STRESS

 I cannot take credit for this beautiful information, and I unfortunately cannot give anyone credit because it was sent to me via an email forward. None the less, I loved it and feel compelled to share it with you.    

 Enjoy =)      

  

Stress

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked
“How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

He continued,

“And that’s the way it is with stress management.

If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,

As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,

We won’t be able to carry on. “

“As with the glass of water,

You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.

When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.”

“So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.

Don’t carry it home.

You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you’re carrying now,

Let them down for a moment if you can.”

So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. 

Don’t pick it up again until after you’ve rested a while. 

 

 

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you’re the pigeon,
And some days you’re the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet,
Just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good
If you die in the middle of it. [LOL]

* Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be
Recalled by their maker.

* If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague..

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* We could learn a lot from crayons… Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colours, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

 

 

Stress Management for Chronic Low Back Pain

In clinics and Dr.’s offices alike, it is all too common to see bouts of low back pain coincide with times of great stress. And this makes sense as stress is well known to increase muscle tension and decreases the body’s ability to handle normal activities, such as slouching, picking up a pencil, taking out the trash, and a host of other events that seem to be the last straw that breaks your back. A critical element for healing your low back pain is learning to relax the muscles and tissues surrounding it. The technique below is a great tool for relaxing the entire body and spine.

        A key element here is using your mind to reduce low back pain. Whether we like it or not, we cannot separate mind from body. The mind-body connection is always present and is either hurting or helping you at any given moment. This technique will arm you with a powerful and proven method that trains the mind to heal low back pain and any other area you wish to focus on.

      There is a well known fact about breathing; if you are stressed, your breathing is out of balance. The beauty of this is the opposite fact; if you are relaxed, your breathing is calm and follows a natural rhythm. So remember, as long as you are breathing naturally, it is impossible to be stressed! Proper breathing is proven to increase oxygen throughout the entire body, calm your nervous system and relax your muscles. No drugs. No tricks. Just breathing with a focus of being in the moment.

      It is recommended to read the following directions first into a tape recorder so you can listen to them and enhance your relaxation.

      This is just one of many relaxation techniques. Please remember it takes a journey filled with dedication, faith, consistency and discipline to change habits of stress and pain.

Relaxation Technique: SINKING DEEP INTO THE SEA

• Find a comfortable position that you can stay in for at least 10 minutes. It can be lying or sitting and you can use pillows and props to keep your spine straight and comfortable.
• Softly close your eyes and guide your attention inward. Note how the body feels and where you are storing tension right now.
• Smoothly, take a big breath and notice how the chest and abdomen gently move up and down with your breath. Continue observing your breath as you relax your neck and shoulders, and slowly sink deeper into your body.
• Now imagine you are at sea, and there is a big, noisy, dark storm all around you. You are bobbing in the ocean with giant waves and just your head is above the water. Nobody else is around. This storm, is life. It represents all of the chaos that surrounds you on a daily basis. Deadlines, traffic, arguments, bills, and more.
• Get back to your breath now, and settle into your breathing. Visualize sinking down into that ocean and under the water. Keeping your attention on your breath, observe how as you sink deeper you can still see the chaos above in the storm of life, but it is not so vivid anymore.
• You are becoming calmer as you sink deeper into the ocean and your body with every breath. The storm is still there, but you are observing it from a new place now. As you slowly sink to the deepest part of your body and the ocean, you find that it is totally peaceful and quiet. You can feel your heartbeat and are one with the natural rhythms of your body. You are aware of every cell in your body.
• You are now sitting at the bottom of the ocean, where your true self can be found. Looking in the far distance you can see the storm and chaos of life, but they do not seem so chaotic anymore. They are merely there, not affecting you any more than a storm on the other side of the globe.
• You now are in a place that empowers you to choose what affects you, and what doesn’t. Instead of reacting to life and letting it shape your every molecule, now you can shape yourself through awareness of the storm and where you stand in it. 
• Thinking of your body as the ocean, and the storm as life’s chaos, visualize the journey you just took to the center of yourself. With every breath you can sink deeper into yourself and away from the influence of outside distractions. Welcome home. This is where you will find all the answers to what makes you happy and healthy. 
• This is where you are truly you and the only thing that can influence your behavior is your own free will.