No Stress here!

Stressed? Blame it on Adam and Eve!

In my last post entitled “Inner Peace”   I touched on stress a little bit, but I wanted to delve in just a little deeper as to why many times we become stressful!   Face it fellow human beings…. We are not in the Garden anymore!  When God created Man and Woman he placed them in a pristine Garden filled with all that they needed to be satisfied and sustained in life.  They never had to work by the” sweat of their brawl.”  They never stressed over what they were going to eat, wear, or where they were going to sleep!

Stress came in with Adam and Eve in the Garden, when they had all that they could possibly need, but was tempted when Eve lusted after something else!   Yes,  it was a wonderful, perfect stress free environment….So what the heck happened anyway?

Genesis 2:17(KJV) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die

We have a drive to always want more, especially in the society that we now live in!  Don’t get me wrong,  I believe that God wants us to have nice things as a blessing that adds something to our lives without sorrow or regret!

Proverbs 10:22 (KJV) The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it

But all too often we drive ourselves crazy wanting more and more things.  With more things, comes more responsibility to take care of our things and so a vicious stressful cycle has begun!    Regardless of what kind of stress we face, God does not want us to be fretful and worried, plainly stated stressful- full of stress, He wants us to live a stress free life!

Many of us have to actually learn how to stress-down!  We need to create opportunities or take advantage of the knowledge that is available to us!   I wanted to share some suggested techniques that  I found  written by Dr. Joshua Axe on his site on www. draxe.com

Below is a list of suggested ways to deal with stress!

1.Spiritual Triathlon. This is my personal method for keeping my focus throughout the day. Every morning when I wake up I spend 5 minutes saying all that I am grateful for, 5 minutes in prayer and 5 minutes reading my Bible or something inspirational.

2.Schedule relaxation. Write it down in your planner and stick to it. Make time at least once a week to do something you love–something that refreshes you. Maybe that’s a game of tennis, spending an hour alone with a good book or taking a yoga class.

3.Pour yourself a cup. Many varieties of hot tea have calming effects on the body and can help lower blood pressure. Try green or black tea or herbal teas with chamomile.

4.Take a deep breath. Try deep breathing for a few minutes every day. Tighten and release muscles. Hum to release nitric oxide and improve blood pressure.

5.Just say “No.” I promise it’s ok! Don’t spread yourself too thin or you won’t be able to give 100% of your efforts to any of the tasks you attempt. Your value does not depend upon how much you do for others at the expense of your own time, relationships and health.

6.Expel excess adrenaline. Before, during and after stressful situations, walk briskly for 5 minutes, run up a flight of stairs, do backward pushups on your chair, or do 5 minutes of deep breathing. A short burst of physical activity can expel anxiety and give you clarity and calm.

7.Ask yourself why. The next time you’re racing around trying to accomplish too many things in too short a time, ask yourself why you’re doing it, who it really serves, what belief it’s based on, whether this feeling is really what you want, whether this is a value or principle you want to base your life on. “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.” ~Corrie Ten Boom

8.Nix the caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. Don’t add to nervous energy with stimulants and don’t mask stress with alcohol. The long-term effects compound the negative effects of stress.

9.Exercise regularly. Regular exercise helps expel built-up tension, stress hormones and clears the mind. Exercise helps to release endorphins, the brain’s natural feel-good chemicals. I recommend Burst Training for the most health benefits.

10.Sleep. Staying up late to get more done robs you of your total productivity. It dulls your mind, increases stress, promotes weight gain and contributes to mood swings.

11.Use your senses. Find colors that soothe you, wear fabrics that please you. Take a scented bath, play music you love. Paint, get a massage, or take a walk in the woods. “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.” ~Hilary Cooper

12.Connect with others. Making time for social connection is very important and restorative. Social connection is what makes us a part of something larger than ourselves and our worries. It gives us perspective.

13.Serve someone else. Related to connecting with others, try volunteering at a soup kitchen, making meals for parents with a newborn baby or helping with home repairs for an elderly neighbor. Remind yourself that it’s not always all about you. “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ~Wayne Dwyer

14.Be prepared. You can combat alarmist or catastrophic thinking by being prepared. Keep a change of clothes in the car, create an emergency fund for car repairs, have an alternative proposal in mind at work.

16.Share responsibility. Delegating really is an important skill. Instead of complaining about how much you have to accomplish, teach your kids to cook, share the credit with a co-worker, or work out sports shuttling with another parent.

I hope that you take advantage of some of these suggestions and live a happier, healthier life!  I would love to hear from you if this article has helped you.  Until next time have a blessed week!

If you suffer from adrenal issues, thyroid problems, a slow metabolism, diabetes, autoimmune issues, food sensitivities or food allergies – check out Dr. Axe’s new book Eat Dirt on restoring your health from the inside out! {https://ju127.isrefer.com/go/edr/a5942/}

[1]Source: http://draxe.com/16-ways-to-bust-stress/

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