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Fillings Get Smaller…and Smaller
—We all remember going to the dentist, opening wide, and listening with held breath while he examined our teeth for decay. “Please, no cavities,” we prayed.
With his prickly instrument in hand, our dentist probed every tooth, looking for...
Gum Disease Home Remedy In Your Kitchen
For those of us with a sweet tooth, there is good news on the
dental front. Despite the fact that raisins are sweet and
sticky, scientists at the University of Illinois in Chicago have
found them to contain compounds that prevent tooth decay...
Wimps Into Winners - How To Pass A Woman's B.S. Tests And Win Her Over, Hard!
Wimps Into Winners -
How To Pass A Woman's B.S. Tests And Win Her Over, Hard!
There's a common saying in street fighting that 95% of all real
fights wind up in a clinch and go to the ground. Could that
really be true? Frankly, I don't know....
You Can Avoid Sinusitis!
Imagine yourself not being able to appreciate the beauty of a new day…and being cranky enough not to get on well with your workmates’ good-natured conversations…or not being able to join a special friend in a date --- All because of sinusitis! ...
You may have found the best help relating to home health care.
You may have found the best help relating to home health care.
Sometimes when you're trying to find better-quality information relating to home health care, you'll find it easier said than done unscrambling quality information from amateurish...
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Stress: Guilty As Charged
How To Defend Yourself
Do you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed? Do you sometimes feel like you just have too much to think about? Does it make you tired, irritable, or even depressed? What can you do about it?
People rarely go to the doctor to say "I think I have stress," and yet the National Institutes of Health say that 80% of illnesses are caused by stress, directly or indirectly. Hormones, such as adrenalin, are released into your blood when you're stressed. This causes a rise in blood pressure, a faster heart and breathing rate, and faster conversion of glycogen into glucose. These are good things if you need to escape a charging grizzly bear, but when these effects are prolonged, the immune system is depressed, and your body suffers other negative changes.
Common effects of prolonged stress include fatigue, pain in the muscles and joints, headache, mental confusion, depression, anxiety, and irritability. Stress reactions cause your body to use too much energy, which can result in physical and mental weakness.
Managing Stress With Meditation
Years ago at Stanford University, an analysis of 146 meditation studies was done. The conclusion was that meditation not only was beneficial at the time of practice, but that it significantly reduced anxiety as a character trait. The studies focused on transcendental meditation, but it's probable most methods have similar results. (Reported in the Journal of Clinical Psychology 45: 957974, 1989.)
The bottom line is that stress is a killer, and that meditation really can help you defend yourself. Traditional
meditation may have the most beneficial effects, but maybe you're short on time, or uncertain about learning to meditate. In that case, there are two simple techniques you can learn in a few minutes, and start using today.
The first is a breathing meditation. Close your eyes, let the tension drain from your muscles, let go of your thoughts (to the extent possible), and breath deeply through your nose, paying attention to your breath. As thoughts or sensations arise, just acknowledge them and return your attention to your breath as it goes in and out. Do this for five or ten minutes.
To use the second technique, stop whatever you're doing when you feel stressed, and take three deep breaths. Watch yourself until you identify what is bothering you. Are you worried about something? Is there a letter you need to write? Maybe your neck is sore. Note everything you find.
Now deal with these stressors. Write the letter that's on your mind, take an aspirin, put things on tomorrow's list. If the best you can do is recognise there's nothing you can do right now - then do that. With practice, you'll get better at finding what's just below the surface of consciousness, irritating you. After you address these things, close your eyes, take three deep breaths, and you'll feel more relaxed and able to think clearly. Try it now.
About the Author
Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can visit his website, and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at: http://www.TheMeditationSite.com/newsletter.html
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