Stress Management Magic

Did you know that if you choose to listen to music that flows along with the natural heart rate you could relax your mind and lower your stress level.

Music has been used therapeutically for years in mental health settings, but it was discovered only a decade or so ago that it can have dramatic effects in the realm of physically healing persons in intensive care units.

In particular studies at one hospital, observations were made of levels of heart rate, blood pressure and medication needs. There were significant decreases recorded in patient anxiety, heart rates, and blood pressure levels when selected music was played.

Initial observations in the studies prompted the use of music in surgery, pre-op, recovery and other areas in the hospital.  One of the most dramatic results of the use of music in the surgical areas was a fifty percent reduction in the need for anesthetics.

Currently over one hundred hospitals and research centers use music as a therapeutic way to relax, and as a way to enhance the patient’s ability to relax.

Pain sufferers have been found to benefit from musical listening not only for relaxation, but an adjunct for mental imagery development.  The emotional power of music has long been recognized.  It is the real power of these emotions that is of recent discovery.

There is a growing field of therapy which ranges from group therapy to individual counseling in which the individuals use music and images to promote healing in an institutional setting.  Still some question the value, but acceptance of its value is spreading.  Anything that can help a patient cope or even thrive in an unfamiliar, and often-impersonal setting, such as a hospital, could be a valuable resource.

Now think about the music that is played while you shop for groceries, or in a department store, or an office.  You’ve heard the different types of music.

Did you know that many grocery stores gear the type music they play to the preferred music of the “average age” shopper?

Think about when you drive up to a stoplight and you hear loud music, usually with a loud base tone, and how it makes you feel.  Example:  rap or hard rock.

Perhaps you’ve been in high intensity aerobics or kick-boxing;

the music is probably “pumped up” with a steady beat to promote that kind of movement.  All music CAN serve a purpose.

For stressful times, CHOOSE to listen to with a calm and light feeling, type of music, perhaps, with no lyrics.  You won’t be forced to listen to someone else’s thoughts, but find yourself listening to yourself.

The rhythm will begin to slow your heart rate and lower your blood pressure.  Even while driving in traffic, if the selection of your music is calming to your heart and mind, it will calm your demeanor.

Try it and you will find after changing the habit of playing high-energy music, you will begin to feel relaxation coming on as the music plays.   Music can be a thoroughly pleasurable aid to managing your stress.

We have all shared the common experience of pain during our lifetimes.  We use pain as a guideline to our physical health and safety.  Our intelligence alerts us to try to correct whatever is causing the pain.

When the pain is “correctable” we are pleased.  The sensations of pain vaporize until the next time. This phenomenon is similar to what happens to women in childbirth.

Physical pain covers a vast array of types of pain.  There is stabbing pain, sharp pain, lingering pain, dull pain, and excruciating pain.

Emotional pains are more complex and actually growing into suffering.  These emotional pains will absolutely influence the whole circle of the host’s life; actually increasing physical pain, and tossing stress levels out of control, unless we deal with it. Pain grows to suffering, and often needlessly.

Each of us has learned, either from our own experience or others’ experiences, sometimes terrible and unfair things can happen to the best of us. People have experienced a nervous breakdown from unresolved emotional trauma.  Maybe you have found yourself in a similar disoriented and depressed state from experiencing emotional trauma.

Human beings have a propensity to replay over and over again in our minds what went wrong, what we could have done to stop it, and what horrible things will happen next.  We dwell in the past rather than trying to find a simple solution.

Often times we define ourselves by our emotional pain.  When we do this we suffer additional emotional pain, unnecessarily, and the stress becomes a mountain we face.

In order to “recover” from emotional trauma, it is imperative to quit maintaining the identity of the one who was or is being hurt.  Stop retelling the story (aloud or within your own mind) of how you were hurt, who hurt you, why it shouldn’t have happened, how badly you are hurt and so on and so forth.

When you quit telling the story, you immediately make the first step towards healing.   You will have released the incident that initially triggered the trauma.  Whatever it is, it is in the past now.

This moment you need to concentrate on either doing what you can to change the circumstances, or accept the fact that life has now changed, and the changes are beyond your control.

The only choice, at least the best choice, is to accept it and move forward.  Step back, take a deep breath and tell yourself, “I’m not going down that road again.”

Here are some simple things that may keep you from  catching it!

This information was passed on to me from someone I’ve known over the years to be trustworthy and intelligent.  The following sums up to me, as well, “common sense” things we can all do to keep this problem less prevalent.

Remember too, if you have a cough, please cough into the armpit area.  If you cough in your hands you may spread whatever it is that is causing it by simply touching something!

Make sure your children are aware of the things they can do to prevent spreading any virus or flu.  Even if they are young, children are oftentimes brighter,and absorb more information they we realize.

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“The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

“While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.”

Please share this information.  It may save someone’s life!

Decompress Your Neck and Begin to Relax

It is so helpful to learn how to lengthen, relax, and decompress your neck and relax your shoulders.  As you become familiar with your own body, you will find there are simple treatments you can manage, to begin to do this.

Because of the structure of our chairs, the positions we sit in, the kind of pillow we use, the weight of our own heads, the purses and backpacks we care, and the stress we maintain, our necks compress little by little. This can cause neck aches, headaches, and your shoulders to further tighten up and stress to begin to control your body.

Here are simple exercises to prepare you for keeping your shoulders down and your neck relaxed.  The primary exercise will always initially begin with exercising your mind.  Take in a needed breath of oxygen.  Stress and pain cause us to hold our breaths.  Slowly exhale and use your mind to visualize the carbon dioxide leaving and therein making room for more oxygen.  Do this several times mindfully.

Now, hold an object weighing one or two pounds in each hand, letting the weight of the objects pull shoulder blades down. Make sure that you keep the breastbone lifting up so that the tops of the shoulders don’t pull down and forward, collapsing the chest.

Set the objects down and see if you can find the muscles you need to pull your shoulder blades down just as the weights did.

These muscles are called the lower trapeziums muscles. They attach to the vertebrae of the middle back, and insert on the inner border of the shoulder blades. They are antagonist muscles to the upper trapeziums muscles.

These muscles are very important posture muscles, and help support the spine in the middle back. When the lower traps are too weak to counteract the pull of the stronger and tighter upper traps, the scapulae will tend to ride up, compressing your neck.

Remember to use your oxygen.  Roll your shoulders simultaneously in circles moving forward.  Do this several times.  Reverse the circles to move towards the back.

Press your shoulders up – then push them down.  Think – and lift your head up from your shoulders where it’s been pressing downward, bend it towards your left shoulder, then lift again and bend towards the right.

Remember, as you decompress, you will allow vital oxygen to move through the areas with ease.  Think of a garden hose that is crimped and how the water doesn’t flow freely.  It works the same with your oxygen.

Take a few breaths. When you begin to feel discomfort again during stressful times, remember to use these simple techniques.  You are in charge of how you feel, and if it’s not good, you are the only one who can change that!

Remember, too, groups are available who can help you discover your stress level through testing, and many organizations have been created specifically to help you through hard times.

Meditation and yoga are two ways to help you learn to manage your stress.

It’s your body, and the only place you have to live!  Take care of it and have a wonderful day.

There will always be stress in our lives. There is some good stress and some bad stress.

People think of stress as “pressure” or “tension”.  I like to think of stress as being just the way we respond to change!  When you understand stress and the effects that it can have on you, you can use it to your own advantage, and turn potential “stressors” into “positive challenges.”

Positive and Negative

Most people equate stressors, or things that cause stress, as negative.  The instigator could be traffic, a difficult job, or divorce.  During theses stressful times, often people become aware of tense muscles, headaches, or stomach aches during, before or after such situations.

But stressors can also be very positive experiences.  Having a wedding, a baby, or pitching a perfect no-hit baseball game are examples of changes that can activate your stress response.

The Mechanics of Stress

Your body reacts to stress in many ways.  Stress is defined as a response by your body to any demand made upon it.

Hormones, like adrenalin, surge.  Your blood pressure and heartbeat increases.  These effects on human beings have been unchanged for thousands of years.  Our prehistoric ancestors used this response to help them run away faster, or fight harder.  That is why this reaction is known as the “fight or flight” response.  It is a natural response when your mind senses the need.

The Effects of Stress

The problem with this automatic response is that the body can’t tell the difference between a positive or negative stressor.  In either case, your body experiences the same stress effects.

If you are not able to vent by letting off steam somehow, if you don’t learn to relax, these effects can be harmful.  During periods of stress you may feel exhausted or anxious.  You may experience physical symptoms such as a clenched jaw or shoulder and backache.

If you are able, during these times, take care by getting plenty of rest, eating healthily, exercising and practicing some form of meditation or quiet time.

Alcohol or drugs do not help the situation.

If you are someplace where you are unable to practice the techniques listed above, FOR YOUR SAKE, use your oxygen as a magical and secret weapon.  Breathe deeply and exhale slowly and fully.  When stress enters we withdraw our oxygen supply to a minimum.  This exasperates the tightening of muscles and ligaments.  It can cause headaches, and only makes the situation much worse.

Think of your oxygen relaxing and regenerating you.  Know that the oxygen will make your intellect finer.  These are changes that happen to the human body, automatically, just by breathing mindfully.

Stress is like a body temperature; if it’s too low or to high, you can’t survive optimally, but the right balance can keep you going strong.  Consider life’s stressors challenges, experiences and wisdom builders.

You can use this mindful breathing even when you are not feeling overwhelmed. Now take a breath and have a wonderful day!

Here are a few self- care remedies

There are many kinds of headaches, but the most common variety is caused by tension.  Fortunately these tension headaches are the easiest to take care of by yourself.

Here are a few tips to help you recognize the symptoms of tension headaches, and what you can do to help relieve your discomfort.

A typical tension headache can be mild, but it can also be very painful.  Stress causes our muscles and ligaments to get tense.

The neck, face, and scalp muscles can tighten and your head may feel like there is great pressure on the head or neck, or as if you have a tight band circling around the head.

You can find yourself with blurred vision and nausea and vomiting.  If you think the headache might be distressing enough to be a migraine, it would be wise to see your physician.

Migraine headaches are different than tension headaches though; they usually begin with symptoms such as numbness or extreme sensitivity to light.  When the pain comes on it, it is intense, and can last for hours or days.

All kinds of things can cause headaches.  If you are meeting a deadline, if traffic is terrible, if your child is screaming or if you are simply feeling a bit overwhelmed with other stressors.

First and foremost, remember when we have pain, we all have a tendency to hold our breaths.  The lack of oxygen will make the headache worse.  So take a breath and visualize it giving you the oxygen you need to help your headache diminish.

For occasional tension headaches you can use aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen.  Particularly when you are at a job these pain relievers can help. Be sure to taken as directed.  Over-medicating is always dangerous.

My preference for a tension headache is to take an ice pack and place it directly on the head, or hold it as close as you can get to the area of the most pain.  You can also apply it to the back of the neck.  It may feel uncomfortable to you at first, but it will help diminish inflammation. I always head for the ice if I feel a headache coming on.

For those times you are able to do so, try a warm shower or bath, or a damp heating pad.  Lie down in a dark room with your feet up and a cool washcloth over your eyes.

If you are fortunate to be able to have someone deeply massage your neck and shoulders and scalp that is very helpful.  I have found that I am able to use one hand to massage and loosen one side of my neck and shoulder.  Then I switch hands and do it to the other side.  There is ALWAYS a way to use “self-help” methods for your own healing.

Of course participating in relaxation training is excellent.  After twenty plus years specializing in this field, I can honestly say, seeing the change in students after just four or five classes is incredible.

Try to restructure your thinking.  When you are in a relaxed situation, visualize the stressful one, and then imagine practicing your own successful response to it.  This teaches you to change your habitual responses to stressful situations.

With practice, these “rehearsals” for life, will become automatic and when you feel a tension headache beginning, you will know automatically what to do to help.

Remember, your oxygen is your secret weapon, and your “in house” healing tool.

The first is OXYGEN for our oxygen machine!

The second?  The answer is water.  Nothing quenches the thirst like cool, clear water.  Anything else you drink will make thirstier! This is fact.  That is how manufacturers insure sales.  Even “specialty water” has to have an additive to keep you coming back for more.

When you thirst, only water will satisfy the need.  Your body needs water to live.  You can survive only minutes without oxygen, and only  days without water.  Even for those of you who think you don’t need much water – you are wrong!

Read on, my friends.  You may be one America’s finest people, but your body may be screaming for water,  and yet the mind is not  savvy to  the value of drinking it for internal health.

For a human to stay hydrated, means your body chemistry combines chemically with water molecules. Water molecules are chemically “bound” to another compound or element within your body.

When someone says,” You don’t drink enough water”, they probably care for you!  When you don’t drink enough water various things happen.

First, remember that next to oxygen in the importance of life sustaining things we take into our bodies, water comes in second in importance. That is pretty high in the order of things we need to sustain life! We can live for only minutes without oxygen, and only days without water.

Here is a little known fact. When you don’t get enough water for your internal organs, they begin to take water from other organs. Amazing, eh? The body knows water is to maintain life. Often we don’t realize it.

When you don’t get enough fluid in your tissues, your cells start to draw it from your bloodstream. Your blood will thicken (it makes sense – think about it), and it can put a strain on your heart or make you feel weak or light-headed.

Particularly for those of us who perspire profusely, you must replenish your fluids.

I’ve heard, “But I don’t like water. It tastes awful.” “I feel like I am drinking nothing and it makes me feel too full.” That can be a blessing for those who want to loose a few pounds. Drink water about a half hour before a meal and you won’t eat as much. Really!

When I first made the transition from wine to water, (only Jesus can turn water to wine:), I would put my ice water in a lovely crystal wine class with some ice and a twist of lemon. It looked lovely and each time I took a sip I thought “Ummmmmmm – no calories, no headache, no organs starving for water, and no guilt!

It worked. I got in the habit and I have over the years always taken a bottle or jug of water with me wherever I go in the summer. It is mandatory.

If you need variety, drink caffeine free sports drinks or iced fruit juices (add water to keep calories down). It’s fun to be creative. I like sparkling water just flavored with a twist of lemon, lime or orange peel.

Fruits and vegetables can supplement some water intake if you eat five servings a day.

Watermelon, cantaloupe, oranges, apples are great examples of those types of juicy fruits. Fruit in the summer is magic. For vegetables, how about tomatoes or carrots?  Be creative.

Lastly, remember ALCOHOL and caffeinated drinks deplete your water supply.

This body will work for you for years and years, and in great health, if you just treat it with as much respect and care as you do an automobile. The requirements are easy, not as costly as auto repair, and will absolutely make you feel better!

You may not think so at first, but give it time and THINK: If I do the right things for my body and mind my spirit will function better too, and my health will improve. That is simply the physiology of the body!

Now get up and stretch a bit, walk out to the kitchen and get a glass of water (doesn’t have to be huge-just frequent). It is the nectar of God and a great healer!