1. Chronic Stress is devastating. Chronic stress adversely affects the function of your immune, neuroendocrine, cardiovascular and nervous systems, and worsens central obesity and insulin resistance. It increases risks of heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, cancer, Alzheimer’s dementia, and your chances of catching a cold/flu.
It adversely affects your DNA via epigenetic effects. Stress negatively impacts every cell of your body.
2. Solutions: Ask better questions. Take control of your brain’s “background noise.” Can’t shut your brain off, right?
Is it worth it to become agitated about that simple nuisance?
Am I going to let THAT inconsiderate person ruin MY day?
If someone cuts me off in their car, should I let them adversely affect my health, or should I laugh it off?
Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s all small stuff! (This is a book, too!)
People or circumstances don’t make us angry; our own thoughts and reactions to them might.
We cannot always control what happens to us, but we can control our interpretation of what happens to us.
No one can stress you out without your consent.
The only true freedom any human has is the ability to control thought.
3. “Decontaminate your space.” Choose carefully the people you spend time with. Toxic people will make you toxic.
Toxic work environments will make you so. Love your family, choose your friends.
4. General health and wellness affects your ability to handle stress and think well.
-Exercise daily
-Spine and body stretches several times a day (YouTube.com: Dr Scott Fuller)
-Eat as clean as you can
-Deep Breathing (see page 2)
-Wellness chiropractic care
-Eliminate sugar and processed food and snacks
-Take supplements (good quality fish oil, B vitamins and other antioxidants, vitamin D, probiotic, magnesium, multivitamin)
-Drink enough (but not too much) water; half your body weight in ounces per day
-Take vacations for recreation or “re-creation;” be sure you utilize ALL of your vacation time!
5. Immerse yourself and your family in healthy classes and programs
-Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Meditation, CDs, DVDs, martial arts (BillericaDojo.com), hobbies
-DrWeil.com SpontaneousHappiness.com (book and audiobook)
-Earl Nightingale “Lead the Field” program, Nightingale.com
-Eckhart Tolle “The Power of Now”; Don Miguel “The Four Agreements”
-Deepak Chopra, Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Seth Godin
-“The Slight Edge” book and audiobook by Jeff Olson For teens: SuccessFoundation.org
-Success.com, search for “5 Tips to Radically Reduce Stress”
-Dr Daniel Amen amenclinics.net Book: “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life”
-Youth Sports: Positive Coaching Alliance Positivecoach.org
6. Develop your own mantras. Examples:
Attitude-the magic word
I won’t let other people’s poor attitude infect me
Smother others with love, compassion, forgiveness, kindness
The more you pour out love to your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers (all humans), the more love you get back
When you feel stress coming on, visualize yourself at a place you love to be
Relax for 3 minutes-slow quiet rhythmic breaths-Visualization of love, compassion, forgiveness, kindness
Treat every person you come in contact with as the most important person on earth
The 90 Second Rule-you allow yourself 90 seconds to be angry, then DROP IT, life is too short (Tony Robbins)
7. Watch less TV-take a media holiday. Turn off the poison! Exercise and read more instead. Go outside.
8. “We become what we think about.”
RESOURCES
Youtube: “Tony Robbins Super Soul Sunday” rated PG, a few bleeped out adult words
Youtube: “Tony Robbins the formula for peak performance” July 22, 2017, 1:17:17. rated R with profanities
Youtube: “Bruce Lipton The Biology of Belief” Get the book or audiobook!
Youtube: “Louise Hay”-morning meditation, evening meditation, affirmations
Youtube: “Earl Nightingale The Strangest Secret 1950” ***the 40:25 length video
Youtube: “Wayne Dyer Living The Wisdom of the Tao”
Youtube: “Tony Robbins interviews Diane and Gerald” #16
Youtube: “Tony Robbins interviews Wayne Dyer”
Google: Tony Robbins Facebook Live UPW
Netflix Movie: “I am not your Guru”-Tony Robbins-rated R with profanities
FindingJoeTheMovie.com-rated G, great for children too
Youtube: “The Shift Movie” with Wayne Dyer-rated PG, some adult themes
Get programs from: Tony Robbins, Bruce Lipton, Les Brown, Earl Nightingale, Louise Hay, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Seth Godin, Jeff Olson, Oprah Winfrey, Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone, Eric Thomas, David Goggins, Zig Ziglar, Dr. Joseph Murphy. Many programs available on Nightingale.com
Deep breathing for stress relief and better concentration; the 4-7-8 method (Dr. Andrew Weil)
1. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of 4 and let your belly expand
2. Hold the breath for a count of 7 (less if you can’t do it)
3. Let your breath out slowly for 8 seconds through your mouth with pursed lips and making a “whoosh” sound.
Repeat 4 times to start. Use this technique at any moment you feel stressed, or to refocus
***Another breathing/meditation technique is to relax for 3 minutes, and focus on slow quiet rhythmic breaths.
Meditation and Mindfulness Resources
YouTube can get you started. www.how-to-meditate.org
Jack Kornfeld: www.jackkornfield.com “Meditation for Beginners” on SoundsTrue.com or Amazon
Sharon Salzberg: www.sharonsalzberg.com; Joseph Goldstein: search www.dharma.org for products
Jon Kabat-Zinn: Books: Full Catastrophe Living and Wherever You Go There You Are; www.mindfulnesscds.com
Insight Meditation Society: www.dharma.org www.insightmeditationcenter.org
Project Meditation: www.project-meditation.org Susan Piver-meditation resources: www.susanpiver.com
Mindfulness Training and MBSR: Mindful Living Programs www.mindfullivingprograms.com
Physical Activity: Mayo Clinic (fitness section) www.mayoclinic.com/health/fitness/MY00396
BonfireHealth.Com
Positive Psychology: Positive Psychology Center www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu
Visualization: Academy for Guided Imagery www.acadgi.com Visualization Exercises www.key-hypnosis.com
Laughter Clubs: Laughter Yoga International www.laughteryoga.org
Need Inspiration and Perspective?
Jack LaLanne JackLaLanne.com (exercised daily, clean diet, passed at age 96 of old age, no medications)
Dick and Rick Hoyt Search youtube for “Dick and Rick Hoyt” and TeamHoyt.com
Nick Vujicic lifewithoutlimbs.org AttitudeIsAltitude.com Clay Dyer ClayDyer.net
Ironman finishers ==> Search youtube for “Ironman crawl”-watch 1982 (Julie Moss) & 1997 (Welch & Ingraham)
Positive Psychology Techniques (Andrew Weil)
1. Three Good Things exercise. Write down each day for a week, three things that are going well and the reasons why. Reread and revisit this list, and add to it as you see fit.
2. Using Signature Strengths exercise. Identify your personal strengths by taking a simple test, and use your top strength in a new, different way daily for a week (or longer). www.AuthenticHappiness.sas.upenn.edu (Martin Seligman)
3. Gratitude exercise. Write down and recite letters of gratitude to persons who have been kind to you.