can change your attitude, thus, your life, forever.

“When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that is present, we experience heaven on earth.”- Sarah Breathnach

When we choose to focus on the positive that still exists all around us, it is magnified in our vision, and these positive and grateful thoughts help manage stress and build peace from within.

Find something to celebrate.  Pet a puppy.  Hug a friend. Be grateful for your mind, an intelligence that allows you to change your thoughts, and change your life!