Relaxing in the bath can be a great way to de-stress during the holiday season. A detox bath soak is a useful way to get rid of foreign chemicals that have accumulated in your body. Why not have the best of both worlds and relax in a detox bath?

Detoxification baths work because the hot water increases the blood flow near the surface of your skin, opens your pores and increases sweating encouraging  the release of toxins. If you are following a detox diet plan during cold weather it’s always a good idea to have frequent hot baths to keep the blood circulating and your body warm.

How to take a Detox Bath Soak

• There are a number of things you can put in the bath to help with detoxification but you can use plain water. Filtered water is best but it can still be effective if you are using tap water. Make sure you have a very clean bath. You want to get rid of toxins and not absorb any. Clean it with a non chemical cleaner.

• Drink an 8 oz glass of pure water before, during and after your bath.

• Shower first, using natural soap and scrub your body with a loofah or rough wash cloth to remove body oils, dead skin cells and surface toxins. Rinse yourself well.

• Fill the bath as high as you can with water as hot as you can tolerate without burning your skin. Get in and immerse your whole body up to your neck.

• If you have very high levels of chemicals in your body a detox bath could make you feel unwell to start with so begin with a 5 minute soak. Gradually increase the time you stay in the bath by 5 minutes each time until you can stay in for 30 minutes. Be aware that it is possible to get some detox reactions the next day.

• While you are in the bath it helps if you can massage your muscles with a skin brush to increase the circulation. Also do some deep breathing to help you relax.

• After the bath you should shower again to get rid of any toxins that have remained on the skin. Wash your hair as well. Finish with cool water to close the pores. If you start to sweat again later you should have another shower in case you have excreted more toxins or they will be reabsorbed.

• Make sure you have someone in the house before you take your bath. Some people feel dizzy or weak when they have a hot bath. A hot bath increases the heart rate while lowering blood pressure but if you have high blood pressure, very low blood pressure or heart disease you should ask your doctor before having hot baths. Do not have very hot baths if you are pregnant or very weak.

• Do not have a hot bath after a heavy meal. It’s best to have a light meal about one hour before the bath. Allow at least an hour afterwards before you eat a meal because your digestion will have slowed down.

• Drink at least 8 x 8oz glasses of filtered water the day after your detox bath as well.

• Try having a detox bath soak 3 times a week.

You can add substances like Epsom Salts, Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda. Clay, Hydrogen peroxide and herbs to the bath to help with detox. Read how to treat yourself to a 2 Day Home Spa  Detox

Preparation Diet for Detox Bath Soak.

If you are going to do these detox bath soaks regularly it helps if you eat a very clean, healthy or detox diet in preparation. A diet high in fruit and vegetables and their juices is good to help flush toxins out. Eat foods high in sulfur such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, garlic onions and beans to help with liver detox.

Have you ever considered the fact that the way you think might be related to the toxins in your body and brain? Feeling of anger, anxiety, panic, depression, neurotic behavior can all be the result of toxicity. And to create a vicious cycle, emotional stress or negative thoughts can, in turn, create toxicity. So, to benefit fully from a detox diet you have to learn to deal with your emotions. It is also known as emotional detox.

Mental and emotional stress contribute to most diseases in some way. Stress causes the body to release certain chemicals which, if allowed to build up, are toxins in themselves. They disrupt the body’s delicate biochemical balance. Doctors know that mental attitude has a huge effect in the outcome of treatments of various diseases.

In Chinese medicine the emotion of anger affects your liver function, worry will upset your digestive system, fear disturbs your kidney function and grief damages the lungs.

When you don’t worry or are stressed your adrenal glands don’t secrete the stress hormones such as cortisol which suppresses the immune system and upsets the nervous system.

Stress prevents liver detox

Many researchers have observed the profound effect the mind can have on the cells in your body. One study showed that stress could prevent the liver detoxifying a certain drug. Scientists have verified that the hormones released in response to stress do have an adverse effect on the liver’s detox pathways. So to get the full benefits of a detox diet it’s very important to be able to control emotional stress.

When you are happy your brain secretes neuropeptides, the happy hormones, that switch on the healing response.

Heavy metals affect the way you feel and think

On the other hand, as I mentioned above, toxins affect the way you feel and think. Heavy metals are neurotoxic. This means that they are toxic to the brain cells and cells of the nervous system. They affect the way your brain and nervous system cells communicate. Heavy metals and other toxins such pesticides and solvents prevent them sending and receiving vital messages affecting your mood and intelligence.

Toxins also cause free radical damage to brain cells which can ultimately lead to destruction of brain cells. Scientists believe that Parkinson’s Disease is caused by damage to the dopamine producing cells by pesticides.

Excessive stress damages your health

Stress is a normal human reaction that we depend on for survival. When it is excessive it damages your health. Some people are better at controlling stress than others. Smoking and alcohol are used by some as a way of dealing with stress but this is not the answer as these substances cause further damage.

Detox brain altering toxins

A detox diet helps you get rid of the toxins that affect brain function.  A diet high in fatty, sugary and processed food, alcohol and stimulants dulls the communication between your mind and body because it puts a strain on your elimination system.

A detox diet of alkalizing and nutrient rich foods makes the communication system more vibrant. You will feel more energized, alive and mentally clear. You will be more aware of how foods affect the way you feel and think.

A word of warning though. During a detox you could find that old memories and feelings are released which can be very frightening if you are not prepared for this to happen

Generate positive thoughts

Making an effort to generate positive thoughts is an important key to controlling emotional stress and detoxing the mind. Focusing on the positive can be done with deep relaxation, visualization, meditation, yoga, breath work, affirmations, enjoyable hobbies, music, adequate rest and exercise. Find out more about some of these techniques in this post:  How to Reduce Toxic Stress Chemicals

Home Spa Detox

Don’t you sometimes feel that you would like to spend a weekend relaxing and indulging yourself  at a health spa? In these busy days of trying to balance work, family and social commitments it’s often hard to find time for ourselves. Some “me time” is important to counteract the stresses of today’s hectic lifestyle.  But the high cost of a health spa can often make it impossible. So let’s look at how you can have a 2 day home spa detox.

Set aside a weekend or 2 days when you have no commitments. If you have children try to get a grandparent or friend to have them for the weekend. The most important thing about the weekend is that you feel relaxed and not guilty about spending time on yourself.

Get yourself organized before the weekend with everything you will need for the 2 day home spa detox. If your diet is full of processed or junk food you should try to cut down on them during the 2 weeks before you start the weekend detox. Reduce regular tea, coffee, soft drinks and alcohol. Try to find ways of getting more fruit and vegetables into your diet. Eat more fruit instead of high fat and sugar snacks. Drink more pure water.

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Your home spa detox is going to consist of:

• Fresh fruit and vegetable juices

• Salads

• Vegetable Soups

• Water & herb or green tea

• Moor Mud bath and detox drink.

• Skin Brushing

• Relaxation (get out your favorite relaxation tapes or CD’s)

• Deep breathing

• Stretching exercises or Yoga

• Massage (either book one or get a partner or friend to give you a relaxing massage)

• Walking

• Swimming, if you can find a non-chemical pool

You will start the 2 day detox on Friday evening and have a one day juice fast on Saturday and eat raw fruit, raw and cooked vegetables and vegetable soup on Sunday. The detox includes 1 or 2 Moor Mud baths with a Moor Mud detox drink.

Moor Mud Bath & Mud Detox Drink

Mud treatments have been used for thousands of years for healing many different ailments. They are popular through out Europe and are making a big comeback in various parts of the world. One of the most famous muds comes from Neydharting Moor in Austria. The Moor Mud  known for it’s healing powers was analyzed and found to contain many valuable organic minerals, vitamins, amino acids, plant hormones and fatty acids.

A mud detox drink does not sound very nice but I can assure you that it does not taste or smell bad. You  just mix 1 teaspoonful into a glass of water or juice if you prefer. Drink it about 30 minutes before the bath.

Before the bath get your bathroom warm and have several large warm towels ready.  Run a warm to hot (but not too hot) bath and mix in the mud well, following the instructions on the container.

Relax in the bath for 20 minutes. When you get out pat yourself dry leaving as much of the mud on as possible.  The effect of the hot bath, increased circulation and mud will help you sweat out toxins. Relax for another 30 – 60 minutes  before showering off. Have an early night.

Do not have a hot bath if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems or serious circulatory disorders or are prone to fainting unless you have consulted your doctor.

Here is your 2 day detox plan:

Friday evening meal:

6.30 – 7 pm Make a large salad. You can include cooked vegetables as well as raw. Eat it slowly and chew it well. Drink filtered or good bottled water or herb teas during the evening.

8.30 – 9 pm

Moor Mud Detox Drink & Bath.

Saturday

8 am 8 oz glass of warm water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon.
8.30 am Skin Brushing followed by contrast shower
9 am 8 oz Fresh fruit juice
10 am Stretching exercises or Yoga
10.30 am Water or herb or green tea
11 am 8 oz Fresh vegetable juice
12 pm Water or herb or green tea.
1 pm 8 oz Fresh vegetable juice
2 pm Water or herb tea or green tea
2.30 pm Massage time or go for a brisk walk/ swimming
3 pm 8 oz Fresh fruit juice
3.30 pm Relaxation with CD or tapes.
4 pm Water or herb tea .
5 pm 8 oz Fresh fruit juice
6 pm Water or herb tea
7 pm 8 oz Fresh vegetable juice
9 pm Moor Mud Detox Drink & bath.
10 pm Get an early night.

Sunday

8 am 8 oz water with the juice of 1/2 lemon
8.30 am Skin brushing followed by contrast shower
9 am Fresh fruit breakfast
9.30 am Water or herb or green tea
10 am Stretching exercises or Yoga
10.30 am Snack of fresh fruit and a few almonds
11 am Go for a brisk walk or swimming
11.30 am Water or herb or green tea
12.30 or 1 pm Lunch – large raw and cooked vegetable salad or vegetable soup
3 pm Relaxation exercises and deep breathing.
4 pm Snack of fresh fruit and a few almonds
4.30 pm Water or herb tea
5 pm Cup of fresh vegetable soup
7 pm Meal of vegetables and rice
10 pm Get an early night

Juice recipes

Melon Juice makes a great start to the day.

Water Melon Juice

Watermelon juice is an excellent cleansing drink .  Include some of the green part just under the rind as well as some seeds together with the pink flesh. You can also juice a small (2 inch or 3 cm square)  piece of the rind.  Only include seeds and rind if the fruit is organic.

Here is a green juice recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:

1 whole cucumber
4 sticks of celery
2-4 handfuls of spinach
8 lettuce leaves
Any other green leaves

Wash everything well and put through juicer. Add half an apple or a carrot if you find the taste too strong.

Detox Plan

Alter the times of the plan to suit yourself and change the times you go for walks and do the relaxation. If you want to reduce the costs or can’t get Moor Mud you can have an Epsom Salt bath instead.

Try to switch off from the outside world and concentrate on yourself for a change.  Ask a friend to join you. By the end of the weekend you should be feeling much more relaxed and ready to tackle the week ahead. Try to make this home spa detox a regular part of your life.

With all the rushing about in preparation for Christmas wouldn’t it be wonderful to lie down and have a wonderful, relaxing and therapeutic body massage?  You might regard this as a luxury but the word therapeutic means something that is good for you and good for your health. The history of massage goes back thousands of years and there a numerous references to massage as a therapeutic healing art in ancient Indian and Chinese books dating from about 3000 BC

Massage done by a good and caring therapist is certainly very good for you and a great treatment to help natural detox or to incorporate into a detox program. Even if you are not detoxing just now a massage is very relaxing for both the body and mind. Massage treats the whole person.

Massage has gained phenomenal acceptance in the medical circles and is incorporated into treatment programs for cancer and cardiac patients and to relieve prolonged stress.

Dislodge trapped toxins

From a detox point of view It can help dislodge toxins that are trapped in tight muscles to enable them to be eliminated naturally. A good massage relaxes tense and knotted muscles and stimulates the blood and lymph circulation.

The Lymphatic System is one of the five main elimination channels in your body along with skin, lungs, kidneys & bowels. The lymph system takes the toxic waste from your cells and carries nutrients to them so they can function efficiently. The toxins are eventually carried to the liver and kidneys to be processed for detox or excreted directly into the bowel.

The theory of Eastern massage differs form Western massage in that Eastern massage such as Shiatsu or Thai massage centers on balancing the energies in the body.

Here are some of the main types of massage:

Swedish Massage

This is the first type of massage often taught to students before they progress to other forms of massage and forms the foundation of other types of massage.  It consists of a a series of set strokes that can be stimulating or relaxing.

Vodder Manual Lymph Drainage

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a form of massage that stimulates the lymphatic system with gentle massaging strokes. The light rhythmical massage encourages the lymphatic system to eliminate metabolic waste products, excess fluid and bacteria. The technique was invented by Dr Vodder in the early 1930s.

Deep Tissue Massage

Some massage therapists offer a deep tissue massage incorporating specific lymphatic drainage strokes to stimulate and aid the drainage of toxins. They often use a specific blend of aromatherapy oils like citrus limon, rosemarinus officinalis, daucus carota and helichrysium augustifolium for their detoxifying effects on the body.

Deep Tissue Massage with Sauna

Some environmental detox centers use a regime of deep tissue massage and regular or far-infrared sauna therapy to mobilize and sweat out the toxins.

Ayurvedic Detox Massage

An Ayurvedic Detox Massage usually uses sesame oil with herbs chosen to suit your particular body and mind type (dosha) followed by a steam bath to sweat out the toxins.

It has been scientifically shown that this natural purification treatment combined with a detox diet can successfully reduce detectable blood toxins such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB’s) and pesticides from the body, without damaging side effects.

Thai Massage

Thai massage combines massage with a series  of guided stretches and yoga positions to loosen tight muscles and release energy blockages in the body.

Traditional Chinese Massage

Chinese massage focuses on pushing, pressing, and kneading different areas of the body to help any illness. It works on the soft tissues to improve muscle tone. of both superficial and deep muscles.

Holistic or Intuitive Massage

This type of massage takes into account the whole person – mentally emotionally and physically. This is not to say that the other massages don’t. It very much depends on the therapist. In intuitive massage the therapist relies on her experience and intuition to use the right strokes and pressure
to achieve the best results.

Colon Massage

Some massage therapists tend to be very light on the abdominal area as it can be a very sensitive area but a deep colon massage can help with the detox process. This treatment is becoming a popular and effective alternative to Colonic Irrigation / Hydrotherapy.

Make sure your massage therapist treats your colon area and feel the difference. Many people hold a lot of tension in this area without realizing it. Tension in this area can make the massage seem uncomfortable to start with but a good therapist will tune in to your body and adjust the pressure to suit you until you relax . Taking deep breaths will help relax you more.

A note about oils

A good massage therapist will only use pure massage oils but is worth checking before you make a booking or take your own. You don’t want to be adding any chemicals to your skin.

Make sure you are well hydrated before your massage and drink a cleansing vegetable juice or green smoothie afterwards to aid in natural detox.  A combination of celery, spinach, parsley, cucumber & apple is good.

In this hectic world many of us have lost the art of relaxation. Strangely enough massage can have both an energizing and relaxing effect on the body. Research has shown that it releases endorphins, the natural chemicals that make you feel good. Many people experience and deep sense of peace and contentment after a therapeutic massage. I believe that some of it is due to
the effects of natural detox.

Let’s face it daily life is stressful enough but when it comes to this time of the year it just gets plain crazy. Planning festive meals, endless trips to the supermarket, shopping for presents, parties, finishing off work projects, the list is endless. Stress levels just soar as December creeps up on us.

I hear it all the time  “I’m SO stressed out!” It should be a fun time of the year but if you’re not careful you can end up with no time to recharge and no energy to get everything done. It becomes a vicious cycle. All the pressures cause stress and anxiety that make you sick.

Stress overloads liver detox pathways

Did you know that chronic stress accounts for 80% of all illnesses? Stress interferes with how the body functions. You probably know that it can cause high blood pressure and increases the chances of stroke. It interferes with the normal function of your digestive and immune systems. Studies have proven that stressed individuals have an increased vulnerability to catching an illness and are more susceptible to allergic and autoimmune diseases.

Stress chemicals such as adrenaline can be highly toxic. They increase loss of valuable nutrients and restrict blood flow reducing your ability to detox. Like every other substance  produced in your body they have to be broken down and detoxified. They put an additional burden on the natural detox activities of your liver.

People often fall into the trap of trying to prop them selves up with alcohol, cigarettes, sugary snacks, and abandon their exercise routines. It’s all too easy to ruin all your detox efforts if you are not careful.

Here are 5 tips to deal with stress this season

Listen to music

Listening to music does wonders to alleviate stress. Everyone has different tastes in music but according to experts music with a tempo of 60 beats a minute slows your blood pressure and breathing and stimulates the production of the relaxing alpha brain waves.

Baroque music is particularly relaxing but Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Purcell are great too.  As the music plays, allow it to wash over you, rinsing off the stress from the day. Focus on your breathing, letting it deepen, slow and become regular. Concentrate on the silence between the notes in the music; this keeps you from analyzing the music and makes relaxation more complete. Try it for 20 minutes and see how much better you feel!

Laugh a little

You may have heard that laughter is a good medicine. It relieves tension, frustration, anger,   or anxiety and loosens the muscles enabling you to “let go”.  It causes blood to flow to the heart and brain. More importantly, laughter releases endorphins the chemicals that make you feel good.

Have you heard of Laughter Yoga? It is a very powerful, non strenous, exercise program with a difference. Scientifically proven it is fun and easy to do. There are no postures to learn and it  can be done at any age in spite of problems like weak joints and muscles.

According to experts 10 minutes of hearty belly laughter will give you a cardiovascular workout that is equal to 30 minutes of jogging or rowing machine exercise. I’d go for that!

Calm yourself with Visualization

You can quickly clear mental stress, tension, and anxious thinking with visualization. It is useful when feeling stressed and when your mind is racing with fearful, anxious thinking.

It is best to do this exercise in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. When you get more practiced you will be able to get the same positive results in a busier environment such as your workplace. Don’t worry if you feel you are not very good at mental imagery. As long as your attention is on the exercise, you will gain benefit.

While sitting, close your eyes and place one hand on your upper chest and one on your stomach. Take a breath and let your stomach swell forward as you breathe in and fall back gently as you breathe out. Take the same depth of breath each time and try to get a steady rhythm going.

It is often helpful to develop a cycle where you count to three when you breathe in, pause, and then count to three when you breathe out (or 2, or 4—whatever is comfortable for you). If you are aware of other thoughts entering your mind, just let them go and bring your attention back to counting and breathing.

Now move your attention to your feet. Picture the soles of your feet and visualize roots growing slowly out through your soles and down into the earth. The roots are growing with quickening pace and are reaching deep into the soil of the earth. You are now rooted firmly to the earth and feel stable like a large oak or redwood tree.

Once you have created a strong impression of being grounded like a tree, visualize a cloud of bright light forming way above you. A bolt of lightning from the luminous cloud hits the crown of your head, and that ignites a band of bright white light descending slowly from your head all the way down your body, over your legs, and out past your toes.

As the band of light passes over you, feel it clearing your mental state. It is illuminating your mind and clearing any disturbing or stressful thoughts that you may have been thinking about. Repeat this image four or five times until you feel a sense of clearing and release from any anxious thinking.

Meditation

One of the most effective methods for managing stress is through meditation. This is a simple method of simply focusing the mind on nothing instead of focusing on everything that is stressing you out.

Though there are many deep levels of meditation, the best place to start is with simply closing your eyes and taking deep breaths while concentrating on your breathing. By paying attention to your breathing and really focusing on it, your mind will clear itself out and permit you to relax easily. This is best done every single day as a preventive measure rather than as a cure for stress. However, it can also be effective when you need to ditch some stress.

Take a nice, long, slow deep breath in.Breathe in through your nose until your lungs are completely full.Then hold your breath for a second or two, before slowly exhaling through your mouth until your lungs are totally empty. Repeat this sequence a few times.

As your breathing becomes slower, you’ll find yourself becoming more relaxed. Like counting to ten, you’re likely to find that this simple exercise is often enough to get rid of your stress in just a few short minutes.

Eat, drink, sleep and be merry!

Lack of sleep and a poor diet increases the stress on your body.  Eating regular, healthy meals helps to keep your blood sugar balanced and replaces nutrients lost through stress.   When you want to wind down after a stressful day avoid that glass of wine, cup of coffee or bar of chocolate.  Alcohol is a depressant and caffeine increases anxiety.

Eat a snack of protein and low GI, slow burning, carbohydrate. The combination helps your body produce serotonin the brain chemical that helps you sleep and makes you feel relaxed.

Stress saps the production of serotonin. Like everything else in your body serotonin is made from the food you eat. Low calorie foods and missed meals quickly reduce your serotonin supplies. Caffeine and aspartame are very anti-serotonin.

Serotonin is made from the amino acid tryptophan which comes from protein foods. You can get it from turkey, chicken, beef, lamb pork, fish, dairy products especially cottage cheese,  and eggs.  Healthy fats helps to increase the uptake of tryptophan in the brain. Nourishing carbohydrates like fruit, potatoes, yams, squash, whole grains and beans help carry the tryptophan into the brain.

Eating meals that contain a good balance of protein, health fat, a good variety of vegetables especially greens and good carbs will help keep you relaxed. Never skip breakfast.

If you are stressed out turn off the TV and radio, sit down at a table, eat slowly and focus on what you are eating. It will help to calm your mind. Don’t forget to stay hydrated with 6 glasses of pure water a day too.

Even if you don’t think you have enough time for relaxation taking 10 minutes to start practicing one of these stress busting tips will really help keep you sane and healthy this festive season.

Christmas is typically one of the most stressful events of the year but our everyday lives seem to have become increasingly more stressful. We all seem to have been affected in some way by the economic crisis and with the media constantly thrusting doom and gloom down our throats it’s hard to stay calm and maintain a positive outlook.

If you celebrate Christmas the chances are that you are stressed out right now. Stress, especially prolonged stress, is very damaging to your health. It can affect your whole body but your digestion, your immune system and detox system are particularly affected. This is accompanied by increasing levels of acidity in the body which always ends in disease.

Here are a few tips to help you cope with the holiday stress:

Help your body’s chemistry

Your body’s response to stress is a chemical process. Hormones and other
elements that control this are affected by your diet and environment. It’s easy
to skip meals if you are rushed and stressed. Eating regular meals and nutritious
foods that support your hormonal and nervous systems will help you manage
stress more effectively.

Minimize the use of stimulants such as coffee, regular tea, chocolate, sugar
and food additives.

Eat more fruit and vegetables

Foods rich in the minerals magnesium, potassium, calcium and vitamins B
and C nourish your nervous system and adrenal glands which control the stress
response. Fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds are excellent sources.
Green vegetables are rich in magnesium and calcium while most fruits supply
plenty of potassium and Vitamin C.

Eat a variety of colorful foods — greens, reds, oranges, yellows. The vitamins,
minerals and other plant nutrients they contain help your body’s restorative
efforts.

Balance your blood sugar.

Avoid refined and processed foods that are lacking in fiber and nutrients. These
foods place even more stress on the body and the swings in blood sugar levels
they cause can make you feel anxious and nervous.

Researchers have found that eating some protein with carbohydrate provides
support to the adrenal glands by reducing the stimulation of cortisol, a stress
hormone.

Nuts, seeds, beans and lentils are good anti-stress foods as they contain
both protein and carbohydrate which helps to keep the blood sugar steady.
Alternatively combine carbohydrates with proteins such as brown rice with
chicken or eat a few nuts with fruit.

Drink more water

Our body is about 75% water and dehydration affects its ability to manage
stress. It’s easy to get dehydrated if it’s cold where you live and you keep the
heating on high. Drink a daily minimum of 8 glasses of pure water. Herbal
teas, fresh juices or fresh vegetable soups can count towards this amount.

Include Omega 3 fats.

Include good quality, unrefined fats and oils. Foods rich in Omega 3 fatty
acids help lower the stress hormone cortisol and the inflammation it causes.
Foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids are oily fish (eat only low mercury fish),
walnuts, flax seeds and hemp seeds.

Reduce alcohol consumption and smoking

These rob the body of many nutrients which are needed to to process them
as well as those that support your nervous system and adrenal glands.

Eat slowly

Stress seems to make people eat faster. Digestion starts in the mouth. Chew
your food really well so you digest it well and get the nourishment from it.
Undigested food encourages the bad bacteria to flourish in your gut causing
bloating and gas as well as the production of toxins.

Exercise

Moving your body is a great way to fight stress. Moderate exercise encourages
the production of endorphins, your “feel-good hormones.” It helps reduce blood
pressure and balance blood sugar levels. Too much exercise on the other hand
can increase your output of stress hormones.

If you are very stressed try yoga, Tai-Chi, brisk walking or rebounding.

Deep Breathing

You body produces energy when the carbohydrate you eat reacts with oxygen
you breath in. When you are tensed and stressed its easy to shallow breathe.
Deeper breathing energizes you and clears your mind.

Try The 4-7-8 Relaxing Breath Exercise

Try to sit when doing this exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the
ridge of the roof of your mouth just behind your upper front teeth, and keep
it there through the entire exercise.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.

• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.

• Hold your breath for a count of seven.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.

• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a
  total of four breaths.

• This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Do it twice a day.

Get some good quality sleep.

Prolonged stress increases the stress hormone cortisol which in turn can
prevent you sleeping well. It becomes a vicious cycle. If this is a problem
for you try these things:

• Turn off the TV in the evening. Read a book instead.

• Dim the lights – When your eyes are exposed to lights your pineal gland in your brain will not secrete the melatonin you need for a good night’s sleep. You should sleep in total darkness.

• Listen to relaxing music.

• Take a hot bath with Epsom salts before bed.

• Use essential oils, like lavender.

• Ask someone to give you a foot massage,  it is very relaxing.

Think positive, be positive

Everyone has been affected by the economic crisis in some way and it can be hard to think positive but focusing on positive thoughts stimulates the release of chemicals in the brain which support and enhance positive feelings.

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and moan about life with everyone else but finding something positive to think about will make a lot of difference.