5 Easy Tips
to Improve Your Health,
Release Stress, and Feel Good Again
By Marbeth Dunn
1 Breathe - One of the easiest ways to relax and undo your stress is through conscious breathing. Practice it several times a day without disturbing your routine, and you may find it gives you a sense of greater well being, greater energy, presence, and more creative ideas.
Inhale slowly and gently but deeply through your nostrils. Envision your breath and follow it with your mind’s eye as it moves deep down below your navel. Allow the belly to expand with the breath, then follow exhale all the way back through your nostrils.
Just one mindful breath can help you relax. For maximum effect, repeat this process anywhere from one to thirty-three minutes. Remember to keep your focus on your breath the entire time.
As you focus on breathing, allow yourself to fill with a sense of well-being and notice what happens inside your body.
The attention span of the average human has been whittled down to eight seconds… that’s less than that of a gold fish. Why? Modern life seems to be accelerating, and people take on too many obligations, work too many hours, and are distracted by cell phones, social media, email, texts, videos, and television. It’s easy to see why they are feeling stressed, isolated and overwhelmed. Let’s look at how these factors can affect your health…
Disconnectedness - Have you ever sat in a restaurant or coffeeshop, where almost every diner was focused on a cell phone screen? Humans are meant to be connected with other humans, yet our relationships have become more virtual. While we may virtually be too connected, less phys-ical interaction can create a sense of isolation and loneliness, and a new malady called Internet Addictive Disorder.
Stress - If you find yourself overeating, overreacting, feeling overwhelmed, or seeking solace in drugs, alcohol or cigarets, you’re not alone. Stress is a byproduct of our modern lifestyle. There is a correlation between stress and the pain in your neck, anxiety, upset stomach, headache, or difficulty falling asleep, and a plethora of ailments from high blood pressure to heart disease.
So how can we improve our health, release stress, and feel good again? Here are five simple tricks that you can practice throughout your day to reclaim your life. But be sure to put your phone down first!