Relax

This week’s focus is on the importance of learning to RELAX. Here are some of my favorite (easy) tools for relieving stress. Enjoy discovering which you enjoy most.

Aroma: According to Wikipedia, the Greeks, Romans and ancient Egyptians all used fragrant oils. The word aromatherapy was first used by French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé who accidentally discovered the healing property of lavender oil. Following his dramatic healing from a burn with minimal discomfort and no scarring he devoted his life to studying the healing properties of essential oils.

Art Therapy: Art therapy and expressive art has been shown to positively influence brain wave patterns and brain chemistry. Creative activity allows healthy expression of emotions, can reduce stress, and lessen fear and anxiety.

Bathing: A relaxing soak in the tub can be even more therapeutic with herbs or sea salts. Dr. Singha’s Mustard Bath is designed to remove toxins. Epson salt is readily available. Sea salts contain many minerals beneficial to the body: magnesium, calcium, potassium, bromides and can do much more for you than simply relax your muscles.

Biofeedback: Biofeedback is an important, painless, non-drug therapy in the treatment of headaches and migraines. It is painless, and it is does not use drugs. Patients are able to learn to control bodily functions, including muscle tension, heart rate, and blood pressure.

Conscious Breathing: Conscious breathing and relaxation techniques are used at University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center as part of the non-drug treatments for pain management. (See Breathe.)https://scs-matters.com/breathe/

Crafts: Crafts are an ancient, nonverbal method for integrating and healing. The words “heal” and “healthy” have the same root as “whole,” so to heal is to make whole.

Color: Although wide-spread research on color and healing is still limited, personal experience of elevated mood based on color exposure is widely recognized. Although some think a specific color is restful and others are stimulating, notice how you experience bringing more color in your life.

Exercise: Exercise helps boost your sense of well-being. Levels of beneficial neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are higher in those who exercise—the same ones elevated by many antidepressants. These, in turn, may help reduce depression, elevate mood and help you focus better. Dean Ornish, M.D.

Gardening: “To own a bit of ground, to scratch it with a hoe, to plant seeds and watch their renewal of life—this is the commonest delight of the race, the most satisfactory thing a man can do.”…Charles Dudley Warner, author, editor, publisher (1829 – 1900) Gail Dubinsky, M.D., an Orthopedic doctor who specializes in relief from repetitive stress injuries has two great DVDs – “RSI – RX Yoga” and “Yoga for Gardeners.” She received her medical degree in 1979 and has been in private practice since 1983, initially in general medicine and since 1988 specializing in soft tissue neuro-orthopedic injuries, combining conventional and alternative therapies for a truly complementary approach.

Laughter: Just in psychological terms, laughter provides great benefit. Research shows that hearty laughter stimulates internal organs, improves immune function, lowers cortisol levels, as well as increasing confidence and well-being.

Lighting: Light is an environmental stimulus and regulates our natural rhythms and cycles. Using an electrocardiogram (ECG), research has shown that there was a change in heart rate when participants were exposed to different color and light conditions. Sufficient exposure to natural sunlight has been shown to improve immune function.

Movement: The Cancer Center of University of Virginia Health System reports that “the physical benefits of dance therapy as exercise are well documented. Experts have shown that physical activity is known to increase special neurotransmitter substances in the brain (endorphins), which create a state of well-being. And total body movement such as dance enhances the functions of other body systems, such as circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, and muscular systems. Dance therapy can help you stay physically fit and enjoy the pleasure of creating rhythmic motions with your body.” Walking and Tai Chi are other forms of movement that have clinically been shown to provide benefit emotionally as well as physically.

Music: Barry Bittman, M.D., is author of an article: “Take Two Music Lessons in the Golden Years: And Call Me in the Morning.” Dr. Bittman and Dr. Bernie Seigel, author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles, have done research on the physiological benefits of drumming. The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit, by Don Campbell, and This is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel J. Levitin provide the science to support all this.

Poetry: Freud reportedly said that the mind is a poetry making organ. Ancient cultures around the world have used chants and rhythms and rhymes as part of the healing rituals. Surely the intimacy and passion of our lives is captured within poetry. One does not have to be a poet to unlock heart and soul with pen.

Pottery: Bringing the elements of color and texture together with coordination and focusing, working with clay is one of the oldest and most widespread practical arts.

Sound: A dish fountain, wind chimes, aquarium, or a rain stick are some simple ways to bring the therapeutic benefit of sound into your home.

Visualization: According to Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute, guided imagery is a “mental escape” and provides benefits in numerous physical and emotional and mental problems. Nature itself is a great rejuvenator, and images of nature have similar positive effects as a walk in the woods or a trip to the beach. Enjoying a kaleidoscope can teach your brain to create images easily while it provides a wonderful visual stimulation.

Writing: Keeping a journal, writing your story, or writing notes or letters can be a way to express and discover more of who you really are.

This week be especially aware of these easy ways to relax your body and clear your mind. Good practice for such a busy time of year. Let me know if you would appreciate the 14-page handout on Stress and Modern Times that these tips came from. That handout includes different forms of bodywork and energy medicine many find beneficial.

Tips from 5 April 2010 to 6 August 2012 are here: Archived Tips

Rev. Debra Basham Voice or text: (269) 921-2217 Email: debra@scs-matters.com http://DebraBasham.com http://ImagineHealing.info http://SurgicalSupport.info Small Changes … Infinite Results™ “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~ Mother Teresa