Much of our stress is self-induced. We can reduce the amount of stress we have through some easy and useful techniques…

Breathing is a natural thing; nobody needs to learn to breathe when they are born. However, how we breathe effects our body. Deeper breathing can produce calming results. Deep breathing is also known as breathing from the diaphragm. Many Eastern practices, such as yoga and meditation, incorporate deep breathing techniques.

Here are some useful tips to help reduce your stress:

Breathing Exercise

Lie on your back on a hard surface such as the floor. Place your palms up towards the ceiling. Let your body lie loosely. Calm your thoughts. Pay attention to your breathing.
Now, take a long, deep breath in through your nose. The breath should last about 3 seconds. Pause slightly then exhale slowly through your mouth, counting to 4 as you exhale. Pause and take another breath. Do this until you can feel the rhythm and your breathing becomes cyclical.

Visualization Exercise

Sit in a quiet area. Close your eyes and think of a beach. Visualize the beach, the way the sand looks and feels. The smell of the air. The sun is shining and there is a slight breeze blowing. The sky is clear blue. The water is lapping up onto shore, rhythmically.
Now imagine you are the only one at the beach. You walk along, slowly. You take your shoes off and walk along the edge of the water, getting your feet wet. You stop to pick up shells. The water is beautiful. Spend about 5 minutes visualizing yourself walking along the beach.

Self-Massage

Give yourself a pressure massage. You can massage yourself on your arms, legs or shoulders. Sit comfortably in a chair and relax your body. Using your fingertips and thumbs, apply pressure into your tight muscles. Apply the pressure to each area for about 5 seconds, then move to another area. Try to relax yourself as you perform this massage.
You can do this anywhere. You can do this massage right through your clothing.

Meditation

You’ve probably heard people talk about the great benefits of meditation, but what exactly is it? Meditation is an ancient discipline that enables you to clear your mind so you can concentrate on your whole self. It helps you bring your body and mind together.
Although meditation is part of some religions, the act of meditation in itself is non-denominational. You need not be afraid of meditation, it is not hypnosis nor are you in any type of trance. What it does do is give you quiet time to contemplate yourself – who you are and who you can be. It brings together an awareness of breathing and mental control.

Meditation Exercise – Choose a quiet time when you won’t be interrupted – mornings are best. Find a calm corner floor area. Sit cross-legged on the floor or on a straight-back chair. Be aware of good posture, and practice a breathing exercise to relax. Place your hands comfortably on your lap. Now you must clear all thoughts from your mind. Just “be”. This will be hard at first but will become easier with time. Start with 5 minutes at first. As outside thoughts enter your head push them out again. Clear your mind. Focus on your breathing. Feel your blood flow through your body. After 5 minutes, slowly return to the present. As you practice this technique, you will become proficient at it. If you need some help, there are guided meditations available in various formats to help you attain a meditative state.

Go To The Park

Find a local park and go there to exercise. Walk or jog through the park or do stretching exercises. Then sit on a park bench and relax. Clear your mind and take in nature and the sights around you. Try to listen for birds. Just 15 or 20 minutes in the park will transform your spirit and refresh you. Your stress will be melted away.

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Self hypnosis is a great tool for goal setting and self improvement. Most people are surprised at how easy it is to learn self-hypnosis. And self-hypnosis, in turn, makes a lot of things much easier.

Self hypnosis is usually thought of as a person listening to an audio tape, mp3, or other mass-produced media, intended to induce a willingness to absorb suggestions centered around a specific topic such as weight loss, stop smoking, etc.

Unfortunately, this kind of hypnosis is generally prepared by someone who has never met the person being hypnotized, often presenting unwanted, even unpleasant imagery and suggestions.

For example, if you sunburn easily, that last thing you want to hear about is a slow walk on a sunny beach. In this case, the “self” in self hypnosis simply means that you listen to it by yourself.

So how do you incorporate self improvement into hypnosis?

To be able to go about self improvement, there are certain aspects in you that should be addressed. Using hypnosis, the negative aspects that are serving as hindrances to improvement are eliminated.

A true self hypnosis would necessarily be designed and created by the very person who will ultimately use and benefit from it.

Unlike the mass-produced hypnosis, this hypnosis is made for the exact purpose the person wishes, including the precise words and phrases that mean the most to that particular person.

The true self hypnosis is thus crafted by the person to suit his or her own needs. The benefits derived could only be accomplished with such a personal, one-of-a-kind hypnosis. In this case, the “self” in self hypnosis really does mean that you are hypnotized by yourself!

Below is a short view of the self hypnotic process. Though lots of variations of this method have been used, these are the basic steps you have to go through in order to hypnotize yourself to accomplish self improvement.

1. Position your goals from the most important goal to the less important. If possible, your goals should be measurable.

2. For each goal, you should formulate fitting suggestions which means you have to convert your goals into specific instructions to your subconscious mind on how to achieve each goal.

3. Relaxation. Use the first minutes of your self hypnotic session to get as relaxed as possible. Try to forget all your worries and problems.

4. Start your hypnotic initiation phase by saying and repeating out loud the hypnotic words you have chosen, thinking of these words or listening to a hypnotic tape or CD customized for your hypnotic and goal fulfillment needs.

5. Apply the hypnotic suggestions you have made for reaching the specific goal you work with, say them out loud, think them or use a tailored hypnotic tape or CD.

Before you start up your self hypnotic exercises you should make a time schedule for it. Do your hypnotic sessions every day, five minutes a day is enough. Repeat your suggestions as often as possible during the day.

Measure your progress. Are you closer to your goal now than you were before you started? Ask yourself. If you answer negative to these questions, you have to rethink and reorganize your train of thoughts.

This is the only way you can find out if this method is really helping you in achieving your self improvement goals.

Learn how easily you can do this… Click here!

A lot of people who are exerting too much of their brain power usually exhaust not only their physical strength when engaging in various multi-tasking activities, they also tend to over extend their brains up to the point when it plainly just needs some good old “time for relaxation”.

A lot of busy people who cannot seem to fathom the idea of relaxing and taking time of from work, as well as their worries, tend to actually start having nervous breakdowns, anxiety depression and all sorts of mental illnesses that can cause a person’s sanity to go haywire, fortunately, if you’re one of those poor unfortunate ones who are unable to distress and is constantly worried and fussing over things, there are actually available cures and various treatments for treating anxiety depression.

Anxiety depression is actually characterized by all sorts of irregularities and erratic behavior from the person who is suffering from it, this is usually due to certain stress triggers that may tend to easily cause a person undue jitters and stress. Also, a lot of people who tend to get easily nervous over stressful activities are actually prone to having anxiety depression, its just a matter of being strong-willed when it comes to facing difficult and stress-prone activities. It may be pretty hard to overcome at first, but trying to be calm and cool in times of extreme pressure is what’ll actually save your mental health from going in a totally downward spiral.

When it comes to effectively curing one’s self from a mental illness, one must keep in mind that you have to be actually honest with yourself and assess what kind of depression or mental illness you actually have, go to reputable psychiatrist to get yourself diagnosed correctly as well as be able to get the right depression treatment for yourself. Here are the various types of depression:

Manic or Bipolar depression – characterized by sudden and extreme changes in one’s mood wherein one minute he or she is in an elevated state of euphoria while the next minute (day or week) he or she is feeling to be in a personal hell.

Postpartum depression – characterized by a prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness by a new mother wherein physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible factors why some new mothers go through this.

Dysthymia – characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it’s been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course with any case, should be treated immediately.

Cyclothymia – characterized by a slight similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness may occasionally suffer from severe changes in one’s moods.

Seasonal Affective Disorder – characterized by falling in a rut only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) studies however, prove that more people actually fall in to a rut more during the Winter and Fall seasons and lastly, Mood swings, wherein a person’s mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in just a short time.

But the type of depression that has actually been proven to be quite common among people is anxiety depression, which is actually characterized by the state of being overly anxious about things. Anxiety, a supposedly normal behavior that’ll actually help a person adjust more to a certain stressful activity like first date jitters or a grueling exam the following day. Anxiety actually helps you get psyched up towards facing certain “difficult situations”; anxiety therefore is actually a good thing. Anxiety depression however, is simply the opposite, not to be easily dismissed as a “case of the nerves”; Anxiety depression is in actuality an illness that can be caused by the biological makeup of an individual, or in other words, a hereditary illness.

Also, there are actually various types of Anxiety depression, each having its own unique characteristics. Take for example Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD, this kind of Anxiety depression is a lot more complicated than the average Anxiety depression, in spite of possibly being a day-to-day habit for those who suffer this kind of Anxiety depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder actually makes the individual quite more paranoid than usual, anxiety attacks are more frequent, even absurd at times. They can even be anxious even when there’s no apparent reason that calls for them to behave in such a way. People suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder actually shows a lot of symptoms, from lack of sleep, to being unable to relax, getting tired easily, cannot concentrate on what they’re doing and even suffering from depression.  This kind of Anxiety depression is still curable; just a little work will actually do the trick.

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This is a concern for thousands of people, so I thought this article might be of some interest to those wishing to find out how they could resolve their problem…

Both men and women suffer from infertility caused by various reasons. However, it’s important for both the sexes to undergo treatment for this complicated issue. Various known and unknown factors cause infertility in women. These include diseases like endometriosis, diminished ovarian reserve, ovulation disorders, and low progesterone level. Low sperm count and low sperm motility, STD, injury or chronic diseases, sperm blockage and ageing are some of the reasons men suffer.

Scheduled drugs and systematic treatment can cure most of the above mentioned infertility problems except ageing and chronic diseases, although these treatments are quite expensive and may have harmful side effects. Additional treatment may be required to cure the side effects. Treatments conducted through IVF or In Vitro Fertilization and ICSI or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection is best among the other methods of infertility treatment. In this technique, the egg cells outside the womb are fertilized by the sperm and then transferred inside. This treatment is suggested when other techniques fail to give results. This technique is a hormonally controlled ovulation progression. In this treatment involves, the ova is removed from the female’s ovaries and helps the sperm to fertilize in a fluid medium. But this is not a normal process at all and involves excavation of the eggs from the ovary, fertilizing them in an outside laboratory and putting them back in the uterus. In the normal process, the human decides to pick the healthiest sperm for reproducing the egg but in the artificial process, the embryologist takes this decision. However, when he fails to pick the healthiest sperm and egg, it may cause the ill health of the child during birth and even later in life.

Some alternative techniques with a holistic approach are fast becoming popular in order to cure the problem of secondary infertility. These techniques are all the more preferred by people, as these have less or no side effects at all.

The acupuncture method, for example, especially ear acupuncture or Auricular is very effective in cases where female infertility has been caused by some kind of malfunction of the ovary. The hormonal message that is transferred from brain to ovary is the most beneficial result received from this technique. In accordance to the investigative trials, those women who have received acupuncture treatment for about 30 times within a time period of 3 months have shown good results. Those females who underwent hormonal therapy along with it suffered from side effects.

In the alternative treatment techniques, diet and lifestyle changes are given a lot of importance. Regular intake of such things that contain caffeine like coffee, chocolate, cocoa, green tea (containing caffeine), black tea and colored soft drinks which has harmful effects on conception is discouraged. According to a study, one and a half cups of coffee for a woman who is trying for pregnancy is sure to delay her conception. Thus coffee is a strictly a no-no for patients suffering from infertility.

Diets that include fish contaminated with PCB or Polychlorinated Biphenyls are also believed to be a cause for substantial reduction in the ability to become pregnant. According to one study, women who had more than one meal containing fish contaminated with PCBs (procured from Lake Ontario), developed reduced fecundity within a month.

The best result for the treatment of infertility has been reported through the Chinese medicines, acupuncture and of course, the holistic approach. The holistic approach reaches to the depth of the problem and only then delivers physical, spiritual as well as emotional treatment, rather than only investigating the organs. On the other side, the conventional approach to the problem of infertility fails to successfully detect and remove the real causes and moreover, causes side effects. The holistic approach suggests a natural remedy and a way of life that can really solve the problem as soon as the real cause is determined.

This article is based on the book, “Pregnancy Miracle” by Lisa Olson. Lisa is an author, researcher, nutritionist and health consultant who dedicated her life to creating the ultimate pregnancy solution guaranteed to permanently reverse the root of infertility, help you get pregnant quickly and naturally and dramatically improve the overall quality of your life,  without the use prescription medication and without any surgical procedures. You can learn more by visiting her website: Just Click Here!

Many people believe that yoga is all about experiencing pure relaxation through the union of the mind, the soul, and the body. But most yoga practitioners and teachers would agree that apart from providing relaxation and peace, yoga is about the seemingly limitless capability of a person to be in control and unite with his or her inner self.  With this in mind, more and more people, especially those who are  troubled or can’t sleep, are using this activity, and greatly improving their day-to-day lives.

Most yoga practitioners believe that in one way or another, the ancient discipline makes it possible for the breath, the mind, and the senses to unite in creating balance. As defined, the word “yoga” is a Sanskrit term which means “union or joining.” It is considered as almost an ambiguous term because it encompasses a wide range of purely physical disciplines to purely spiritual.

When people talk of yoga, the term “asana” is always mentioned. Asana is known as one of the eight types of yoga wherein mental and spiritual well being than are prioritized compared to physical endurance. Today, the two words have become almost synonymous to modern-day yogis because they embody the same concept: relaxation though meditation, and total relaxation is the ideal state for those who often find they can’t sleep.

If you’re planning to practice yoga as a form of exercise and as a means to end your sleepless nights, it shouldn’t be as confusing as it seems because you don’t need to learn all the concepts and philosophies behind it. This ancient tradition that requires deep meditation has been proven as an effective way to relax, what you need to learn is the basic information you will need for you to apply the concept in your everyday life.

Yoga for beginners

More and more people practice yoga nowadays so they can get better sleep. But aside from that, other reasons why many people practice it is because they can explore the almost limitless possibilities of yoga as an ancient philosophy. They can also delve into its depths as a meditative practice or for pure spiritual discipline. Or they can use its philosophies as an exercise to improve their “wellness” and health.

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No matter what your reasons are, understanding your main objectives and your level of interest can definitely help you find the right yoga program. The first thing that you have to bear in mind before you totally indulge in practicing yoga is setting and determining your goals. You can do this by knowing first what are the possible health and fitness benefits you can get from yoga. Most yoga practitioners agree that the potential benefits of yoga may include the increase of strength and flexibility, creation of balance as well as the improvement of breathing and overall posture. On the spiritual aspect, yoga can serve as an exercise that can help you soothe your nerves, calm your mind while increasing your focal and concentration skills. All of which will help you put an end to those sleepless nights!

Next, you should undergo a general check-up. This is something you should do before you begin practicing yoga or any type of exercise program for that matter. A check-up is important for you do discuss with your physician the advantages and disadvantages of yoga in your total health and wellness. Since yoga involves physical endurance, you might also want to visit an orthopedic before you undergo a class to avoid possible injuries.

If you can’t sleep properly, you can’t function properly, your general health and wellness suffers, and could lead to serious problems over time. So try ending those sleepless nights through yoga, make sure that you begin with the easy yoga poses before slowly advancing to the difficult positions, and make sure that you wear the right kind of clothes and that you have the yoga equipment you need like mats, foam blocks, and yoga pillows.

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By Pat Hooper ITEC CIBTAC IFR HydDip. Reiki Master Teacher.

Often when people find out that I am a Hypnotherapist, they will make comments such as “you couldn’t hypnotise me” or “you don’t make people behave like chickens do you?”  Both comments are entirely understandable, but also completely inaccurate.

Firstly, anyone can be hypnotised provided that they want to be.  It is absolutely impossible to hypnotise anyone against their will.  It simply cannot happen.  In fact as a hypnotherapist, I don´t actually hypnotise anyone, I merely help them to hypnotise themselves.

Secondly, it is impossible to make anybody do anything under hypnosis that they don´t want to do.  Stage hypnotists always pick people out of the audience that they consider “up for it” and even then they cannot succeed without the active co-operation of those taking part.

The definition of hypnosis is “A stage of relaxation and heightened awareness”.  It is an entirely natural stage.  After all, we go into hypnosis several times a day all through our lives.  Just before you go to sleep at night, just before you wake up in the morning, you are in a hypnotic trance.  You may have experienced driving and suddenly thinking I don´t remember getting to here, or reading a book and having to re-read a page because you have not taken in what is there, or watching TV and feeling that you have missed some of the plot.  All these are natural hypnotic trances.

To learn more about Hypnosis and what it can do for you Click Here!

So what does it feel like to be in a hypnotic trance?  The short answer is extremely pleasant.  Even the most stressed out person can really relax.  However, you are not asleep and you are acutely aware of everything going on.  More aware than at any other time.

In that really relaxed stage, it is possible to introduce suggestions to the sub-conscious mind and provided those suggestions are acceptable to the recipient, they will be remembered and acted upon.  The sub-conscious is a very important part of us.  It stores all our memories, including ones that we cannot easily access.  It keeps us safe by letting us know what it perceives as danger.  However, the sub-conscious mind cannot make judgements, cannot have opinions and therefore will act upon whatever information it is given, even if that information is incorrect.  (Why would anyone be afraid of spiders for instance when they know they cannot be hurt by anything so small.)  It is a bit like a computer that is running a faulty programme.  With the help of hypnosis, any faulty programme can be corrected and the sub-conscious mind then runs the updated version.

At all times during this procedure, the recipient is completely in control.  You cannot possibly be made to do anything, or say anything that you are not completely comfortable with.  You will only allow into your subconscious what is acceptable to you and although you will be gently brought out of your trance at the end of the session, you could in fact bring yourself out at any time.  It is impossible to be “stuck” in a hypnotic trance, it simply cannot happen.  It would be a little like saying you will never be able to dry your hair if you wash it.

Many conditions can be helped with hypnosis.  It is a pleasant and risk free way to deal with all sorts of problems.  The worst that can happen is that nothing will happen, surely a better option that pill popping, or worse, just putting up with a problem that can be easily dealt with.

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Depression, stress, panic attacks, addictions (including smoking), fears and phobias, lack of self esteem, pain control, insomnia, weight control, all can be helped with hypnosis.  It can also be used as a tool to recall childhood events, or even past lives.  I suppose the jury is still out on whether or not any of us have past lives at all.  All I can say is that during my time as a hypnotherapist, I have heard some pretty remarkable accounts of events that could not possibly be put down to imagination.  In fact, there are some therapists who seek the answer to their clients current problems in what may have occurred in a previous life.  I personally do not use it in that way but it is a fascinating journey of exploration for anyone wishing to experience it.

Hypnotherapy is a safe, pleasant and natural treatment that anyone can learn if they are shown how. If you do not wish to visit a hypnotherapist, why not teach yourself… you can help and influence others, and treat yourself!

To learn more about Hypnosis and what it can do for you Click Here!

By Pat Hooper ITEC CIBTAC IFR HydDip. Reiki Master Teacher

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone had said to me, alternative therapies, don´t believe in them, all that “new fangled”, “new age” stuff.  Indeed, when I first started as a therapist, doctors regarded me with great suspicion and would certainly have voted to have me burnt at the stake as a witch had we lived in less tolerant times.  Thank goodness we now have a more enlightened medical profession, where they can now see the valuable contribution that alternative therapies can make.

I prefer to use the term “complimentary therapies”, rather than alternative, simply because if a patient can combine both conventional medicine and other therapies, they are getting the best of both worlds.  Strange though it may seem, most complimentary therapies have

their origins hundreds of years before modern science was developed.  Many of todays “wonder drugs” are derived from plant extracts that were used for the same purpose by our ancestors.  Cave drawings of people having a form of Reflexology have been found.  The ancient Greeks and Romans discovered the therapeutic benefits of massage and healing has been well documented throughout history.

Ancient civilisations recognised the many wondrous things this planet had to offer to keep the mind, body and spirit healthy and fulfilled.

As science became more and more sophisticated, the ancient wisdoms were discarded and instead of combining them with mans “new found” knowledge, they were considered to be of no value.

Now at last we are beginning to combine all our knowledge to obtain the very best treatment for whatever ails us.  Doctors and other medical professionals work hand in hand with professional therapists to provide a service that can hasten recovery and give the body the best possible circumstances to rebuild and renew.

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Complimentary therapies, when administered by properly trained therapists, can be invaluable.  Take massage for example.  A correctly applied massage has an influence on every part of the body.  It increases blood supply and oxygen to vital organs, stimulates nerve paths, lower blood pressure and helps the body to get rid of toxins, improves skin and muscle tone, eases away aches and pains, stimulates bone regeneration, improves digestion, stimulates the immune system etc., etc., the list goes on and on.  It also has a feel good factor that leaves you feeling relaxed and refreshed.  No wonder the ancient civilisations thought so highly of it.

Most complimentary therapies are holistic.  They work on the whole person, mind, body and spirit.  They stimulate the human body to use its amazing powers of self healing and they can also enhance the therapeutic effects of medication and conventional treatments.  They are also very useful in maintaining good health and well being, whilst balancing and de-toxing.  Surely prevention is always better than cure, so why wait until you have symptoms to try a new experience.

During my years as a therapist, I have seen the very positive effects that Reiki, Reflexology, Massage and Hypnotherapy can have, sometimes easing away symptoms completely and always giving a sense of peace and well being and of course there are many other therapies that can achieve similar results.  Reiki healing in particular can achieve the most amazing results, even on chronic conditions and is completely risk free.

Please don´t close your mind to the possibilities available to you.  Combine the best of conventional medicine with the best of complimentary therapies, then you really are giving yourself the maximum chance of a fit and healthy life.

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By Pat Hooper ITEC CIBTAC IFR HydDip. Reiki Master Teacher

The symptoms of stress can be very debilitating.  Often there is fatigue and a feeling of being “run down”,  anger at those making demands on us, self criticism for putting up with those demands, a sense of being besieged and quick tempered for little reason.

Cynicism, negativity and irritability, a feeling of helplessness.  On a physical level, headaches and digestive problems, weight loss or gain, shortness of breath and over a period of time, raised blood pressure which can lead to strokes, heart problems and arterial problems.  So it is vital that stress levels are controlled.  You may think that you are definitely not stressed.  In your head you are relaxed, in control and happy.  Sometimes however, your body knows better and throws up symptoms to get your attention.  If those symptoms are ignored, the body will keep producing more symptoms until you take notice of the message it is sending you.  A certain amount of stress in our lives is good for us.  It kssps us on our toes, makes life interesting, gets the adrenalin going.  Keeping a balance is the key.

So just how do we keep ourselves from becoming over stressed?  First of all it is important to sort out your own capabilities and priorities.

The chances are that you are putting yourself under undue pressure when you don´t need to.  It is really vital that you do all of tasks today?  Does that job have to be done immediately, does worrying about whether it is done or not make any difference to the outcome.

It cleaning the house from top to bottom really going to make you happy?  Will worrying about your finances bring a single dollar more into your pocket?  Be kind and considerate to yourself.  After all, if you are constantly behaving like a bear with a sore head, or becoming physically ill, you are not being kind and considerate to anyone, least of all your nearest and dearest, so put your own wellbeing first.

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Sort out what is really important and what you are able to comfortably cope with, then leave the rest until later.

As a therapist I treat many people suffering from the effects of stress. Reiki healing is a wonderful treatment to enable complete relaxation and because it works on mind, body and spirit, it also helps the recipient decide on and make the changes needed for a better and less stressful life.  Most of the people that I have trained to do Reiki for themselves have noticed a tremendous difference in the way in which they are able to deal with problems.  Giving themselves regular treatments is an ideal way to deal with stress.  There are five precepts in Reiki that all reiki practitioners try to incorporate into their lives:

1.  Just for today I will not worry
2.  Just for today I will not be angry
3.  Just for today I will live an attitude of gratitude
4.  Just for today I will honour every living thing
5.  Just for today I will do my work honestly

I can´t help thinking that those five ancient precepts are the perfect answer to leading a stress free life, if only we could abide by them.

Massage can also help to completely relax and de-stress the body, especially when appropriate aromatherapy oils are used.  An hour or so on the couch with pleasant background music playing and the intoxicating aroma of essential oils around you can work wonders.

Reflexology is also a wonderful way to relax and restore balance to the body and hypnosis can be an invaluable tool in restoring well being and initiating the changes to lifestyle that are needed to minimise stress.

If you feel that you are suffering from stress, first of all look at what may be causing it and look at what changes you can make to your life to decrease it.  Lock yourself in the bathroom, light the candles and indulge in some pamper therapy.  Do the things you really enjoy, take time out for yourself and do not feel guilty about it.  Be kind to yourself, you deserve it.  Stress can be a killer.  It can wreck your life and the lives of your nearest and dearest.  Don´t let it happen to you.

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By Pat Hooper ITEC CIBTAC IFR HydDip. Reiki Master Teacher.

Fear… You can overcome it!

The first thing to recognise is that fear is normal.  There are many things that generate appropriate feelings of fear within us all.  Some part of us recognises danger and reacts accordingly.  These feelings get us to avoid unreasonable risks and motivate us to change things.

Sometimes however, fear takes over in situations that are not truly dangerous.  This is sometimes referred to as a phobia (the Greek word for fear).  Examples such as public speaking, heights, storms, flying, spiders etc., etc., the list goes on.  Think of any situation and you will probably find someone who is afraid of it.  These are not necessarily rational fears.  If you mentally exaggerate the danger of a situation that others are not frightened of, you may have a phobia.  Childhood phobias are usually short lived.  The adult version is more persistent and tends to remain throughout life unless dealt with.  Everyone has fears that are out of proportion to the actual danger in some situations.  You may be well acquainted with the feelings of panic, anxiety and discomfort that can accompany this state of mind.  Not a very pleasant feeling.

There are two things to remember if you think you have a phobia or irrational fear:  First of all, there is nothing wrong with you.  Actually if you have a phobic response to something, it means your brain learns very quickly.  Typically phobias are the result of a one time learning experience.  Secondly, it is important to remember that phobias are a communication from your unconscious mind, that what it perceives as danger is present and you need to be careful.  For instance, a fear of spiders is very common.  Yet in reality we know that an ordinary common or garden spider cannot hurt us.  Indeed we can squash it dead with ease.  However, messages from our subconscious attempt to overrule that reality.

My own definition of fear is Future Events  Appearing Real.  Think about it.  When you experience fear you are “stepping into” a situation imagining the worst scenario and then experiencing it as if it were actually happening at that moment.  You may experience all the physical symptoms, shortness of breath, increased pulse rate, sweating, dry mouth.  Altogether very unpleasant and debilitating.

So how can you overcome irrational fears and phobias? First of all you may want to try to resolve the problem for youself.  Sit yourself down in a nice quiet place.  Listen to your breathing and then count ten breaths, saying the word “relax” between each one.  When you feel you are relaxed, bring to mind a time when you experienced your fear or phobia but instead of being right there in the event, imagine it as if you were an observer watching someone else go through it.  At first you will find it difficult, even stressful.  However, once you disassociate yourself from the events and run them in your imagination as if you are watching a film, or the television, your subconscious
will accept the message that it does not need to protect you in such an inappropriate way.  It will stop sending you warnings that are unnecessary.

Contrary to popular belief, to overcome irrational fears and phobias is usually a quick and easy procedure.  Your brain learns very very quickly how to change its behaviour.  Just think of it as being like a computer.  When you have a phobia your brain is running an inappropriate programme.  It is not difficult to change that programme if you wish to do so.

If you feel you need to overcome your fear or phobias, click on the link above…  There is no need to feel that you are stuck with those horrible feelings forever.  You can get rid of them quickly and easily.