Relaxation Rescue

by Laura M. Turner

Let’s face it, stress is everywhere. It lurks in every corner and around every bend, just waiting to “get” us. And study after study concludes that although some stress can be productive, prolonged stress can lead to chronic illness.

Yet, stress can only “get us” if we let it. If we can agree that the mind and body are interconnected, than I believe you can actually decide to manage stress, take control of it and instantly over-come the negative influences brought to you by your environment.

Now, stay with me for the “clinical” stuff. Scientific evidence supports that the stress of the body comes from the nervous system’s “fight or flight response.” If you haven’t heard this term before, it’s when the body suspects trauma and instantly shifts into “survival mode” based on the stimulus of an oncoming stress factor. This “survival mode” response, does terrible things to the body including increasing heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, muscle tension. These are the bad boys that can lead to harmful changes over time.

Now for the good news: you can teach your body not to make the shift into survival mode. Do this by retraining your body to create its own relaxation response. How? Begin by incorporating these three proven relaxation rescue techniques into your own life:

Meditation:
Meditation provides an escape from stress as it refocuses the mind on something else - most often the breath. The benefits of meditation counteract the negative stress-responses by creating a mode of deep inner peace and physical health. It does this by slowing the heart rate and lowering the blood pressure. It also includes many other benefits including those of anti-aging.
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Instructions for Happiness

by Su Avasthi

There are, at minimum, 20 techniques to make the pursuit of happiness a little easier.

At least that’s the idea behind Time’s Special Report on the subject. It seems that the latest science (and apparently, it is a science) is focused on ways to be happier as a whole, rather than on how to fix problems like depression, anxiety, and such. In other words, what factors enable us to thrive, flourish, and insist that the glass is half-full.

Each of the 20 ways to be happier is explored on their site. The techniques they mentioned were based on the International Conference on Happiness and Its Causes.

A lot of them are no-brainers, such as: “Move your body,” (tip #5) “Smile,” (tip #19) “Laugh big,” (tip #6) “Do something nice for someone else,” (tip #7) and “Snog. Canoodle. Get it on” (tip # 3). Oh, and money doesn’t hurt either (tip #8).

But there are also a few concepts which may not be as obvious as those. For instance, “Tell your story to someone” (tip # 14).

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Shedding Light On Ourselves - Parts That Don’t Want To Heal

by DailyOM

In almost every case, we know what is best for us in our lives, from the relationships we create to the food we eat. Still, somewhat mysteriously, it is often difficult to make the right choices for ourselves. We find ourselves hanging out with someone who leaves us feeling drained or choosing to eat fast food over a salad. We go through phases where we stop doing yoga or taking vitamins, even though we feel so much better when we do. Often we have no idea why we continue to make the less enlightened choice, but it is important that we inquire into ourselves to find out.

When we choose that which is not best for us, the truth can be that there is a deep seated part of us that does not want to heal. We may say it’s because we don’t have the time or the energy or the resources, but the real truth is that when we don’t take care of ourselves we are falling prey to self-sabotage. Self-sabotage happens unconsciously, which is why it’s so difficult to see that we are doing it. The important thing to realize is that this very part of us that resists our healing is the part that most needs our attention and love. Even as it appears to be working against us, if we can simply bring it into the light of our consciousness, it can become our greatest ally. It carries the information we need to move to the next level in our healing process.

When we recognize that we are not making healthy choices, we might even say out loud, “I am not taking care of myself.” Sometimes this is the jolt we need to wake up to what is actually happening. Next we can sit ourselves down in meditation, with a journal, or with a trusted friend to explore the matter more thoroughly. Just shining the light of our awareness on the source of our resistance is sometimes enough to dispel its power. At other times, further effort is required. Either way, we need not fear these parts that do not want to heal. We only need to take them under our wing and bring them with us into the light.

Healing Waterfall Meditation

By Rosie Powel

Sit comfortably as in a position that you would use to normally
meditate…and replace your meditation with this one.

Relax, and imagine you are a beautiful waterfall. [Give yourself a
few moments for this] Now…repeat a few times in your mind…or
ask your guide to do so for you…he/she just might.
“The water flows in…..the water flows away…

See yourself as the water flows into you, and see yourself as the
water flows away from you…You are still a waterfall, you are
allowing the water to flow from above into you, and to flow outwards
away from you.

You are a beautiful waterfall…water flows into you, water flows
out from you. You are refreshed, you are cleansed, you are healed,
and you are quenched.
See the animals and the people rest within you, see them being
quenched, being refreshed in you. See them being cleansed, being
healed in you.
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