April is one of my favorite months. Spring is in the air, the snow is melting, and the frosts are receding in the East, and I can be walking and biking again with all my fellow Boomers!
Walking, biking, hiking and swimming are all excellent ways to bring activity back into our lives. Since April is National Stress Awareness Month, I’d like to share a few really simple techniques with you for reducing stress . Stress in today’s society is increasingly inevitable. However, we can change our reaction to the daily stressors we face. Here are a few of my suggestions:
Breathe deeply. Take ten deep, full, slow breaths. This is a good habit for anyone to get into, but it’s especially important for active Baby Boomers. Many of us work, taking care of one or more elderly family members, or helping to babysit the big ones. These busy lifestyles can lead to stress-related illnesses if we don’t learn some techniques to stop stress now! Whenever you feel tense, or feel a headache coming on, simply stop and take a breather. Make each exhale longer than your inhale. This technique will help lower blood pressure, calm the mind, reduce tension in the chest and shoulders. . It may not be possible to immediately take a break from work, but as soon as possible after an upsetting incident, take a break for your breath – even if you stop yourself in the bathroom for a while!
Laugh, laugh, laugh It’s the last thing you want to do in the middle of a stressful situation, but it’s the best thing you can do. Let’s say you’re sitting in a traffic jam on the interstate. This is one stressful incident that most people can relate to. We’re always in a hurry to get somewhere, and that’s the least we need to do, right? Well, baby, there’s not one thing you can do. Honking your horn, being upset, or cursing your bad luck, doesn’t really do anything except release too much stress hormones into our bodies. The fastest way to get rid of extra stress-hormones is through laughter, which releases endorphins (feel good hormones). I keep a world of funny stories from Keeler guards in my car just for such occasions. It feels so much better to hear and laugh at these funny pictures that the Preserve paints of life in Lake Woebegone, and before I know it, traffic starts moving again. I recommend that you have a disc of Bill Cosby, Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Guard Keeler or any comedian who is funny in and the next time you’re stuck in traffic, enjoy some good belly laughs! You will feel much better when you go.
You can also listen on your way home from work if you have had a stressful day or on your way back from a visit with a loved one in a hospital or a nursing home. So, you don’t bring yours home with you.
Gardening is another great way to release stress. Spring is the season of planting and the meditative qualities of planting, pruning and harvesting the garden help to reduce blood pressure and make them feel good hormones Add that organic vegetables or your vegetables by multiplying your vegetables and your grocery bill promises and you get all fresh, organic vegetables. long summer! If you don’t have your own garden in your space, check out the many community gardens that have sprung up. throughout the United States. Owning a a small plot in a larger community garden also offers you the opportunity of social gatherings to talk with new friends growing up time, which plants enter, various fertilization, freezing and canning, etc. This is much better than sitting around the house worrying about the stressors of life.
For everyone reading this month, here is a link to my report called Top Twelve Stress Busters. In this report you will find simple tips to help you deal with all the inevitable stressors in life.
Best of health
Kathi
Report:
- For more information from Kathi Casey, Healthy Boomer Body Expert on stress relief, pain relief, solutions and more permanent weight loss, see www.HealthyBoomerBody.com
