ANNA ZUMI
welcome meditation classes groups for kids tips weddings about your wedding more stress strategies zen ceremonies meditation & zen links anna about contact	Stress strategies Be nice to yourself! Don’t stress out about being stressed out. Use the items on this list as suggestions of easy things you can do to help relax. --------------------------- Diet - Drink enough water. Many people don’t. Eight glasses each day is the standard recommendation. Avoid ice water, as it’s hard on our systems. Warm water is the best. It’s even better with fresh lemon. - Limit caffeine. How? Each day drink a little less to avoid the “coffee headache” associated with coffee withdrawal. The effect of curbing your caffeine intake is profound. - Limit processed sugar and sweetened foods, desserts and candy. Sugar really wreaks havoc with our homeostasis, including our immune system. - Drink soothing teas and teasanes. Herbal ‘teas’ (teasanes) like chamomile have long been used for relaxation. Also, black and green teas, even with their caffeine, can help promote relaxation and health. - Some spices, such as cumin, have been used for centuries to help calm the nervous and digestive systems. - Magnesium. Could you be magnesium deficient? If you are, taking magnesium supplements can work wonders to relax you. If you have heart or kidney problems, check with your doctor before taking supplements of any kind. - B vitamin supplements can help your body handle stress and relax. - Limit alcohol consumption. In my own experience, I’ve found that after I drink alcohol I tend to be more stressed the next day. If you drink alcohol you can see if it’s true for you, too. (BTW I found a cool 'scientific' blurb about this in some magazine somewhere, too) - Try tryptophan. It’s found in turkey and warm milk. Yum. --------------------------- Activities - Engage in daily, low-impact, non-competitive exercise. Go for a walk! Ski! Golf! … - Listen to music. Studies show that listening to music, especially classical music, but most any kind of music, can relax your body/mind. Hard rock is an exception. - Enjoy what you’re doing. Notice your attitude. Practice having a positive one. - Enjoy NOT doing. Let yourself ‘not do’. You don’t have to be ‘doing’ 24/7. Remember to LET yourself relax. For some of us it’s not easy to remember to relax. We need practice. - Take a deep breath, and extend your exhalation. Focusing on your breath brings you back to the present. Extending your exhalation helps you relax. - Get enough sleep each night. - Take a nap during the day. - Limit TV exposure. We think watching television is a way to relax, but studies are showing the opposite. - Make snap decisions – Take the stress out of decision making! Research is showing that the quicker you answer basic questions, the more likely you’ll get the right answers- and with less stress. See more here. - Practice meditation daily. Here are some meditation suggestions: · just sit still · be aware of your breathing, focus on your breathing, count your breaths, · practice deep, relaxed breathing · do a ‘body scan’ meditation. Take your awareness throughout your body relaxing each part. · meditate to relax each night. Just before sleep is a great time to do a relaxing body scan. · do a “Trust” meditation. · Rework your past. Think of your past experiences in a new (golden and empowering) light. Our body remembers the stressful experiences in our life, starting EARLY. It uses those early stresses to build on, and anticipate future stress. You can practice changing your story.