Stress-Relief Expert Susie Mantell's 3 Top Tips
By award-winning author and stress-relief expert Susie Mantell
elow is a good starting point for anyone wishing to release stress, and improve the overall quality of life. You may find something new here, or perhaps reminders of what you know, but sometimes forget. As always, see what works within your personal lifestyle and belief system.
1) PRACTICE "MINDFULNESS" IN EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES
Much of the stress we experience revolves around either past events or future worries. Mindfulness is the fundamental principle of Meditation. Bringing awareness and focus into the present instantly replaces yesterday's regrets, and releases worries for tomorrow. It allows us to be fully present to experience This conversation, This breath, This pleasure or...to solve This problem. Within each of us there is a quiet place where peace lives. In day-to-day life, no matter what the challenges we face, presence of mind allows calm, gentle release of worry, anger or grief. Mindfulness allows the body-mind to pause, and rebalance in the open space of the quiet place inside. In addition to traditional Zen practice or Transcendental Meditation (TM), many also find great comfort in guided imagery, movement, writing or walking meditations. The rhythm of the ocean, washing dishes, rocking a baby, or rebuilding an engine--anything that holds our focus-- can all be mindful, meditative experiences.
3) STRESS HAPPENS. SO EAT, BREATHE AND BE MERRY!
Make conscious food choices and then, savor them! There is a special joy in eating food we know is both healthy and delicious. "In all things, moderation." Consider the roles of caffeine, sugar and alcohol in your life. Each can exacerbate stress, and Sugar Blues is often confused with an ailment clinically referred to as, "Crabbiness." Slow, mindful breathing deep into the belly, drinking plenty of clear water, and moderate, pleasurable movement all enhance circulation, delivery of nutrients, and support all our vital functions. Deep, purposeful "belly-breathing" oxygenates the body. Deep, blissful belly-Laughing nourishes the rest! Smiles send a signal to the brain that all is well. A sense of adventure and of play, healthy, honest relationships, gentle touch and creative expression in whatever forms feel great to us, all help to balance our lives, and make the stress that is an inevitable part of every single day, somehow pale by comparison to the pleasure we find.
3) ABOVE ALL�HOPE.
Hope has great power. It is what carries us through the most difficult and frightening moments of our lives. I have personally witnessed extraordinary healing that had seemed at best, "highly unlikely." Many people never really slow down to take inventory of where we have been so far, where we are today, and who we would like to become. First, give yourself permission to imagine the person you would like to be. For some, that will look dramatically different from the life we are living today; for others it will not be such a far reach. Take some time to create a "wish list." You might prefer journaling your heart's desires, or perhaps even painting them.. Talk them out with trusted friends who will,
a) listen without judgment, and b) wish them for you too. The clearer we are about our aspirations and intentions, the sooner we can begin to take small steps to bring them closer. Where there is life, there is always Hope. On the one hand it's fine to be somewhat realistic as we wish, but sometimes we�ve no way of knowing what is actually possible, so it's a good idea not to put too many limitations on what we hope for. Hope makes all things bearable, and somehow gets us through the most stressful moments of our lives. (And if we are very lucky and hope very hard, we just might see ourselves make some remarkable changes over time�and wouldn't that be wonderful...?)
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Award-winning stress-relief expert Susie Mantell ...is the author of the deeply soothing relaxation CD, "Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace,� clinically approved for symptoms associated with stress and sleeplessness, depression and grief, anxiety, P.T.S.D., Fibromyalgia, caregiver stress, cancer, pain, divorce and addiction recovery. Featured in The Los Angeles Times, NBC, ABC, CBS-TV, Town & Country, The American Pain Society, Hazelden and The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, listeners include The Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The Betty Ford Center, V.A. Hospitals,and Canyon Ranch (#1 Spa.) Customizing stress-reduction for Fortune 500 companies, distinguished hospitals and spas, Mantell has facilitated thousands in relieving health-related, work-related, chronic or traumatic stress. Her multi-sensory, mind-body techniques appear in national media, medical and corporate publications. Susie Mantell's Stress-Relief & Wellness Tips are intended as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, professional health care. Order �Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace� and find more of Mantell�s stress-relief tips at www.relaxintuit.com