We all have a lot on our plates. With a changing world, there are so many things to juggle each day. Individuals and families are faced with countless stressors. To remain healthy, we must discover ways to relieve stress and create a sense of inner peace. Here are the top ten ways to help you to live a stress free life.

Do you know that most people are breathing barely enough to be alive? Most of us are breathing in a shallow, restricted manner due to stress we have carried in our bodies for years.

Deep breathing is essential to relieving stress. A new baby breathes fully into the belly like filling a balloon, the breath rising and falling freely, in a continuous circle of inhale and exhale. It's similar to the ocean waves rising and falling. This is our natural state of breathing. Do you breathe in this manner? Most adults no longer do.

Imagine, as you breathe, that you are filling a jug---breathe in expanding your belly with the breath, and filling all the way to your pelvic bone, that's the bottom of the jug. Your belly fills up and then you pull the breath back up through your chest, filling all the way to the top of the jug.

If you have not been breathing fully, this may feel strange and hard to do at first. As you practice, it will become more comfortable. It will be well worth the effort. When you breathe fully you:

Bring more oxygen into the body. Most disease is not enough
oxygen in the cells.

You activate the relaxation response. Breathing fully helps
you relax. Stress is released from the body.

You revitalize the body's energy. The breath is the life force.
It fuels the body and gives it energy. Breathing fully helps
to you to resolve feelings and emotions, stay mentally focused,
and feel more confident, while strengthening the immune system
and enhancing physical health.

Learn to breathe fully! You will discover that your life, and the way you see the world, begins to change.

This is very important. A lot of energy and anxiety is used up in worrying about things that we have no control over. Focus on changing the things you can change. Know that you are in the one in charge of changing your thoughts and the way that you see the world. All true and lasting change comes from within. And, as we change our perception, our world begins to change. Marianne Williamson told us that a miracle is simply a change of perception.

Your life really is in your own hands. The choices you have made, and may continue to make, keep you living the way you are choosing to live and with whom. Is what you are doing working for you? If not, what can you change? You know you certainly cannot change others. However, you can change yourself and take action to create the life you want to live. It is in your hands!

Often, you may find yourself focusing on the things you are lacking, or what you haven't yet accomplished, or how you are going to get from here to there, or as Dr. Wayne Dyer says, we spend our lives striving to arrive. The truth is, all we really have is this moment. Begin to, as my friend Laurie Runnals says, to want what you have. Be grateful each day for all of the things in your life, your health, the love in your life from family and friends, your talents, for the beauty that surrounds you, for shelter, for food, and so many blessing. Focusing and appreciating what we have, rather than worrying about what we don't have or what we should have, brings us a sense of peace, and, interestingly, with the ways the laws of the universe operate, brings us even more blessings, for what we focus on expands.

I recently saw a rerun of an Oprah show from earlier this year, speaking of how her life got out of balance, and realizing the importance of taking time for YOU! Oftentimes, we fill our days being busy with so many things or we focus on all we must do for others, that we forget ourselves. After awhile, it catches up and we begin to burn out. There is no more left to give since we have depleted ourselves. Self-love and care is of utmost importance.

Sometimes we fill our lives with so many other things to keep from being with ourselves, yet, if we are not comfortable with ourselves, there is going to be an underlying stress. For you are the person who will always be with you. Learn to know and love yourself.

Today and everyday, take some time out for you to nurture and nourish yourself.

Some people are so used to being in a state of being stressed that once they start to relax, it feels so unnatural and unfamiliar that it can be uncomfortable. Yet, staying in a place of high stress begins to wear you down over time. Stress can cause health problems if not addressed. Do you take time to relax? Do you know when your body is relaxed, when it is stressed?

Put on some relaxing music, lie down and breathe deeply and slowly and go through the various parts of your body, tensing and relaxing each area of your body,one spot at a time. Start with either your feet or your forehead, and work your way to the other end of your body. Tense the area you are focusing on, such as your forehead,hold for a few seconds, then release the tension and allow it to relax. Next tense your eyes, and let them relax. Tense your jawbone, and then relax it. Work your way through all of the parts of your body. This not only helps you to relax, it helps you to begin to recognize what it feels like when your body is holding stress, or when it is relaxed.

You may also use your imagination to help you to relax. The body responds to the imagination just as it if it is real. If I asked you to close your eyes and imagine biting into a lemon and swishing it around in your mouth, chances are you will pucker up and/or begin to salivate. In this same way, you can imagine yourself in a peaceful spot, be it on a beach, in a meadow, on top of a mountain, in a soft bed, in a hot tub. Choose a place that feels peaceful for you. And relax there for awhile.

Or, imagine a room that is your sacred space. What does it look like? What colors are there? What textures, sounds, smells? What is in the room, this place that is yours and yours alone? You might imagine upon entering the room a basket just outside the door where you can leave all of your worries or concerns or to do lists behind. (You can always pick them back up on the way out the door if you want to.) Go into your special space and relax for awhile.

Another helpful way to use your imagination while in the shower. Imagine the water washing away all of the tension, stress, worries,cares, fears, and anxiety out of your body. In your mind's eye, see it washing down the drain. Then imagine the water filling you up with joy or sunshine or beautiful light or rainbows of colors.

There are many other ways to relax...walking in nature, being creative, gardening, listening to or playing music, lying in a hammock, yoga, meditation, tai chi, massage, ....find what works for you and be sure to make time for it in your life.

Also, stop always 'doing', and begin simply "being".

Exercise helps to release stress from the body. Get outside! Run, swim, hike. Do yoga, pilates or martial arts. Play volleyball with your family or friends. Dance. Walk around your neighborhood or on a beach. Go sledding, play tag, ride a bike, jump rope, swim, bounce on a mini-trampoline (rebounder), take a dance class or aerobics class, go to the gym. Do something physical each day to relieve the stress from your body, and, it will keep your body in shape, helping you to be strong, more confident and healthy. Find what you enjoy. Move your body, and have fun doing so.

How often have you laughed today, or this week, or this month? We all have a little child inside. Nurture this part of yourself. Do things you enjoy. Play. Be silly. Watch or listen to comedy. Nurture your small child....what would your inner child like to do today? As the old saying goes, laughter is the best medicine. Much healing comes about from laughter. People have been known to heal themselves through laughter. Even a smile, changes the chemistry of the body. So, when you are feeling down or anxious, move your mouth into a smile, and your body will respond.

Substances such as sugar, processed foods and caffeine can add to your feelings of anxiety, restlessness, or stress. Eating these substances may seem to wake you up or give you energy, but then soon thereafter, you go to a low where you want to reach for another coffee or candy bar to keep you going. Do an experiment. Give up caffeine, processed foods, white flours and sugar products for a couple of weeks. This is not easy to do if you are used to having these things each day, and you may go through some withdrawal symptoms the first few days, such as a headache, feeling really tired, etc. However, you will be amazed in the end at how much better you feel without these things. You may feel much more clear headed and your energy levels will be so more balanced. And, surprisingly, after you start feeling so much better, these things may not look so appealing to you anymore.

Watch how you fuel the vehicle, your body. What are you feeding yourself? Are you putting in low grade fuel, such as junk foods, processed foods, too much food and alcohol. Low grade fuel naturally makes the vehicle run more sluggishly than high grade fuel. In the body's case, the high grade fuel are foods that fill you with nutrients and nourish you, such as proteins, complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Choosing these foods allows your vehicle to run at it's best! What do you choose to fuel your body with?

It's important to find healthy ways to relieve stress, rather than turning to drugs or alcohol to do so. These substances may make you feel better for a little while. The trouble is, all you are doing is covering up or masking your stress symptoms. Until the underlying stress is dealt with and released, it is still being held in the body. And, as previously mentioned, this stress that is held onto, sometimes for months and years builds up and can lead to disease.

It is shown that believing in a higher power helps one to feel more peaceful. You may call this higher power by many names, be it God, Great Spirit, Creator, Allah, or otherwise. Find a way to connect with the Source of your being. This may be through prayer, meditation, time in nature, a church group or other spiritual community, etc. Also, learn about breathwork. Many people experiencing a breathwork session reconnect with their Source. It is a place of pure Love. And, how can one feel stressful when in that place?

About the Submitter