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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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