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Dealing with Stress and Stress-Relief Tips
Kerry:
Hi Amanda, my stress buster is an oldie but a goodie - meditation. :D
At dusk every night I light a candle and meditate.
Over the years I have developed my own technique, which probably has more in common with self-hypnosis and New Age creative visualisation techniques than any dogmatic esoteric philosophy or eastern religion.
Try this at a time each day that's convenient for you and fits in with your normal routine:
* Turn off the phone.
* Choose a place that you know will be quiet and where you will not be interrupted.
* Dress comfortably.
* Light a candle.
* Sit in a straight-back chair so your back can be straight, allowing your chakras to be aligned (don't slouch).
* Place you hands, cupped, in your lap with the palms upward (to catch the blessings), right hand above left, thumb tips gently touching.
* Gaze gently into the flickering candle flame (don't strain).
* Become mindful of your breath going in and out, in and out, and consider how wonderful it is, this life giving breath.
* As you concentrate on your breathing, allow your mind and body to relax (keep the back gently straight) and allow your eyes to flutter and close gently of their own accord.
* Allow your mind, without force, to go to a place where you feel safe and secure. My personal technique is to imagine I'm standing on a very slowly moving escalator, which gently takes me down into a beautiful rainforest. As I go down, down, down on the escalator I tell myself I am deep, deep, deep asleep, and totally relaxed. Sometimes I never get to the rainforest floor, but I am aware of all the rainforest imagery - verdancy, moist fecundity, distant birdsong and waterfall. All this is part of my creative visualisation. If you find it too bizarre to imagine an escalator in a rainforest, you might prefer to thing of yourself descending to the forest floor via stairs. Or you can choose your own imagery. Swimming with dolphins, for example.
* Allow yourself to go with the visualisation you have created for as long as you require and are comfortable. I usually stay under for between 20-30 minutes, sometimes longer when I have more available time. I suggest starting with short periods of perhaps 5-10 minutes.
* With practice, you will find that you feel so relaxed and at peace, you won't want to leave the blissful state you have created. In time, you will progress to a state where your mind is completely free of all conscious thought. Stay there for as long as you are comfortable.
* You will know when the time is right for you to come back to reality. At that time, gently tell yourself that you will be counting from 10-0 and that when you get to 0 you will be wide awake and fully refreshed. And then, gently start counting from 10-0 at your own pace. You will find that when you get to about 5, your eyes will gently open of their own accord and you will start to hear background sounds.
Tip: If you are distracted by sounds or unwanted thoughts whilst meditating, do not attempt to actively combat them and force them from your mind. Rather, simply accept that they are there and allow them to pass through your mind. Personally, because I live in a large city, I eliminate background noise by wearing earplugs.
Gad, I didn't mean this to be so long! ::)
I hope you find it useful. :D
Kelda:
Walking certainly helps me, but I now do yoga on wednesday moring and I have found that really great too.. really relaxes you and sets you up for the day.
Day dreaming is my other stress relievr - but I would welcome tips cos I can get very stressed and anxious too.
Hope these tips are being of use Amanda!
mvansand76:
Hey Amanda- good idea for a discussion! Ever since I was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome I have had to deal with a lot of physical pain that stressed me out so much, and the stress in turn made the pain in my muscles worse next to the nerve pain I was dealing with.
What is important to know is how your stress manifests itself, do you get headache, neck pain, back pain, tummy ache? Then go see a therapist who also deals with body-mind issues, psychosomatic problems. They will be able to help you find out what it is exactly that's bothering you. You need to find a therapist who doesn't only deal with the cognitive part of the problem, but also the emotional part!
Shasta542:
Calm down while looking at sculptures:
http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?p=276956
;D I guess they're real.??
Penthesilea:
--- Quote from: Shasta542 on September 03, 2007, 09:05:10 am ---Calm down while looking at sculptures:
http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?p=276956
;D I guess they're real.??
--- End quote ---
Oh wow. They are incredible! I'm enthusiastic about those sculptures.
Thanks for posting the link. Would you like to open a new topic about it in the Culture Tent, or mind me doing so?
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