De-Stress at the Beach

Although Spring is here, the weather is still crisp and chilly. I am so looking forward to the warmer weather. I usually head to the beach where I can de-stress. I lie in the sun while listening to my Ipod and just relax and clear my head. It’s hard to stress about anything while I’m doing this. The sounds of kids playing somewhere in the background, the waves crashing on shore, the smell of the salty air and cotton candy on the boardwalk just takes me away….it feels like I’m floating… not a care or worry.

I feel so refreshed and rejuvenated after the day at the beach. It’s like my mind, body and soul were just cleansed….free of any stress I had experienced during the week. There’s nothing better than a day at my favorite spot on the beach…

Where do you ‘de-stress’ ?

10 Ways You Can Manage Stress

I do not believe anyone can honestly say that stress hasn't affected your life from time to time. Some people are chronic stressers...Stress can affect our life deeply and that includes are health as well.

Here are some tips from Ediets that can help manage your stress

1. Be clear on what you want and stay committed when going for it. Don't get sideswiped by all the little things that come up. Prioritize what must be done -- then do them one at a time. Set boundaries and say NO to those things that are not truly important to you right now.

2. Ask for help! You don't need to do it alone! Sometimes you may need more support than a friend can provide. There are professionals out there and lots of self-help resources. You don't need to be a Lone Ranger -- even he had Tonto!

3. Deal with what is within your control. If it's outside your control, don't worry about it. Look at what is within your control and decide what you can do to create positive change. Be realistic in what you can do: rather than picking 10 things to work on, pick one or two. Give yourself small steps to take to effect change, and celebrate the changes you make!

4. Take care of you! A bubble bath, a 10-minute walk on your coffee break, a massage -- you are your greatest asset. Ensure you are taking care of yourself. Exercise, eat right, hydrate and get your sleep! How we treat our body, mind and spirit affects our emotions, behaviors, actions and results. Take good care of you.

5. Keep a journal. Write whatever you choose and however you want. Just write! Write whatever is on your mind, what your successes are for the day and finish off by writing at least five things that you are grateful for that day.

6. Breathe! When we are stressed, our breath is shallow and we don't get enough oxygen. So take a breath break whenever you think of it and take some deep belly breaths. Concentrate on your breathing. Better yet, take a mini-vacation -- visualize you're on the beach in Maui or somewhere else that calms you while you're on your breath break!

7. Relax! Find a relaxation technique and use it! Listen to some great music or a relaxation or meditation CD. Meditate. Go for a walk. It may seem strange at first, but keep at it!

8. Let go of expectations! It's when our expectations and reality don't match that we get into that really stressed state!

9. Act rather than react! Start recognizing your thoughts. When you start to get upset, stop! Breathe! Ask yourself whether you want to go down that road. Will it get you the desired result you want? If not, change directions.

10. Be compassionate with yourself -- treat yourself as your own best friend! Don't get down on yourself for what you aren't doing, acknowledge yourself for what you are doing and celebrate your successes.

The Mind Body Connection

It is fact that what people think and believe can affect their health. Research shows that keeping the body in a calm state is crucial to well-being and optimal health.

Relaxation and stress management techniques will help you reach a calm state to achieve physical and mental health. Relaxation decreases wear and tear on your body and also helps self-control to handle stressful situations at work and home.

My father introduced me to self-hypnosis for relaxation a very long time ago. He always told me that the influence of the mind on the body can be used in a positive way to improve the way a person feels (mentally or physically). Self-hypnosis methods can be used in many areas. Reduce feelings of anxiety or stress, fears, phobias, manage pain, weight loss, quit smoking, self improvement and any other area you feel you need help in. Hypnosis uses affirmations which are positive statements that we make ourselves counter stress and unpleasant thoughts.

Hypnotizing yourself requires only that you have a private quiet area and a place to sit or lay down. You relax yourself as completely as possible, but not falling asleep. You then can deepen your relaxation, usually by counting down from 100 or by thinking of yourself slowly sinking downwards. When you are very relaxed, you can think about a relaxing image, or an image of yourself as successful and happy and not worried.Once you reach this state of relaxation, you can repeat your affirmations.

An alternative to using self-hypnosis is to listen to hypnosis downloads. The benefit of these is that you can listen to them and relax when you are too tired to want to hypnotize yourself.
A good source of these is http://www.instant-hypnosis.com

This site offers over 300 available sessions for immediately access. Some topics include: self improvement, body image, business success, phobias, overcoming illness, spiritual,women's health, addictions, love, mental health and so many more.

You can learn how to focus from the outside to inside, control stressful emotions and anxiety, increase energy and awareness, harmonize your nervous system, keep you attention in a safe place and center your mind and quiet the 'mental' chatter.