A Natural Anxiety Remedy: Exercise And Anxiety Reduction
By Serge Taylor | May 21, 2008
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The stress and strain that we all have to contend with on a daily basis has led to a dramatic increase in the number of people suffering with anxiety. While there are many treatment options for anxiety sufferers, there are a number of very effective and easy to use self help methods that will help to dramatically decrease the levels of stress and strain in your life.
Now obviously these self-help options may not be applicable in very serious cases of anxiety were often the best treatment option is medication. But even in these cases the addition of some of these self-help methods can often add enormously to the effectiveness of treatment and the quality of the person’s life while they are undergoing treatment.
If you are looking for an effective and easy to use self-help technique to help in treating your anxiety look no further than regular exercise. Research has shown conclusively that exercise has a very positive effect on a physical level as well as on a mental and emotional level. In many cases of depression and anxiety, exercise alone has been proven to dramatically decrease the incidence of attacks and the severity of the symptoms.
Regular exercise does a number of things that may be able to help you if you suffer with anxiety.
Exercise increases energy levels which can help anyone’s sense of well-being and especially so in the case of someone who suffers with anxiety. When we are anxious we tend to “burn” energy at higher levels because of the increased physiological activity due to being in a state of anxiety and nervousness.
For someone who is constantly anxious exercise can help to reduce their levels of anxiety and nervous tension thereby freeing up a lot of the energy that is being used by the body when it is in and nervous and agitated state.
Another big payoff for people who exercise regularly is the endorphin rush that accompanies vigorous exercise. Endorphins are hormones that are released into our system during exercise. They make us feel good. They increase our sense of well-being. And effect lingers after the exercise has stopped.
Some forms of exercise can help directly to relieve tension and tightness within muscles that lead to chronic pain patterns within people who suffer from anxiety. Yoga is an excellent example of this form of exercise.
It’s important to remember that at this stage when you are just thinking about starting to exercise regularly that exercise does not need to be hard or difficult and that any form of movement or physical activity done regularly will give you the benefit you seek.
And whatever you do don’t let your lack of exercise knowledge give you something else to get anxious about.
As the saying goes the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. If you don’t know what to do or where to begin,let that first step be walking. As a safe and effective method of exercise walking is a great place to start. Once you get going you may find other areas of interest you may like to explore.
These days there are an endless number of exercise options for you to choose from. You can attend classes such as aerobics or Pilates classes. Martial arts classes are a great way to get fit and gain confidence which will undoubtedly help you reduce stress and anxiety. Weight training is another option. And even if you don’t want to leave home, there an endless array of DVD instructional videos on all kinds of fitness activities to choose from.
Whatever your levels of tension, stress and anxiety may be, regular exercise will provide you with a safe and easy use way to let go of your anxiety and feel better about yourself.
If you are someone suffering with anxiety, regular exercise provides you with an effective, affordable and, believe it or not, enjoyable way of not only relieving your anxiety but also helping you to increase the feelings of well-being and happiness in your life.
Topics: Stress Management | No Comments »
How To Save Money On Deep Tissue Massages
By Chris Channing | May 13, 2008
The benefits of a genuine deep tissue massage are vast. Consumers aren’t so keen, however, on giving massage therapists hundreds of dollars per month or session in order to get such relaxation and comfort. For such consumers, the Thumper line of massage devices is quite a marvel indeed.
While Thumper brand massage machines do commonly require two people for their larger models, the second person doesn’t have to be a trained professional. In many cases, one can have a friend for family member work the Thumper massage machine instead- and thus, save vast amounts of money. The money one saves from deep tissue massages will often pay for the Thumper massage device in only a few massages.
A Thumper device will commonly weigh so much in order to give the consumer more chance to relax, as it does all the work through its own weight and motions. The device can be used by one person if place on feet or legs, or by two if back usage is desired- depending on the model of Thumper in general.
The Thumper line of products are rather diverse in design, with some models geared towards specific parts of the body. The foot massager, for instance, is excellent for a deep foot massage that is on par with professional services. This product can also be used as a leg massager if placed correctly, and can have several other uses if the proper position and weight is observed.
For those who don’t necessarily want a bulky contraption to operate, the miniature version of the Thumper device is available. This mini version will allow anyone to reach hard to get places, such as the lower back, shoulders, and the middle back section. These areas would have previously required extra help with the bulky Thumper model, but the miniature model can reach such areas with ease and without much effort involved.
For those who aren’t a big fan of the high prices associated with the Thumper, it is best to think of it as an investment. After all, the sturdy Thumper device will pass the test of times as it continues to give hundreds of dollars in massages that are equal to the massages given by professionals. If a consumer does indeed enjoy a relaxing massage, this is clearly a great investment for long term usage, with minimal effort and more options in flexibility.
Final Thoughts
The massages that the Thumper gives are quite excellent, professional, and well worth every penny the device costs. The only problem remains to chose which model to obtain- as each one has great benefit in using them. The flexibility of the miniature version, the ability to massage feet of another, and the deeper tissue massage of the bulky yet sturdy version are all well desired. In the end, consumers might just find that they are going to end up buying all of them- which is still a good return on investment in the long run.
Topics: Stress relief | No Comments »
Time Management - How To Put Your Environment To Work For You
By Michael Adams | May 10, 2008
When most people think about time management, they think about mental discipline, following processes and other hard core “will power” techniques to stop procrastination and get more things done in less time.
Those boring “brute force time management” techniques can work for a while, but if they’re not fun, easy or natural, like anything people eventually just stop doing them. I know I would rather learn ways to improve my time management which are easy and come naturally to me.
Buckminster Fuller (or “Bucky Fuller” as he was called by his friends) is reported to have said “Environment is stronger than will power”. Sounds smart, doesn’t it? Consider this. If you’re out of shape and want to improve your health, how hard would that be to do if you’re locked in room full of delicious sugar cookies. On the flip side, how easy would that be to do if you lived inside of a fitness center? Pretty easy don’t you think?
Most people don’t even stop to think about their environment as they go about trying to improve their time management skills. I think the idea of creating an environment to support your productivity and time management success is something to consider. Try something here for a minute and see what you think.
Take a look around your work space. Pick out 5 easy to indentify objects in it and ask yourself “Does this support my goal to be better at time management or detract from my goal to be better at time management?”
If the element you’re looking at doesn’t support your time management efforts, eliminate it from your environment right then and there.
Most people have at least one element they should toss. Oddly enough, when doing this exercise, people suddenly see their television as a major distraction. Something that not only slows their productivity, but which also can completely destroy your ability to accomplish your daily goals. If you have a television in your work space, unplug it and move it out of the room.
Something as simple as a messy pile of papers can also distract from your productivity and ruin your time management efforts. Realistically, how can a messy desk support your goals? Aesthetics aside, having a pile of papers makes it hard to find the important ones and can even spill over onto the floor, causing further loss of productivity as you have to clean them up.
I used 2 simple examples here because they help make the point clearly. Getting rid of anything in your work space that does not support your productivity and time management goals is critical to your success.
If we were to take this one step further, the next step would be to improve your environment by actually adding things which add to and make it easier for you to accomplish your time management efforts. We’ll share hints on how to do this in other articles.
Topics: Stress Reduction | No Comments »
A Review On The Symptoms of Alcoholism
By Frederic Baker | May 7, 2008
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There are many definitions of alcoholism. The most common definition of alcoholism is that “alcoholism is a horrible disease that affects the whole person “. However this definition may also apply to cancer or other dreadful diseases. Alcoholism cannot be defined simply as a disease caused by prolonged consumption of alcohol. The amount and frequency of drinking will determine alcoholism.
A more accurate definition of alcoholism suggests a chronic disorder characterized by some loss of control over drinking. Drinking more frequently and at inappropriate times will point towards alcoholism. Alcoholism is a common term for two distinct disorders. They are alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence.
The medical definition of alcoholism describes alcoholism as a disease caused by continuous consumption of alcohol. The quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption required to develop alcoholism will vary from person to person.
Alcoholism is also qualified by some other expressions. They include use, misuse, heavy use, abuse and dependence. Use is a term which simply refers to a person who drinks any alcoholic products. Misuse and heavy use do not have any standard definitions. Heavy use of alcohol will vary from person to person depending upon the age, alcohol brand and so on.
Alcohol abuse is one of the serious problems which lead to poor nutrition, memory loss, difficulty in walking and liver diseases. It will also generate mental stress, depression, fatigue, employment problems, family problems etc. Alcohol abuse may also involve the drinker in legal problems at some point in his life. The drinker will continue to drink at this stage irrespective of his health and family problems.
Addiction to alcohol will cause alcohol dependency. Alcohol dependence will cause social and work related problems. The drinker will experience periods of shaking, sweating and nausea when he tries to stop drinking when he reaches the stage of addiction. Alcohol dependence is usually indicated if the following symptoms are present:
1. Increases in level of tolerance to alcohol.
2. The drinker will take more alcohol to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
3. He will lose control over drinking.
4. He may spend more time in drinking and will recover from it only after long period of time.
5. He will lose interest in social and recreational activities.
6. He will continue to drink though he knows the adverse effects of drinking.
Alcoholism will lead most of the alcoholics to increase their consumption. Loss of control will happen in this stage. In fact loss of control is a clear symptom of alcoholism. As the drinker continues to drink, his body will build increased tolerance towards alcohol. Therefore the drinker will not get fully content by consuming the usual amount of alcohol. He will need more and more. Withdrawal symptoms like nausea, sweating and shaking will also appear.
Alcohol problems will vary from person to person. The severity of alcoholism will also vary from drinker to drinker. Some may experience life threatening problems. Liver dysfunction, brain disorders etc will also occur. Rightly said, alcoholism is a horrible disease. However it is possible to cure the disease. Alcoholics Anonymous have helped millions through their method of sharing their experiences amongst themselves as long as the member desires to stop drinking. Health Coaching is another method in which the alcoholic recognizes the effects of his behavior on his body, his family and his surroundings and obtains personalized help to take action and continue his sobriety.
And now I would like to offer you free access to Two Chapters of my Practical Approach to Alcoholism at: IWantToStopDrinking.com.
Frederic Baker - Professional Health Coach
Topics: Stress Reduction | No Comments »
Can Stress Management Workshops Really Work?
By Chad Calven | May 6, 2008
Stress management workshops are available to organizations in order to assist in helping employees to de-stress during their working day and week. The idea behind these workshops is to eliminate stress and increase employee productivity.
Seen as a way of increasing the quality of life, not just at work but at home too, stress management workshops and programs are offered to employees generally at the expense of the organization.
Generally a doctor who specializes in stress management will create a workshop or program that employees will follow over a period of time. These programs can include various types of stress-relief initiatives which could take the form of massages, consistent breaks ranging from 15 minutes to an hour and consultations with doctors, to name a few. The basic idea is to get the people involved to relax and ‘take a breather’.
Working from home is a type of workshop which could be offered by employers. It’s not something easily implemented though as there could be confrontation with the employees who cannot be out of the office due to their job roles.
There will be people, despite the stress relief benefit of working from home, who may take advantage of the situation and not have the discipline to do their job. Your home is generally a more comfortable place to be and there are added benefits of not having to deal with the stress of driving in traffic but there are also lots of distractions around the house.
Working at home as part of an effective stress management workshop should be seen as a benefit to a healthy working environment by employees and employers will have to learn to trust individuals.
When you think of all the serious health conditions and illnesses caused as a direct result of stress, it is not surprising that like stress management workshops are being implemented as a tool to combat stress in the workplace. Companies cannot afford the increasing absenteeism associated with stress.
Individual companies or consultants offer stress management workshops with the intention to:
1. efficiently lower the level of stress an individual might have in their job
2. improve productivity and general work habits of an employee
Happy and stress-free employees are generally more productive and companies realize this is more beneficial to the organization as a whole. It remains important however that stress management workshops not become a burden to employees. They need to be structured correctly and implemented consistently.
Topics: Stress Management | No Comments »
