Tips to Reduce Stress

Posted April 20, 2009 by MoM Digital Media in Managing Stress | No comments yet

Here are a variety of tips and ideas to help you reduce the amount of unnecessary stress in your life.

1) Eliminate News.  Many people read newspapers or watch the news on television on a frequent basis. The contents of the news can be highly stress invoking.  Have you ever heard the term “no news is good news”?  You have the power to reduce or eliminate the constant stream of negative news in your life. What do you think the chances are that the stuff you are watching is the stuff they want the public to know.  It has been said that a stressed and frightened person is more susceptible to being controlled, does watching or reading the news increase or decrease your level of stress?

2) Get rid of commercials. Do you believe that drinking beer will make you more appealing to the opposite sex?  Can those portable stain removers really save your social status?  How are you being programmed or influenced by advertisements?  You may think that the hundreds of ads you read or watch every day don’t effect you but there is so much more going on than you can consciously process!!!  If Metaphors are used in therapeutic ways to bring about positive changes in behavior then why do you think they use them in commercial advertising?  If you must watch regular TV then get a PVR and fast forward through the advertisements, if you listen to the radio, change the channel at commercials or get a Sirius or XM Satellite radio and listen to commercial free music!

3) Take time for yourself!  When was the last time you did something for yourself, something just for you, nobody else…just you.  How do you start your day?  How do you end your day?  Could you take 10 minutes in the morning or evening to focus on positive things?  A great way to do this is to take that time and focus only on what you are grateful for.  You can start with really simple stuff like, I am grateful for clean water, I am grateful for being alive, I am grateful for all the people in my life who support me, I am grateful for the experiences I will have (or had) today, I am grateful for the opportunity to live another day!  Say them slowly, calmly and with passion.  Being truly grateful for the good things in your life can bring more good!  Let go of hate, resentment, disappointment and embrace the concept that everything happens to you for a reason and a purpose to serve you in some way.  Just because you may not know how it serves you YET, doesn’t mean that it isn’t exactly what you need!  If you think you don’t have time to take time for yourself, then ask yourself this…. If I can’t take time for me then what priority do I have in MY LIFE?

3) Use the music!  Music is one of the great gifts we have that can change our state of mind.  By choosing to listen to music that moves you in positive ways you can reduce stress and empower your day!  Do you have a song that puts you in a great mood?  Play it to take you there!  Choose a song to play while you take time for yourself and after a few days you will find that you can relax and begin to enjoy the time more quickly because the music will re-create the state.  Why do we have music if not to enjoy it!

4) Read enlightening and empowering books!  There are now thousands of books that deal with personal empowerment, the power of intention, healing, meditation, holistic arts, mind power, laws of attraction and much more!  Read things that help you discover what a truly amazing, powerful and resourceful being you truly are!  You are more than flesh, bones and a brain!  You are a being of light and you deserve the very best that life and the universe has to offer!  Reading one positive thing can eliminate 1000 negatives!!!

5) Use Downloads to access resourceful states!  There are millions of files on the internet which contain information that is enlightening and beneficial.  Whether you find yourself downloading some of our Hypnosis MP3 recordings or searching podcasts for information from people like Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Lisa Nichols or Anthony Robbins, the information is out there for you to access.  You will find messages of hope, empowerment and tools that you can learn to use to take control of every aspect of your life.

6) Take a course!  Whether you want to earn a degree or simply participate in an interesting workshop, the first step is to find the resources!  Your community college, libraries and community centers all have interesting groups, courses and meetings going on.  Decide to learn something new and grow!  In nature, if something isn’t growing…it’s dying!  We are part of nature too, we need to continue to learn and expand our knowledge in new and exciting ways!  Taking workshops and courses is also a great way to expand your base of friends and make new connections with like minded people!

5 things to do at a red light

Posted April 8, 2009 by MoM Digital Media in Managing Stress | No comments yet

How many times a day do you get stopped by a red light? I wonder if you have thought about the best way to spend the time until the light changes. It’s not a good time for a short nap. It is a good time for a little mental exercise.

The next time you’re stopped at a light try one of these five tips. Begin by reminding your senses to stay alert for any change or danger. You can trust them to bring you all the way into focus when danger arises or the light changes. In the meantime, you can:

1. Take slow deep breaths until the light changes. Notice how good oxygen feels when it enters your system.
 
2. Say a prayer for someone else (if you don’t pray, just bring them to mind with an intention of helping). Pray for people you know or people on the news that day.
 
3. Watch the light and the cars around you with so much attention that the voice in your head goes quiet. Discover how quickly the light changes when you focus quietly on watching it.
 
4. Listen. Listen to the sound of your engine or the radio or the sound of the traffic outside. Notice how many different sounds and rhythms you can hear when you listen.
 
5. Sing out loud – with the radio or without it. Music stimulates more parts of your brain than any other activity. Be curious about the sound of your voice.
 

About the author: Linda Ferguson, Ph.D. is a senior partner with NLP Canada Training Inc.,Toronto  visit www.nlpcanada.com

5 tips for reducing stress

Posted March 28, 2009 by MoM Digital Media in Managing Stress | No comments yet

We are constantly bombarded through the media with advertisements that are designed to make us feel unacceptable, unhappy, unfulfilled, over weight and in need of a quick fix. Of course the quick fix is always the product or service being offered.

Do you suffer from indigestion due to over eating…then drink this pink liquid and feel better…then do it again later so we can sell you some more pink liquid! The last thing the people who make pink liquid want you to do is to learn to eat slowly, appreciate your food and stop when you begin to feel full!

The same is true with the economy, we have been conditioned to buy..buy..buy and never feel satisfied or fulfilled. We always FEEL like we need the next best cell phone, or that cool pair of $150.00 running shoes because we have been programmed to respond that way through a constant stream of advertisements that tell us we are not good enough the way we are or with what we have.

It’s no wonder that so many people are over stressed. Where are the positive, uplifting messages and images that tell us we are ok, that we can be happy, that we did a good job and that there is hope.

Within each of us is a part of us known as the sub-conscious or unconscious mind. This part of our minds has the ability to process millions of bits of information every second and has access to everything we have ever learned or experienced in our lives, even if we can’t remember it consciously.

Making friends with your unconscious mind can provide you with access to unlimited resources to make the changes you desire in your life. This includes finding new ways to help you reduce stress and increasing a sense of balance and calmness.

Here are 5 tips to help you begin to reduce the amount of stress in your life.

1) Reduce the amount of advertising and negative media that you allow in your life. It always take effort to change the habit of listening to the radio or sitting in front of the tv. Don’t eliminate the entertainment, just the news and commercials! Switch to an MP3 player for your music source, watch DVDs or Video Tapes instead of sitcoms, or get yourself a Personal Video Recorder and fast forward through commercials!

2) Listen to your internal voice and notice whether the things you say to yourself are positive or negative. When you make a mistake do you say to yourself “that was stupid” or worse “I’m so stupid” when faced with a challenge do you say “I can’t do that”? Begin to re-state you internal dialog in a positive way when you catch yourself saying something negative, such as “I can’t do that…yet..but it’s going to be fun learning how” or ‘how can I learn to do this…and enjoy the process”.

3) Make a list of things you are proud of, people you love, fun times you have had in the past. When you are feeling stressed, go through the list and take the time to visualize those people, places and things and notice how it changes the way you feel.

4) Change your physiology! When you are feeling stressed, change the way you breath, hold your shoulders back, stand or sit up straight and image what it would feel like to have just won the lottery…. How does that change the way you feel? Change your physiology, then change your breathing and you will change the way you feel! You can learn to control your state instead of allowing your state to control you!

5) Use self hypnosis recordings to empower yourself and tap the resources of your unconscious mind. Hypnosis is deeply relaxing and allows your body to rest and repair while providing a positive experience.

About the Author:
Alan Crossley is a Master Hypnotist and NLP Practitioner. He is a certified member of the National Guild of Hypnotists and provides Hypnosis and NLP MP3 Downloads via his website at www.hypnosisdownloads.org