Site update- Stress

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Be well,

Misty

http://www..com

 

 

Stress

By Misty L. Trepke

 

Stress, most of us can not easily get away from it. Whether from

work, home, school, health, financial problems or the state of the

world, almost all of us are inundated with stress. Since most of us

can not permanently retreat to a remote mountain top, we must ask

ourselves what we can do to limit or better handle the stress that

surrounds us.

 

Are there simple answers to this question? Yes and no. While it

may be tempting to seek stress relief in a bottle of kava kava or

valerian, I would argue the best, yet ironically, the most difficult

long term solution to this dilemma is to increase the amount of

clarity in our life. Perhaps an internal inventory is in order-

what are our stressful situations trying to teach us? To understand

this we must first analyze which circumstances in our life create

the greatest amounts of stress. Is it job security or perhaps a

struggling relationship? Then we must ask, how do we consciously

and unconsciously participate in these circumstances coming to be?

We may not be able to control the world around us, but we can

control how we maneuver through it. What can we do differently to

prevent or ameliorate these situations? Does it mean becoming more

organized, handling relationships better, saving more money,

learning the fine art of acceptance and forgiveness, seeking

additional training, revamping our diet and exercise routine, or

improving our habitual thought patterns? But most simply put, what

can we address in ourselves that will make a difference in our life?

 

These can be serious questions that require time and patience to

fully explore in all of their complexity. Additionally, while we

are fine tuning our internal compass it is vital to take time out to

relax. And not vegging in-front of the television relaxed, which

ultimately is tons of stimulation with very little processing, but

honest to goodness, quieting the mind, restoring the spirit,

relaxation. Unfortunately relaxation does not come easy to a good

many people. But I would argue that this is a natural reaction to

suppressed stress. Imagine for a second that you are in a pool

holding a beach ball under the water. Have you ever noticed that

the farther down you hold the ball, the greater the force it has to

rise to the surface? Have you also noticed when it starts to

surface? Exactly when your grip holding it down begins to relax.

Relaxation creates vulnerability, a state of receptiveness that can

be frightening at first as our suppressed goodies rise to the

surface, but ultimately by allowing this stuff to rise and pass, can

we begin to reclaim our sense of inner peace and happiness.

 

As a massage therapist, my number one rule is that no one should

ever, ever try to relax. Trying will automatically make sure it

never happens. Trying by its nature involves effort, and implies

struggle. The best thing to do is allow relaxation to flow. Does

that sound too airy-fairy? That is ok… Relaxation is about more

than just the destination, it is about the journey into self. As

such this is a great time to begin a practice of yoga, start a

journal, take a massage and/or explore nature through hiking,

painting, photography, etc. Don't have that much time? How about

waking 10 minutes earlier to stretch before starting the day? Or

taking 10 minutes before bed to embrace the attitude of gratitude;

to remember all the wonderful things that happened during the day?

 

This is another way of saying, nurture yourself as you explore this

process. During times of acute stress it is easy to fall into the

habit of creating shortcuts. Instead of cooking a proper meal we

may run to fast food. Instead of exercising we can fall victim to

the hypnotic power of the television. We may also be tempted to

turn to drugs or alcohol to cope- neither of which ever really solve

a problem, but always tend to create more. Likewise processed foods

and/or stimulants such as caffeine, refined sugar, tobacco and

chocolate may offer a temporary " high " but they always leave us

worse off then where we first started. Don't let yourself be

sucked up into these numbing and self destructive behaviors. Take

charge and reclaim your life, gently. How would you treat your

beloved if they were somehow struggling? Now be that kind to

yourself. Exercise. Eat right. Rest. Take care of business, but

make time to play. Be creative. Sleep long enough, but not too

long. Moderation in all things.

 

For more information on relaxation and stress as tools of

empowerment please visit me at www..com.