Stress Archives - Page 4 of 5

December 17, 2017 By Parwage Alam 11 Comments

Myths and Health Benefits of Meditation

Stress can be dangerous. Here is a link to a blog on Stress

http://goqii.com/blog/avoid-stress-lead-a-healthy-and-happy-life/

In this blog, I am going to talk about meditation and its health benefits in detail. Most foreigners are it the Americans or the Europeans aren’t raised to sit and say “Om.” But, today whether it is outside of India or within our country at every nook and corner you can find a yoga and meditation centre. Meditation has gained millions of converts, helping them ease chronic pain, anxiety, stress, improve heart health, boost mood and immunity, and resolve a lot of medical issues even pregnancy problems.

According to doctors, any condition that’s caused or worsened by stress can be alleviated through meditation. Peace is something we all seek for or let’s say satisfaction is something we all long for. Satisfaction could be different for different people. For some satisfaction could mean happiness, for some it could be an achievement. The influence of external factors in our life largely decides our state of mind to be happy, sad or angry.

We often seek for happiness or peace in the outside world. People have their own ways of finding peace or relaxing their mind. Most common practice is going out of town or getting away from our usual routine. It’s very necessary to find peace within us as not everyone can afford to go out of station often. So here is what we can do and also save some money in the process to reach our goal of happiness and peace- MEDITATE.

Meditation you can transform the mind. Meditation doesn’t mean that you have to sit in a particular posture and focus on any single point on the wall or certain point. The definition of meditation is different for different people. If you ask me, meditation is the art of focusing our attention (100%) in one area. We all believe that our mind gets maximum rest while sleeping; however, the fact is that our mind gets to rest and relief while meditating.

Doctors who recommend meditation say that the relaxation response [from meditation] helps decrease metabolism, lowers blood pressure and improves heart rate, breathing, and brain waves. Tension and tightness seep from muscles as the body receives a quiet message to relax.

Articles in medical journals on Meditation indicate there is scientific evidence that shows how meditation works. In people who are meditating, brain scans called MRI have shown an increase in activity in areas that control metabolism and heart rate. Other studies on Buddhist monks have shown that meditation produces long-lasting changes in the brain activity in areas involved in attention, working memory, learning, and conscious perception.

There are some dangerous myths about meditation like:

1. Meditation is a religion: Meditation is not related to any religion. However, meditation brings all religion together.

2. Just relaxation: Meditation is not about just relaxation like sitting on your sofa or lying on your resting chair, meditation helps to produce specific chemical changes in the brain. For example, Transcendental meditation is known to cause the brain to release a soothing hormone known as prolactin.

3. Sit in the lotus posture to meditate: There is a myth that meditating you should always sit in a lotus posture. However, while meditating it is more important to be comfortable and steady. You can sit cross-legged, on a chair, in a sofa – it is fine, but it is mandatory that you have to maintain the same position till you finish meditating.

4. Meditation is for old people: Most of the people believe that meditation is only for people who have reached a certain age or for old people. That is so untrue. Meditation is universal and anyone can do it. It adds value to lives of people of all age groups. A study in the American Journal of Hypertension showed that teenagers who meditated for 15 minutes twice a day for four months were able to lower their blood pressure a few points.10 minutes of meditation in the morning clean your mind, it gives zeal and enthusiasm.

5. Meditation is like hypnotizing yourself: Most of the people believe that Meditation is hypnotising you. But, that’s again false. In hypnotism no one is aware what he or she is going through, however, in meditation, you are always aware of each and every moment.

If you are feeling tense, tired, depressed or anxious or stressed, the one simple word I can suggest or recommend is ‘Meditation’. Five to 10 minutes of meditation will help you relax and get over your stress and restore your calm and inner peace.

Anyone can start meditating with a small practice. It’s really very simple and does not require you to visit therapists or a practitioner of meditation. It also does not require any equipment. You can practice meditation whenever and wherever you are – in office, home, on the bus or train, or waiting at the doctor’s clinic or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.

Meditation works as a medicine of mind and body and produces a deep state of relaxation. During meditation, we centralize our attention and get rid of the unwanted stress-causing thoughts. This process results in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.

Some great Benefits of Meditation:

Psychological Benefits: Reduces stress and anxiety, increases creativity and intelligence. Reduces depression, increases learning ability, reasoning and memory power, reduces irritability and moodiness, Feelings of vitality and rejuvenation, increase emotional control, self-esteem, alertness, Improves relationships and also concentration

Physiological Benefits: May help lower blood pressure, Prevents or relives any pain, boosts immune system- with meditation higher levels of antibodies are produced against the flu virus, according to the study in Psychosomatic Medicine, lowers blood cholesterol levels, improves airflow through the respiratory system, especially in those with asthma, Youngers your biological age.

Women can also benefit from meditation. Quoting a study from an article in WebMD, the article says that PMS symptoms subsided by 58% when women meditated. certain other issues such as anxiety, depression, and fatigue can also be reduced by a regular meditation program.

November 7, 2017 By CHARMI GOGRI Leave a Comment

Stop feeding your emotions!!

Gone are those days when our ancestors considered food as a basic source for well being. They used to EAT to LIVE, but things have changed thereafter and now it’s LIVE to EAT. Eating is more than something we do to nourish our bodies with vital nutrients. We don’t always eat simply to satisfy hunger. We now turn to food for comfort, stress relief, or as a reward. It’s like an activity we do out of habit, like nail biting, hair twirling, or finger tapping. Recent trends show that we habitually turn to food in response to certain emotions. Like for instance some have the habit of gorging on chocolates when they are sad or depressed. Whether you feel angry, sad, bored, or even excited—food can act as a buffer against these emotions.

Emotional eaters know that it’s easier to stuff down our feelings with each bite rather than spilling the emotions and create nuisance. Unfortunately, emotional eating doesn’t fix emotional problems. It usually makes you feel worse. Afterwards, not only does the original emotional issue remain, but you also feel guilty for having overeaten. Compounding the problem, you stop learning healthier ways to deal with your emotions, you have a hard time controlling your weight, and you feel increasingly powerless over both food and your feelings.

So coming to the point, where do you start if you want to stop eating emotionally?

But, before that ever wondered why we turn to food when emotionally distressed? Here is a short explanation to make you more aware. When we eat food, chemicals are released from the food in the body. These chemicals have a strong impact on our emotional health, since food and mood are intricately connected. We feel sadder when we’re hungry due to lack of neurochemicals in the brain. To elaborate, through eating we experience changes in serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine levels in our brain – all of which control our moods. Sugar, for example, causes serotonin in the brain which makes us feel more balanced and equitable. Anti-depressants uses this same chemical mechanism to improve moods. So coming back to point, How and what do we do to deal with this?

The first step is awareness, recognizing what triggers you to eat emotionally—and WHY?

As I mentioned earlier, People eat for many different reasons. What situations, places, or feelings make you reach for the comfort of food? Each time you reach for foods (or even feel a craving come on), ask yourself, “Am I really hungry or am I just responding to something else that is happening?” If hunger isn’t the reason, it’s not always easy to pinpoint the reason why you feel like eating. By tracking your food (and related notes) more regularly, you could notice trends, like a tendency to overeat on Mondays, for example, and then pinpoint your true feelings from there. Ask yourself what it is about Mondays that leads to overeating (Stress from getting the kids to school? Anger over going to a job you hate? or holiday deprived ?) Notice if you tend to munch in the evenings. Is it out of boredom, loneliness, anger, sadness, anxiety or an unhappy relationship? Once you identify your emotional eating triggers, the next step is identifying healthier ways to feed your feelings.

It’s not enough to understand the cycle of emotional eating or even to understand your triggers, we need to proceed to step 2 which explains you to feed your feelings better. In order to stop emotional eating, you have to find other ways to fulfill yourself emotionally. You need alternatives to food that you can turn to for emotional fulfillment.

Some alternatives you can test out are: Call someone who always makes you feel better, play with your pets or kids, or look at a favorite photo or cherished memento whenever you feel low, depressed or lonely. If you’re anxious, expend your nervous energy by dancing to your favorite song, squeezing a stress ball, or taking a brisk walk in fresh air. If you’re exhausted, treat yourself with a hot cup of tea, take a bath, go to a spa or massage, light some scented candles, wrap yourself in a warm blanket or take a break and enjoy the weekend getaway. If boredom kills you, read a good book, watch a comedy show, explore the outdoors, or turn to an activity you enjoy (woodworking, playing the guitar, shooting hoops, scrapbooking, etc)

Last step to deal emotional eating requires long term modification i.e. healthy lifestyle habits. When you’re physically strong, relaxed, and well rested, you’re better able to handle the stone and lime that life inevitably throws in your path. But, when you’re already exhausted and overwhelmed, any little hiccup has the potential to send you off the rails and straight towards the kitchen>> refrigerator>>food. Exercise, sleep, and other healthy lifestyle habits will help you get through difficult times without emotional eating. Make daily exercise a priority.

Physical activity does wonders for your mood and your energy levels, and it’s also a powerful stress reducer. Give yourself permission to take at least 30 minutes every day to relax, decompress, and unwind. This is your time to take a break from your responsibilities and recharge your batteries for the next day. Connect with others. Don’t underestimate the importance of close relationships and social activities. Spending time with positive people who enhance your life will help protect you from the negative effects of stress.

With an arsenal of activities you can do besides eating, trekking, journaling and distracting yourself in a positive way, you’ll overcome your emotional eating problems once and for all. You might not be successful every time, but if you accept your mistakes and move forward, continuing to work on your issues consider you’re on the right path to stop the emotional eating cycle.

September 25, 2017 By Parwage Alam 9 Comments

Avoid Stress: Lead a healthy and happy life!

Do you forever feel your shoulders are burdened with too many responsibilities? Do you feel endless demands towing at you from all directions? Do you feel your life is spinning out of control? It’s easy to feel stressed. But, regardless of your circumstances, only you can bring about a balance from within you and not form your surroundings?

Given the fast-paced lifestyle that all of us lead, we get hassled and irritated by the most inconsequential incidents that automatically lead the stress levels to go up. Come to think of it, there is no dearth for reasons for our stress levels to go up. But, does anyone really know how harmful stress is to our health?

Before understanding how harmful it is let’s first understand what is stress?

Stress is a normal part of life. It’s related to many events that happen to you and around you — and many things that you do yourself — put stress on your body. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts. It is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses.

The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert and overwhelmed. And, stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the person becomes overworked and stress-related tension builds.

High levels of stress can cause biological imbalances in our body. Cortisol Hormone is the hormone that puts the body under stress. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands when an individual is under stress and affects one’s health in a negative manner. The most crucial effect is of one’s immune system and weight.

Stress also leads to excessive mood swings which can be categorized as Worry, Tension, Tiredness, Fright, Happiness, Depression, Anxiety and Anger all of which takes a toll on one’s health.

When stress overpowers, the body is flooded with chemicals that prepare to “fight or flight.” The Stress responses could be lifesaving at the time of emergency situation where our body needs to act quickly; it wears your body down when constantly activated by the stress of everyday life. Relaxation or meditation puts a break on this heightened state of readiness and brings your body and mind back into a calmer state.

Stress management can be a powerful tool for wellness and healthy living. Here are a few tips to de-stress yourself

1. Meditation

2. Deep Breathing

3. Be Alert

4. Relaxation

5. Laugh Out Loud

6. Listening to soft music

7. Strolling in the park

8. Chasing your hobbies

Apart from above options, try keeping a diary over a few weeks and list the time, places, and people that aggravate your stress levels. Once you are aware of your typical or regular stressors, you can always work on avoiding those.

Follow these options and life will automatically turn beautiful!

August 4, 2017 By Dr Kumud S Wangnue 5 Comments

Hobbies relieve Stress

Why are we stressed?

In this competitive world, there is lots of work and also lots of pressure of all sorts and from all sides. Given this backdrop, one is stressed not only physically, but also mentally.

We are constantly in the race to compete with one another and working hard to get the best in any given situation for ourselves and our families.These days there’s a huge percentage of youth suffering from depression, hypertension, diabetes or even hormonal disorders.

Research has proved how spending just a few minutes with ourselves during the day or over the weekend can help us de-stress ourselves. That’s not all, involving ourselves in a hobby can enhance our efficiency as hobbies give us relief from our monotonous routine. These help in reducing stress hormone Cortisol, which also plays a role ranging from fat accumulation to hormonal imbalance.

What about reviving an old childhood hobby or getting to learn something new? Remember, age is no consideration to make a new beginning. Here are a few hobbies which one may like to take up to relieve stress.

Art/Craft: This makes you get creative and learn different forms from Pottery to Quilling/Painting and Sketching. Spend some time with your sketch book at the end of the day. Join a class over the weekend and get creative skills to relieve your stress.

Music/Playing an instrument: These can really help us improve Neuroplasticity, that is brain can process new information in a better way. A weekend or evening class can boost these skills. Form a group of friends who can join together and remain motivated to learn something new.

Sports/Dance: Whatever you choose, will always make you feel motivated and bring some activity into your life. Dance can boost happy hormones and help in forgetting the day/week long pressures at work.

Gardening/Bird watching / Connecting with Nature: Nature in itself is so healing for the mind, body and soul. Birds, flowers and plants help us feel that we are blessed by Mother Nature. Feeling gratitude and relaxed in watching some birds fly can make the stress fly away. Spending some time over the weekend potting some plants can be really rejuvenating. Can plant some micro greens for daily salads too.

Photography: Digital technology has made cameras within everybody’s reach. Even with mobile phones, we can take pictures anywhere at any time. This will not only relieve our stress but would also make ourselves more sensitive to our surroundings.

Mind/Board Games: Chess, Sudoku, Scrabble can help us improve mental faculties and can make a positive impact on the process of ageing. It will not only prevent Alzheimer’s disease but also anxiety and help improve fine motor skills.

Therefore, doing something creative, which we really enjoy, to break the monotonous routine will make us have a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Let’s spend some time early morning in the kitchen garden or balcony to take care of the plants. Take out the camera for an evening outing with friends or family. Or play some music or at least an indoor game on a weekend or after office hours and be happy.

While you conclude reading this blog, make up your mind to make a new beginning with some hobby to relieve yourself from stress and add some joy to your life.