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Just living our lives invites stress. Compound
that with an unexpected ailment or trauma and our stress may increase
exponentially. Whether it's the everyday stress of life or the fear of
unforeseen circumstances meditation combined with
exercise and proper diet can help. Meditation is increasingly proving
itself to be a reliable tool for decreasing stress and anxiety while
increasing joy, calm, confidence and self-compassion.
Perhaps you've heard of the "fight or flight
reaction". When experiencing either a real or perceived threat it is
normal for human beings to experience a rush of adrenaline via the
sympathetic nervous system to prepare the body to act. Adrenaline gives
the body the added energy it needs to either fight off the threat or
run away from the threat. This was useful on the plains of Africa when
our ancestors were confronted by wild animals. It can also be useful
today in crisis situations where quick action and strength are needed.
But with most life stressors this added energy has no outlet. We don't
punch our doctor when she says "You have cancer."
In our everyday lives we have many experiences
that trigger our stress response hormones but where fighting or fleeing
are not acceptable behaviors. An angry boss, traffic snarls and raising
a family are just a few of the common stressors we all experience that
can set off our anger and our fear. Road rage is an expression of the
fight or flight reaction. But with few acceptable outlets to exhaust
our highly reactive state, stress hormones remain in our system and
cause havoc with our physical and emotional health.
Mindfulness-meditation can help.
Meditation, in and of itself, is a non-religious
skill that anyone can learn to increase being in the present moment.
Being in the present moment during stressful experiences is key to
reducing levels of stress hormone. Through mindfulness-meditation we
learn to respond to stress rather than react
through fear or anger. Reducing levels of stress hormone increases
feelings of calm.
For more information, please call me with any
questions at 503-252-3739
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