Stress is a topic that seems to resonate with everyone. I have people ranging from pre-teens to the elderly asking how they can combat stress. Why we are stressed varies: deadlines, expectations we want to meet or exceed, the need to please others, a long “to do” list, financial pressure, health issues, relationship tension…I could go on and on.
Rather than focus on what brings us stress. Let’s focus on what we can do about it.
Stress Relief techniques to use at work:
- 5-count Breathing– Slow, deep breathing reduces stress. This is something you can do at your desk, while you are driving, or when you are experiencing anxiety. It’s an excellent way to bring more oxygen into your bloodstream and help you relax.
- Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth to the count of 5.
- Hold your breath for 5 seconds.
- Exhale through your mouth slowly for the count of 5.
- Empty breath, meaning do not breathe for 5 seconds
- Start again. Repeat steps 1-4 several more times until you’ve completed 10 reps.
- Essential oils– pure, therapeutic grade essential oils can help alleviate stress. Try lavender for relaxation or peppermint for headaches or an immune system blend. You can diffuse it in your office or home, and you can also wear essential oils to help you throughout the day.
- 5-minute break outdoors– effective breaks at work actually make you more productive. Being outdoors reduces stress hormones. Consider taking a short break outside, even if just for a few minutes.
- Connect to the elements.
- Enjoy feeling the sun on your face.
- Take some deep breaths.
- Find something to appreciate while you are outside. And then go back to work with more focus.
Stress Relief to use outside of the office:
- Exercise – It’s more than just physical. It affects our emotions, too. The benefits include releasing endorphins to reduce stress.
- Meditation–Science shows how consistent meditation increases focus, reduces pain, decreases anxiety and depression and more! Improvements can be seen after just 8 weeks of regular meditation.
- Recent studies also show how meditation can actually increase your IQ and improves your brain function. The Max Meditation System™is a great practice to use consistently.
Break the pattern of constant stress. Replace it with:
- Joy– Focus on how much time you spend in joy each day. Is there room for improvement? Yes! We tend to be far too serious and have all sorts of reasons why we are not in joy – “I don’t know how” or “I don’t have time”.
- Let go of your reasons and start to PLAY with being in JOY! It can be found in little moments. Singing while you are driving to work. Laughing more. Dancing often, even if it’s just you alone in your living room! Making time to create art. Being in nature on a regular basis. Appreciating beauty. Enjoying culture perhaps at your local art museum. The ways to experience joy are endless. Try a bunch of things and then see how you can make it a daily practice.
- Beauty – This is a really important step. Have you created beauty in your surroundings? Does your office or cubical have a pop of color or items that you consider beautiful? Is your home decorated in a way that is pleasing to you? Is it tidy or messy? Are you dressed in a way that helps you to feel beautiful? All of this is very important because beauty affects your outlook, your thoughts, and the energy that you carry with you every day.
- Positive thinking– Science actually proves the benefits of practicing gratitude. It alters your heart and changes your brain! When we focus on gratitude we can achieve so much more. For example, someone was focusing on a chronic issue and feeling depressed and hopeless. I asked her, “How much time do you spend focusing on what is going right in your life? You have so many gifts, and you get to live a life that many people would dream of having.” She started to realize how much energy she was wasting on feeling sorry for her self rather than seeing all the good in her life.
- Often we need to set our issue/negative thoughts aside and CHOOSE to think differently. A gratitude journal can help with this but so can the mindful practice of having awareness. When a negative thought creeps in let’s be aware of it and then replace it with a positive action. Serve yourself in some way that is positive. Choose a different action that will yield more positive energy.
- Serving others – Often serving others is a way to put your issues aside and help those who need it most. People are suffering and we can do much to serve them. Offer a smile, assist with building up their self-esteem, show we care by serving meals or getting involved in some way that is in alignment with our gifts. We can choose to repattern the way we think about our issues by assisting others. It could be helping a neighbor going through a thought time or volunteering with a local charity.
- Choose a cause that you feel good about and that is in alignment with your gifts. This will bring you more joy while you are serving others!
Getting to the Core of Stress
Everything that I have listed above will help you cope immediately with stress. However, if you’re ready to dig deeper and do things you’ve never done before, then I suggest a one-on-one consult with a Guide living near you to figure it out.
Ultimately there are core patterns that have brought you to the point of chronic stress. At some point you may be tired of dealing with it and ready to release this pattern. That’s where the ancient tradition of the Modern Mystery School lineage helps, because we offer tools to meet you where you are at and help you shift into a higher vibration.
Things like:
- Empower Thyself initiation to help accelerate your ability to progress beyond issues of the personality.
- Healers Academy initiation to serve others in a way that ultimately brings joy to you and others.
- Universal Kabbalah to reorganize your mind, heal core issues and accomplish more.
- One-on-one healing sessions and meditation classes tailored to meet you where you are at and breakthrough stressful patterns such as the Life Activation and Ensofic Ray.
