Stress wreaks all kinds of havoc in the human body.
And we all have it.
And we'll continue to have it. The challenge is how to control it instead of letting it control us!
It seems that excessive bad stress causes the body to produce an extraordinary amount of cortisol, which is not good—cortisol is a steroid hormone released from the adrenal cortex in response to ACTH's
(adrenocorticotropic hormone) stimulation of the adrenal cortex.
But there are some things we can do to help.
We've already discussed a couple of those, namely,
exercise and drinking plenty of pure water.
Exercise pushes out stress, and water flushes it out!
Know what else works? Laughter! Good old-fashioned belly laughs do a world of good to release tension and relieve stress. So don't think you're wasting your time watching comedies or really funny comedians.
Ever consider why Bob Hope, George Burns, and Jack Benny, to name a few, lived such long lives? Think about it.
But, not only do comedians tend to live longer, so do singers! That's right. Now think about that also . . . just why do you think that is? Could it be because their lungs are always getting a work-out, and they're taking in much more oxygen that those of us who sit around holding our breath most of the time?
Another thing that helps to relieve stress is spending time with little children and with pets. It's actually been documented that nursing home residents' health improves whenever they've had long visits with little children and/or animals!
Didn't the Lord tell us to become as little children? You know, the Bible is just full of little bits of wisdom like that. Until recently, I always just applied that instruction to trying to exercise the innocent kind of unquestioning faith that little children just naturally have, but there's always another layer to the "onion" we call the "Good Book," isn't there?
Also, children have been studied as to natural food choices, and, lo and behold, when presented with a wide variety of food (some good-for-you stuff and others just plain junk), the little ones just naturally choose a balanced menu! What does that tell you?
Another stress reducer is to eliminate caffeine and anything else that might cause you to be jittery or that interferes with your sleep.
And, speaking of sleep, if you have trouble in that department, do your utmost to optimize your sleeping conditions so that you will be induced to sleep naturally.
One of the basic things is to make your bedroom as dark as possible. The body starts producing melatonin as the sun goes down. Melatonin is a natural hormone made by your body's pineal gland. This is a pea-sized gland located just above the middle of the brain. During the day the pineal is inactive. When the sun goes down and darkness occurs, the pineal is "turned on" and begins to actively produce melatonin, which is released into the blood.
As melatonin levels in the blood rise sharply, you begin to feel less alert. Sleep becomes more inviting. Melatonin levels in the blood stay elevated for about twelve hours—all through the night—before the light of a new day, when they fall back to low daytime levels by about 9:00 am, at which time levels of melatonin are barely detectable.
Turn the lights down in your home two to three hours before bedtime, and eliminate harsh lighting like fluorescents, which interfere with your natural melatonin production.
Natural melatonin supplements are available for those who need a boost to their body's supply, and they're non-addictive.
Do not listen to the news or watch violent or horror movies or read anything that stimulates your brain in the two-to-three hours before bedtime. Listen instead to soft, soothing music, and read something inspiring or poetic that quiets the mind. During this time, make a "to-do" list for the following day. This helps stop the mind from thinking about everything you need to do the next day, because you've already taken care of them by writing them down so that you don't forget. It's a kind of release mechanism.
Reduce the noise levels where you sleep. If you have to, mask them with a "white noise" machine or a large floor fan, which will also help lull you into lullaby land.
Also, do not take sleeping pills. They are bad for you, can be addictive, produce an artificial, restless sleep, and sometimes even give you nightmares.
Finally, to get you more organized (which also reduces stress), I've reprinted an article below that I wrote way back in the tenth issue of 'elf Expressions, and I hope you all will benefit from it.
