YOUR LIFE A-Z: DE-STRESS

ENJOY THE FLIGHT AND DE-STRESS

DE-STRESS

 I often ask my clients to tell me what they think his/her stress level is like on a scale of 1-10.  When he/she is asked to scale the question I most likely hear the answer 8-10.  If at first I ask the client to detail the stressors in his/her daily life, often I hear, “Well my life is not all that stressful.”  Asking someone to scale the amount of stress is a less invasive question, instead of what is stressing you?  We have talked about many DE-STRESSING tools already but I want to bring you back to the most important tool, which is deep breathing.  To DE-STRESS your body you must learn to relax your entire body.  This is best done with focused attention with your breath from the top of your head to the very tip of your toes.  I suggest you set the timer and begin with five minutes of focused attention breathing in and letting the belly rise and exhaling pulling the belly in against the backbone.  If you lose count just start over until the timer stops.  Learning to DE-STRESS and practicing DE-STRESSING techniques when stress levels are between 3-5 help you prepare to practice correctly when you really need to DE-STRESS.   A really good organic herbal green tea can help the cells feel massaged and restored.  Stress tears our body down at a cellular level and we must repair the body at a cellular level.  DE-STRESSING techniques need to be broad focusing on every angle of your life.  What will you need to do to bring the scale down to a 5-6?  Activate that plan. 

YOUR LIFE A-Z: MANTRA

STAY CENTERED AND MEDITATE 

MANTRA

A MANTRA is a helpful mind tool that aids in quieting the mind and lowering anxiety.  The word MANTRA means just that.  The first part of the word, MAN means mind in Sanskrit.  The second part TRA is the root word for instrument. Thus MANTRA is an instrument of the mind.  You can create your own MANTRA, which is any phrase that speaks to you.  For instance, Nike has a MANTRA that you can adopt, “Just Do It.”  You might relate to other three or four word phrases like, “get it done,” “one step at a time,” “perfection is an illusion,”  “I know I can” “think first, speak later” or any one of the goals you are working on can be created into a MANTRA.  Also, any prayer that you repeat over and over again is a MANTRA.  If you repeat the Hail Mary or the Lord’s Prayer, those then become quieting MANTRAS to your mind.  Om Mani Padme Hum is a Tibetan MANTRA that Buddhists pray and there are many MANTRAS’ in Buddhism. Om Mani Padme Hum is a powerful MANTRA because those six syllables represent the transformation of the impure mind, body, and spirit into the pure transformed mind, body, spirit of the Buddha.  It is important to remember that even though a MANTRA can be a spiritual exercise it is not limited to the realm of the spirit.  The repetition of any MANTRA that you relate to helps wish anxiety reduction as it gives the brain something to do when you are feeling helpless.