stress and anxiety : 5 Tips to Manage Stress and Anxiety

Stress is a huge factor in loss of vitality. You will age faster and slowly loose your energy, if you don’t know how to respond to stress creatively.

Physical Symptoms of stress and anxiety include:
• rapid breathing
• increased heart beat
• feeling sick in the stomach
• sudden diarrhea and urinary frequency
• exhaustion
• inability to think

Emotional Symptoms of stress and anxiety include:
• anger and irritability
• fear
• apathy, indifference, “giving up”
• inability to focus
• becoming forgetful

Behavioural Symptoms of stress and anxiety include:
• over-working
• reaching for addictive substances
• withdrawing from friends
• taking self-prescribed medications

Many physiological changes take place in response of the body’s need to prepare for fight or flight. We have acute or prolonged stress symptoms and the action we need to take may change depending on what causes the problem.

Stress Management Tips

Tip One

ESR, or Emotional Stress Release is a Kinesiology technique you can use anytime you feel stressed.

Place your hand gently on your forehead. You will cover most of your forehead above the eyes with one or both hands. Feel energy and warmth in your forehead. Consciously deciding to “go forebrain” allows energy and circulation to come back to the frontal area where you are able to think.

Your hand is always with you. Put it to your forehead whenever you feel stressed and you will be surprised at the creative solutions that pop up. You’ll be calmer and much more able to be in charge of what you say and do. Your relationships will improve and you will become more effective in your life.

Tip Two

Place your hand over your heart area, breathe gently into the area of your heart. Breathe for at least 5 full breaths. Imagine a soft warm feeling, you can give it a colour, and let it grow and expand. Remember a time when you were kind to someone else or to yourself. Spend a moment to ask your heart if there is anything to understand that you didn’t see or feel before. Ask “How can I respond to this challenge and help create the best possible outcome? What if I base my response on my ability to love and be kind?”

Tip Number 3

Breathe deeply and fully for 5 breaths and then slow down your breathing. Your brain is fooled into believing that the danger is over and it allows you to get back to life in the present. Imagine a positive outcome or see yourself responding to the challenge with positive action and understanding. Ask yourself: “If I tune into my inner wisdom, what message is it giving to me?”

Tip Number 4

Move! Run, jump, dance, exercise. You are using up the stress chemicals which have been released into your blood stream. This improves mood and sleep and reduces stress and anxiety.

Stress Management Tip for Prolonged Stress and Anxiety

Tip Number 5

The minerals Calcium and Magnesium are also known as the “Lullaby Minerals”. They feed the nervous system and especially help us cope with anxiety. They help calm the nerves and the heart beat. I recommend Calcium/Magnesium from food sources. My favorite is made from egg shells and can be chewed.

By Parijat Wismer