| Our world is awash with a wave of tension that | | | | Meditation when you first start our can be a little |
| seems to infect every single one of us. Have you | | | | tricky and it honestly does take some time to |
| driven down the street lately, only to find | | | | learn. There are many great articles on how to |
| someone abusing you because you are not doing | | | | meditate, but you can easily start off by simply |
| 30 kilometers over the speed limit? Have you | | | | sitting in the corner, closing your eyes and listening |
| been cursed by a beggar because you have not | | | | to music like the Baroque music. |
| given them a cigarette? Have you been robbed | | | | Some meditation masters will also encourage you |
| lately, simply because the person robbing you | | | | to listen to natural sounds during meditation and |
| wanted your LCD projector? Have you parked | | | | even recommend the use of incense during the |
| your car in the local supermarket car park only to | | | | meditation process to help break the stress in |
| find that someone has pushed a trolley down the | | | | your body. |
| side of your car? Did the boss come in this | | | | 4. Limit Alcohol and Coffee Consumption |
| morning and yell at you because he did not get | | | | Alcohol and Coffee are both great sources of |
| enough sleep last night? Has a customer rung you | | | | stress as they increase the heart rate and make |
| and called you all the names under the sun simply | | | | us more susceptible to stressful situations. Limiting |
| because you did not respond to an email within 5 | | | | the amount of alcohol and coffee you drink each |
| minutes of sending it? | | | | day will certainly be a good start to reducing your |
| Answer Yes to any of those? | | | | stress. However, note one thing, unless you are |
| Well my answer is yes to every single one of | | | | an alcoholic, removing alcohol from your life totally |
| those questions and that was my day yesterday. | | | | may not be the best advice and you really need |
| Whether you like it or not the world is not a fair | | | | to talk to your doctor. Research in the scientific |
| place and it many cases it is not a nice one either | | | | community tends to lead towards the belief that |
| and it seems to be getting worse. | | | | one to two glasses of alcohol like a red or white |
| Why? Simply put, our lives are getting faster and | | | | wine is in fact a healthy choice but you should |
| we are not learning how to cope with it. Nobody | | | | always check with your doctor. Plus, we can not |
| teaches us how to deal with the stresses and | | | | destroy the Australian Wine Industry as I too like |
| strains of our daily life. We simply plunder through | | | | a good red. |
| the issues on a day to day basis. | | | | Also watch out for Caffeine high soft drinks. Just |
| I have read probably hundreds of thousands of | | | | like coffee, caffeine high drinks can make you |
| books on all manner of topics but the few that | | | | more vulnerable to stress because it gives you |
| stand out and I consistently go back to are the | | | | that buzz in your body and accelerates your |
| teachings of the Dalai Lama. I will be honest, I am | | | | heart rate. |
| not a Buddhist, I am a Christian but many of his | | | | 5. Dink a Minimum of Eight Glasses of Water A |
| simple teachings are things even us Christians | | | | Day |
| should learn. In one of his books and I have seen | | | | Without water, we human beings are nothing and |
| many journalists over the years ask the same | | | | it is one of the most precious resources we have |
| question, he is asked "How do we solve the great | | | | on our planet. To maintain your health, most |
| atrocities and wars we have in our society | | | | medical practioners will recommend a minimum of |
| today?" His answer to me is quite staggerring, he | | | | eight glasses of water a day and I should note - |
| simply replies "I do not know." | | | | PLAIN WATER. One research program I recently |
| One of the things he goes onto say, is that there | | | | read said that drinking a cup of coffee did not |
| is no simple answer to this question. Most of the | | | | count as a glass of water. In fact their |
| major wars simply occur because of one | | | | recommendation was for every one cup of |
| consequence that lead to another and then to | | | | coffee, you should be drinking two glasses of |
| another until it compounds into a situation where | | | | water. You will be amazed that as you become |
| no one is in control and there are no answers to | | | | more hydrated, the less stressed you become. A |
| the problems in front of us and no one really | | | | great show to watch is Survivor. This show is |
| knows why it started in the first place. How can it | | | | about people deserted on a remote location that |
| happen? | | | | have to survive for so many days to win a million |
| Let us take an example ... | | | | dollars. You will notice in these shows that people |
| Let us imagine you are driving down the road and | | | | who do not hydrate themselves correctly seem |
| somebody cuts in front of you and causes you to | | | | to become more stressed as they go. It is worth |
| break suddenly. What is your reaction? Well there | | | | a watch next time it is on. |
| could be many... one response could be that you | | | | 6. Schedule Breaks During Your Day |
| simply under your breath say, "What a fool" and | | | | Work is one of the most stressful environments |
| continue driving. | | | | you can be in, except for the stay at home |
| Let us expand on the days events a little more ... | | | | moms (My hat goes off to them). One of the |
| Let us say you just lost your job and you were | | | | biggest mistakes people make in their working |
| stressed about loosing your house, what would | | | | career is to fail to schedule breaks into your day. |
| your response be now? You might speed up and | | | | There is absolutely no business on the planet that |
| get in front of them and then do the same to | | | | requires you to work 24 hours a day non-stop. If |
| them as they did to you (An eye for an eye), | | | | fact, if you do not schedule yourself at least one |
| you might then have a major accident because | | | | 1 hour break every day, research shows that |
| they ran into the back of your car. One of the | | | | you are more likely to end up having health issues |
| people in the car might be killed. What happens if | | | | over a prolonged period of time. |
| a family member of the deceased then decides | | | | Remember, life is extremely ridiculously short. Do |
| retribution is in order for the death of the family | | | | not waste it all on work, get out and enjoy your |
| member and kills one of your own. What will you | | | | day regardless of where you are and make sure |
| do? | | | | you schedule a number of breaks during the day, |
| A little meladramatic I will admit but this is how | | | | even if it is just to go outside for 5 minutes for a |
| wars begin. One thing leads to another and | | | | cup of coffee. That sort of break will at least help |
| another until things get out of control but it can all | | | | you to get some fresh air, clear your mind and |
| be stopped by simply controlling how you feel. By | | | | get you ready for the coming on-slaught. |
| removing the stress in your life or at the very | | | | 7. Limit Email Replies to just 60 minutes A Day |
| least controlling it, you will be in a situation where | | | | The email phenomenon that we know today, is |
| you can control your reaction to a situation that | | | | born from our own desires to be in control. The |
| maybe devastating. | | | | email juggernaut today has gotten so out of |
| So I want to outline seven things you can do to | | | | control that some people simply spend all day |
| help reduce the stress in your life ... | | | | trying to respond to emails which is utterly crazy. |
| 1. Exercise for 30 minutes Every Day | | | | My recommendation to all my students is to |
| Exercising 30 minutes a day is one of the best | | | | develop an office policy which says that you are |
| things you can do to help relax. It helps you to | | | | only required to respond to emails for 60 minutes |
| keep fit and a fit person is obviously a happy one. | | | | a day. I know this seems amazing, but in the |
| It also helps to pump the blood around your body | | | | thousands on thousands of people I work with |
| and whilst you are doing exercises chemicals are | | | | every year, nobody has a job yet where more |
| being released from your brain to help the way | | | | than 60 minutes of emailing is required per day. |
| you feel. | | | | Oh and by the way, if you sit next to a person in |
| 2. Listen to Relaxation Music | | | | an office, simply pop your head around the corner |
| Listening to the right type of music is really | | | | and ask them a question, DO NOT SEND AN |
| important when you are trying to reduce stress | | | | EMAIL. |
| and find your inner peace. Some music when | | | | Stress is a real killer in our society and I have |
| listened to, whilst stressed, can in fact heighten | | | | seen many friends of mine suffer major health |
| your stress levels. One type of music, which | | | | complications because they allowed the stress of |
| research has shown to help reduce stress is | | | | their lives to overwhelm them and in some cases |
| Baroque music. This music is written so that there | | | | it has shortened their lives. Whilst there are many |
| is only 60 beats per minute and funny enough | | | | things we can all do to reduce stress, if you |
| that is what our heart rate should be. The | | | | implement these 7 items it will go along way to |
| baroque music has been found to increase the | | | | ensuring you live a long and happy life. |
| alpha waves in your left and right sides of your | | | | Just to finish off, let me quickly outline the seven |
| brain which help improve your learning ability, | | | | things you can do to reduce stress - |
| creativity and calmness. | | | | 1. Exercise for 30 minutes Every Day |
| Many corporate trainers are now turning to | | | | 2. Listen to Relaxation Music |
| baroque music during memory training sessions to | | | | 3. Meditate for 20 minutes In The Morning and |
| help their students improve their comprehension | | | | Evening |
| and their memory. | | | | 4. Limit Alcohol and Coffee Consumption |
| 3. Meditate for 20 minutes In The Morning and | | | | 5. Dink a Minimum of Eight Glasses of Water A |
| Evening | | | | Day |
| Meditation is a great way to help relieve your | | | | 6. Schedule Breaks During Your Day |
| stress. When done correctly it should release you | | | | 7. |
| from your mind and allow it to focus on peace. | | | | |