Hard Times But Happy Thoughts

I know it seems like the world is falling apart. To varying degrees we have all had to deal with painful emotions--anger, grief, frustration, and fear nowadays. Add to that the ever present threat of war, collapse of the economy, global warming and peak oil and it can become very challenging to find value and meaning in our existence. If any good is to come from these and similar events, it will be because individual people, like yourself, make a conscientious decision to bring more of what is positive and loving to the world. What follows is a list of some simple things that you might do to make such a difference in your life and in our world.

 Give more attention to your relationships. Don’t let your spouse or your children go to sleep or leave the house without kissing them good-bye. Call your parents and tell them you love them.

 Do good things for your health. You would be amazed what good food, lots of water and plenty of rest will do for your attitude let alone your body.

 Enjoy the simple pleasures of life. The sounds of crickets at night, the smell of freshly laundered linen, the tiny toes on an infant’s foot, all help us feel more connected to the world around us.

 Connect with people. Getting together with current friends or looking up long-lost ones is a great way to relieve stress and renew your faith in mankind.

 Make someone else’s day. Do an unexpected favor or take the time to encourage someone in need.

 Get personal. Anyone can e-mail you (not to mention everyone else on their list at the same time), but a phone call, card or handwritten note shows you’ve really taken the time to acknowledge someone.

 Volunteer your time and talent. Plenty of organizations could use your assistance and as a special bonus you’ll feel good about yourself.

 Stop putting off the things you’d really like to do. Why not write that children’s story that’s been in your head all these years or hike that trail you’ve always wanted to see.

 Enrich your mind. Take a night class in a subject that has nothing to do with your job, read a good book, or learn a new language.

 Make mealtimes mindful. Stop everything when you’re about to eat, including driving, and focus or what you’re about to enjoy and allow it to nourish you.

 Pray or meditate. Estimates suggest that over 85% of Americans believe in a higher power. Now would be an excellent time to open up the communication lines.

 Find an activity you like to do just for fun—not to get your 30 min of exercise or to lower your cholesterol—something just for fun. Ride a bike, fly a kite, dance to your favorite music, or just splash around in some water.

 Grow something. Whether it’s a vegetable garden, some household plants, or a puppy, the miracle of life will astound you.

 Venture out into nature. Look at the stars, get caught in the rain, enjoy the beauty of flowers, watch whatever wild life happens by or just feel the sun shine on your back.

 Find humor in something everyday. Whether its from an e-mail joke-a-day service, a greeting card or a good movie, laughter does wonderful things for people.

 Have upper cervical care check-ups periodically. Not only is it more likely that you will have interference in the nerve system during stressful times, but ensuring that your nerve system is free of interference is the only way your body can achieve optimum function in good times and bad.

 Breathe deeply. Whenever we are angry, frightened, in pain or under stress in general our breath tends to get fast and shallow. There is nothing like a good long deep breath to calm us down and energize us. Take one right now.

So, You've Got Stress

Your boss is getting on your nerves; you have to get a project finished but the phone keeps ringing; you still have not met the right person to marry to have the children you want so badly or you have children that are so bad you hardly want them; your car breaks down; your bills are piling up; your in-laws are coming to dinner; your mother says she never sees you anymore; you are overwhelmed by your cholesterol count, your sodium intake, your sugar intake and your fat intake; you or someone you know has cancer or AIDS and YOU’VE GOT STRESS!!!

There is simply no escaping it. Our lives and the world we live in are loaded with stress. More than 66% of all visits to a primary-care physician are for stress-related disorders. Every week 112 million people take medication for stress-related disorders. Job stress costs American industry more than 150 billion dollars yearly in absenteeism, lost productivity, accidents and medical insurance. It is worth noting that some stress may be good. Many people are more alert, more productive and consequently happier and healthier with a certain amount of stress. Beyond that, however, it stops contributing to your ability to function and starts inhibiting it.

Stress is a double-edged sword. Things going wrong produce stress and it causes things to go wrong. Stress over an extended period of time can make you quit your job, can lead you to depression or to drugs and alcohol. All of these can and will certainly affect your ability to perform, your ability to earn money and your quality of life.

We all need to do more to combat stress, we have to learn to find a balance in our work and personal lives. Certainly there are some things that you simply cannot do anything about, for example, the unexpected death of a loved one, natural disasters and accidents. However, everyone can and should carefully examine their lives and make an honest attempt to reduce the stress-producing circumstances that make unnecessary demands upon them. Determine which things you can do something about, concentrate your time and energy on them and try to avoid the obvious ones. We should emphasize wellness, focus on the positive and relaxation, whatever the circumstance.

Upper Cervical Care should also play an important role in your stress management. When a stress-inducing event occurs, muscles contract, breathing becomes faster and deeper, heartbeat increases and digestion is halted. This all occurs as a response to a nervous impulse. Continually contracted muscles can contribute to head/neck misalignment and this can lower your ability to deal with stress. Of course, just as different situations produce varying amounts of stress for different people, different stress management techniques will have varying degrees of effectiveness. Some may benefit from exercise while others respond to meditation, deep breathing or spending time on an enjoyable hobby. Upper Cervical Care, however, can work for everyone because it removes nerve interference and interrupts the contracted muscle/increased stress cycle.

Upper Cervical Care coupled with positive thinking and other stress management techniques can create a sense of well-being and a zest for life and lead to a longer, more productive, happier and healthier life.