Learn How To Live A Life With Reduced Stress

Hello all! I am back from a rather long break from writing my blogs and many other non- essential tasks. I was feeling overwhelmed by all the daily responsibilities of running and marketing a business, along with working with clients, teaching, interacting with family and friends, doing service in the community and all the other daily little chores we all must do. Like so many of us, I was stretched too thin, and knew I had to make some changes so that I did not get ill. When we find ourselves feeling burned out change is necessary, my change was to take a break from anything that was not absolutely required of me. The trick is to not allow this type of stress to go on for too long. So being mindful of how you are feeling on a daily basis is key to knowing when the stress is getting out of hand.

I was fortunate that I could actually cut back on some of my work and take the time for a few relaxing trips and in between those, spending more time being very quiet. This time of lessened responsibilities and a greater amount of solitude and peacefulness, worked to bring me back to my center and to increase my sense of wellbeing.

I believe that I as able to observe the increased level of stress in my life before it got out of hand, because of certain things that I incorporate in my life on a regular basis. I am about to share with you how to go about learning to keep your stress level down, and how to be mindful so that you notice when the stress meter begins to rise.

The most important thing we can do is learn how to eat correctly and then practice that way of eating at least 85% of the time. No one is perfect and so we all need those special times when we just eat what we want to because it is yummy, but that should only be about 15% of the time. The rest of the time, we should be eating a Whole Food diet that is high in vegetables and fruits, therefore high in fiber, low in animal protein and saturated fat, refined grains, simple carbs, and very low in stimulants like caffeine, sugar, alcohol and of course tobacco. As far as tobacco goes, there is no wiggle room to have this in your life at all as far as I am concerned; it is a dangerous drug that should be illegal. Eating in this way, and making sure you are getting enough water daily, sets the stage for keeping the stress hormones low. It also creates an alkaline body chemistry, which is a very important piece in staying healthy and happy. Eating like this lessens cravings and puts you back in control.

The second most important thing for us to do is to get a full eight hours of good quality sleep per night. We do not catch up on sleep once we are sleep deprived by sleeping twelve hours on the occasional night. If you are having sleep problems I recommend you go to one of the many wonderful sites online to learn about practicing good sleep hygiene. Sleep repairs our central nervous system in ways we do not have a full understanding of and is crucial to a happy and healthy life.

Third, we must get a minimum of at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. Walking is a great way to get that activity and is something we can continue to do into our later years. It is easy on the joints and is aerobic if you keep the pace up. If you can add weight lifting at least twice a week to keep your muscle tissue built up, you will find that your metabolism stays high and so allow you to burn more calories at rest. This in turn gives you the ability to control your weight you age. Activity clears the mind, works off stress and keeps the digestion working well. Adding a bit of stretching at the end of each day will help you unwind before bed and keep the body feeling supple and lessen pain and injury. My DVD The B.I.O.Method “Stretch and Relax” is available on the store page on this website.

Fourth, we must be mindful of breathing deeply and slowly on a regular basis, and taking time to allow the mind to get quiet through any sort of meditation. This type of mindful breath brings more oxygen into the body, which in turn acts like a natural tranquillizer and keeps stress at bay. Increased oxygen in the body also helps keep our cells healthy. Discipline yourself to take at least one deep extended breath each hour of the day as well as learning to breath correctly all the time. Slowing the mind through meditation allows us to slow our brain waves; which rests it and is restorative. Any method of meditation will work, do not TRY to stop the mind from being active, simply observe the thoughts coming and going from the mind with no attachment to them. Sit with your spine straight and limbs uncrossed, or lye down in a comfortable position. Lying down to meditate is wonderful right before bedtime and will help you sleep.

I believe that if the above practices are incorporated into your daily life, you will find that you are over all much healthier, and are able to develop the ability to be mindful of when there is too much stress in your life. You will be more able to take control to de-stress before you get ill or blow up. You will be more capable of living a mindful and conscious lifestyle that allows for well-being and increased quality of life. So give it a try and see how much more in control you feel of your life… it is worth the time and effort it will take to learn how to live this healthy lifestyle. This B.I.O. Method will help you to Bloom Inside Out, which I believe is the way to true and lasting good health and well ness. It is never too late to learn how to take better care of yourself, so begin today!

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