This time of the year can be so joyful and can at times be so stressful. That is why I am dedicating the next month to putting daily entries on my other blog http://www.drmikedavison.com on mindfulness and meditation. Check it out!
Here is a brief message on stress you will NOT find on my www.drmikedavison.com blog.
Stress, stress, and more stress:
There are more definitions of stress than you can shake a stick at. But what we particularly targeting when we’re talking about the stress that causes disease and chronic pain is “the stress that produces too much adrenaline too much of the time”. I like this definition, because it fits me to a “t”.
I used to work in a high-adrenaline job. I mean, every second you had to be on guard for a disaster. When your mind is in that kind of gear, your body responds almost as if in an emergency state that it can’t get out of. Our bodies produce adrenaline like crazy. That lovely hormone, in small doses, gives color and joy to life. In an over-dosed state, however, the rest of our hormones battle to stabilize – some of them increase and wreak havoc with our bodies.
When you’re living in a constant “flight or fight” manner, you end up becoming excitable, anxious, jumpy and irritable. Naturally, these emotions diminish our abilities to be productive and focused. They especially interfere with developing and maintaining quality relationships (one of the best remedies for a stressful life!).
To be most productive, our day-by-day lives require a calm, focused, sensitive approach to living. You may have heard it said that being in the “here and now” is one of the quickest ways to alleviate stress and lower adrenaline levels. When we’re unable to control our flight or fight response – when the adrenaline is high all day long, we’re headed to disease and burnout fast. If we can focus on one thing at a time and breathe normally and naturally while completing that task, we lower our stress levels almost immediately.
It takes practice – living in the moment. But if you can accomplish just five minutes a day of calm focus on only one task at a time, you will begin to feel the heavy stresses of life dissolving like the morning dew. You’re not ignoring reality. You know you will take time to focus on each problem and situation separately. But for this moment, all you’re doing is one thing.
You will find yourself relaxing, your shoulders less tense, your back and leg muscles loosening. Enjoy the feeling of being at peace with yourself and focus on each little step of your present activity. Allow no thought of what you have to do later to creep in to this sacred time.
With practice, you can free your mind and body of anxiety and stress. Start with a few minutes a day, and then increase it to half an hour. The difference in your ability to enjoy life will motivate you to keep up this simple technique. You’ll find yourself accomplishing more and worrying less!
Many Blessings,
Dr. Mike Davison
“Your Destiny Doctor”
mike@PartnersInPurpose.com
P.S. Don't forget about my month long daily series on mindfulness and mediation on my blog at - www.drmikedavison.com
Labels: Dr. Mike Davison, meditation, mindfulness, stress
