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Top Ten Alternative Ways to Manage Stress and Create Radiant Health
Top Ten Alternative Ways to Manage Stress
and Create Radiant Health
~ by Debrah Rafel ~
Radiant health. What does that mean? I believe it means something different for each individual and everyone deserves to be honoured for his/her view of health. For me personally, it means health and relative balance on every level of my being ~ physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. It also means health and balance between each level of my being so one area of my life is not getting all the attention to the detriment of the others. Honouring the 80/20 principle is vital for me as well ~ 80% of the time I engage in activities that build personal and global health, and 20% of the time I love to stay up really late, drink champagne, eat chocolate and throw out something that could otherwise be recycled. (I’m learning to allow for my human-ness!) Here are some ways I’ve learned through my 15 years of holistic health exploration to manage stress and create radiant health.
1. Rise before 6 am; retire by 10 pm
Our bodies tick away on their own time clocks in response to the hours of the day, the seasons of the year, etc. There are times to be more active and extroverted and times to rest and be in hibernation ~ cycles upon cycles. In a 24-hour period our bodies shift through six major cycles according to the hour of the day. To use this natural energy to our own advantage we can more mindfully time our rising and retiring. You’ve likely heard of the old farmer’s adage to follow the sun up in the morning and to bed at night ~ easy in the summer with our long days, but have you ever tried to earn a living sleeping for twelve hours a day in the winter?
To rise before 6 am means we rise during a time period that is more mentally energizing than the time that falls after 6 am. You may have noticed that to sleep late sometimes results in a persistent feeling of sluggishness that lasts well into the day, even though you have had "extra sleep". Conversely, to retire before 10 pm means that you climb into bed before the second most active time of the day begins (body clock wise). You may have experienced the proverbial "second wind" that one frequently gets by staying up late. Often the second wind blows itself out by 2 am, which is when this active period ends. Try rising before 6 and retiring before 10 for a week and see how much more rested, and consequently less stressed, you feel.
2. Nap or rest each day
"Impossible!", you say. "There is barely enough time to do what needs doing as it is!" What I have discovered, as have others including Albert Einstein, is that to take 15 or 20 minutes a day to have a cat nap or simply lie down (clothes on, shoes off) leaves me alert and rejuvenated, and therefore more productive than if I pushed right through. I can see it now; executives everywhere signing up for their 15 minutes nap break in the specially designed office nap room. And as a result, World Peace... Hey, you never know! But perhaps busy mothers and fathers will find themselves with more patience at the end of a long day for their kids who just want to play. And while we are at it, how about a padded room in every office tower where, in a moment of frustration, one can go to vent, pound on pillows, etc., etc. Perhaps that concept can be the basis of another Top 10 list…
3. Slow down your driving
I recently had a run in with a $173.00 speeding ticket. And I was pulled over when I was consciously driving more slowing… ha! To say it sobered me up is an understatement. What I have discovered since I paid that $173.00 speeding ticket is that an entire world exists and even thrives at the speed limit. Flowers are in bloom, babies are being walked in the sunshine, grandparents are holding hands on park benches. There is also considerably less stress for me at the speed limit. I’ve discovered that even when I am stressed when I get in my car and panicking about time, if I deliberately slow my driving down to the speed limit I am calmed. Amazing, but true… Consider slowing your driving down to the speed limit if you are not already doing so and enjoy a new view and a renewed sense of calm.
4. Drink herbal teas instead of coffee
A tall order, I know, especially with the deliciousness of Starbucks offered on every street corner. We all know why we drink coffee, I mean other than the taste, it’s for the kick. The "pick me up, throw me down, fling me down the highway" kick. Now that you are awake and your attention is riveted on the matter at hand, could there be another way to get to this state? Black tea, perhaps, for starters; easier on the body, quite effective. Celestial Seasonings has had, in the past, a wonderful kicker of a tea called Morning Thunder … and it was! You can find excellent organic and black teas these days with delightful added natural flavours for variety. I had a run in with some green tea recently that almost blew my head off. Take a wander through the tea shelves at your local grocery or health food store to see if something throws itself at you from the shelf. Even to substitute one cup of coffee a day with tea is a great first step toward weaning from the coffee habit. Eventually you may come to love chamomile tea... And your adrenal glands will appreciate it.
5. Eat consciously and slowly
How often do you find yourself wolfing down a muffin in the car on your way to a meeting? Or my favourite ~ breakfast at the computer. Do you sit down at the table preoccupied by the next activity on your agenda? If so, how do you feel after? Do you feel calm and settled or something else? In many of the ancient teachings from China and India, eating a meal was considered a meditation unto itself and often meals were enjoyed in silence to afford the body its highest digestive integrity. While that may seem a tremendous luxury in this day and age, let us consider a modest alternative: when you sit down to a meal ~ sit down ~ that can be the first consideration. Take a moment to savour the rich aromas steaming from your plate. Arrange your food attractively, even if it is just a sandwich with a pickle on the side. And before diving in, because by this time you are famished, pause. This may very well have been the origins of offering a prayer before a meal… a moment for everyone to fully arrive at the dinner table, take a breath, settle somewhat and then begin their meal. Give it a try and experience the difference a moment of reverence for the fruits of our Earth can make to your digestion. (Also, many weight loss programs advocates conscious eating as a way to reduce pounds.)
6. Breathe
In our stressful A-type society we are, generally speaking, a gathering of upper chest breathers. This is great for giving oneself an extra boost to get through a highly-charged situation. However, after the moment has passed and one’s heart beat returns to normal so too should one’s breath return to it natal position in the body ~ the belly. Deep belly breathing will lead to a sense of calm in a way that almost nothing else will. We began our lives belly breathing and to witness a sleeping newborn’s peace will remind us of the serenity that comes through breath. Through practicing the simple exercise below I changed the entire breathing pattern of my body and as a result my mind has become calmer. It is said that to change one’s breath is to change one’s thinking…
Try this as practice: lie in bed, morning or night, and place your hands lightly on your lower belly. Now imagine that you are filling a beach ball with your breath and that beach ball is pressing against your hands, gently lifting and spreading them. Remember that a beach ball fills on all sides, top and bottom, so you will want to be aware of the sides and back of your body as well as the front. Fill and empty your belly as slowly and smoothly as you can. Start with just a few breathes, perhaps five, to begin to experience the difference deep breath can make to your stress level, then work your way up to 10, 15, 20 minutes of breathwork ~ now the breath becomes a meditation. Be aware that to begin to reeducate the body to breathe more deeply takes time and patience. Often we have shifted our breath into the upper part of our bodies in response to a trauma or stressor early in our lives. By returning our breath to our bellies, we may experience any range of emotions as those stressors work their way back out of the body. (tears, anger, laughter, sorrow) Be gentle and patient with yourself ~ you are worth it.
7. The Pause
As you begin to become more comfortable with mindful breathing, you may want to incorporate an exercise from yogic breathwork called The Pause. At the top and bottom of each breath, before the breath is inhaled or exhaled, you pause, and in essence hold the breath momentarily. The result is an ever-deepening sense of calm that pervades the physical being and psyche. In working with The Pause in my yoga practice I began to consider its effect if I took it into my every day life. Could The Pause be carried into every aspect of life? The answer is yes. Consider the effect on your stress level if you were to pause before each activity; before picking up the phone, before responding to a client, before reacting to an irritant. When I began to do this I felt immediately less stressed ~ moment by moment. I once heard it said that wisdom is the time between stimulus and response. Perhaps they were referring to The Pause.
8. Get Outdoors
Ahh, yes, the Great Outdoors… Fresh air, sea spray, pine trees, flowers. A walk in the wind can be one of the most invigorating and de-stressing activities ever discovered. There is something about braving a strong wind that is quieting to the soul. Rain is good also. And wind and rain together are an exceptional combination for taking the bite out of a nasty day at the office. Of course on weekends, there is hiking in the mountains or through a park… any fresh air activity will do: skiing, bicycling, water-skiing, mountain climbing. What is important is to replace all that recycled, closed building sterile air with fresh O2 ~ your lungs will love you for it. And your stress level will decrease, guaranteed. The more fresh air you exchange through your lungs, the less stress.
9. Engage in quiet movement
The idea here is to slow down the ‘heavy’ forms of exercise that have been the trend in fitness and stress management: running, aerobics, weight training, heavy cycling, etc. While the last few years has seen a trend toward softer forms of these exercises, such as step-aerobics, I believe that to intersperse them with quiet movement will decrease stress more readily than if they were not included. Many will have heard the term "moving mediation" in conjunction with Tai Chi. This is what is meant by quiet movement; also Hatha Yoga, other gentler forms of martial arts, simple stretching, walking, swimming… While there is nothing quite like the ‘runner’s high’, when I moved into exercise regimes that included quiet movement, my stress level decreased markedly. Every body has different requirements and tolerations with regard to physical activity, so please let me know of your experience if you decide to try it out.
10. Meditation
With the return to more spiritual values, as reported by Life Magazine, Time and the like, the discussion of meditation inevitably comes up. Now many may still believe that this entails sitting half-naked on a mountaintop in some area of the world whose name is unpronounceable. Not so. In fact, there are so many forms of meditation that one is sure to appeal. Meditation can be as simple as taking a walk in silence along a beach or in the woods, where each footstep is taken mindfully. It can be a swim in a long pool with only the rhythmic pull of the arms as company. It can be sitting quietly, back straight, hands folded in the lap, quiet breathing … in and out, in and out. Mantras can be used, a candle can be the object of focus, chanting or quiet singing… these are all forms of meditation. Excellent books have been written by many a proficient meditator: Jack Kornfield, Ram Dass, many of the Indian gurus and teachers. A wander through your local spiritual bookstore will reveal many treasures. Or you can simply sit quietly each day for 5, 10 or 20 minutes and take a quiet wander through your own inner spaces. Whatever form you choose, regular meditation is a wonderful de-stressor.
And as added bonus; something quite unusual for our western minds to consider…
11. Oil your feet
Yes, you heard that right ~ oil your feet. Warm sesame oil, at night, before you go to sleep. It is one of the best cures for insomnia I have encountered yet. The idea is to warm the sesame oil in a small container with water hot from the tap. Then give your feet a massage with the oil, light or deep, depending on how you feel. Finally cloak your feet in heavy socks to protect your sheets. This is best done on a night when you are sleeping alone or have a bedmate who likes thick wooly socks. Sleep well!