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A note from one of my mentors . . .

Stress Kills
By Tony Horton

My Aunt Irene is 101 years old. She is and
has always been a curious, happy-go-lucky
kind of gal. She was not one to exercise and
go on diets, although she ate fairly
healthily her whole life and smoked
cigarettes `til she was 95. She quit the cigs
because they got too expensive. She had two
older sisters, Helen (my grandmother) and May.
Both died in their eighties and both created
more stress and less humor in their lives
than Irene. She raised five kids on her own
after her husband died young, so her life
wasn`t a picnic either. Is Irene an anomaly or
does her good-natured spirit have something to
do with her longevity?

Research is showing that poor sleep and a
stressed-out life is shortening our lives
faster than a poor diet and no exercise. The
combination is like playing Russian roulette.
We need to lighten up, find balance, and not be
so attached to the outcome all the time.
Exercise and a good diet aren`t enough. The
combination of mind stress and physical stress
(from exercise) can produce free radicals that
damage cells and cause everything from premature
aging to cancer. Beating yourself into submission
to keep up with the Joneses is killing you. A
sense of humor and scheduled downtime (other than
sleep) will keep stress at bay. Whenever you feel
 stressed out, ask yourself these three questions:

1.  Where`s my sense of humor? If you can make a
goofy face or say something silly, then you can
instantly shift your mood.

2.  What`s the solution? When you`re stressed out,
you`re focused on the problem. When you ask yourself
to solve the problem, you start to ask the right
questions to improve the situation.

3.  Am I in the moment? Sadness, anxiety, depression,
and stress are often caused by thoughts and events
of the past and future. All you have is right now, so
stop, take a breath, and check to see if the present
moment is as bad as you think it is.

If you can dump the stress, find yin to balance the
yang, and search for solutions, then you will live long
and prosper.

Make today an AWESOME DAY !!!

Changing Lives,

Tina

Tina...great post! I have been a major stressor for most of my life! It has only been within the past year or so that I have "let go"! I find that stressing all the time is...well...exhausting! I work hard...at lots of things...but that doesn`t mean I can`t have some fun in my life...and I have to admit...I joined a gym...but not to keep up with the joneses...I joined to give myself a break...I go...and I run, or a stretch, or a good workout on free-weights...or best of all...a good yoga class! That time is mine...that time is quit...and stress free!! My body gets good blood flow, and my mind is clearer and relaxed!

I have watched my mom`s health drastically decline over the years because of stress...and I will not have it happen to me!

-------------------------

Leah Tucker

Take a look at cortisol management. I use Seriphos, only because it`s what a really interesting MD recommended, and it`s a different type of inhibitor. But stress and cortisol overload are the same; it`s a question of which comes first.

When all the psychological work has been done, if there`s still too much stress it`s very possible it`s a biochemical problem. It`s not the ONLY problem---there are those psychological issues---but keep in mind that our feelings not only can cause our chemistry to change; our chemistry can cause us to have feelings.