How Stressed are You?
Take the First Step in Coping with Stress
Are you tense much of the time? Do you have frequent headaches, neck or back aches? Or do you have trouble sleeping?
While stress is a given in life and may motivate us to do our best, learning to recognize when it is a problem is vital to feeling well. The effects of stress can creep up on you and are often the result of events or life changes.
These changes, both positive and negative, make demands on you. A serious illness or separation in the family will of course increase your stress level. But happy events like marriage or a new child can also tax your physical and emotional resources.
When Stress Builds
You can feel the effects of stress from one single large event, or as a series of small ones accumulate. Even small stressors in your life such as aches and pains, a daily commute or ever-present background noise, if sustained or combined with other stressors, can take their toll. Research shows that as stress builds, you may become more susceptible to physical illness, mental and emotional problems, and accidental injuries.
 Awareness is the first step in coping with stress. Taking this test will give you a moment out of your busy life to tune in to your own stress signals. Although some of the listed symptoms could indicate a medical condition that warrants prompt attention, they are probably simply signs that too much stress may be affecting your sense of well-being.
How did you do?
If you answered yes to more than half of the questions in the box, you may want to take steps now to reduce your stress.
Now what?
Sometimes facing a problem on the job or in a relationship will help decrease tension and anxiety. Even if a problem isn't easily solved, talking about it with a trusted friend or counselor can bring relief from the symptoms of stress.
Making more time to relax may leave you more resilient and less prone to disease and injury. Go for walks in beautiful places and take breaks at work to stretch. Learn relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga or tai chi. Get an extra bodywork session or ask your practitioner to use part of your session to focus on breathing more efficiently, a proven method of reducing tension in the body.
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Relaxation - Your Birthright
Body, Mind, and Life in the Fast Lane
 Remember the last time you were injured, afraid or in an emotional crisis? You probably experienced what's called the "fight-or-flight response." All your systems went on alert. Your emotions were charged, your pulse and blood pressure rose, your muscles tensed. Everything in your system shifted to help you face the emergency.
Stress and your Life
Although we may not be in crisis very often, in our busy modern lives we often have too many deadlines, commitments and financial pressures. As pressure builds, you may experience chronic stress and anxiety. Your overstimulated protective fight-or-flight response becomes an internal emergency. If unrelieved, this can exhaust your glands and organs and drain your energy, which can lead to a general undermining of your health.
Relaxation and your Body
Fortunately the body has a built-in way of dealing with the effects of stress through the autonomic nervous system. There are two parts of our autonomic nervous system.
The sympathetic branch is responsible for revving you up to "fight or flee." The parasympathetic calms you down, causing the heart rate and blood pressure to fall, the breath to slow, and the internal organs to function more efficiently. These changes are referred to as the "relaxation response," a mechanism we are born with. The relaxation response can be triggered by certain activities like meditation, biofeedback, yoga and bodywork.
Enjoying regular relaxation can slowly reverse the effects of chronic stress and bring you back to emotional, mental, and physical balance, the way you were meant to be.
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Are You Ready for Mother's Day?
Give the Gift of Massage
Every year, when Mother`s Day rolls around, we all think about what to get Mom to thank her. What do you give the woman who has everything and/or has given you so much over the years? This year, give her a break from the chaos and a moment of peace and tranquility. A massage or reflexology session is a great gift for Mom. This year, show her how much she means to you with a gift certificate from Massage and Reflexology of Delaware.
Mother's Day is coming up fast and we want to make sure you're prepared with the perfect gift. Call to pick up a gift certificate for any service... available in 30, 45, 60, or 90 minute sessions.
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Yoga for Your Hands
Mudras
are easy yoga movements that involve only the arms and hands.
Practice these ancient healing motions to enrich your life in
as little as 3 minutes a day.
 Mudra for Tranquilizing the Mind
This mudra short-circuits worried, obsessive energy and replaces it with a calming, helpful vibration. Sit comfortably with your spine straight and elbows bent. Bend the index fingers toward the palm and press them together along the second joint. Extend your middle fingers so that their finger pads are touching, pointing them away from your body. Curl the other fingers into your palm and touch the thumbs together at their tips, pointing toward you. Hold the mudra a few inches away from your body, elbows and hands at the same level.
Your breath should be controlled, long, and deep while you concentrate
on your inner spirit. With regular practice of this mudra, you
can lead a calmer and more peaceful life.
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Shiatsu Self Massage
The next time you get a headache, try this Shiatsu massage technique
to improve your energy and ease your tension. Shiatsu is an ancient Japanese art based on
the same philosophy as Accupuncture. Your energy channels can be
stimulated by finger pressure. The yellow-colored dots represent the
approximate location of the pressure points used to improve your
energy flow.
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Quote of the Month
"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them."
—James Baldwin |
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