LifeNuts
  • LifeNuts
    • What is a LifeNut?
    • Origin of LifeNuts
    • LifeNuts Levels
    • What is a LifeNuts Community?
    • Why LifeNuts Works
    • How to Get Started
    • Current LifeNuts Communities
  • Founder's Story
    • Speaking
    • Credentials
  • Stress
    • Concepts of Stress
    • Diseases of Stress
    • PNI
    • The Relaxation Response
    • Psychological Stress Management
    • The Faith Factor
    • Relationships
  • Health
    • Nutrition
    • LifeNuts Fitness
    • Supplements
    • Sleep
    • Excuses
    • Time Management
    • Children >
      • Childhood Obesity
      • LifeNuts for Kids
  • Financial
    • Financial Stress Management
    • Transitioning
    • Goal Setting
  • Blog ...
    • LifeNuts in the News!
    • Blog
    • Are You Faster Than a 91-year-old Challenge
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us
    • The LifeNut Forms

A Three-Minute Stress Buster

3/3/2013

1 Comment

 
Picture
Last week Army corporal Kimberly Walker, an eleven-time decorated war veteran, was buried in Cincinnati with full military honors. Only 28 years old, this young woman had a blossoming career ahead of her. But her boyfriend, also an Army soldier, quarreled with her on Valentine’s Day ironically, and, losing his temper, apparently strangled her to death. He awaits trial. 
     What saddened me about this was that this beautiful young woman had given so much to her country and her boyfriend, also in the Army, was headed in the right direction, too. Why, why, why? Answer: anger. Uncontrolled and dangerous.
    How many times a day does TV news report an incident involving anger: either a fight, a shooting, or some other display of violence? We can’t blame guns on Kimberly’s death: she was strangled. Apparently anger was the culprit.
    Yes, we all can succumb to anger if things don’t go our way or if we feel that changes in our lives are excessive and not fair. Change is stress and change continually happens. If we view this change as a challenge – rather than as something negative, we can often rise above it and even thrive on it. But, if we allow this change to get the best of us, we can suffer a host of problems: saying or doing things we don’t mean to say or do, hurting people – either physically or emotionally, or becoming sick with a disease. 
     According to government statistics, stress is the single biggest cause of sickness in the UK, affecting one in five of the working population and racking up 105 million sick days each year, a huge national income loss. The USA stats are comparable. Years ago the famous Mayo Clinic estimated that 85% of its admissions had stress-related diseases.
    So, the next time you feel stressed and are about to become angry, try a quick three-minute stress buster: meditation. It’s free, it’s easy, and it doesn’t take much time – although most experts recommend devoting 15-20 minutes to a session. In our busy society, that much down time can be a real turn-off for most. But most folks can squeeze three minutes into their day.
    The trick is to be preventive. Each morning, get up a few minutes earlier than normal and meditate. Same thing at night: before bed, spend three minutes in meditation. Look at your watch before you begin or set a timer. Do this for a week, twice a day, and see if you become calmer in highly charged situations.
    There are many kinds of meditation but the two most common are Zen and traditional Indian meditation. First, sit upright in a comfortable chair, chin and head up. Feet crossed in the lotus position or straight down on the floor, whichever feels more natural to you. Take some deep breaths and close your eyes so that a blank, black screen appears. In Zen, keep this screen blank. In traditional meditation, imagine a word on the screen such as “calm,” “love,” “peace,” or some word that feels good to you. Repeat this mantra over and over again. Some people find Zen easier and others feel that the traditional mantra works better for them. Doesn’t matter which one you choose. Meditation does not have to be complex. It’s simple and effective.
    During meditation, it’s normal for thoughts to randomly enter your mind. That’s OK. Just let them go and don’t worry if they keep coming. Try to get back to that blank screen or to your mantra. Hang in there for three minutes and try it again the next day. After a week, you should notice a difference in your life – perhaps becoming more focused or more effective in relationships or at work. Maybe you’ll feel as if you have more internal energy, more compassion, more peace. Maybe obnoxious behavior of others won’t bother you as much as it used to. Maybe you’ll let insults roll off like water off a duck’s back.
    Dr. Herbert Benson, Harvard professor and cardiologist, published The Relaxation Response, a book that chronicled his work with his hypertensive patients. He taught them traditional meditation. After becoming skilled in this natural relaxation exercise, many of his patients were able to reduce the dosage of their high blood pressure medicine. Some simply eliminated it as their blood pressure returned to normal levels.
    So, remember that we can’t stop change; we must accept it and embrace it. We can't insulate from stress. Stress is a fact of life. And being able to meditate sure beats having to take pills and deal with their side effects. Try it: it’s something that many LifeNuts use each day.


1 Comment
Sun Chasing link
12/11/2020 09:52:36 pm

Lovvely blog you have here

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Dr. Bob Kroeger is the founder of LifeNuts. He's also proud to be a LifeNut.

    Archives

    September 2022
    July 2022
    October 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    February 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    January 2017
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    June 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Photos used under Creative Commons from USACE Europe District, GerryT, uyeah, thelesleyshow, Elvert Barnes, phalinn, achimh, lilli2de, SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget, Serge Melki, Ryan Somma, CitySkylineSouvenir, Kyle Taylor, Dream It. Do It., Iman Mosaad, Skånska Matupplevelser, Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation RI, SteakEat, Spirit-Fire, rexipe, Mark Z., db Photography | Demi-Brooke, Official U.S. Navy Imagery, whistler1984, sillygwailo, paddling, USACE Europe District, smith_cl9, emilio labrador, Kevin M. Gill, Kai Brinker, Victor Olausson, Joe Shlabotnik, cNathanielw, treehouse1977