Three Easy Steps to Reduce Stress

Stress is our internal reaction to outside stimuli. Literally hundreds of factors can cause stress, from noise to resentment, from lack of sleep to poor diet, from fatigue to emotionally upsetting events. Through my experience as a psychotherapist/hypnotherapist, I understand the great importance of shifting out of the stress response as soon as possible. This is due to the fact that when stressed, the nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones including adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine through activating what is known as the HPA axis. This is a complex set of relationships and signals that exist between the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenals. Prolonged stress overwhelms the adrenal glands and causes other negative effects on the body such as reduced immunity, headaches, digestive issues among other effects which interferes with the perfect, healthy programming of the body.
So the first step is to relax the body, there are many ways we can do this. I believe one of the most effective ways is to begin breathing in deeply as you feel the lower belly rise and then exhale slowly. Doing this five times in succession will help the nervous system cease the flood of stress hormones in the body. Then begin to slowly move up the body and relax the shoulders, allow them to slump and relax. Next, slowly move up to the lower jaw where many of us hold tension. Feeling those jaw muscles relax as you begin to move up to the eyes, allowing all the tiny muscles and tissues in and around the eyes become very relaxed. Finally, moving up to the forehead , feeling those muscles smooth and relaxed.
As the body relaxes, we can then calm the mind. Begin by closing the eyes and taking a deep breath. Imagine there is a room in your mind with a dimmer switch, this switch can slow down or turn off your thoughts. Locate the switch and when you are ready, turn the switch down or off completely. Knowing that you alone control the switch and can turn it back on whenever you like. As you feel calmer, imagine that you have a calm, still lake in the center of your body. A peaceful clear lake filled with fresh still water. Let yourself feel as calm and still as this lake. Pause for as long as you like. When you are ready to return, simply turn your switch back on and slowly open your eyes.
Learning self hypnosis is a great way to reduce stress. Self hypnosis is a centering and grounding process and also increases the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which releases chemicals that are calming. Just 15 minutes of hypnosis allows all those benefits as well as being equivalent to one hour of deep restful sleep. Suggestions given in self hypnosis begin to take root in the subconscious mind permanently replacing past negative messages. So we begin to take back control of our lives, learning how to relax our body and mind whenever we feel any fear or anxiety.
Please visit my website: www.womenstherapeutic.com for a free mp3 stress reduction download, a free pdf on further stress reduction techniques and information on learning self hypnosis.