How To Eliminate Stress From Our Life

Stress is becoming one of the most common health concerns these days mainly due to the type of lifestyle people have adopted which gives them very little time for themselves. Being regularly stressed out can easily lead to falling prey to many diseases which could be both physical and psychological. In this article we are going to discuss about some of the things one can do to avoid stress and lead a happy and healthy life throughout.

Breath Control

Our breathing plays a very vital and important role in calming down our nerves and making us feel better. One of the effective ways to counter stress response is to count the length of time of exhale and inhale and gradually increasing the exhale timing. If it takes you four seconds to inhale try to exhale slowly through 8 seconds. Generally taking 10 such breaths will help a great deal in calming down your mind and body.

Sing To Relax

If you find it difficult to sit quite and count your deep breaths then another alternative to relaxation is to sing which produces an almost similar effect and promotes a feeling of soothness and enhanced mood. It is because when we are singing we naturally lengthen or exhaling and inhaling process. The best thing about this method is that it can be done in any place like while driving, in the bathroom and anywhere you like and feel comfortable.

Water Intake

You would be most probably unaware of the fact then when our hydration levels drop by just 2% our ability to perform simple maths and take normal decisions starts to get affected negatively. A well hydrated body has a better ability to take right decisions. So whenever you feel the need have as much water as you like.
Bring Your Mind Back
This is also an effective way to relieve stress. Close your eyes and concentrate on what is happening inside your body. Feel the sensations bring your mind from outside world to inside your own body. Doing this will help you concentrate better and make you forget all your worries for a little while and make you rejuvenated.

Humor

We all know how refreshing humor is for our mind and body. Having a good laugh is the best remedy to beat stress and depression. Keep in touch with your friends and share with them all the good times. Learn to laugh at your problems, it is the best way to tackle them positively. When we have a positive attitude towards things we normally win over all situations.

So the basic message is to slow down and take time out for yourself because you came into this world to enjoy your life which is a beautiful gift of god so stop worrying and start living from this very moment itself.

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Depression: A Silent Battle and Help for Men

Male depression is not an easy subject to get men to talk about. With the need to feel strong and invincible, most men consider any sort of emotional or psychological problem to be a threat to their masculine
self-images. Most men avoid talking about depression and would rather hide it from their families, friends, and work colleagues. Yet, male depression is a major problem among American men. About 17% of the U.S. population has some identifiable symptoms of depression within their lifetimes. Although the research shows that depression is more common in women, this is being challenged in many ways, because of the difficulty that men have with identifying and reporting symptoms of depression to their healthcare providers.
Depression is classified as a psychiatric condition that can be very debilitating.

Often people think of depression as being sad, but this is a misunderstanding. Although some depressed individuals may have feelings of sadness, being sad does not mean that one is depressed. Depression is a condition that creates a disturbance in mental, emotional, and even physical functioning. The feelings associated with depression can be severe enough to interfere with work performance and personal relationships. Depression can also negatively impact self-esteem, stem from a lack of confidence, and create chronic negative emotions that influence a pessimistic outlook on life. Men who suffer with depression often report feelings of hopelessness or helplessness about how and where their lives are going.

Symptoms of male depression may look more like behavioral problems such as: aggression, alcohol or substance abuse, chronic anger, and rage. Some men withdraw and become isolated while other men may need to be a part of the party crowd all the time. A lot of men become driven at work, workaholics, and spend a lot of time focused on work-related success. Typically, depressed men do what is called "mood altering" by focusing on emotional and pain avoidant behaviors and activities. They often try not to think about their problems, stuff their emotions, or self-medicate with substances or risk taking activities in order to "not feel bad." Unchecked and untreated depression can lead to serious problems and addictions. The statistics place depression as a number one reason contributing to suicide numbers among men.

Therapy along with appropriate psychopharmacology has been suggested for treating chronic depression. Research suggests that males who seek medical and therapeutic treatment in tandem do better than men who just seek either medical treatment or psychotherapy exclusively. Medications as prescribed by a psychiatrist and taken in accordance to the doctor's orders work on the brain chemistry related to depression while psychotherapy treatments work on habitual thought patterns that may trigger depressive states of mind fueled by personal self-image problems, feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, a lack of confidence, etc. A metaphor for this may be like tying your shoes together and tripping out the door. The medication may help to improve your mental state, but therapy works on the thought habits that lead to tying your shoes together and tripping. For men seeking help, it's important to do a few things:

1. Consult with your primary care physician and discuss your depression. Ask your doctor about medications and to recommend a psychiatrist near you.
2. Talk to somebody that you trust will keep your concerns confidential.
3. Put off drinking and illicit drug use and seek professional help.
4. Stay connected to family and friends. Resist being isolated for too long.
5. Don't put off seeking help. Depression can get worse if untreated.

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How to Reduce Self Doubt

When you're not confident, you can find yourself agreeing to things you never dreamt you would, or to avoid and pass up opportunities that you previously believed would be a dream come true.

Self doubt reflects an inner belief that you are not worthy or good enough at something. On a conscious level you are likely to believe you are worthy, however, self doubt is more subconscious - coming to the surface when you are under stress. For instance, due to social comparison many mothers doubt their skills as a mother whenever they (or their children) are not acting as perfectly as they believe they should be. As a parent, you do your best to provide love, support, understanding, security and fun. However, the stressors of life often get in the way of making this possible. As a result, every time you have to do something that takes you away from your picture of how the perfect mother should behave, you are likely to beat yourself up over it and further feed the self doubt.

In order to reduce self doubt you need to change your internal beliefs. This means ingraining in your mind that you are good enough, you are trying your best and you deserve good things in your life. These beliefs need some effort to ingrain because you are often fighting against years of self doubt and strongly held negative self beliefs. Whilst these beliefs tend to hold you back, they do so in order to protect you from getting hurt. Thus, a life coach who uses techniques such as NLP or hypnotherapy can really help to clear out these old beliefs (on a subconscious level) and instill more positive - useful beliefs in their place.

Almost everyone experiences self doubt in one area of their life from time to time. It's the product of upbringing and ongoing reinforcement. Therefore, it's a learned behavioral response, which can be re-trained. Having a high self belief is the cornerstone of life success, so reducing self doubt is critical to overall happiness in life. It is an issue that many people struggle with and can cause a great deal of frustration.
Often you'll find yourself working so hard to achieve a desired goal, only to self sabotage your success. When self doubt kicks in you'll convince yourself you're not good enough, smart enough, attractive enough, rich enough, or even lucky enough - whenever you're faced with a roadblock. You will also tend to interpret roadblocks as a reflection of your poor self worth, rather than life's inevitable challenges you must face in order to grow as a human being.

Each new day gives you an opportunity to start again and build on your self worth. Every step you take towards self worth, reduces your self doubt and brings you closer to happiness and success.

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Fall, Winter, and Depression - Tips for Preventing SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

If you're finding yourself depressed, blue or sad during fall and winter-- know that you're not alone! The effect the seasons of fall and winter have on human beings is well-documented. There is even a "disorder" coined for it, referred to as SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. Lack of sunlight has been one of the primary focal points in treating SAD, but there is much more to it. The reason for the focus on sunlight is obvious for many reasons, and it's been used as a marketing approach for anti-depressant pharmaceuticals, sun lamps, vitamin D supplements, and travel. Many say marketing in reflection of SAD is the primary reason for so many holidays being in the seasons of fall and winter. We need a "pick me up", and many businesses are happy to offer a plethora of options. Everything from toys and clothing sales, to happy hour specials and free anti-depressant samples.

I have historically struggled with "SAD" myself over many years, although I have not found vitamin D, anti-depressant pharmaceuticals, sun lamps, and especially not a shopping spree to be particularly effective in the past. Travel is not always an ideal option for many of our busy lives, either. "Alright honey--we're blowing off our jobs and our savings for a trip to Hawaii!" I decided to tackle SAD recently when I found it affecting my daily life, and the marketed solutions not yielding any lasting results. I am normally very upbeat, optimistic, and enthusiastic. Everything was going well in my life situation, and yet I found myself feeling down and blue as fall came into full-swing. How frustrating!

There certainly is a relation between sunlight, vitamin D, and our mental health, but then it would seem everyone should move closer to the equator to remain positively charged, wouldn't you say? Believe it or not, this was the original solution I proposed to myself when I found the seasons of winter and fall repeatedly handing me feelings of sadness on a platter. Look out San Diego, here I come! The actual results of my tackling SAD surprised me.

Tips

I conducted a series of tests and researches, carefully observed the most effective solutions, and narrowed it down to the two most affective tips. The first question I asked myself was "Why do I find people out for walks at 6am when it's 30 degrees outside!?" This brings us to tip number one.

1) Go for walks!
Firstly, when the weather is less than vibrant, we tend to avoid going for walks or being otherwise active outside. It's true that for most, including the writer of this article, that it is initially difficult to want to leave the shelter of our warm homes. I found myself looking outside and thinking "Well, I'll wait to see if the Sun comes out or it warms up." Gradually, the Sun stopped coming out altogether, the temperature stayed low, and my mood began to drop as I missed my daily walks. I thought, due to clever marketing, it was the sunshine I was missing. I tried vitamin D, anti-depressants and sunlamps without much success.

The truth revealed itself when I resumed my twice daily walking routine, regardless of weather. After the very first walk, my mood significantly improved. I've researched many studies, been advised by psychologists, and listened to lectures, including at the world's largest nutrition school, which have suggested the importance of walking in nature for mental and physical wellness. I started years ago, and never paid it much mind. I figured I was happy because of other reasons, like broccoli (we'll get to that soon). Well, I can now say the trying seasons of fall and winter have a way of showing us the truth.

Just bundle up, maybe put your favorite tunes in your ears, and get out there! It will be worth it, and you can reward yourself with a nice warm shower or bath when you return! Aim to go for at least 20 minutes, and 5 times a week. You'll find the benefits showing after the first walk. Having a walking buddy to help keep you accountable is great, but don't discount the value of solo walks!

2) Eat wholesome, warming meals!
Many reach for comfort foods during the holidays, most of which are processed/fast-food or heavy in animal meat. I know I did this in the past. In addition, at the end of the night, or perhaps even earlier, I would find myself and friends reaching for a glass or two of wine. I would consume this kind of food and drink, and initially find myself feeling better and definitely warmer. Less than an hour later, and I found myself worse off than before. Once I resumed eating warmed or hot versions of a mostly plant-based diet, I found a massive and lasting boost in mood and cognitive performance. Green leafy vegetables are loaded with essential nutrition for the human body, which of course includes our mental processes as the brain/mind is interconnected with the body.

Are foods really that powerful?
We are discovering that scientifically, green leafy vegetables like kale, mustard greens, and even broccoli, are more complete and complex "drugs" than the best pharmaceuticals on the market--even when it comes to depression and anxiety! Everyone is different in what works best for them. I personally have never found a more effective anti-depressant than broccoli! It's true! I've tried every major anti-depressant in my past, and yet broccoli wins out! I noticed when anyone I ate broccoli around would comment about 30 minutes later "Why are you so happy?!"

Animal protein is important, too. Some need more than others, and it's important to pay attention to this and how it affects your body. I personally find I and most of my clients need about a fistful in a day, usually in the form of free-range eggs or chicken. We are all different, so experiment and have fun doing it! Pay special attention to how foods affect your mood and digestion.

As Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine said "Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food."

Summary
In summary, it's all about not letting appearances fool us. It may look outside like there is no reason to leave our home. Anti-depressants, alcohol, processed/fast-foods and other drugs might seem an attractive way to circumvent the laws of our evolution. However, when you get down to it, we're still essentially the same human beings we were 2,000 years ago. Just because our sciences have evolved, doesn't mean our biology has done the same. We need communion with nature, in the form of natural foods, nature walks, and incorporating as much natural processes we can into our daily life.

You might find yourself needing support, and most of us do! Take a few deep breaths, and stay positive! YOU CAN DO THIS!

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