MajestyJo
07-24-2011, 07:25 PM
Finding Your Peaceful Center
What Stress Does
How do you feel when you experience happiness, joy, when life is good and you trust the universe to provide you with all you desire? Probably your breathing is easy, and your heartbeat and muscles are relaxed. You feel so safe that you don't even think about feeling safe.
Stress, which occurs when we perceive a threat to our safety or ultimately to
our lives, has the opposite effects.
A turtle withdraws into its shell when it feels such a threat. A hedgehog rolls
into a ball. Some of the physical ways humans and other mammals respond to
stress include:
* Muscular tension, which creates "body armor," a protection against physical
wounds.
* Speeded up metabolism, breathing, and heart rate, which enables one to more quickly fight or flee.
* Arterial construction and faster blood clotting to prevent blood loss from
injury.
These physical responses can save our lives if we are directly threatened.
However, humans have a characteristic not shared by most other animals. With our imagination we can create scenarios that seem so real our bodies -- and often our minds -- can't distinguish them from immediate threats.
Thus, people who are afraid of air travel can imagine themselves dying in an air crash, though they are nowhere near, let alone in, a plane. Their bodies
experience sensations similar to those they might feel if the crisis were
actually unfolding.
On a lower-key, but more chronic, level, the thought and fear of danger, death, loss of love or employment, or potential disruption, can also arouse these responses. When they are frequently or constantly invoked, they can, rather than save our lives, threaten our well-being, health and ultimately our lives.
Chronic muscular tension can lead to a wide variety of disorders. Chronic
anxiety can cause asthma and digestive disorders. Chronic arterial constriction and blood that clots too quickly are related to heart disease.
Stress and Energy
Leading medical and scientific authorities increasingly agree on the above
points. Practitioners and teachers of vibrational healing recognize that the
physical symptoms of stress reflect a deeper imbalance.
The basic principle of vibrational healing (which can include interacting with
crystals, flower and other essences, Reiki, visualizations, and more) is that
all living things are created and maintained by a universal energy. This energy,
as it flows into each of us, translates into our personal energy.
When this energy is flowing freely, we experience love, a feeling of connection, emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical health, creative, and general well-being and trust in the universe to support us. When we experience fear, we are saying (usually unknowingly), "the universe is not a safe place and I don't want to be part of it." We roll up into spiritual balls and block ourselves from universal source energy, thus disconnecting ourselves from our source of life. In essence, we create that which we fear.
Dissolving Stress
It's vital to interrupt the escalating stress syndrome. Be aware when you get
tense, anxious, or fearful.
One of the most effective ways to reverse the escalation is to stop what you're doing and breathe deeply at least ten times. Make sure you're breathing correctly. In correct breathing, the abdomen expands first, then the solar plexus, then the chest. You can monitor this process by placing one hand on your abdomen, the other on your chest. In exhaling, the chest should sink first, then the solar plexus, then the abdomen.
Counting as you inhale and exhale both eases your breathing and distracts your mind. I like the pattern of inhaling to a count of four, holding to a count of four, and exhaling to a count of eight.
Also, as you breathe, you can focus on the path of your breath through your
body. Imagine it beginning at your feet and going up to your head as you inhale, then going back down on the exhale.
Move
Sometimes inactivity can cause excessive energy to produce anxiety. It can be helpful to get up (especially if you spend your days at a desk or computer) and stretch and walk around. Regular moderate exercise, such as treadmill work, stationary bicycling, walking, or swimming will keep your stress level down, and can be a lifesaver when you are feeling severely stressed.
Note: Most exercise experts recommend having a physical examination to determine the level of exercise your body can comfortably handle.
Vibrational Relaxation
If you have learned, Reiki give yourself a treatment. At a minimum, Reiki your
solar plexus. If you have been attuned to Reiki II, send distant healing to all
stressful situations and also use the mental/emotional balance symbol. If you
haven't learned Reiki, consider learning this system. You can read about it in
our Reiki section.
Take Rescue Remedy. You'll find an article on it here.
Ask For Help
A responsibility shared is a responsibility lightened, and working together to
solve problems creates a warm feeling that in itself reduces stress.
Turn Off the TV
We live in an era of information overload. We can see or read about unlimited
numbers of crises or disasters. With the combination of accessibility and the
human ability to imagine, we can create feelings of endangerment and stress
without actually physically experiencing that danger.
It takes great discipline and awareness not to get caught up in the drama of
disaster. During the first days following the destruction of the World Trade
Center, I managed for the most part to not watch television or read newspapers. However, I spent a lot of time at cnn.com until I realized I was experiencing all the classic symptoms of stress.
The greatest temptation may come from compassion and the desire to feel
connected to those who are suffering. The nonphysical guide, Seth, had a
powerful answer to this need, saying that if you see someone sinking into
quicksand, you don't help them by jumping in with them. You help them by pulling them out.
We can't usually physically pull people out, but we can always pray, meditate,
and envision a loving and healing outcome. I have read that one person staying focused on positive thoughts has the power of a million focused on negativity. Keep those positive, loving thoughts flowing.
Last, but far from least, seek the help of crystals and flower essences.
Connect with your Higher Power
Original Source unknown posted on my site Elements of Creation
What Stress Does
How do you feel when you experience happiness, joy, when life is good and you trust the universe to provide you with all you desire? Probably your breathing is easy, and your heartbeat and muscles are relaxed. You feel so safe that you don't even think about feeling safe.
Stress, which occurs when we perceive a threat to our safety or ultimately to
our lives, has the opposite effects.
A turtle withdraws into its shell when it feels such a threat. A hedgehog rolls
into a ball. Some of the physical ways humans and other mammals respond to
stress include:
* Muscular tension, which creates "body armor," a protection against physical
wounds.
* Speeded up metabolism, breathing, and heart rate, which enables one to more quickly fight or flee.
* Arterial construction and faster blood clotting to prevent blood loss from
injury.
These physical responses can save our lives if we are directly threatened.
However, humans have a characteristic not shared by most other animals. With our imagination we can create scenarios that seem so real our bodies -- and often our minds -- can't distinguish them from immediate threats.
Thus, people who are afraid of air travel can imagine themselves dying in an air crash, though they are nowhere near, let alone in, a plane. Their bodies
experience sensations similar to those they might feel if the crisis were
actually unfolding.
On a lower-key, but more chronic, level, the thought and fear of danger, death, loss of love or employment, or potential disruption, can also arouse these responses. When they are frequently or constantly invoked, they can, rather than save our lives, threaten our well-being, health and ultimately our lives.
Chronic muscular tension can lead to a wide variety of disorders. Chronic
anxiety can cause asthma and digestive disorders. Chronic arterial constriction and blood that clots too quickly are related to heart disease.
Stress and Energy
Leading medical and scientific authorities increasingly agree on the above
points. Practitioners and teachers of vibrational healing recognize that the
physical symptoms of stress reflect a deeper imbalance.
The basic principle of vibrational healing (which can include interacting with
crystals, flower and other essences, Reiki, visualizations, and more) is that
all living things are created and maintained by a universal energy. This energy,
as it flows into each of us, translates into our personal energy.
When this energy is flowing freely, we experience love, a feeling of connection, emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical health, creative, and general well-being and trust in the universe to support us. When we experience fear, we are saying (usually unknowingly), "the universe is not a safe place and I don't want to be part of it." We roll up into spiritual balls and block ourselves from universal source energy, thus disconnecting ourselves from our source of life. In essence, we create that which we fear.
Dissolving Stress
It's vital to interrupt the escalating stress syndrome. Be aware when you get
tense, anxious, or fearful.
One of the most effective ways to reverse the escalation is to stop what you're doing and breathe deeply at least ten times. Make sure you're breathing correctly. In correct breathing, the abdomen expands first, then the solar plexus, then the chest. You can monitor this process by placing one hand on your abdomen, the other on your chest. In exhaling, the chest should sink first, then the solar plexus, then the abdomen.
Counting as you inhale and exhale both eases your breathing and distracts your mind. I like the pattern of inhaling to a count of four, holding to a count of four, and exhaling to a count of eight.
Also, as you breathe, you can focus on the path of your breath through your
body. Imagine it beginning at your feet and going up to your head as you inhale, then going back down on the exhale.
Move
Sometimes inactivity can cause excessive energy to produce anxiety. It can be helpful to get up (especially if you spend your days at a desk or computer) and stretch and walk around. Regular moderate exercise, such as treadmill work, stationary bicycling, walking, or swimming will keep your stress level down, and can be a lifesaver when you are feeling severely stressed.
Note: Most exercise experts recommend having a physical examination to determine the level of exercise your body can comfortably handle.
Vibrational Relaxation
If you have learned, Reiki give yourself a treatment. At a minimum, Reiki your
solar plexus. If you have been attuned to Reiki II, send distant healing to all
stressful situations and also use the mental/emotional balance symbol. If you
haven't learned Reiki, consider learning this system. You can read about it in
our Reiki section.
Take Rescue Remedy. You'll find an article on it here.
Ask For Help
A responsibility shared is a responsibility lightened, and working together to
solve problems creates a warm feeling that in itself reduces stress.
Turn Off the TV
We live in an era of information overload. We can see or read about unlimited
numbers of crises or disasters. With the combination of accessibility and the
human ability to imagine, we can create feelings of endangerment and stress
without actually physically experiencing that danger.
It takes great discipline and awareness not to get caught up in the drama of
disaster. During the first days following the destruction of the World Trade
Center, I managed for the most part to not watch television or read newspapers. However, I spent a lot of time at cnn.com until I realized I was experiencing all the classic symptoms of stress.
The greatest temptation may come from compassion and the desire to feel
connected to those who are suffering. The nonphysical guide, Seth, had a
powerful answer to this need, saying that if you see someone sinking into
quicksand, you don't help them by jumping in with them. You help them by pulling them out.
We can't usually physically pull people out, but we can always pray, meditate,
and envision a loving and healing outcome. I have read that one person staying focused on positive thoughts has the power of a million focused on negativity. Keep those positive, loving thoughts flowing.
Last, but far from least, seek the help of crystals and flower essences.
Connect with your Higher Power
Original Source unknown posted on my site Elements of Creation