Showing posts with label chronic stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chronic stress. Show all posts

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Shift the Holiday Part 2: 20 Tips for Self Care & Meditation

The holidays is not always a joyous one for many. Thinking about all of those individuals.

Let us be mindful of our friends, family members, or neighbors who may be suffering in silence and may we all lend a hand for a shoulder for them to lean on during these difficult times.

This video was inspired by personal and professional experiences and events.  I am a trauma survivor and have learned a lot through my own journey and growth throughout the years.  My goal is to share what I have learned with you in hopes to guide you to wholeness.

This was a live video feed of part 2 of 2: "Shift the Holidays"- 20 Tips for Self Care - Closing Meditation Hope you will join us.



For "Shift The Holidays - Part 1 - Perspective, 5 Calls to Actions, Closing Meditation", Click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgChp...

Visit www.laurahealingwithspirit.com for complete list of services, classes, and events

With love and appreciation,
Laura
Healing With Spirit


Monday, April 20, 2015

When Medical Science Can Not Explain Your Symptoms. How To Know If It Is Spiritual?

Do you see it? Picture taken 4/18/15
Laura Healing With Spirit
How have you been feeling lately? Experiencing a lot of unexplainable stomach, digestive, fatigue, emotional or other physical issues lately? If you have then you are not alone.

Springtime marks a time for renewal, rebirth, and new beginnings.  There are lots of changes in the air. Do you feel it? This past weekend was a very powerful weekend energetically and a key turning point. We have all been experiencing huge waves of energy shifts and purges over the past couple years, but especially over the past several months. Some have been quite pleasant and for others is has been quite the struggle.

We are emerging from the darkness where we faced our fears and let go what no longer served us. As we did this, we also re-evaluated our own actions and took responsibility for where we are at in our life. Metaphorically, some of our houses burnt down to the ground, and we are rebuilding starting with a solid foundation. We have purged to our bare nakedness of our soul. The past has shaped us for what is really important in our lives shaping our priorities and placing us on our spiritual path.

For those of us who have been aware of these shifts and purges and did not resist the change, lessons are now emerging and tensions are lifting. For those resisting or ignoring these shifts, the lessons have been in many cases extremely painful.

It is time to shine your true self and have the courage to just be. This period marks a time for a refreshing change. The messages coming from the Universe and our soul are very strong right now and have been so for the past couple weeks since the full moon, solar eclipse, and spring equinox.

Our life purposes are being revealed to us if we are listening and not resisting. It is important to drop the struggle and resistance. Hence, the conflict between the material world and the spiritual world. Yes, we need food, clothing and shelter. However, everything else is what society dictates you should have and should need with enormous pressure. These lessons have been difficult because it was important for us to emerge with greater wisdom and clarity.

Why are you resisting so much? Stop fighting what you clearly do not understand. You can not bury your head in the sand and wish your troubles will go away. In this case time does not take care of your troubles. All this resistance and fighting is only giving power to all those things you have been struggling so hard to get rid of. You empower the very things you do not want. So stop it. Stop it now.

Sunset over Boston 4/18/15 as the energy veil began to lift.
Laura Healing With Spirit.
Your very thoughts create ripples. Your fears create ripples. Your actions create ripples. Your reactions create ripples. The ripple effect is magnified. How we conduct ourselves, act and react have been magnified which in turn creates stronger manifestations and at a faster rate.

These waves of energy shifts come at a time when the Universe has been beckoning for us to follow our soul's path. The Universe has been communicating with us. Have you been listening?

Are we so busy being busy that we are ignoring what the Universe is telling us and ignoring our soul's cries? If so, if you notice, those who have been ignoring and are still ignoring seem to have the more difficult harder lessons.

Over the past six months and extending over the past couple years have been met with huge challenges, obstacles, hard lessons, and enormous purging. None of us are immune to this no matter how connected we are to the Universe nor how well we practice what we preach. We are still human with a soul having a human experience. 

Unexplainable Symptoms? Lately, I have been seeing quite a few people in my office with very obscure symptoms that the medical community deems unexplainable. This is very frustrating to many of those trying to find a solution to their troubles with no answers in sight from the medical community. Here are a couple stories I am going to share with you. Maybe you can relate.

Case #1: There was one client I saw who had been suffering over 2 years with a severe skin rash. They have gone to every specialist and had every test done with no prevail to getting better except the toll it is starting to take on this person mentally, physically, and spiritually. After spending an hour with this person, I began to see a pattern. I am not saying this person does not have a medical condition as I believe there is a medical condition that we are addressing such as some delayed food allergies and vitamin deficiencies. However, what I am saying is whatever the underlying medical condition is, it is becoming magnified and explosive due to the resistance of addressing the spiritual needs, healing past traumas, and forgive those who have wronged them. When addressing the traumas, it was evident that person was not fully ready to heal those old wounds, and not clearly understanding the connection. Science has taught society to disregard the mind-body connection and to treat symptoms disregarding causes. Beginning the healing process is a start for this person. The rest is up to them.

Case #2: This person has been battling reflux and swallowing issues most of their life. However, over the past several months and years, it has progressively gotten worse which began to affect their sleep, moods, and productivity leading them to a deep depression. They began experiencing enormous mood swings which began to affect their internal belief systems questioning their sanity. What they realized they were experiencing were spiritual purges releasing old traumas, abuse, and hurt. Once assessed, we addressed the underlying medicals including a delayed food allergy to over 24 foods with the most offending being baker's yeast and dairy, the vitamin D and magnesium deficiency, past childhood traumas, and spiritual needs. They began to understand the differences between a spiritual purge releasing what no longer served them from the physical body and mental issues.

Case #3: This person suffers from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and irritable bowel syndrome which became immensely inflated over the past several months to the point of being debilitating. However, despite the numerous doctors and tests, this person has continued to get worse, and the escalating symptoms unexplainable by the medical establishment which in turn increased the stress, and anxiety levels of this client. With basic medical recommendations and addressing the spiritual needs, the person is finally on the mend.

What I am finding that all these individuals have in common is the underlying medical conditions being explosively magnified a hundred fold with the soul's cries not being heard or ignored. These are all cases where science and healthcare vs the spiritual purges and resistance to change. These cases all were unexplainable medically.

Anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing: Today is the Boston Marathon with last Wednesday, April 15th marking the anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing. What a day to have the marathon during these sudden bursts of energy waves of change.

At that time of the Marathon bombing, I was teaching medical classes at a local college near the Marathon finish line. Classes were cancelled that day because of the marathon. I wrote about my experiences of that tragic day and the subsequent events that followed. My journey Boston Strong was quite a spiritual one with many revelations.

We hear so many times about the power of prayer and healing, and many of us I believe sometime doubt how powerful it really is. Well I can attest to you the overwhelming feeling I was experiencing at the growing memorial site was just that. I wish everyone could have felt and experienced the immense love, prayers, healing, and unity on a global scale at the newly developing and growing memorial site that I experienced that day. Words
cannot describe it. It can only be felt.

I returned to the site a couple days ago to help a friend set up for a fitness expo promoting the Marathon. It brought back a lot of memories. What I chose to focus on what the strength, tenacity, and spiritual messages I received from that tragic event in history. It taught me how far I have come personally and spiritually and how important spirituality is to our very health and well-being.

Messages From The Universe: For those who live in the northern hemisphere, we are reminded about what springtime means. The birds are chirping. The snow is almost gone. Flowers are blooming. It is time we let go and trust that our soul is leading us on the right path.

Also over the past few weeks, the presence of messages from the Universe, Angels, our Spirit Guide, and loved ones are increasingly becoming more prominent.  Cardinals, mourning doves, and turkey have been great message bearers confirming what I believed to be resistance to following your soulful path is manifesting into very painful lessons and in many cases explosive illnesses especially in the gut area.

The messages the cardinal has been sending is about brightening your environment. Add some color to our life and remember that everything we do is of importance. The song of the cardinal is reminding us to listen more closely and pay attention. All the answers we seek are closer than we think.

The mourning doves have been equally as vocal too. In this case, they are reminding us to stop a moment, pause and take a deep breathe. They are letting us know we are divinely supported. In order to soar to new heights, we must get out of our own way. Recognize the resistance and blocks preventing us from taking flight and surrender to the higher power ... God, The Universe, Mother Earth ... and allow the Universe to help us, guide us, and be the wind beneath our wings.

Resistance is futile if you have not noticed. So let go of all the chaos, pain, turmoil that is blocking you from soaring the skies and finding the peace you have been seeking within.


Finally, the lessons and messages of the great turkey. Turkey has been quite active as a message bearer since Easter Sunday where 20 of them (including 2 white ones) flew onto the house roof and into the trees in the yard to roost for the night to this very active male courting to females every morning, fluffing his feathers, and making his presence known. 

The turkeys displayed and vocalized with confidence. Hence, have the courage to shine your true self brightly and with confidence. It is important to recognize that what we see right now is reality shifting in ways we never thought possible and that what we are truly looking for is just  around the corner. Most chaos happens just before our dreams come true. These are all gentle reminders from the Universe.


Finally, I was asked to speak at a church over the weekend and I decided to talk about this topic. After service ended, a woman named Kimberley had posted a photo onto my facebook wall with Doreen Virtue's Angel numbers. When I saw her post, it reaffirmed what I spoke about earlier and the path we are all on.

So what do we do now? It is time to press the re-set button. If you have not already, it is important to start to build a sense of awareness and be extra mindful of our actions and our thoughts. Doing so will create the transition with greater ease. This is where we also learn how to use this energy.

Conquer fear with compassion, courage and love. The energies that are shifting are quite magnificent if you are listening to the calls of your soul. If you do not like how you are feeling or where you are at, then it is time to have more faith in your soul's path and create the opposite energetically of what you have been doing. Your soul is crying out to you. Listen to your soul, not what society tells you to do.

In regards to our health, our bodies are designed to heal itself. However, we also have free will to ignore the body's needs, abuse it, and allow it to get sick through bad decisions and poor lifestyle choices.  Let go of any resistance, past traumas, past pains and anything else that no longer serves us. Your unexplainable medical issues just be one of a spiritual nature. However, only you truly know for sure.

We are experiencing the ride of our lives. We have choices. Let's choose to rock this world and enjoy the ride.

As always, I would love to hear about your experiences. Please leave your feedback as it helps me help you.  Have a blessed day.

Laura  Healing With Spirit
Spiritual Medium, Public Speaker, and Teacher


To schedule a private reading, to book a private party, or speaking engagement,  please private message me or visit www.healingwithspirit.webs.com 
 
SERVICES: Spiritual Medium Readings, Medical Intuitive Readings, Oracle, Angel and Tarot Card Readings, Energy Assessments and Healings, Reiki, Yuen Energetics,  Spiritual Guidance
 
Speaking Engagements - Fundraisers - Events - Classes - Services
 
 
SIGN UP FOR MONTHLY E-NEWS
(c) 2015 All rights reserved. Laura Healing With Spirit. May not be copied or reproduced without expressed written consent

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Meditation and Stress


With the hustle and bustle of everyday life compounded with the every day news of a doom and gloom economy, how does meditation help with these stresses on top of the seasonal holiday stresses? 


Meditation is a practice used to relax the body, calm the mind and center yourself. It is the process of clearing the mind from all its chaos. In short, meditation is the ability to relax the mind and give it freedom to be.

In order to be a successful meditator, you have to be gentle with yourself and do a little meditating each day, until it comes as naturally as breathing. Practice makes perfect.  
When you become one with your body, relax the mind,  and release any tensions, a sense of strength and clarity will emerge. 


Think of a room completely cluttered.  So much so that you are unable to see the floor.  Picture that as your mind completely cluttered.  Just as cleaning that room takes patience, focus, & organization so does your mind.  Now in order to get started on your room, you will need to know what to throw away or if we are talking meditation, what to release from your mind and body.   


As we get started on our room, we remove what we don't want and create a room that we do want.  Meditation can help do the same with your mind and body.  With proper breathing, posture, and technique, you will be able to relax your mind to gain clarity as to what you want and what you want to release. 


If you have ever had a cluttered room, how did it feel once you were able to turn it into what you want?  That same feeling of peace, relaxation and accomplishment can be done as well with meditation. 


Meditation:  It's not what you think!
Meditation is medicine for the mind.


© 2009 All Rights Reserved.

Why Meditation



One of the most common reasons that people cite for wanting to learn meditation is to reduce stress.  Life is always going to be fullof challenges, and a life without some turmoil is not only impossible but isalso undesirable.


A considerable amount of research has shown that meditationhas benefits on mental & physical health, including a reduction inproneness to depression, an increase in emotional positivity, and an increasedability to deal with life’s inevitable stresses.


People often think of meditation as being nothing more thanrelaxation.  Meditation, however, not only involves relaxation (thecessation of unnecessary effort) but promotes mindfulness, which helps thestress-sufferer to recognize unhelpful patterns of thought that give rise to thestress response, and also involves the active cultivation of positive mentalstates such as loving-kindness, compassion, patience, and energy.


Each meditation group session is geared towards the needs ofthe individuals of the group itself.


"Meditation, It's not what you think!"

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Conquer Toxic Holiday Stress



By: Laura Bonetzky-Joseph, R.M.T., C.M.A., Managing Director of MedSpa New England, LLC
© 2010 All Rights Reserved.  A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only.

When we think of the holidays we smile with nostalgic visions of celebrations, roasting chestnuts, caroling, crackling fires, happy Cleaver-like families, and everything we asked for under the 'ol Christmas tree. As much as the holidays bring love, holiday cheer, & family gatherings so do the winter blues, stress, anxiety, and especially the financial pressure to buy gifts, travel or entertain.  For many, the holidays are the hardest time of the year - emotionally, psychologically, financially, spiritually & physically.  With the economy and consumer confidence at its lowest point since the great depression, families are struggling more than ever with finding a healthy balance between work, home & personal needs. Welcome to one of the most stressful periods of the year and this year is bound to be one of the most stressful.  According to a 2006 survey by the American Psychological Association, 44%  of women and 31% of men report increased stress over the holidays. 

Stress is different for everyone and what may be stressful for one person may not be stressful for another and stress appears in many different ways.  Stress is a growing epidemic taking a serious toll on our physical health, mental health, and spiritual health with the majority of Americans are living with moderate to high levels of stress according to the APA.  Stress that is not managed can have dire consequences without help and change. 

According to a University of California at San Diego study from 1973-2001, deaths from heart disease peak in December and January with it spiking on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.1  Stress is linked to the top six leading causes of death and is another large contributing factor to "Merry Christmas Coronary" and the "Happy New Year Heart Attack". "Although there can be many causes for a heart attack, stress during the holidays has become more frequently associated with a higher number of heart attack patients," says Kelly Larkin, MD, emergency department medical director, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital.2

Also the increase of depression and anxiety during the holidays as well. However, despite popular belief, the increase in suicides during the holidays is a myth according to Mayo Clinic.

There is no avoiding stress, but there ways to better manage your stress levels.   Oooooooook?  So how do we conquer this holiday stress? 
 
First, in order to change the effects of your stress, you have to learn to recognize and identify when you're feeling stressed and become more aware of  the signs, symptoms, and triggers. Your body tells you everything you need to know by sending you signs and signals.  Are you listening to them?

Some of the early signs of stress can include:  
  • Unhealthy eating habits   
  • Irritability
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle tension especially in your shoulders and neck
  • Headaches

Here are some statistics from the American Psychological Association's (APA) 2010 Survey*
  • Overweight Children report to be more likely to have trouble falling asleep (15%),  have headaches (15%), eating too much or too little (32%),  or feel angry and getting into fights (9%) than non-overweight children, which are often symptoms of stress.
  • Money (76%), work (70%) and the economy (65%) remain the most cited sources of stress for Americans during this time of  "Non" Depression.
  • Parents report similar sources of stress citing money (80% ), work (72%), and the economy (72%) as stressors, and 73% also report that family responsibilities.
  • "While the majority of parents don’t think their children are strongly affected by their stress, children report otherwise. Nearly three-quarters (69 percent) of parents say that their stress has only a slight or no impact on their children, yet 91 percent of children report they know their parent is stressed because they observe a multitude of behaviors, such as yelling, arguing and complaining." *
  • The most common reason for not managing stress well enough is "too busy or not having enough time".
  • "Two-fifths of adults reported overeating or eating unhealthy foods because of stress in the past month".
  • One-third skipped a meal due to stress in the past month.
  • More than four in ten report laying awake at night in the past month.
  • "The most common physical symptoms of stress reported were irritability (45%), fatigue (41%) and lack of energy or motivation (38%)."
The next step is to choose a way to deal with your stress. For instance, no matter how dire your situation, find something positive in your life to focus on and find gratitude in that.  You can not change how someone treats you or what situations have been given to you, BUT you can choose how you react to them.  Another way, is avoidance. However, avoiding the event or thing that gives you stress is not always possible especially if that is family. So the better way is changing your thoughts and how you react to people, things or situations.

As you go through the holiday season pay attention to you - not the ego self, but the inner you!

Here are some tips for dealing with holiday stress:
  1. You can't change what you can not control.  So why worry? How is that going to make your situation better? 
  2. Identify your triggers.  Knowing what triggers your stress, gives you time to prepare and prevent toxic holiday stress from ruining your holidays.
  3. Stay positive and try to see the good in every situation.
  4. Eat a well balanced diet for your needs
  5. Get plenty of sleep
  6. Avoid toxins such as cigarettes, alcohol and caffeine.  
  7. Avoid the foods that could be making you sick.
  8. You can say NO. Do not over commit yourself and over schedule
  9. Seek alternative therapies such as reiki, meditation, acupuncture or massage therapy.
  10. Avoid conflict and try to resolve existing conflict the best you can.
  11. See every adversity as a chance to grow, excel and be better than before.
  12. Find a healthy outlet to reduce stress such as yoga, exercise, tai chi, painting, or hiking.
  13. Find balance - Your mind, body, and spirit equally need relaxation and attention.
  14. If you have health issues such as heart disease, don't delay seeking medical attention. The delay in seeking medical attention is cited as one of the reasons for an increase in heart related deaths.
Check out a few upcoming events that can help keep you balanced, increase clarity, reduce stress, and bring more love, peace, and understanding to your life.  Meditation for instance has been clinically proven to reduce stress and is the oldest method for stress reduction around.

Stress, Energy & Your Health Workshop
Create more balance in your physical life, mindful life and spiritual life
 Dates TBA

1.  Doctors Warn Against Holiday Heart Attack Spike; December 3, 2009;  Vanderbilt Medical Center 
2.  Take to Heart; Emergency Departments Prepare to See Higher Number of Heart Attacks on Christmas, New Year's Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital (December 21, 2009)  
Stress In America - 2010 Key Findings ;  2010 © American Psychological Association 

 
Other References And More Information On Holiday Stress:  
How can Meditation Help with Stress? Laura Bonetzky-Joseph;  MedSpa New England; 2009
The "Merry Christmas Coronary" and "Happy New Year Heart Attack" Phenomenon; Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD; © 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.  
Stressful jobs may raise women's heart attack risk, study finds; By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter; Nov 15, 2010
10 Tools for Dealing with Holiday Depression and Stress; Psychology Today; Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D.; November 30, 2009 
Reduce stress, depression this holiday season; By Chris J. Minnick / For the Sun-News; Las Cruces Sun-News; 11/24/2010; 
Stress, depression and the holidays: 10 tips for coping; Mayo Clinic Staff; Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; Oct. 20, 2009

© 2010-2014 Laura Bonetzky-Joseph. All Rights Reserved. This information is for general educational uses only. It may not apply to you and your specific medical needs. This information should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation with or the advice of your physician or health care professional. Communicate promptly with your physician or other health care professional with any health-related questions or concerns. This article does not share the opinions of MedSpa New England.  Be sure to follow specific instructions given to you by your physician or health care professional.

The Importance of Spirituality in Conquering Unhealthy Stress

Photo taken in Massachusetts by Laura Healing With Spirit (c) 2014

Are you feeling overwhelmed and having a lot of difficulty in your life? Stress creeping in your life? Feeling like you’re losing purpose?  Stress is different for everyone. What may be stressful for one person may not be stressful for another and stress appears in many different ways.  However, chronic unhealthy stress slowly creeps in our lives and is a growing epidemic becoming toxic to our physical health, mental health, and spiritual health. At all times, in order to maintain a healthy mind, body, and spirit, we must be in a constant equilibrium or balance.
 
Spirituality, separated from Religiousness, can help manage your unhealthy stress, because spirituality in its core helps give your life meaning and purpose regardless of your religious beliefs.
 
How do I know if my stress is normal or if it is unhealthy? Normal healthy stress occurs during certain events such as child birthing, exercise, or even in cases like winning the lottery. The natural stress response is the body's reaction to danger, uncertainty or change through various hormonal reactions. That is the first stage of stress, also called the “fight or flight”. 

Although stress is a normal natural survival mechanism, it can quickly become toxic to our mind, body, and spirit if kept in overdrive taxing our system. Ever hear anyone say their nerves are fried? Well unhealthy stress puts your nervous system in overdrive. Research suggests that prolonged toxic stress contributes to high blood pressure, heart disease, coronary artery disease, anxiety, depression, obesity, and addiction.
 
Statistics according to the American Psychological Association:
  • About 25% of Americans are experiencing high levels of stress
  • About  50% report moderate levels of stress
  • Over 76% of Americans cite money as a significant cause of stress.[1] 


Research also suggests that time management may be a significant barrier preventing people from taking the necessary steps to improve their health.[2]  Most Americans have a general awareness and understand the general health impacts of toxic stress. Unfortunately, studies also show there is a disconnect when it comes to impact stress may have on an individual’s own health.


You cannot avoid stress, but there ways to better manage stress levels and spirituality can help.  
 
First, in order to change the effects of stress, you have to learn to recognize and identify when you're feeling overly stressed and become more aware of the signs, symptoms, and triggers. Your body tells you everything you need to know by sending you signs and signals.  Are you listening? 


Spirituality can help you become reconnected with yourself.  It allows for self discovery, and can assist in helping you build a sense of awareness. Because spirituality focuses on the inner self and our inner world, it encourages a passive shift in our attitude and how we react to certain situations that confront us.
 
Research suggests that those who believe in God or a higher power or have gone through a spiritual journey experience many benefits to their overall health and wellbeing including a reduction of toxic stress.
 
Once you identify the stress, next is to choose a way to deal with it. One way is to find something positive in your life no matter how dire your situation may seem. Focus on positives. Find gratitude in the little things in your life that right now may seem mundane. 
 
Another way, is avoidance or removal. However, avoiding your stressors are not always possible especially if the source of your stress is family. So what do we do? We change our thoughts and how we react to people, things or situations.  You cannot change how someone treats you or what situations have been given to you, BUT you can choose how you react to them. 
 
As you go through this process pay attention to you - not the ego self, but the inner you!  There are various practices associated with spirituality that have also been shown to reduce unhealthy stress including:
  • Meditation – Meditation is probably the most researched practice showing profound benefits to improving a variety of chronic health issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, HBP, and improve immunity. The US Army has studied its effectiveness in using it as a treatment method for soldiers returning from battle who suffer from PTSD.
  • Yoga – Yoga is considered a form of complementary alternative medicine using various poses and breathing techniques. Research has shown yoga to reduce stress related symptoms, enhance mood, and improve overall sense of well-being.
  • Tai Chi – When Communist China took over, Tai Chi was the only martial art not banned. It is now considered a meditation in movement.  With the use of the gentle flow and movements, Tai Chi can have tremendous health benefits including reducing stress.
  • Breathing Exercises -  Mastering the power of the breath with deep breathing techniques is one of the best ways to lower stress and can be done anywhere. This is because how we breathe affects the overall functioning and health of our body.
  • Relaxation – Relaxation Techniques help activate the body’s natural relaxation response to combat stress. Methods include: hypnosis, meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga.
  • Prayer - Prayer has also show to have many of the same benefits as meditation by bringing a sense of calmness that can help buffer stress. Prayer has long been associated with connecting to God.
  • Touch Therapies such as  Reiki and Acupuncture have ancient healing roots that promote healing and reduce stress.
  • Laughter – Laughter has been shown to cause biochemical changes in the body leading to greater healing and changes of perspective.
 
Through various spiritual practices, you will quickly be able to restore calm, clarity and serenity to your chaotic life and restore the equilibrium in your body.  In the process, your stress will naturally be reduced.
 
Finally, our mental strength and attitudes can be a deciding factor in identifying a stressor and the nature of our response to it. So becoming aware of our own inner thoughts, maintaining a positive attitude, and learning to laugh more can all help keep our mind, body, and spirit healthy.
 
So when life throws you a curveball, change how you react to the situation, and find the lesson to be learned. Those who practice some form of spirituality also view these types of situations as a karmic test or lesson to be learned for personal spiritual growth.
 
As someone once told me when I was at a place where I felt cornered with no possible solutions in sight while stress controlled my life, I was reminded “It is always darkest before it becomes dawn”.  The light always triumphs the dark. Always.
 
Let spirituality and your spiritual path guide you in your life and help you reduce the unhealthy stress you have accumulated before it becomes too late. You will be glad you did. Have a blessed day.
 
For More Information:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraHealingWithSpirit
Twitter:  @HealingWSpirit

References:
 
1.       AmericanPsychological Association; Managing YourStress Through Tough Economic Times; November 2010; http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/economic-stress.aspx
2.       The Mayo Clinic; Spirituality and Stress Relief: July23, 2010; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR00035
3.       AmericanPyshcological Association; Stress inAmerica; 2011 http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx
4.       Life Positive; Spirituality for Stress Relief; http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/psychology/stress/mental-health.asp
5.       Columbia CenterFor Psychiatry;  Stress; David FischerMD, Medical Director; 2011;  http://www.columbiapsychiatric.com/stress.html
6.       The FreeDictionary by Fairafax; Stress; http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/stress
7.       Harvard HealthPublications; Harvard Medical School; Understandingthe Stress Response; http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter/2011/March/understanding-the-stress-response
8.       Spirituality and health: What we know,what we need to know; Linda K George; David B Larsons;Harold G Koeing; Michael E McCullough; Journal of Social and ClinicalPsychology; Spring 2000; 19, 1; Psychology Module; http://www.psy.miami.edu/ehblab/Religion%20Papers/spirituality%20and%20health_george_larson_et%20al._JSCP.pdf
9.       Stress Management; Stress Relievers: Top 10 Picks To TameStress; Mayo Clinic; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relievers/MY01373
10.     Stress Management Health Center; Stress Management; Breathing Exercises for Relaxation;  WedMD; http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-breathing-exercises-for-relaxation
11.     The Mayo Clinic; Stress Management; Relaxation Techniques; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/relaxation-technique/SR00007


©2013-2014 Laura Joseph of Healing With Spirit..  All Rights Reserved. This information is for general educational uses only. It may not apply to you and your specific medical needs. This information should not be used in place of a visit, call,consultation with or the advice of your physician or health care professional. Communicate promptly with your physician or other health care professional with any health-related questions or concerns. Be sure to follow specific instructions given to you by your physician or health care professional.

[1] American Psychological Association; Stress in America; 2011 http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx
[2] American Psychological Association; Stress in America; 2011 http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx