Anti Aging Stress Reduction

Basic A N T I - A G I N G S T R E S S R E D U C T I O N Tips

Ø EVERY THOUGHT, SENSATION, and FEELING you have is transformed into the chemistry and electricity that molds every cell, tissue, and organ in your body. In essence, you influence your health and well-being by how and what you think! One way your thought processes can affect your body is aging. You can slow and/or reverse the aging process by thinking and behaving in ways that are beneficial to staying young in mind, body and spirit.

Ø The “MIND, BODY, SPIRIT” connection basically means that our emotional, physical, and spiritual health are all equally important and integrated aspects of health and well being. I’ve recently heard it referred to as the “Spirit, Mind, Body” connection, in the sense that if we lead with our Spirit, there will be greater, more beneficial effects on the health and well-being of our spirit, our mind, and our body. And these beneficial effects can help slow and reverse the aging process.

Ø BUT FIRST, YOU NEED TO SET INTENTION. Decide you want to make changes in your thoughts and actions, and then work hard to make them. Have a heart to heart talk with yourself, if that helps. Remember, you are never too “set in your ways” or “too old to change,” if you really want to change. Shifting your perspective, setting intention, and making new choices will provide you with powerful tools to change your life!

Good luck to you on your journey to a stress-free, long, happy, healthy life!!!

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v EMPRACE A SPIRITUAL LIFE to create the possibility for satisfaction, happiness, and fulfillment independent of changing situations, circumstances, and people in your life. Think and make choices for your life based on Spirit first, then Mind (which includes your mind, will, and emotions) and then Body, your actual physical being. Putting your Spiritual self first will help your thoughts and behaviors come from a place of compassion, love, and understanding, for yourself and for others. A spiritual approach to life is the most profound way to improve your health and well-being.

v USE YOUR UNIQUE TALENTS IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS. Doing good deeds for others not only makes you and those you’re serving feel good, it takes the focus off of your own problems for a while. Serving others also helps you realize you’re not the only one with problems or issues that may be stressful or that just require some assistance. Serving others can help you realize it’s just as important to be able to receive as it is to give.

v FORGIVE YOURSELF AND OTHERS. Forgiveness is not forgetting, but a way to end the cycle of hatred, resentment, pain and guilt, and open a door of freedom for the future. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean the other person is not responsible for what he or she did or that you need to bring them back into your life. The other person doesn’t even need to know you’re forgiving them. Forgiving someone else is good for your health and wellbeing. Forgiving yourself means you realize you might have done something differently had you only known how. In both instances, forgiving is accepting the other person and yourself just as you were at that time.

v LOVE TO RECEIVE PROFOUND LIFE-SUPPORTING EFFECTS. Extend love to others and to yourself. Be patient, kind, and caring. To express your love for another, be fully present and attentive, and show appreciation in words, deeds, and affection. Living a spiritual life means seeking out love in every situation. Remember, you need to give love to receive love.

v SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN and other family members. I read once where someone said when dying they weren’t wishing they would have had more time for work….in other words, spending quality time with family will ensure you won’t be wishing you had.

v CULTIVATE A GRATEFUL HEART. Open yourself to experiencing gratitude for all the positive things in your life. Gratitude helps foster the strength to get through every day trials and tribulations. It also helps you see situations in a positive light, which will provide many health benefits in the long run.

v PUT POSITIVE ENERGY OUT INTO THE UNIVERSE, and you’ll receive positive energy back!

v PRACTICE RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS while doing things for others without telling anyone else you did them! (Maybe not even the person you’re doing them for!)

v BUILD A SUPPORT NETWORK. We are not islands. We thrive in community. Make friends and community connections that will end up being vital during times of stress. Be a part of someone else’s support network, too!

v PROTECT YOUR “YOU” TIME. Learn to say “So sorry,” “but I just don’t have the extra time right now,” if doing something extra makes you feel stressed. Save time in your schedule to recuperate from the day in, day out tensions with exercise, good nutrition, and down time. In fact, put them on the top of your “to do” list! And don’t feel guilty. If you don’t do this, you may start to feel burned out, your energy levels may crash, and eventually you may be less likely to be able to take care of you and your own family’s needs.

v GIVE UP ON PERFECTION. Do your best, but don’t be stressed if you or what you do isn’t perfect! And don’t expect perfection from others. Accept yourself and others as imperfect beings simply doing your best, which is good enough!

v LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME. You don’t have to solve all of your problems today. Take them as they come each day and don’t be stressed thinking about things in the future that may not even happen. Also, don’t be stressed about things over which you have no control.

v DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF, AND IT’S ALL SMALL STUFF! (From a book by the same name written by Richard Carlson.) Don’t let little things that are irritating take over your thoughts and actions. Also, don’t make big issues out of little things that really aren’t important in the scheme of things.

v PRACTICE “THE FOUR AGREEMENTS” (from the book by the same name written by Don Miguel Ruiz). Be Impeccable With Your Word. Don’t Take Anything Personally. Don’t Make Assumptions. Always Do Your Best. (These are expanded upon at the end of this list.)

v SLOW DOWN, SIT DOWN, AND ENJOY MEALS WITH YOUR FAMILY. Make meals an opportunity for stress-free family connection and communication time. Obviously this can’t happen at every meal, but set some meal times aside every week. Say a blessing. A blessing sanctifies dinner time as a time to give thanks for those sharing the dinner, for the nutritious bounty from the earth, for the farmers and others who worked so hard, and for our Creator.

v DON’T OWE ANYONE MONEY. Pay back people you’ve borrowed money from or owe for services as soon as possible. Don’t charge on charge cards if you can’t pay it back within a month. If you currently owe money on charge cards, get them paid off as quickly as possible. Try to live within your means.

v QUIET YOUR MIND often through prayer, meditation, biofeedback, etc., to calm your mind, and, to help make a calm mental attitude a conditioned response to stress.

v BREATHE TO INTEGRATE MIND AND BODY. Take deep diaphragmatic breaths, expanding the abdomen. Learn breathing techniques to calm the mind.

v EXERCISE REGULARLY to improve your mental and physical well-being. Stretching, aerobic, strength training, endurance, and meditative exercises are all important components.

v REFRAME STRESS. Think of stressful situations as a challenge. Try to find humor in stressful situations whenever you can.

v SLEEP RESTFULLY. Eat a relatively light dinner before 7:30 p.m. - minimize exciting, aggravating, or mentally intensive activities after 8:30 p.m. - take a hot bath with essential oils - read spiritual or inspirational literature - and avoid watching TV or doing paperwork in bed. Keep your home office and bedroom separate. Your bed and bedroom should be a place where you know you can go and feel relaxed.

v LOOK AT YOUR WORLD WITH FRESH EYES. Learn, try, and experience new things. Seek out new places to explore. Feed your senses delectable, interesting, awe-inspiring gifts. Spend time in nature. Listen to the sounds in nature and smell the magnificent smells. Hug a tree. Hug your loved ones!

v LAUGH GENUINELY AND WITH ABANDON. Laughter is the best medicine for mind and body! Be flexible. Be creative. Have music, dance & song in your life. Play and recreate and include your children and grandchildren. Stroke your pet and take your dog(s) on long walks in the woods. Shift your internal reference from ego to spirit, relinquishing your need to control, withhold, seduce, and manipulate. Simply allow life to unfold, creating a natural state of ease.

v SMILE. It takes only 17 muscles to smile but over 40 muscles to frown!! Usually when you smile at someone, they smile back. Smiling is contagious and can brighten everyone’s day!

v The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, expanded on as mentioned above:

BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

Dr. Cindy Bates