Friday, April 30, 2010

Erosion

Pick up the paper, go online or turn on the news and there is some discussion about how to alleviate stress. Over and over, people are told to work out, take a long walk, leave the office or go out with friends. I grin at the irony that, in offering these sound solutions, they miss the obvious. Yes, the point is to break the pattern and change the focus. But breaking the pattern shouldn’t have to be about making time that you don‘t have. It should be about making use of the time you do have . . . and that is what RELAX. SET. GO. is all about. For people under stress, having the time is everything and they never have it. Even when they know it will help, they feel pressured to make time at the cost of something else, something more urgent, something more important. That in itself causes stress. For people who practice RELAX. SET. GO., having the time is irrelevant because it’s always available and it never comes at a sacrifice.

Stress can be defined as anything that causes emotional, mental or physical strain. That covers a lot of ground: money, work, deadlines, family issues, fatigue, scheduling, the expected, the unexpected, and all of the juggling, juggling, juggling in between. Even good stuff like getting a promotion, getting married or having a baby can cause stress. There are so many day to day contributing factors that people tend to see stress as a part of life and not life threatening. But it is.

Health experts maintain that the majority of all diseases and disorders in the United States are stress related. Think about this: if a person is in overdrive due to stress, so is the body. Stress can contribute to a host of menacing health issues including high blood pressure, hypertension, heart arrhythmia, addiction, depression, anxiety, insomnia, exhaustion, memory loss, mood swings, muscle aches, headaches, hair loss, eating disorders, irritable bowel, constipation, ulcers, adult acne, infertility, impotence and lack of sexual desire.

Most people recognize the emotional pitfalls of stress (which is why so many people medicate for depression and anxiety) but few make the same connection to overall health. In fact, society conditions us to overlook, ignore or tolerate the connection. That’s what makes stress so insidious and the consequences so great. To me, it’s just like beach erosion. You don’t see the day to day destruction until you wake up one morning and the ocean is hitting your back porch. The damage from stress is there, even if you don’t see it right away. RELAX. SET. GO. gets you see to it, manage it and reap the benefit of a balanced life and better health. More to come . . . Less to stress.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Let the Stress(less) Series Begin!

Bill Clinton, who recently underwent his second heart surgery, realized something was seriously off when he watched himself on TV. "I saw an interview I did with 'Nightline' in Haiti which terrified me," he said, "I looked like I was 185 years old. My color was bad." In addition to a lifetime of bad eating habits, Clinton attributed his condition to poor stress management including a severe lack of sleep.

On the other end of the spectrum is Gertrude Matthews, a 101 year old piano player who I am fortunate to know personally. She is truly amazing so I was thrilled to learn that ABC World News Tonight was doing a profile on her. In the segment, which just aired last night, you will see that doctors believe her music and connection to her listeners has kept her mind and heart in perfect health all these years. Dr. Thomas Perls, who has studied thousands of people over 100 says that Gertrude and so many like her are better at managing stress, are more outgoing and always optimistic, even about aging. Sounds a lot like a RELAX. SET. GO. mindset. He calls Gertrude an “Escaper” because she doesn’t internalize things that are stressful and has totally escaped age related diseases. I can attest that Gertrude is physically fit, active, sharp as a tack and has a better memory than I do. She also has a better wardrobe than anyone I know!

There is so much incredible information about the health related risks created by stress and equally, so much new information about the link between longevity (including memory) and brain fitness (also called brain plasticity). The RSG sidebar post, remember: chill, says that more lasting memories are likely to form when a person is relaxed . . . or in other words, not stressed. I’m excited to start this series of weekly posts and to demonstrate how RELAX. SET. GO. helps to promote all of the things that promote a healthy outlook and good health.

Gertrude Matthews, ABC World News Tonight: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/music-101-year-woman-healthy-10441060

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Signs

It feels like it’s been forever since my last post. Life has been a whirlwind dance of late and I am fighting the urge to beat myself up over my unintentional hiatus which started with my site being down for a week and ended in a protracted stint of managing a lot of time busting minutiae (like spending hours on the phone with tech services).

I had intended on starting my posting series on stress but something else has been tugging at me.

RELAX. SET. GO. opens doors because it opens you up to all things possible. It allows you to see the signs and to follow the green lights. In the past, I was so closed up that I walked blindly by open doors and was a master at ignoring signs; good, bad or indifferent. Now, I can’t help but grab hold of them and wonder what they mean, especially the signs I’ve been getting since my first RSG post in late November 2009. Incredible.

While deeply spiritual, I’ve been careful not to impart my faith based values into my RSG posts. I believe that faith is personal and respect all religions. So, I find it ironic that many of the comments I get from readers are about spirituality, and brace yourself . . . about God and the Bible.  Signs.

As an adult, I have never read or owned a Bible but I strike up a random conversation with a beautiful woman named Betty and two weeks later she sends me a Bible in the mail. Another sign. . . .

A random facebook connection turns into a discussion about God and the spiritual link to certain RSG values. RSG reconnects me with someone after nearly 30 years and I am awed by his transformation from crazy college kid to insightful theologian. More signs. . .

Within a 3 month period, I attend two funerals for people too young to die and am inspired by each family‘s unwavering faith. I go to Florida and sit next to a woman who starts talking about a man who spoke to Jesus while he was clinically dead for 3 days. On the same trip, I meet with a contractor and learn that not only is he from my home town on Long Island (how random is that?!), but that a religious healer literally saved his life after he received last rights. Signs . . .

I get home and open a video attachment that is about breaking subconscious barriers by thanking the Divine and asking for forgiveness. I get a (once in a blue moon) massage and find out that the masseuse is also studying the balance of energy and the healing powers of Reiki. I remember that my brother is alive because of the power of prayer (after 20 years there is still no medical explanation for his deathbed recovery). For several days in a row, I look at the clock and it is 9:11, an otherwise irregular sign from Brad who died in the south tower. A friend tells me about several freaky coincidences she experienced recently and I am reminded that nothing is by coincidence . . . including signs.

I believe in God and I know someone who truly needs a miracle so I follow the green lights and call the contractor’s healer in Florida. He confirms everything I believe regarding possibilities and I am inspired to pray for a miracle; not in desperation but in the strength. I think of the strength I gain from living in the RSG positive and know that combined with my faith in God it is even more powerful. I will not let the negative seep in and make me feel the fool for believing. Nonetheless, I play the skeptic until I open the mail later that same night. Amid bills and catalogs is an unexpected note from beautiful Betty about hope, new beginnings and prayer. I cannot deny the signs and I am grateful that I can see them. I’m ready for a miracle and I believe it can happen. RELAX. SET. GO.