Stress, Anxiety, and Tension Control

Posted 26 January, 2010 By Dr Sleep and has no comments yet.

Hello Everyone,

All is well I hope, if not let us further discuss how to take back control of over our stress, anxiety, and tension…and again please remember what I put forward comes from my own experience. Each individual is an individual and may find that things that worked well for me do not work for them. I will try to remember to discuss calming and relaxation techniques I have tried but resulted in only minimal success. If you feel I am focusing too much on one thing, or would care to suggest some ideas / experiences of your own send in your comments I would love this to become “group therapy” where people with sleep problems can come for a wide prospective from their peers. Continuation from last week…

The first step in my journey, came with the recognition that self-awareness is key to having any degree of control over my life, and therefore sleep. Regular check-ins are of great benefit to me and really don’t take a great deal of time. Once I found a cause for stress, anxiety, or tension I had to find a solution.

Dealing with tension was quite easy and straightforward for me. Once I realized where in the body my tension was building up I mobilized the area. For me tension builds because I am keeping a muscle or muscle group contracted for an extended period of time so simply moving and stretching helps eliminate the tension. A few slow deep breathes and a yawn then relaxes the rest of my body.

Stress and anxiety are not so easy for me to address. This called more for external rather than internal change and this is where the resources found on the Sound Sleeping site really started to be of benefit. I had already begun to use the mp3 downloads at night to help me wind down. When I realized that the severity of my nightly stress and anxiety clearly reflected my day’s stress and anxiety I started to use the mp3 materials on my breaks a work. This tended to help momentarily but the job usually took over again after a break as did the stress. I decided I needed to bring this tool into my work environment but for practical reasons I could not use audio materials at my workstation. So I got this idea: Ya know how every once in a while a song gets caught in your head and drives you crazy until it decides to leave? Well I decided to try and reverse that process. I would listen to my mp3s and then try to recreate them in my head. My recreations were not exact, but the sounds I found calming and relaxing, have over time, become very vivid in my imagination. In this way, I can carry this helpful tool with me into any situation or environment. A few minutes at routine check-ins recalling these sound has helped me to continuously relieve stress throughout my day. Listen to the examples, identify sounds that enhance calm and just try to hear them in your head, once they’re in your head, you can take them anywhere. It takes a little time and practice, but I really think it’s worth a try.

Categories: Sleep Advice

Dealing with Stress

Posted 25 January, 2010 By Dr Sleep and has no comments yet.

Sorry for the long absences, as I said the holiday season can be hectic and mine was crazed! When things get busy, or stressful, it’s so easy to get caught up in the frenzy and forget to take time out for yourself. That’s kind of what I have been doing and once I was on that free fall my sleep and therefore my productivity suffered.

For the past six weeks I have been the best example of what not to do when life gets difficult. I can’t stress enough how important routine is to my quality of life and how necessary it is to allow “personal down time” a frequent and regular place in that routine. I know that insomnia will probably be a challenge for me throughout my life, but still I need times like these to remind me why I allow myself “me time” and how “me time” improves the quality and efficiency of everything I must do throughout the day.

What constitutes “me time”? Well, the little breaks for a mental and physical check in are probably the most important for maintaining calm and relaxation, but when things get busy and stressful those check ins are usually the first thing to go. I think the trick is to try not to let life get too busy, too stressful. I wrote about my morning routine in my last blog (it’s been a while so you might need to review it). In order to maintain a state of relaxation or calm, your day must begin relaxed and calm. My morning routine is all “me time” and I’ve created an environment where all my senses or both soothed and stimulated. I sit in my most comfortable chair in front of a cozy heat register, I take time to sip and smell that first cup of coffee I so very much enjoy, and I listen to the sounds of nature and soft soothing music. All the other things I do to promote physical relaxation would be of little or perhaps no benefit without that 10 to 15 minute period set aside for me and me alone. That was what I lost track of over the past few weeks so my sleep and productivity diminished.

Take some time this week and consider your ideal morning scenario. What sights, sounds, smells, tastes calm, relax and stimulate you? Where in your home does your body feel most comfortable and relaxed?
Sleep Soundly

Categories: Sleep Advice

Calm your mind

By Dr Sleep and has 4 comments.

Manasanthi is peace of mind. Manas means mind and santhi means peace or tranquility. Just as the name suggest this form of Ayurvedic therapy is aimed at pacifying mind.

Mind, body and soul are equally important to Ayurveda. Manasanthi (also can be spelt manassanthi, manasanti, manashanti or 50 other variations) is a comprehensive mind-body-soul treatment.

Manasathy is a combination of Ayurveda, yoga, meditation, aromatherapy. The stress is on holistic approach towards better health for body as well as mind. There will be oil massage, sirovasti, dhara etc in the therapy. Rejuvenation massage, steam bath etc are other facets of this therapy.

Fully body massage on a daily basis, with sesame oil (or coconut oil) 30 minutes before bathing has several physical advantages as well as psychological advantages.

This is effective stress management therapy. A person practicing this regularly will have the benefits of better emotional control and relaxed mind.

People with excessive mental turbulences are also given vegetarian, calming food. Spicy, hot tasting and salty food items are not helpful in relaxation, while sweet tasting food items are helpful. Easy to digest food items, mostly in liquid or semi solid form ensures faster digestion, which is helpful in managing mental worries too.

Prompting the persons to read religious texts is also an effective way of pacifying human minds. Listening to soothing music with slow beats also pacifies mind.

Another important thing is to keep company of pleasant people, visit religious places and locations with a little sunshine, clean water and greenery.

Mind is the sum total of the personal life, personality and everything a person experiences in his or her life. To care for the mind, you need special attention.

Categories: Sleep Advice

Yoga For Relaxation

Posted 3 January, 2010 By Dr Sleep and has no comments yet.

Yoga on Beach

Yoga For Relaxation

People practice yoga for a variety of reasons. Many yoga practitioners are interested in the health benefits that come from regularly performing the routines. Others want a state of harmony between inner and outer self. Still others practice yoga primarily to relax.

A State of Harmony

The profound relaxation available through yoga includes a state of clarity of mind, and of harmony with and understanding of the world. If such a state of relaxation is your goal, you will need to use most of the yoga techniques available. Pay special attention to breathing, diet, correctly performing the exercises, and meditating.

The deep, prolonged breath one learns through yoga helps the brain stay oxygenated, which contributes to mental clarity. Diet influences the structure of our body as well as our brain. The exercises (called asanas and pranayamas) were developed thousands of years ago to produce beneficial results.

To have the desired effects, yoga routines must be carried out correctly. Poor yoga practices will likely produce disappointing results.

The Keys

Your attitude and your focus are the keys to making your yoga experience deeply satisfying. Entering the profound stage of relaxation and synchronization between your inner and your outer self can occur only with appropriate action.

Relaxation is actually a necessary part of every yoga routine. The body needs to relax after practicing the exercises, especially the more demanding ones. Certain asanas require an unusual positioning of the body, which can result in discomfort if the relaxation stage is omitted.

Bridging Worlds

Yoga connects the spiritual and material worlds, and relaxation is the bridge that brings the practitioner back fully to the present reality.

As a general rule, during relaxation exercises, you will lie down comfortably and meditate. Your yoga trainer will suggest ways for you to gradually move and position your feet and arms. Yoga routines may have different relaxation exercises, but they all have the purpose of cushioning the shock of contact with the surrounding reality. Relaxation also helps to maintain a certain degree of peacefulness created by the routine.

But talk is never enough. The only way to be sure of the relaxation benefits of yoga is to try it yourself. The only thing you have to lose is your tension.

Categories: Sleep Advice