Good morning All,

I hope you had a good weekend.

What are some strategies you can share that has helped you to reduce your everyday stress or worry?
I do yoga a few times a week and I like to read. Reading takes my mind off my troubles and takes me to a place of creativity and exploration.

Hi Dr. Ilyssa,

I require copious amounts of quiet and still time, so I look at the river and feed and play with the kittys.

My meds have a tendency to make me sleepy and when necessary, short naps are a must.

Being extremely careful and selective of the small amount of media I consume is very helpful.

Positive sunshine and watching the beautiful sky counteracts the general downsprial of mass media.

Burt,
Those are great activities to reduce/help with anxiety. Interesting you mention media as I also believe that watching things that are violent or upsetting do not help!
To your health!

Dear Dr

I believe that the best way ,to reduce stress,is to become able to live in the NOW.
stess is caused by the past or the future,which are mere illusions.

If Ithink in the Now,
realizing that I have a house to live in,food in the NOw,gas in my car however old,
P



It may be,money in my pockets there are no reasons to be stressed..Stress is created by cravings,cravings create attachment,attachment creates -suffering
loong


:

Dear DR.

orry for the bad disposition the text.Working with a tablette that I have not mastered yet


Loong

Loong,
No worries. I'm glad you added to the thread!
I totally agree with you regarding living in the present moment. Much of our anxiety is from thoughts of the past and worries about the future. However, it is very hard for most people, as well as myself, to not think about everything but the NOW.
I will be writing an article over the next few weeks about this exact topic.
Dr. H.

I listen to music to reduce anxiety and soothe my inner being. Meditation also helps a great deal to restore balance within.

Other quiet activities include reading, lighting candles, sitting or walking out in nature, and riding my horse.

Dear Dr,

A beaver dam is not built in a day.A great Man said as soon as you feel stress,stop whatever you are doing,put half a smile on
your face,breathe 3 times,and you should be back in the Present Moment.So half a smile on one' face as often as possible,shall build the dam against suffering.

With Respect
loong

@Debbie,
I light candles before I start writing as it helps me to restore balance so that I can write from the heart.

@Loong,
I love that!

Hi Dr. Ilyssa, I get up early every morning so I have time to meditate and center myself. It's really not a matter of choice, but necessity. And I do this other thing too. When I'm centering I gather all my energy back in to my body so I don't feel so frayed at the edges. Somehow it helps me feel my inner strength. I do this by visualizing. I do this also as needed through out the day.

Ruby,
I have a hard time meditating on my own. My mind loves to wander! I use a CD to help.

The body follows the mind!
Here's to your health!

Meditation is a great way to reduce stress. If one has difficulty meditating, just taking some deep breaths is extremely beneficial.

Long, deep cleansing breaths can calm the mind.
A calm mind can lead to a relaxed body.

The body follows the mind and the mind follows the breath.

Dear Doctor,

I do not have difficulty with sitting meditation,I just don't like it.Love active meditation,Like Thich Nhat Hanh teaches.

Respectfully yours
loong

Loong, I enjoy Thich Nhat Hanh's writing/teachings too.

Has anyone tried Aromatherapy to reduce stress and anxiety?

Hi Dr. Ilyssa, I love to put on my perfume and I have....Put on Perfume.....on my coping strategies list. From Ruby June

Yesterday in the restorative yoga class I took, the instructor sprayed a peppermint eucalyptus scent over us. It helped to further calm my mind and increase positive feelings.

Yum......I love the smell of peppermint. When I was young I lived on a houseboat with my sister in Sausalito. We used-I think it was called-Dr. Bronner's Peppermint liquid soap for everything from washing dishes to bathing. It was such a magical time that whenever I smell peppermint it brings me right back to those joyous days. I can see how that smell with eucalyptus would be delightful and restful.

Speaking of soap, I love the smell of grapefruit. I have a liquid soap with that fragrance.

But my favorite of all time is the smell of coffee, especially in the morning, It is pure bliss !!

What is everyone's favorite scent?

Dear Dr,

As the movie said :The scent of a woman :with Al Pacino,coffee
and cinnamon

loong

I sometimes shake a little cinnamon on my coffee, not necessarily for the taste, but the smell each time I take a sip. I also use powdered chocolate and vanilla.

I walk my dog twice a day so I do notice many scents in nature. One of my favorites is the smell of freshly cut grass.

Some people make a list of things they can do when their anxiety begins to surface.

Do you have a list? What types of things/activities are on it?

Taking a bath/shower, or going swimming helps. Walking/running helps.

I really like the idea of the list. I'm going to do that. Often I just think about where the anxiety is coming from, take some alprazolam and try to calm down. But the idea of writing the list may calm me down without the alprazolam. It is worth a try. Alprazolam makes me tired. Thanks Dr. H.

Has anyone tried long, deep cleansing breaths? Wondering if this helps you or you need something more intense?

I find that when I focus on my breathing and take long, deep breaths, it calms my tense, anxious brain. I find I do it in the car most often.

We all experience some level of anxiety so it is interesting and helpful to hear what other people do. A list is a great idea if you find you feel anxious often.

Another great strategy to reduce anxiety is trying to live in the moment. Living in the Now---seeing, hearing, smelling what is happening in this very moment.

Feelings of anxiety usually arise from worrying about the future...fear of what MIGHT happen. When we arrive at that future time, most of the time what we were afraid of didn't occur. We are okay.

This can be hard to do. A great book that speaks to this is "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle.

Has anyone read this book? What did you think? What has been your experience with this?

It seems to be a close relative to:

http:
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Be_Here_Now_(book)

The "power of now" allowed me to notice and smell a beautiful flowering shrub that I pass everyday when I walk the dog.

I never noticed it...why? Because my mind was filled with thoughts of what I had to do later in the day.....which can lead to a heightened sense of anxiety.

Has anyone tried to really focus on the now? What has been your experience?

I am in the now when having outdoor adventure. went kayaking with dan deep into a mangrove tunnel and felt alive, powerful, and like shouting. It was what I want to have happen every few days.

I think I may have said this in the other anxiety thread, but...this experience was so exhilarating and happy for you. If you could try to take yourself back there when you are feeling anxious...close your eyes and remember the sights, sounds and feelings...it may help reduce the anxiety before it gets to an unbearable/uncomfortable level.

Thank you for your thoughts on that. I usually am able to recall wonderful adventures like that when I am afraid (say, when getting a tooth pulled at the dentist), and it helps me stay calm.

Sometimes it helps me to think about my safe places, the places I go to fully relax and read or nap or talk about meaningful things. If I am not able to be near my safe places, I try to think about the feeling of the couch or chair that are there, the lovely smells in the air, the taste of the peppermint tea I drink. My body relaxes just by thinking of these places and reduces my anxiety.

I feel really thankful to have really great health care providers. I have a team of doctors, each providing his or her specialty that I can call on as needed that I have known for years. Mental health, physical health, dental health, chiropractor, massage therapist, etc. It's so awesome to have that support network in place. I'm thankful for the structure that allows me to have my medical home for all my care, instead of requiring me to see a different doctor each visit. And I feel very fortunate to have a job that provides the insurance so I can get the care I need. I'm very grateful and feel extremely humbled. Which also makes me feel concern for my fellow earthmates who don't have this care. Wow, just re-reading this is powerful to me. My heart is really humbled.

[quote=Dr. Hershey-MH] What are some strategies you can share that has helped you to reduce your everyday stress or worry? [/quote] I think this is something weird but for me, to reduce my stress and worry, I will go out and play with children in our place, it seems when I am with them, I can also be happy and active, good thing they still let me join though there are some cases I am the one who is responsible to stop whenever someone will start to fight and we know it is common and natural for children to have a little fight but after a few moment, they can be friends again. Sometimes, I just need to take a good rest in order to reduce or get rid of stress.

@djesse - If you have ever watched kids play, you can see how totally in the now they are. They are totally focused on the moment. I can see how this activity would help reduce your worry/anxiety. Exercise/activity is also known to reduce anxiety...so you have two great strategies going on at once!

@ruby - safe place visualization is a great technique!