Simple Ways To Manage Stress In Your Life

These simple techniques listed below will not only change your brain, but are also ways to manage stress in your life.

Not only will they help you to have a positive effect on your brain, they will reduce stress which is the number one killer in the United States because of the damage it causes throughout your body.

Your thoughts influence your body. If you wake up and say," I don't feel well today," your body will take an aversive reaction, but if you say, "I feel great today," your body will only produce a mild relaxing reaction.

Our brain, mainly the limbic or "reptile" part of our brain evolved from our ancestors who were constantly on the lookout for danger - things that could harm us. So negative words, emotions, and actions which the limbic brain percevies as dangerous have a stronger effect on us than the positive ones do.

Even the word "no" for example raises the level of the stress chemical called cortisol. Since positive feelings and thoughts are not as esily embedded in our memory circuits, we have to work harder to have positive feelings and thoughts. It is therefore important to repeat positive thoughts and affirmations many times a day such, "Today is a good day and I feel great."

Optimism is essential for maintaining a healthy brain which in turn will affect the neruological functioning of the body by lowering our stress level, and begin to change your outward circumstances.

1. Have Faith. This can be religious or spiritual faith or trust in the future. Optimistic individuals have increased longevity in comparison to pessimistic persons.

2. Socialize With Others. Exercising your language skills helps to keep parts of the brain well-connected with other neural structures. social interaction helps to slow decline of cognitive abilities.

3. Aerobic Exercise. Create an exercise program for yourself which can include yoga and yawning (great for relaxing), running or walking and smiling.

   Vigorous exercise has many benefits:

   - it improves cognition
   - protects against the damage cause by stress
   - protects against Alzheimer's disease
   - enhances brain plasticity and immune function
   - reduces anxiety and is as effective as antidepressants
   - slows the age-related loss of brain tissue
   - reduces vulnerability to chronic illness.

4. Meditate. this can include visualization, guided imagery, and self hypnosis or it can be spiritual.

5. Yawn. According to Dr. Andrew Newberg and Mark Walman, yawning is "one of the best-kept secrets in neuroscience" for both relaxation and heightened cognitive awareness. It helps you to stay focused, as wwll as more introspective and self-aware.

6. Consciously Relax. do a body scan and deliberately reduce muscle tension. This interrupts the brain's release of neurochemicals that stimulate stress.

7. Stay Intellectually Active. Just as your muscles need exercise so too does your brain. It functions better when you use it.

8. Smile. Do this repetitively and often, even if you don't feel like it. Smiling stimulates brain circuits that enhance social interaction, empathy and mood. Seeing a picture of a smiling face will make you feel h appier and more secure.

If you practice these 8 simple ways to manage stress for a minimum of 12 minutes each day, you will lower your stress levels and also alter the overall neurological functioning of your brain. You will see results in less than 2 months.

This information is based on a series of neuroscience studies conducted by Andrew Newberg M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman, therapist. Their findings are in their new book titled
"How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist".

Taking natural herbal combinations is also good to alleviate your stress. I have been using 100% natural herbs for years as supplements and for sickness from Les Herbes Pures in Canada and Pure Herbs in the U.S. You can contact me for more information.

You can find out more information about various herbs at herbs for stress.

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