An Easy Way To Soothe Stress
Hey, listen up. It’s time to relax, chill out, and release those pent-up physical, mental and emotional tensions. When dealing with everyday stress and the probability of stress build-up, NOW is always the right time to be proactive; to beat stress before it beats you.
Think of stress as a silent enemy. It can sneak up on you at any time and get you down before you even realize what’s happening. More often than not stress is accompanied by it’s close companion: higher levels of anxiety.
So, what do you do?
You take action, that’s what. Your very first line of defence is to establish a habit of performing a regular relaxation routine. Getting into a deep state of relaxation induces calmness to soothe your body, your mind and your emotions.
And what is a state of calmness?
It’s the exact opposite of stress and anxiety. As a matter of fact, you could call it the antidote to stress and anxiety.
Start using this antidote. Take time out at least twice every day to do the relaxation routine outlined below. Regard this as your quality time; a time for you and you alone. Start thinking calm, feeling calm, and being calm.
Relaxation Routine
1. Lie down, or sit in a comfortable armchair or recliner.
2. Take a deep breath and hold it for about five seconds. Release that breath slowly, and imagine all feelings of stress and tension leaving your body as you release the air. When the air has left your lungs, hold your breath once again for about five seconds before breathing in. As you breathe in imagine your body and mind filling with calmness.
3. Repeat this cycle of breathing a number of times until your breathing falls in a nice long, slow gentle rhythm. Allow a comfortable pause at the end of each inhalation and exhalation.
4. As you maintain the relaxing rhythm of your breathing, bring your attention to the top of your head. Imagine that all the tiny muscles in your scalp are being soothed and massaged by warm invisible hands.
5. Feel the warm hands massaging around your ears and down along the back of your neck to the tops of your shoulders.
6. Now bring your attention to your forehead. Feel those invisible fingers smoothing away any wrinkles that may be in your forehead.
7. Next, focus on your eyes. Imagine the warm fingers gentle massaging all around your eyes. Feel the relaxing warmth from the fingers spreading throughout your eyes; feel your eyes relaxing and letting go of all tensions.
8. Think of the soothing hands massaging the rest of your face. Notice how your lower jaw relaxes and notice how this cosy, warm feeling of relaxation spreads into your tongue.
9. Check your breathing once again to make sure it’s rhythm is long and slow.
10. Now bring your attention to the invisible hands and imagine them massaging and loosening your shoulders and shoulder blades. Imagine what it would be like if waves of relaxation were flowing down along your arms and into your fingertips.
11. Those massaging hands now work on your back. They soothe and loosen the muscles on either side of your spine, and then stroke smoothly down along the vertebrae.
12. Imagine what it would be like to feel a state of deep relaxation seeping downwards into your legs and feet. Imagine how all the muscles in your legs and feet would go loose and limp.
13. Allow feelings of deep relaxation and calmness to immerse your body and your mind.
14. Feel yourself drifting deeper and deeper into pleasurable feelings of calmness and tranquility.
Source: http://www.articlecube.com
Michael Connolly, D.H.P., is a retired Hypnotherapist and Psychoanalyst. Through study, practice and teaching over a period of three decades, he has also accumulated a broad knowledge of parapsychology and metaphysics. Author's Website. - No More Stress. - Copyright (c) Michael Connolly 2008.
How to Get Rid of Panic and Anxiety through Self-help
In our lives, we all want peace and happiness. We hope for a happy and pleasant environment around us all the time. However, to have all this we must be living in an ultimate world. However, we all know that our world is not ideal and tensions, panicky situations and anxieties arise every now and then.
However, we should not be afraid of them and whenever these situations arise we must be armed to deal with them in the most efficient manner possible. For this, we must first be able to examine our emotions and accept them as they are. Understanding the emotions can help you to learn to control the emotions without allowing the devastating feelings and emotions take control. As the last step, we must try to transform all such negative emotions like anxiety and panic into encouraging ones.
Anxiety has often been connected with worry and both are understood as the same emotion. Nevertheless, this is not true because although both are forms of fear but anxiety is related more to time and resources constraints whereas worry is a result of an anxiety that something we plan will not work out well.
Anxiety occurs because sometimes we need to complete a tight-string project and we fall in a rush. The project is of greatest importance and because of shortage of time or any other contributing factor you will not be able to terminate it to perfection or on time.
Often worry also results from the same reasons. Nevertheless, the major difference here that we must recognize is that it may not just be a result of lack of resources but may be also due to some problem with your child or spouse or any other personal issue. Worries are a result of our personal attachments with certain beings or things.
Since childhood, all these feelings are absorbed by our mind. We see the way people react to certain situations and emulate them. While some people behave in appositive manner to situations other don’t. Whichever affects us more determines how we behave to those situations.
To throw away all these anxieties and worries one must follow a proper system and diet. In helping you to reduce anxiety and panic situations, the below mentioned points will go a long way.
1. Regular exercises like an early morning walk, jog, or aerobics.
2. Try yoga. It helps in getting better your blood flow and reduces hyperventilation.
3. Whenever a panic situation arises, try to concentrate with deep breathing.
4. Try meditation as a solution searching method.
5. Follow a healthy low fat and high vitamin diet.
Following the aforementioned routine and steps will help you in freeing yourself from negative thoughts and emotions and creating a positive atmosphere around you. Try these positive countermeasures to anxiety whenever it strikes.
1. We must accept that whatever is happening to us has no purpose to harm us. We must give whatever we do, our best shot but it is useless to worry about the results. Once you have given it, your best shot there is no reason why you should fail, so why panic.
2. We must have self-belief in ourselves. We must tell ourselves that nothing is impossible unto us and that we can face all the problems of life without giving up on them.
3. We should never think low about ourselves. Like everyone else, we are all humans and have equal rights to life. We should never worry about what others think about us because at the end of the day you are your best judge.
4. You must be reminiscent yourself at all times that life is meant for being lived every moment and not for worrying every moment what the next will bring about.
Source: http://www.articlecube.com
Nishanth Reddy is an author and publisher of popular Self Help Blog. For more information on anxiety, panic and how to get rid of anxiety & panic situations visit:Anxiety and Panic
Stress Management Must-Do's: 7 Ways to Go From Distress to De-stress
In our continually changing environment, our bodies and minds are suffering from wear and tear. We call it STRESS. Sometimes it’s family problems, money problems, or problems at work. However, we all have to deal with it from day to day. Having stress in your life is not the issue these days, how you cope with it is more important. Living a healthy lifestyle is one way to reduce the stress levels. When you’re living healthy, you just automatically cope with stress better. Developing ways to deal with your stress makes you more resilient, more energetic, with concentration that is more effective.
The first step to determining how you handle stress is knowing what causes it. Many find keeping a stress journal very helpful for understanding not only the causes, but also for giving you insight as to how you react. Use it to record each event in your life, how you’re feeling, exactly what causes you to feel stressed and out of control, or in other words, the patterns of stress in your life.
Once you’ve determined the cause or causes of stress in your life, you can then go about finding ways to de-stress, or decompress, bringing harmony back into your life.
1) Relaxation techniques, such as music are very effective in calming your harried mind. Music helps by calming you down, giving your mind a chance to relax if only for a few minutes. Find a quiet place, where you can be alone, pop in a CD of soft sounds, such as ocean waves or falling rain. Experiment until you determine which sound makes you feel relaxed and calm. Turn on the CD, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Focus on the sound, push everything else from your mind. Let your muscles relax, one at a time. Let yourself just get lost in the sound.
2) Breathing techniques are very helpful and can be used almost anywhere, even at work. Once again, find a quiet place to sit down. Close your eyes and take a deep breath, then let it out. Take the next breath slowly, counting to five, hold that breath to the count of four, then release it very slowly. This works particularly well if you feel a bit panicky. When in panic mode, the body tends to breathe very fast and shallow, intensifying the feeling of fight-or-flight. Doing this breathing technique for fifteen or twenty minutes will be very calming.
3) Sleep is so important, especially during extremely stressful times, but stress often makes getting to sleep very difficult. The thoughts keep swirling around in your mind, keeping you awake. Let your body get used to a routine by keeping the same bedtime each night, even on weekends. In addition, several hours before bedtime, give your brain a chance to wind down. Avoid any mentally demanding work and agitation. Cutting back on alcohol and caffeine will help you fall asleep more easily. Instead of watching television, find a nice relaxing, book. Before you know it, your body will relax, your eyes will close, and you’ll drift off for a great night’s sleep.
4) Exercise is another great way to de-stress your body and your mind. It improves blood flow to the brain, bringing it more oxygen. Believe it or not, long hours of sitting and thinking cause the neurons of your brain to build up toxic waste products. If you’ve ever experienced that foggy feeling, that feeling that your brain has turned to mush, this is why. Exercise releases chemicals called endorphins, into your blood stream. These endorphins are what give you that happy feeling, a feeling of well-being. When the pressure is on, it’s the more physically fit people who are able to fight off illness. You’ll stay healthier and suffer less from burnout. Please remember to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. In addition, keep in mind that exercise should be fun. If it stops being fun, you’ll stop exercising.
5) Try and spend time with your loved ones. Relaxing with family and friends is a great stress reliever. Finding fun activities will make you feel happy, relaxed, and more able to handle the day-to-day stress. They say laughter is the best medicine, so laugh and enjoy life whenever you can. Take regular vacations. Not only will you enjoy the break from work and home duties, but just the act of planning and looking forward to the vacation will improve your state of mind. Sometimes, anticipation is half the fun.
6) Find a hobby or a sport that you enjoy. If your work is very competitive, try and find something that will allow you to relax and enjoy yourself. Reading, gardening, sewing, etc. allows your mind to focus on something besides the worries. Moreover, working with your hands and being creative is very freeing.
7) Try a little positive thinking. Use your imagination to conjure up positive images and thoughts of your desired outcome. It’s a fact that optimists enjoy increased health and long life, have less stress, and are able to move forward and succeed where others might quit. We all have to expect some failures, some sorrow and frustration, but we don’t have to let them rule our lives. Find some like-minded friends who will remind you of your successes now and then. Focus on realistic goals and remember that failure isn’t fatal. And don’t be so hard on yourself. Tomorrow is another day.
About the Author: Michael Lee is the author of How to be a Red Hot Persuasion Wizard... in 20 days or less, an ebook that reveals mind-altering persuasion techniques on how to tremendously enhance your relationships, create unlimited wealth, and get anything you want...just like magic. Get a sample chapter and highly-stimulating "Get What You Want" advice at: http://www.20daypersuasion.com. He is the Co-Founder of http://www.self-improvement-millionaires.com and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant.
Source: http://www.easyarticles.com
Stress Management Hypnosis
The demands of everyday life cause much stress. The work responsibilities alone would make anyone look older than they really are. When you are stressed, your body reacts in a negatice way. You may feel abnormally tired, have headaches and even lose weight. To help you manage your stress better, here are some helpful tips.
Find Some Alone Time
You should make sure that you find time to recover from stress by spending some quality time with yourself. You can go to a spa and enjoy a relaxing massage.
If you do not wish to go out and face the horrible traffic, you can stay at home and read a book or listen to music. Sometimes, something as simple as a bubble bath could relieve much of the stresses of the day. Inform of your family and friends of your alone time so that there will be no distractions from relaxing.
Exercise
Physical activities can help you remove stress in your life. It is believed that endorphins or the “happy hormone” is triggered by exercising. When you exercise, even for 15 minutes a day, you effectively relax your muscles, which become tight when you are feeling stressed out. An added bonus is you would also look great after continuous exercising, making you feel extra confident.
Sleep
A person who lacks sleep will be unable to fight off stress. In fact, you will be more susceptible to stress if you are constantly losing sleep. An adult person must sleep 6-8 hours a day to fight off stress. If you fail to complete your sleep, your immune system would probably break down causing you to be sick. You would not want to be stressed out and sick at the same time.
Counseling
If you think that you need more expert help, you can seek out psychotherapy. Some stress is caused by reasons such as work pressures or family issues. Most people become stressed with their finances as well. Your psychiatrist will help you manage stress by finding out the exact reasons for your stress.
Hypnotherapy
Relatively new, hypnotherapy is increasingly becoming a popular way to manage and control psychological troubles like stress. A qualified person would hypnotize you and make suggestions to your subconscious. This treatment is considerably cheaper compared to psychotherapy. A typical hypnotherapy session would probably last for three hours and depending on your response, you would need about one to five sessions before you can see positive results.
By: Mark Goodworthy
Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
What is your Stress Management strategy? With Stress Management Hypnosis you can even do it while you sleep.
Guided Meditation To Make You Whole
Guided meditation is a form of stress relief that is conducive to relaxing the whole body, in part by finding a way of peaceful and calming relaxation from within the body. Guided meditation may utilize soothing photographs or scenarios to enhance the ability of the mind to relax and guide the body to a point of relaxation so that the person in meditation can find a true sense of inner peace. Quite often, guided meditation will be accompanied by soft music or sounds of nature.
One of the keys to successfully having a session of Guided meditation is finding an area where the one meditating will be free of distractions. Any outside interference will prevent proper concentration and make the attempts at guided meditation futile and perhaps even frustrating, further aggravating the problem seeking to be solved by the very use of guided meditation.
After finding a suitable location for guided meditation, other factors need to be taken into consideration. Some practitioners of guided meditation feel that visual stimuli can be used to help achieve a sense of inner peace and help to achieve true relaxation. Still other practitioners of guided meditation feel that any outside visual simulation will detract from the mind’s ability to properly focus on the body and the results of the guided meditation will be hindered or even reversed.
The same can be said for audio stimulation during sessions of guided meditation. While some individuals believe that soothing sound effects or even quiet music is conducive to the guided meditation, still others believe that it is only a hindrance and will do nothing more than create a harmful atmosphere for the practitioner of such guided meditation.
The basic concept of guided meditation is to relax. This is done by taking oneself on a guided tour of sorts through their own body. In the practice of guided meditation, it is normal to find a focus point in the body and begin there, someplace that is easy to relax. While staying focused on the body and in particular the muscles, the practitioner of guided meditation attempts to relax the muscles of the body. Allowing the body to completely relax allows the practitioner of guided meditation to next completely relax the mind.
When the mind and body are completely relaxed, the person can begin to concentrate on focusing his thoughts and ideas during the guided meditation. When using guided meditation, thoughts are usually thought to be transcendent and more in focus allowing the practitioner to perform better in all aspects of life. Whether or not guided meditation is right for a person is not only dependent on spiritual beliefs. Anyone contemplating the benefits of guided meditation must be seeking to improve themselves as a whole as well.
Source: http://www.free-article-bank.com
Free Self Improvement examines all aspects of self improvement: hypnosis, meditation, motivation, personal development, stress reduction.
How To Reduce The Stress Of Grieving
Although loss and the resulting grief is a condition of existence, few realize that it takes a devastating physical toll on the mourner. This is born out by the fact that many who are suffering through a divorce or the death of a loved one often come down with a cold or flu symptoms, or end up with severe headaches or stomach upsets.
For over 40 years I have taught that for every thought and emotion we have there is a corresponding physical manifestation of that thought or emotion at the cellular level. In terms of mourning, the constant stressful thoughts of life without the deceased, poor eating habits, and the inability to sleep often result in a compromised immune system and eventually some type of illness.
What can be done to make inroads on and reduce the emotional and physical stress associated with mourning? Here are seven approaches to consider in dealing with your loss or helping someone else you are supporting.
1. Everyone needs physical outlets for emotional stimuli. This is because the anxiety and tension of grieving manifests in muscular tissue. Consequently, as difficult as it may be, it is useful to incorporate some type of exercise into your self-care plan. Take a walk, do Yoga, find some way to increase heart rate. Depression will be minimized, an increase in endorphins will lift your mood, and you will reclaim some of your energy and endurance.
I know you’ve heard all about exercise before, but don’t the mistake of minimizing the vast importance of this medium for stress reduction in the long hall. A 10-minute walk is all it takes, and if you add a friend to it, all the better. We need each other.
2. Be sure to take a rest period every day. You may feel fatigue because of little sleep (which is quite normal) or people trying to keep you company or on the go for most of the day. Insist on being alone for a short period of relaxation. Find a quiet place in your home, elevate your feet, and scan your body for tense areas. When you locate one—visualize exhaling your breath filled with light—through the tense area. Sense the feeling of release. Remember: do this every day.
3. Fake it till you make it. Caroline Myss, the medical intuitive said, “Most people suffer not because of what others have done to them, but because of what they do to themselves.” You always have the power of choice as to what thoughts you will allow to dominate your thinking—and your stress levels. Use the “fake it till you make it” slogan as a reminder that you can periodically act-as-you-wish-to-be and switch the constant painful thoughts to loving thoughts of the deceased and what you learned from knowing him or her. The mental switch will affect physical feelings.
4. On the other hand, don’t make the mistake of running from your pain full time. You will be adding stress to your life. The ups and downs are necessary and natural to grief. You can overdo the advice to keep busy. Grieve and face the pain is better advice. Then try a diversion or take a rest.
5. Try water therapy or a massage. Soaking in a hot tub can bring needed relief to the tension and anxiety of mourning. Or put some scented liquid soap in your bath tub and relax in the warm water. At the very least, allow your shower to provide some release each day. Also, at an appropriate time try a massage. Massage and the power of touch regulate natural chemicals in the body that affect mood. You will feel the energy change.
6. Nutrition helps you manage stress. If you don’t feel like eating, try drinking a liquid meal. Substitute spring water for the offer of another cup of coffee. There are three things that will guarantee more stress in your life—lack of food, water, or love. Once you systematically meet these needs, take the energy you will have saved, and direct it to honoring your deceased loved one.
7. Use your breathing as a first line of defense against stress. Periodically throughout the day bring your attention to your breathing. This can be done virtually anywhere. Deliberately take some deep abdominal breaths and repeat silently “Slow down” or choose any phrase you like that helps you relax.
8. Make a daily “to do” list. List where you will be going, what you are responsible for, and include your rest period and one positive thing you will do just for yourself. Start a project that will be your ongoing work in progress and list it as part of your “to do” list. This could be a collage, scrapbook, diary, or treasure chest devoted to your loved one or something for your children. Structure will help you reduce stress, but don’t become a slave to it. Rearrange it during the day if you feel it is necessary.
9. All of the above have focused on you. This final recommendation is about what you can do for others by taking yourself outside of yourself. Dr. Dean Ornish, the only person who has shown that heart disease can be reversed, says it best: “Love promotes survival. Both nurturing and being nurtured are life affirming. Anything that takes you outside of yourself promotes healing—in profound ways that can be measured—independent of other known factors such as diet and exercise.”
As your grief wears on, take yourself outside of yourself, keep loving and thinking outside the box. This will nourish your spirit, which is just as much in need as your body and mind.
Finally, it takes vigilance and discipline to manage stress levels when mourning. You will need to establish a routine to take care of yourself and practice the needed changes. You can’t do it all at once. Persist and stay committed to your goal. Don’t allow a failure or two to cause you to abandon your stress reduction program. Make it forever a part of your new life.
By: Louis LaGrand, Ph.D.
Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Dr. LaGrand is a grief counselor and the author of eight books, the most recent, the popular Love Lives On: Learning from the Extraordinary Encounters of the Bereaved. He is known world-wide for his research on the Extraordinary Experiences of the bereaved (after-death communication phenomena), speaks throughout the US, and is one of the founders of Hospice of the St. Lawrence Valley, Inc. His monthly ezine-free website is www.extraordinarygriefexperiences.com.
IMPROVING SELF ESTEEM WITH AFFIRMATIONS AND THERAPEUTIC RELAXATION MUSIC
Positive self-esteem is very important for our general health and wellness as human beings. Having positive self-esteem is also important for promoting any type of healing, whether physical, emotional or spiritual. Poor or low self-esteem on the other hand can be quite detrimental to our well-being and even our very existence. Negative self-esteem can create anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression, problems with relationships, seriously impair academic and job performance and also can generate an increased vulnerability to drug and alcohol abuse and dependency. On the other hand, a person with positive self-esteem tends to be more motivated in taking on and creating a life that he loves, living it powerfully and in this process be authentically related to others in his community. Having positive self-esteem appears to be necessary for having a happy and healthy existence regardless of who we are or what profession we are taking on in life.
What is self-esteem? We commonly think that self-esteem is merely about how we feel about ourselves at any particular moment. While seemingly existing in degrees, we tend to believe that we have positive or negative self-esteem and that we make that determination simply by how we feel about ourselves. However, within a conversation of Transformational Counseling, our feelings or emotions do not exist alone or have an independent existence. We do not just simply feel. Rather, for every feeling or emotion that we have, either positive or negative, there is a corresponding thought that we have about ourselves that generates the experience of self-esteem. Whether positive or negative, self-esteem is merely how our organism experiences the thoughts that the individual has about himself or herself. If a person has positive thoughts about himself he will experience positive or good self-esteem. On the other hand, if the individual has negative thoughts about who he thinks he is then he will experience poor or negative self-esteem. Therefore, to truly understand what self-esteem is all about and more importantly to be able to alter it when necessary for ones wellness or healing, we must first get it that self-esteem is really about our thinking, and more specifically about the thoughts that we develop or create about ourselves. The thoughts or beliefs that we have about ourselves are crucial in that they determine or create the structure of our experience of self-esteem and the various emotions associated with it.
We also tend to think of our self-esteem as being something that is shaped by the events that take place in our life, particularly those from our past. We tend to believe that who we think we are and how we feel about ourselves is merely the product, effect or caused by the experiences that we have had in the past, that we are who we are by virtue of what has happened to us as human beings. More specifically, we tend to think that the cause in the matter of who we think we are and our self-esteem is due to circumstance, situation or others, people, places and things. We do not tend to think that our self-esteem is something we actually developed or created. Within the work of transformation, it is not the past, circumstance, situation or others, that determines our underlying self-image and corresponding self-esteem. We created our thoughts and with it our emotions from the meaning that we gave to the events that took place in our life, especially at an early age. As meaning making machines we give meaning to everything in our life including and most importantly to ourselves. At an early age the meaning that we give an event tends to be made out to be all about us. While events do happen it is not the events that are important but rather the meaning that we give them and especially how we made it out to be about our identity.
Given the fact that our thoughts determine our feelings or emotions and equally important that we are truly responsible for their creation, to change or transform our self-esteem, how we tend to feel about ourselves, amounts to us altering how we see or conceive of ourselves in the world in the now and this work is our responsibility alone. It is our self-image, how we define ourselves as an individual in the world in the present, that determines our experience of self-esteem and it is this that we are truly responsible for creating and equally responsible for transforming. When we alter or transform our definition of ourselves in the present we change how we feel about ourselves and with it our experience of reality and life in general. If we do not get it that we are responsible for what we think about ourselves and that we are the real author of our self-image and self-esteem we will continue to blame something or some body, remain powerless and stuck in life. The question of how to actually go about altering or improving an individual’s self-esteem is one that has been debated for many years by professionals both in the mental health and addiction arenas.
Self-esteem can be improved or transformed in several ways. One way to improve ones self-esteem is to do the work of transformation as outlined in my articles, Transformational Counseling and The Conversation of Transformation. To improve ones self-esteem in this manner is to become present to ones self limiting belief, that which has stopped us in life and in the process create new possibilities for oneself, a new self-image from which to begin to live life into. Another way to improve an individual’s self-esteem is through the use of positive affirmations. Given that the basis of self-esteem is the thoughts that a person has about himself, an individual with poor or negative self-esteem is believing negative thoughts or ideas about who he thinks he is. The individual may think, for example, that he is “worthless” or “not good enough” and as a result will tend to experience poor or negative self-esteem. Within the work of transformation and Transformational Counseling, the thought that is at the basis or core of our self-talk is defined as a person’s Self Limiting Belief, the fundamental or core belief about who we think we are. Unless this core thought or belief that a person has about himself is changed or transformed he will continue to experience a poor or negative self-esteem and as a result of this negative thought pattern create or generate life experiences that will match and validate what they think about themselves. Given such a cognitive and emotional situation life will continue to appear as it has in the past and ones future will merely be the probable almost certain future.
Utilizing positive affirmations can be a very powerful tool for transforming what a person thinks about himself and as a result improve the individual’s self-esteem. Consistent use of positive affirmations will transform the negative beliefs about who a person thinks he is into positive ones, will begin to alter the basis and structure of his self talk or inner voice and produce a transformation from poor self-esteem to positive self-esteem. While utilized in a various ways, working with positive affirmations will be more effective when delivered through or combined with therapeutic relaxation music. What therapeutic relaxation music does to enhance the effect of positive affirmations is to create a very relaxed audio environment for the individual to become even more open or suggestive to the language of positive affirmations. When therapeutic relaxation music is combined with binaural audio tones the audio space that is created for the delivery of positive affirmations is even more relaxing and as a result very powerful. In addition to utilizing a unique type of therapeutic relaxation music, the infusion of either theta or alpha binaural tones is crucial for the success of this type of intervention. When therapeutic relaxation music and binaural audio tones are combined in this fashion the individual will experience a very deep state of relaxation and as a result be more open to the reception and eventual acceptance of the positive affirmations.
The key to the effective use of positive affirmation in this or any other type of intervention is consistency. The self-image and the negative thoughts about who a person thinks he is that generates his experience of poor or negative self-esteem is well established in the his belief system. In many cases the development of a negative self-image took years to create and has been reinforced through repetitive behavioral validation. Once a person creates and then believes that a self-limiting belief is true he will continually act as if it is true. This seemingly fundamental belief will appear to the person as true and as a result will continually be acted upon and thereby be reinforced through ones behavior. Much of that person’s behavior will be to continually validate who he thinks he is. Ones behavior will always be directed at supporting, reinforcing and validating what the person believes is true about him. While necessary for ones well-being and health, such a transformation of ones self-image from being basically a negative one to one that is fundamentally positive does not happen instantly. As with the development of an individual’s negative self-image, the development of a more adequate belief about the true nature of the individual will necessitate consistent and repetitive work by the person. Basic to this process is that the individual must fully embrace his sense of complete responsibility for the development of his self-image and also for its transformation. To do otherwise will only leave the individual feeling powerless and unable to create the life that he or she truly desires and unless there is consistency and repetition such a transformation will simply not happen.
Enhancing My Self Esteem is an audio product that will effectively transform the very structure of an individual’s thought or belief pattern, the basic ideas and language structure that he uses to define who he thinks he is in the world. This product was designed specially to change the self-talk that a person experiences on a daily basis by changing the ideas or beliefs that the person has about himself, the very foundation or backdrop of his inner conversation. As our identity is merely language, change the language in a person’s mind and his life transforms. By listening to this product an individual has the opportunity to practice or repeat fifty positive affirmations that will empower them to alter their life. Within a conversation of Transformational Counseling, committing an affirmation to spoken word makes it so or real especially if it is done repeatedly. Listening to positive affirmations before sleep also allows the person’s mind to begin this restructuring or reprogramming process even while the individual sleeps by taking the words and language into their dream state. By consistently listening to and practicing the positive affirmations in this product the individual will have the opportunity to begin to redefine themselves, who they think they are in the world, from one that is negative to one that is positive and enhancing for their life. With the acceptance of the words and language of the positive affirmations will come an improved self-image and with it an experience of positive self esteem.
I am currently using Enhancing My Self Esteem with all the clients that I counsel at the Holistic Addiction Treatment Program in North Miami Beach, Florida. All of the clients that I have worked with who are experiencing a drug and/or alcohol dependency problem also have very low self-esteem. My clients tend to be very depressed and unmotivated in many if not most of the various domains of their life, including and especially with their recovery. When given to my clients as homework, consistent use of Enhancing My Self Esteem alters how they think and improves how they feel about themselves. With an improved self-image and enhanced self-esteem my clients become more motivated in their life and especially with their recovery. If a person continues to experience low self-esteem and there is no intervention to disrupt the underlying cognitive process taking on improving their life and working the 12 Step Program will be meaningless and eventually given up completely as so many other things have been in the past. It is my belief that not altering or transforming the fundamental structure of ones self-image accounts for the great percentage of individuals who begin recovery and eventually relapse. The work that is essential to successful recovery is for the individual to be able to redefine who he thinks he is, to alter his self-image, the very foundation of his experience of self-esteem and life. Who the individual believes he is will determine what he does and how he will be in and appear to others and the world.
Harry Henshaw, Ed.D., LMHC
http://www.enhancedhealing.com
Source:s http://www.articlecube.com
Dr Harry Henshaw is in private practice in North Miami Beach, Florida. Enhanced Healing Through Music, www.enhancedhealing.com
Stress Relief - Ten Easy Ways
Sometimes we don't just need stress relief, but fast and easy relief. A complicated relaxation technique or elaborate meditative practice would be just one more thing to be anxious about. Here are ten much simpler solutions. Try them out, and keep in mind which ones work best for you, so you can use them regularly.
1. Deep breathing. Try six or seven deep breaths through your nose, with your eyes closed. Pay attention only to your breathing while doing this. This is "mini-meditation," and possibly one the most effective of these stress relief techniques.
2. Interrupt you normal routines. Talk to the crazy lady in the park, or eat your lunch outside. Doing anything that breaks you out of your habitual patterns can often relieve stress.
3. Give someone a hug. Of course, giving a hug means getting one, and as long as it's from somebody you don't mind hugging, this can immediately reduce your level of stress.
4. Watch your mind. Notice mental irritants lurking just below the surface and resolve them. Make the call that's on your mind, put things on a list so you can drop them, and generally let go of non-essential thoughts. Practice this mindfulness exercise, and it may become one of your favorite stress relief techniques.
5. Take a hot shower. This relaxes your muscles, and any break from more stressful activities can help too. Some find that an alternating hot and cold shower is even more relaxing, but be careful with this one if you have a weak heart..
6. Put on some relaxing music. Have your favorite relaxation CDs in the car, in your office, or wherever you'll need them most.
7. Laugh at something. Experience shows that this helps you relax, right? Find the person who knows all the best jokes, or look for something funny in front of you.
8. Take a walk. Walking is one of the best stress relief techniques if you have at least ten minutes. It is even better if you can find a pretty place to walk.
9. Get out of the room for a while. Sometimes the things in the room or related to the room are triggering your stressful thoughts. Try getting out for a little while.
10. Have a cup of chamomile tea. Chamomile seems to have a calming effect on the nerves, although any hot tea without caffeine may help relieve stress.
Of course, it might be nice if you can change yourself, so you're naturally more relaxed all of the time. That may be possible, but what the thought of the work involved just creates more anxiety? Then you might have to take it slow. Why not start with one or two of the fast and easy stress relief techniques above?
About the Author: Steve Gillman writes on many topics including brainpower, weight loss, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. Learn more and get FREE e-courses at http://www.SelfImprovementNow.com
Source: http://www.easyarticles.com
5 Ways To Relieve Stress This Weekend
With a busy working life and a busy home life, stress levels can soar during the regular week. Let's make the most of the weekend by including several great stress busters to help you relax and find peace of mind.
Another great way to relieve stress is to read a book. Great if the sun is shining! Fix up a comfy chair or lounger, make a jug of your favorite cool beverage, put some light music on if you wish and immerse yourself in a good read. Reading is such a great way to relax and unwind and a really brilliant way to enjoy a summer's day. And it's even better if you can read your book soaking up the sun on a golden sandy beach with the ocean as a backdrop. Oh, don't forget sunscreen!
Arrange a pamper day. Visit your local gym, workout, have a swim, take a sauna or sit in a steam room, luxuriate in a Jacuzzi (if they have one) and finish with a shower. Trust me, you'll feel like a million dollars afterwards. Alternatively, visit a health spa or a Turkish bath if you're lucky enough to have one nearby. These are all superb stress-busters and they are seriously enjoyable.
Why not take full advantage of the free time the weekend brings by doing something new? You could visit a new town or village, a park, a museum, or even a new restaurant or a coffee shop. You could go watch some sport, or even take up a new sport or hobby. This will broaden your horizons and will keep life fresh and interesting as well as helping to relieve stress.
Massage is a great stress-buster so why not make an appointment to have a massage from a professional masseur or masseuse? It's such a pleasurable way to relax and unwind and it is also great for your body as well as your mind. Lovers may prefer to massage each other and deepen their bond. Make it a priority to include massage as part of your weekend and you'll reap big rewards for your health.
Why not spend a cosy night indoors with your lover and cook a special dinner? A great idea is to try different cuisines - be as exotic as you dare! This is time for indulging your relationship so leave the stressful stuff like work elsewhere. Make the effort to dress for dinner and have candles and relaxing music in the background to create a nice ambience. I know one couple who've done this at least once a month for more than 30 years and they say it's one of the main reasons for their success. Try it, I have and it is a great way to bust stress and improve your relationship.
These tips will help you make the most of the weekend so you not only relieve stress, you will relax and enjoy the free-time the weekend brings. Try as many as you can over the next few weekends and watch your stress levels plummet!
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
You can find more articles, tips and information to help you find lasting natural www.conqueringstress.com” target="_blank">stress relief over on our Conquering Stress website.
