How Stressed Are You?
Are you tense much of the time? Do you have frequent headaches, neck or back aches? Or do you have trouble sleeping?
While stress is a given in life and may motivate us to do our best, learning to recognize when it is a problem is vital to feeling well. The effects of stress can creep up on you and are often the result of events or life changes. These changes, both positive and negative, make demands on you. A serious illness or separation in the family will of course increase your stress level. But happy events like marriage or a new child can also tax your physical and emotional resources.
The Stress Test
1. Do you have headaches or stomach aches?
2. Do you have pain in your shoulders or arms?
3. Have your eating habits changed? Are you eating more or less than usual?
4. Do you worry about bad things happening to your loved ones?
5. Is it hard to concentrate?
6. Do you wake up at night thinking about things you have no control over?
7. Do you lack energy to do the things you enjoy at the end of the day or on the weekend?
8. Do you often feel tired or apathetic?
9. Are you tense or irritable at work or at home?
10. Have you lost your sense of humor?
11. Are you increasingly forgetful?
12. Do you feel you have lost control over your life?
13. Do your relationships or friendships feel unsatisfying?
14. Has your drinking or smoking increased?
15. Do you find it hard to relax?
2. Do you have pain in your shoulders or arms?
3. Have your eating habits changed? Are you eating more or less than usual?
4. Do you worry about bad things happening to your loved ones?
5. Is it hard to concentrate?
6. Do you wake up at night thinking about things you have no control over?
7. Do you lack energy to do the things you enjoy at the end of the day or on the weekend?
8. Do you often feel tired or apathetic?
9. Are you tense or irritable at work or at home?
10. Have you lost your sense of humor?
11. Are you increasingly forgetful?
12. Do you feel you have lost control over your life?
13. Do your relationships or friendships feel unsatisfying?
14. Has your drinking or smoking increased?
15. Do you find it hard to relax?
How Did You Do?
If you answered yes to more than half of the questions in the box, you may want to take steps now to reduce your stress.
What Next?
Fortunately the body has a built-in way of dealing with the effects of stress through the autonomic nervous system. There are two parts of our autonomic nervous system.
The sympathetic branch is responsible for revving you up to “fight or flee.” The parasympathetic calms you down, causing the heart rate and blood pressure to fall, the breath to slow, and the internal organs to function more efficiently. These changes are referred to as the “relaxation response,” a mechanism we are born with. The relaxation response can be triggered by certain activities like meditation, biofeedback, yoga and massage.
Enjoying regular relaxation can slowly reverse the effects of chronic stress and bring you back to emotional, mental, and physical balance, the way you were meant to be.
Ultimate Relaxation Packages!
1. 60 Minute Ayurvedic Warm Oil Massage & Facial Steam $100 (free gift included)
2. 75 Minute Thermal Palm Massage, Herbal Foot Bath & Facial Steam $110 (free gift included)
3. 75 Minute Hot Stone Massage, Herbal Foot Bath & Facial Steam $110 (free gift included)
Take Steps to Improve Health
What integrative medicine does is reduce your stress, and we know that 85 percent of all illnesses are stress-related.... Approaches such as massage, acupuncture, aromatherapy, music, meditation, yoga…enhance your overall well-being as well as decreasing all the cortisols and stressors.
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