Posted on September 13th, 2008 by admin

Stress sets off powerful reactions in the body that depress the immune system and negatively affect your overall well-being, says Lori Leyden-Rubenstein, PhD, a psychotherapist and author of The Stress Management Handbook. Most of these reactions are avoidable if you learn how to respond to stressful feelings in a positive way.

“Stress is killing us,” warns Lori Leyden-Rubenstein. Approximately 100 million Americans suffer from stress- and anxiety-related illnesses, and stress has been linked to heart disease, cancer, lung disease, accidents, and suicide.
These easy exercises will get you on the path to emotional, physical, and spiritual healing:

Breathing.
When you feel stressed or anxious, your breathing can become irregular and shallow, says Leyden-Rubenstein. Proper breathing can help you relax, get in tune with yourself, and feel more in control of your emotions. If you’re feeling anxious, take a few moments to breathe deeply. Inhale slowly, and as fully as possible. Hold the breath for a few moments, then release. Now hold for a moments again before inhaling. Repeat 10 times or until you begin to feel calmer and more confident.

Recognize distorted thinking and negative feelings about yourself
Are you constantly putting yourself down? Do you have negative feelings about your job, your relationships, or your life? Research suggests that themajority of the negative thoughts that people about themselves and their lives are distorted and exaggerated, says Leyden-Rubenstein. When you sense you’re being overly self-critical or you’re feeling overwhelmed by worries at work or at home, take a moment to try to see your situation in a more positiveand objective light.

Try to live in the moment.
Most :people spend much of their time feeling guilty about the past and worrying about the future rather an living in the present. Living in the present moment frees you from unnecessary worries about a past you can’t change and a future you can’t predict. And while you can’t change what happened yesterdaymor predict what will happen :tomorrow, you do have a certain amount of control over the here and now.

Tags: Stress depress the immune system, Stress sets off powerful reactions in the body, The Mind-Body Connection, When you feel stressed or anxious, your breathing can become irregular and shallow