STRESS comes in many forms—environmental and internally produced toxicity, work-physical stress, and emotional and mental stressors of all kinds (that can be managed or avoided when acting proactively). As you know, unmanaged, persistent stress has tremendous negative consequences and can take an immense toll on the mind, body, and spirit. Stress not only impacts your well-being, but all those around you. Therefore, it becomes crucial to learn how to handle stress.
There are MANY ways to manage stress in a positive fashion:
Change your Perception!
The most important stress management technique to grasp and own is the concept that most situations are only as stressful as you see them. It is all about how you perceive things that makes them a reality. Embrace the fact that everything happens for a reason, trust in the outcome, but don’t attach to it. Instead of focusing on loss or lack, view any given situation in a grateful, positive light, making it much more manageable and far less burdensome and intolerable.
As the late well-known spiritual author, Dr. Wayne Dyer put it best, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Keep your body active!
Physical activities are an amazing way to unwind the body, relax the mind, and relieve stress. In order to keep your body in shape and promote optimal wellness, incorporating exercise into your daily routine is primordial:
Keep your body, mind and soul in sync!
All aspects of human beings are interrelated, working synergistically, affecting each other directly or indirectly. Since the body-mind-spirit connection must be integrated for optimal health and wellness you should certainly include activities that help stabilize that bond.
Integrate body/mind/spirit practices into your life:
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Build a solid spiritual foundation
- Affirmations
- Deep breathing
- Body scanning
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Visualization
Other activities that lower stress levels are:
- Art, dance, and/or music
- Massage
- Sauna
- Acupuncture
- Aromatherapy
In order to remain healthy and centered, incorporate daily activities that nourish and maintain the interconnectedness of the body, mind, emotion, and spirit. Remember, a weakness or imbalance in one of these areas can be crippling to the others. When all four of these dimensions of human life are nurtured and integrated in unison, stress levels can be managed, pH levels can be balanced, and premature aging can be avoided!