Ideas for anxiety and stress relief

Meditation is a process of calming the mind to reap the benefits of anxiety and stress relief. In our challenging times, you may wonder, well great, how do I calm my mind? Bills to pay, collectors calling, work is slow, and I feel sick.

Anxiety and stress are big contributors to bad health. It amazes me that in times of mental turmoil, our minds can torture the body to the extent of creating headaches, body aches, muscle tension, changes in heart rate, and so much more. On the opposite end, when our minds are peaceful, the body is relaxed, and a smile just feels right.

Ok, so how can I get to the place where I can ease my worried mind and enjoy the benefits of calmness and peace of mind? Myself, personally, have had great results using meditation audios when I go to bed at night. I really get a good night's sleep, which is a key element in our ability to handle stress. The audios which have worked best for me have been from Effective Learning Systems. Audios are available for both resting or while active, such as driving.

Effective Learning Systems began in 1972 as a way to help people reach their full potential through deep relaxation, guided imagery, self hypnosis and more.

Do you have the jitters whenever you try to be still? Have you considered a natural solution? Various herbs can help to calm your body. Just as caffeine can give you a jolt, natural herbs such as passionflower, ashwagandha, melatonin, or 5-htp can help to bring down the anxiety to help you relax and make it even possible to meditate. 5-htp has been shown to favorably modulate serotonin levels, which can help with mental help and sleep patterns. Of course, if you are under a doctors care, check to see if any supplement will counteract any prescription which you may be taking.

The body and the mind are integrated into one unit, no matter how separate they may seem. Increasing the level of exercise throughout your day can be of benefit to you. I know, exercise is something that there is no time or energy for. So let's think about simple adjustments instead of 4 times a week at the gym. Parking a bit farther away from the grocery store gives your shoes a few more miles over time. When you take out the gallon of milk from the fridge, do some arm curls with the weight for several reps to keep the arm muscles toned. If you live close to the store, consider walking instead of driving. If you have a home or apartment with stairs, you have a built in stairmaster. Every little bit of exercise that you do allows the body to do what it does best naturally.

The body naturally regulates all the necessary ingredients to keep you healthy when you give it proper nutrition and a little exercise. Give yourself the choice of calm. Even in these stress filled times, you are still you! You are still magnificent! And you deserve to feel good about you!