Stress affects everything single cell in our body. Stress can affect digestion by not digesting food properly which means we’re not absorbing nutrients. Stress also affects our adrenal glands that regulate some critical hormones. I believe the big stressor is how stress affects sleep. When we’re not sleeping well our mind and body are not getting the regeneration needed to repair and restore while we sleep.
Our biology will work in a harmonious way if we can only stay in a calm state. Yeah, right…’ easier said than done’. If I had a dime for every time, I heard someone say that I would be very wealthy. Just with that one negative statement, we believe what we think. If the belief we hold is “it’s hard to let go of stress” then it will…plain and simple.
Changing the way we think isn’t hard, but it’s a shift for sure. Our subconscious is always working against us bringing to the foreground the negative beliefs we have. To quote my mentor Jack Canfield, “You only have control over three things in your life; the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take.” If we think we’re stressed, then guess what? We are. How simple is that? Imagine the opposite. We’re not stressed…voila, you’re not. Your mind will take care of the rest. Learn more from Jack Canfield’s book The Success Principles.
My day starts with 2 simple practices; meditation and releasing. Meditation is whatever you make it. It can be in prayer, using a mantra or affirmation, following your breath, or just sitting quietly for a few minutes. Being able to clear your mind of thoughts as you’re in a quiet state is very calming to the central nervous system. You can meditate anytime, but for me, first thing in the morning is my preference since my mind is the quietest.
My second process is releasing and letting go. I’ve been practicing a process called The Sedona Method for years. The author of The Sedona Method, Hale Dwoskin was one of the teachers in the movie, The Secret. It’s a simple process of releasing and letting go of negative or painful thoughts. We tend to look back to past events or anticipate future events while ignoring the present moment. All our pain and suffering are held in stories from the past or new stories we create about some future events we have no control over. To learn more about the Sedona Method go to www.Sedona.com or
One last thought to lower stress is to avoid the daily serving of news, especially before bed. No matter what your political viewpoint is you can be served up your favorite news. What we watch on TV or read on the internet can have a very strong charge for us and that creates unwanted and subconscious stress.
So close your eyes, get quiet focusing on your breath while letting go of unwanted feelings all in a comfortable seated position. Namaste.
I’d love to hear how you manage stress. Please share in the comments section below.
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