A Guide to Destressing Yourself For a Day

In today’s society we are bombarded with stressors at every angle, from environmental and physical stress to mental and emotional stress. This may turn out to be the number one cause of death in this country and can also be related to the dis-eases that many suffer.

I would like you to take a look at the two words disease and emotion. When we break up the words, they may be easier to understand. Dis-Ease is basically when the body is uneasy or out of a state of balance, so in order to regain health we have to balance it out again, bringing it back into a state of harmony. E-Motion can simply be looked at as E=energy in MOTION. Once we understand this concept we will be able to choose the thoughts that affect us in a negative way and choose more positive thoughts.

There are many ways to overcome stress, but the first thing I would say to you is, you need to take responsibility for yourself through self-care. The true healer is you alone. When we provide this body with what it needs, it will do the rest. How many of you truly listen to your body? Your body is an intelligent design and if you meet it halfway, it will do the rest. It is a self-healing mechanism.

Here are a few tools to help you on the road to a stress free life:

1. Don't get out of bed fasty

Getting out of bed fast can affect your blood pressure which puts stress on the body. Start off with a tense and relaxation exercise to awaken the body and get the circulation going.

First tense each body part for four seconds and the relax for two seconds. Once you have gone through each body part, tense the entire body for four seconds and then relax completely. This can be done midday and before bedtime as well.

2. Drink one liter of water with one fresh-squeezed lemon and a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan salt.

This will help to remineralize your body. I drink around three liters of water throughout the day.

3. Use essential oils.

Oils were used by ancient cultures because they knew that the oils would directly affect the emotions and physical well-being of a person. My personal favorites for the morning are citrus (orange) or mint. This can be put in a diffuser, shower, or even rubbed on skin (you will need a carrier oil). For the evening, Lavender oil is an amazing relaxant. One or two drops on a pillow will help you get into the sleep mode. I prefer the Young Living Oils as they are of the highest quality.

4. Massage:

Ayuredic medicine, which is a 3000 year old tradition, regarded aromatic massage to be very healing to the body and the emotions. Massage helps increase circulation, eliminates toxins in the body, and has a profound effect on stress elimination.

5. Exercise:

Exercise can be a brisk 20 minute walk, stretching, or jogging. We are designed to be active, and when we workout we sweat, releasing impurities from the body. It has also been known to help lower blood pressure.

6. Eat light.

I literally mean eat light as our sun is the source for life on earth. There is a process called photosynthesis where the sunlight is converted into chemical energy. Plants store this energy, so when we consume it we are consuming the light of the plant. This can also be likened to a vibration which is entering our body. We want only the highest vibrations that have a positive effect on the body. If you research Kirlian photography you will see how all life has an energetic field. Stay away from processed foods and overcooked meals as these are literally dead.

7. Positive affirmations:

To my understanding, it takes about 30 days to form a new habit through affirmations. Ask yourself what you would like your environment to be? What thoughts do you want to have throughout the day? Write your preferred affirmations down on small sticky notes and put them in places throughout your house so that whenever you see them you can recite them. Louise L. Hay has a daily affirmation each day. The one on the day I wrote this so happened to be "I LOVE MY BODY." Get them here: http://www.louisehay.com/affirmations/

8. The Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

EFT was founded by Gary Craig and has had profound results on people who suffer from PTSD, abuse, and anger, to name a few. The website can be found here: http://www.garythink.com/

9. Meditation:

There are so many techniques on meditation that I would like to share, but that can be an article all on its own. Meditation is simply a process by which we silence our mind and find our center. Through this we learn to "know yourself as well as the Divine."

10. Magnesium:

We live in a society where the majority of people are magnesium deficient. Magnesium is responsible for the correct metabolic function of over 350 enzymes in the body. Lack of magnesium can be responsible for anxiety and panic attacks, asthma, blood clots, bowel diease, cystitis, depression, detoxification, diabetes, fatigue, heart disease, and hypertension to name a few. Magnesium is found in Epsom Salt. Add some to your bath with some ambient music and candles for a distressing mood.

11. Sunlight:

Sunlight is absolutely essential to maintaining a healthy body. Lack of sun can lead to cancer, depression, osteoporosis and other things. Vitamin D deficiency is on the rise. Toxic sunscreens block out the life giving sun and can also cause more damage to your skin since it is the biggest organ of the body. Eat good organic whole foods and stay away from processed junk and you will see that you will hardly get sunburnt. Spend at least 20–30 minutes a day out in the sun with as little clothing on as possible.

Now these are just a few tools to help you on your road to a de-stressed life. We are in an age where self-healing is a necessity. As the old saying goes, "Prevention is better than cure."

Empower Yourself

Meadow photo credit: Andreas Krappweis