Stress Busters
by Brenton G. Yorgason
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Many pressures encompass us at home and at work. As parents we struggle to rear our children morally in an increasingly amoral environment. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs and illicit sexual activity afflict both youth and adults, hampering our ability to make wise decisions consistently.

Stress is physical, emotional, or mental tension, strain or pressure. When we are under stress, we think less rationally. We may enter "systems overload." We then think and behave in unproductive and increasingly destructive ways.

Two sets of nerve fibers-the sympathetic and parasympathetic-send instruction from the central nervous system to the body's organs and glands.

The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for action. Signs include constructing blood vessels, widening eye pupils, and increasing heart rate. We use the sympathetic division of the nervous system when we are highly productive, working, and thinking.

The parasympathetic nervous system maintains and restores energy. It does this by slowing down the heart rate. We use this part of the nervous system when we wind down at the end of the day. We may be relaxing, eating, taking a bath, watching a movie, being romantic with our partner, or sleeping.

Living a Balanced Life
Every day, we should spend about 12 hours in each system. This balance allows us to experience circadian rhythm-the 24-hour cycle of activity. Workaholics have a difficult time keeping their circadian rhythm in balance, preferring to drive themselves until they collapse. They are unwise to push themselves so hard, as the body primarily replaces its cells during the parasympathetic mode. Cell division or cell regeneration (mitosis) is essential to preventing premature aging.

So, the first step in reducing stress is to get into a healthy circadian rhythm by balancing your day between your productive hours and those hours when cells regenerate-when you relax. To reduce stress, many people take a "cat nap." This constructive rest allow them to re-energize.

When you are living in stress-filled moments, thinking, repeating, and believing three statements-I am good, I am loved, I am safe-helps balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic sides of the nervous system. Thinking we are good, loved, and safe-and believing it-helps us move toward the parasympathetic side, inhibiting the "fight or flight" response.

Effectively Reducing Stress
We often think that stress is caused by people, places, and things in our lives. More accurately, stress I our thoughts and perceptions about the people, places, and things in our lives. Our thoughts create emotions and feelings. When we change our perceptions, our lives change along with them.

When we become stressed out, our brain gets stuck in the memory loop. The same thoughts recur again and again. This cycle creates mental fatigue. If you are inclined to mental fatigue, I suggest you do the following:

• Write what is worrying you, including your feelings regarding the situation or person causing stress.
• Give yourself permission to leave your stressor events (or thoughts) on the pillow, or at the office.

Performing this ritual allows your mind to free itself from being responsible for carrying the stressor events around. In turn, this frees you from having to review those events in your mind repeatedly.

10 Stress-Reducing Exercises
To reduce your stress level, try the following 10 exercises:

1. Turn on some soothing music.
   Healthy cells remember all we experience, even the music we listen to. Your skin, the largest organ in the body, is semi-permeable, allowing some things to pass through it. Music passes through the skin, influencing the cells. Playing soothing music can be very therapeutic in reducing stress.
2. Turn off the lights in your room.
   Enter what is called the "zero content consciousness." While your eyes are closed, begin silently counting backward, "Ten…nine…eight…" until you reach zero. At this point, keep new thoughts from entering your mind. Remain in this state for as long as you wish. You might even take a short nap.
3. Tell your body to relax.
   Sit or lie down, get comfortable, and take deep, lengthy breaths. Speak to your body (either out loud or mentally), instructing it to relax. It will respond.
4. Draw yourself a bath.
   If possible, turn on soothing music and light a scented candle. Climb into the tub, close your eyes, and relax. Make the water as deep and hot as comfortable, then submerge yourself. Make sure no one is around to intrude. This is your time and should be savored. Just 10 minutes in this state will expand your arteries, allowing the blood to flow more freely.
5. Offer a sincere prayer.
   Or, meditate, thinking beyond yourself. Pray for people and causes you care about.
6. Reassure and affirm yourself.
   Give yourself positive affirmations: "I am good, I am loved, I am safe."
7. Refresh yourself.
   Get up, drink a glass of cold water, and start anew. You will feel invigorated, and be in a more positive mental state.
8. Recall "heroic images" from your past.
   Under conditions of heavy stress, you must produce positive, even heroic thoughts. You can train yourself to think these thought about yourself, thereby reducing your level of stress.
9. Stand and smile.
   Physical posture and facial expression combine to create a healthy, happy state of being.
10. Choose activities that are enjoyable to you.
    One of my friends reduces stress by playing golf. Another friend enjoys watching a good movie. Still another keeps his favorite book with him, reading whenever he needs a break.

Whatever works for you, choose it and then do it. This proactive mind-set facilitates health and happiness.

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