Holistically Alive

Stress is a part of the human living experience; however, living with high levels of stress can put your health and wellbeing at risk.  The emotional stability, physical health and mental clarity can be adversely affected by excess stress making it seems impossible to manage and enjoy life. Stress can manifest physically in the body causing illness; the immune system can be affected by stress leading to the susceptibility to infections and viruses. Stress is caused by a number of factors including physical causes such as changes in life, a death or separation, chemical stress from toxins, drugs and alcohol, emotional factors such as discourse in relationships, loss of a relationship and other unresolved emotional issues creates stress. Time constraints and having a feeling to too much life and too little time is one of the more common types of stress leading a person to wonder how they can even fit stress management into their already overbooked schedule! 

With stress being a part of our daily lives it is foolish to think we can eliminate stress all together.  At some level, managed stress can motivate us and help drive us to new solutions and betterment of our lives as well as the lives of others.  It is the mismanagement of stress that can cripple us and leave us in a state that cannot move us or benefit our lives at all.  As we learn and put into practice the techniques to manage our stress we enrich our lives and can get back to a place of ease and happiness.  The stress management techniques below can be used in conjunction or as the situation arises and are simply a few of a multitude of techniques to use.

• Just say no:  This is an important stress management tool…to learn to say no.  Understanding our limits and empowering ourselves to live within those limits whether in our professional or personal life can greatly reduce our stress.  As much as many of us just want to do our part, if we are taking on too much we will not do an adequate job and it is better to just say no to the extra responsibilities we are tempted to take on.
• Avoid stressful people:  Among our many relationships some just may not be healthy for us.  If there are people in your life that simply stress you out or someone that is a toxic relationship it is best to spend less time with that person or end the relationship all together.  Many times we feel we can help a person or ‘save’ them from their selves; however, in a lot of cases they simply do not want ‘saved’ and you are simply enabling their toxic behavior by playing into it.
• Control your environment:  Avoid the environments that cause you stress if at all possible.  If traffic is heavy and stressful on your way home from work try choosing a less traveled route even if it takes a bit longer; the scenery may even be more relaxing and pleasurable.  If the crowds are stressful for you while shopping you may want to explore online shopping to avoid the crowds and the stress.  If your household is stressful try rearranging furniture to make it flow better or try setting up boundaries for house mates and children who may be the culprit of the stress.  Ask that no one demands anything from you in the first 30 minutes you are home from work, take time in a quiet room to let go of work stress or simply relax in a hot bath before jumping into your home life after work.
• Choose your conversation:  Avoid the more stressful heated topics of conversation such as religion, politics and parenting.  These topics are highly personal and sensitive and will nearly always create stress and in most cases with no resolve.  Issues such as these will rarely lead to a person moving from one side of the topic to the other and the conversations will more than likely lead to discourse rather than unity.
• Healthy expression:  Learn how to express yourself in healthy ways such as communicating your needs, expectations and concerns in open and polite ways.  If you keep these things bottled up you will likely build resentment and create additional and unnecessary stress.  Healthy expression also includes sharing your feelings with a trusted friend or therapist; venting can be a very good stress management tool.
• Watch your expectations and learn to compromise:  When we set up expectations for another human we set our selves up for unhappiness and resentment.  Do not anticipate the reactions or actions of another and instead let go of that need to expect and control.  Likewise we must also learn to compromise and be willing to match our requests we have for others with our own actions.  Simply find a middle ground in all situations that must be shared with another.
• Face life head on:  Deal with your problems as they arise facing them head on, but always be compassionate when dealing with them.  If you need something in life or help, ask for it rather than hinting or hoping someone will volunteer.
• Practice time management:  Managing our time poorly can be a chief source of stress when we feel we are always behind and stretched too thin.  Try to plan ahead and include possible pot holes in our schedule that can cause us to need a few minutes extra.
• Let go of the need to control:  Much of our life is beyond our control – especially the choices and behavior of others.  Focus on the things you can change and let go of the things you cannot change.  It is always a good idea to manage your own life and leave the management of other people’s lives to the other person.
• Forgive:  Let go of anger, do not hold a grudge or resentments.  Free yourself from all that negative energy by learning to forgive others, forgive yourself and simply move on.
• Look for the good in life:  Look for the positive side of any situation.  When something stressful and difficult happens in life there is usually a positive aspect that can be taken from it somewhere; look for it.  Focus on the lessons you may have learned that will keep you from repeating the situation rather than the situation itself.  By spending our energy acknowledging and looking for the good instead of focusing on the bad we empower ourselves and retrain ourselves to be more positive.
• Chill out:  Be sure to make rest and relaxation time a priority even if it means going to bed a little early at night so you can get up a little early and begin your day with quiet meditation.  Schedule into your evening a time when you will just stop what you are doing and sit down with a good book, a hot bath or a cup of herbal tea.  Perhaps you can schedule 15 minutes in the middle of your day to just lie down and quiet your mind, play a musical instrument or listen to soothing music to rejuvenate your senses.
• Healthy choices:  Make healthy choices in life including eating fresh foods with minimal processing. Be sure to eat 3 healthy meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner and add snacks as needed to keep your energy level up. Getting exercise with a physical activity for 30 minutes at least three days each week will greatly reduce your stress reactors.  Limit the amount of caffeine and sugar you take in will help you avoid the ‘crash’ both can cause as well as helping you to sleep better at night.  Avoid alcohol, cigarettes and drugs that might seem to be an easy escape from stress; however, the relief is temporary and the lasting stress on your body will add to your stress.  Get 7 – 9 hours of sleep at night where your body can recover from the physical and mental stresses gathered through the day.
• Community:  find a support system or activities with positive up beat people to help enjoy life and diffuse stress.  Just as spending time with stressful negative people can create additional stress, spending time with positive non stressed people can help alleviate it.

When we learn how to manage the stress in our lives we can learn to live our lives fully and enjoy the human life experience.  We are able to add to our lives the things we enjoy rather than feeling like we are drudging on day to day to simply survive or get through the day.  By practicing some of the tips and techniques listed above you can begin to move in the directions you desire and manage the stress that is a part of living.

Coexistence is an act or time in which two or more groups live together while respecting their differences and resolve their conflicts in nonviolent ways.  The idea of coexistence is not new; however, the term was placed into common language during the cold war.  The policy of ‘peaceful coexistence’ was used in the milieu of the relations between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.  Originally it was a cover for aggression; however, it developed into a tool for reframing the relationship between the two super powers of the world.  In the late 1980’s the policy of peaceful coexistence included principles such as nonaggression, respect for sovereignty, national independence and noninterference in internal affairs.

Defining coexistence has been done in a number of ways including:

-  Existing together in the same time or place while exhibiting mutual tolerance.

-  Learning to recognize and live with differences.

-  Having a relationship between different groups or persons where none are trying to destroy one another.

-  Interacting with a commitment to tolerance, mutual respect and an agreement to settle conflicts without violence.

The core of coexistence is awareness; becoming aware that individuals and groups will differ in various ways such as class, religion, gender, ethnicity and politics.  The group identities may cause conflicts, contribute to the cause of conflicts or may be solidified as conflicts escalate.  A policy of coexistence can diminish the likelihood that group differences will escalate into a violent, damaging or intractable conflict.

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By the end of the winter many of us are realizing that we are feeling rather closed in and surrounded by clutter.  It is obvious that our homes need a good thorough cleaning and de-cluttering.  We begin to get rid of all the things we see that we no longer need.  We might take it to the local resale shop or we may donate it to charity or we might even organize a garage sale.  Additionally we move our furniture and vacuum or shampoo our carpets, we dust the surfaces and really take the time to stop and look around and assess the level of clutter and dust that the long winter has brought.

Our homes are not the only thing that can seem to need a good cleaning; we must also take the time to assess our lives and our spirit’s need for a good thorough cleansing.  Often we begin to feel tired and as if we are struggling to keep up with our lives, our friends, our family.  Irritability is also a sign that we may need a dusting of the old clutter.  If you find yourself just not quite feeling right, try a spirit cleansing to lift the spirits and restore your soul.

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There are a lot of spiritual leaders talking about how important it is to meditate and many books and CD’s available on meditation.  But how do you really get good at it and make it a part of your life?  Can you master the art of meditation?  Yes you can!

Meditation is something I have fallen in love with, it is a source of relaxation, a source of edification for my spirit and my mind.  In comparison, if we think of prayer as us talking to our higher power then meditation would be us stopping long enough to listen.  I did not coin this comparison; I had first heard it in a meditation class I took. 

The first time I meditated was profound to say the least and I couldn’t get enough.  In my education a great deal of my courses had meditations to go along with the text knowledge I completed.  Some of the requirements I realized that helped me master the art of meditation I will share with you below so that you too can share in this important skill of relaxation, self discovery and quiet listening.

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I have recently conducted a study of, and completed a course in Ayurveda which is the Sanskrit word for the science of life.  Many people believe Ayurveda to be the oldest practice of healing and was begun in India, then passed down through the Ayurveda instruction for over 5,000 years.  It seems as though Ayurveda is climbing its way back into popularity as the western world discovers and appreciates the philosophy that has fundamentally remained the same for all these years.

Essentially, to offer a glimpse of Ayurvedic basic principles: it represents the laws of the universe and the natural world as well as enlightening the individual soul, body and mind.  These are made up of the five elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit.  To summarize, Ayruveda follows the laws of existence and nature.

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I have begun a series of articles on transformation and have begun with an introduction to the concept of giving birth to one's self.  This is intended to be an in-depth study using my own personal story and transformation.  The article and series can be found at: www.myspace.com/holisticallyalive  

An article about the spiritual evolution of humans on a path to enlightenment.  View the article in its entirety at: www.myspace.com/holisticallyalive

I am beginning a series on addictive emotions and have started the series with anger.  To view the entire article as well as others in the series as they develop go to: www.myspace.com/holisticallyalive

At one time the human condition consisted primarily of survival and adaptation.  We did not have the conveniences that we do today that essentially does the surviving and adapting for us.  Today controlling our temperature is as easy as turning up or down the thermostat.  When hungry we get food from the cupboard, refrigerator or freezer, pop it into the oven or microwave and in minutes we are eating.  Out of milk?  Pop over to the corner market and pick up some more.  Without being in the survival mode our souls are entering a different phase of life that offers a spiritual evolution in place of the physical one of the past. 

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Everyday we are exposed to a multitude of contaminates and toxins from the air we breathe, the clothes we wear and the personal care products we use.  Most of us don’t stop to think about the risk we take when we constantly put chemicals into and onto our bodies and often it is assumed that if it is for sale then it is tested and safe.  Wouldn’t the health regulations make sure everything is safe to use?  Not really.  Below are the top factors in why we should think twice before going for the conventional personal care products. 

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