Why Hypnosis Is Better For Stress Than Meditating

***** Stress Is The Life Killer
Stress is the greatest problem for people in the modern world, and it's much worse than just health problems such as heart attacks that are brought on by too much stress for way too long.
Stress impacts EVERYTHING.
Stress kills our libido, our enjoyment of life; stress causes disturbed emotions of anger, rage, sadness and depression; stress makes us clumsy; stress causes us to make mistakes and worst of all, stress makes us think stupid thoughts (we become "stress stupid") and it cuts off the internal flow to our creative and innate talents and abilities.
It is clear that we ALL need to de-stress, whether we are teenagers who suffer from acne and migraines as a result of stress, men and women in "anger management", authors who suffer from writer's block, business people who burst a blood vessel, or parents at home who aren't enjoying their kids but end up screaming at them instead.
So how do we de-stress, and urgently, and FAST?
***** Why Stress & Meditation Are At Odds
Many hold that meditating and meditation is the answer to stress.
Meditating and meditation is the act of entering into altered states of consciousness, to widen our conscious awareness and to re-connect with the superconsciousness of our energy mind (subconscious mind, subconsciousness).
This does not happen when we are stressed - a person under stress is like a TV that isn't tuning properly. Everything is disturbed, mad, doesn't fit together, there is no clarity.
Trying to meditate when you are stressed is like trying to be romantic with a pick axe embedded in your forehead - try as you might, it's not going to work very well if ever at all.
So we have the classic Catch 22 and another big stressor to add to all of that stress - a stressed person is TOLD to relax and go away and meditate, but they can't meditate because they're way too stressed!
***** Why Hypnosis Is The Best For Stress
Long before a person who is under a lot of stress can even BEGIN to enjoy harp music to relax them even further, they need to be made to slow down into other states of being, and for that you need HELP.
"A good talking to" by a sympathetic other is the most NATURAL way of getting rid of stress invented by human kind, and it even exceeds physical touch approaches in high stress situations; it precedes them too. We "talk" a potential suicide victim DOWN from the top of a building, not massage them off; we "talk" an angry man with a gun down into lowering it, we don't pat him on the back.
That is exactly where hypnosis comes in to help with stress.
Hypnosis is DESIGNED to assist people to ENTER INTO AN ALTERED STATE of meditation - that is the first purpose of hypnosis, and its speciality.
Often people get confused by the "instructions" or the content of hypnosis - the post hypnotic suggestions for change that take all the attention, but it is the fact that hypnosis brings people into the restful meditative state where they even become RECEPTIVE to suggestions, ideas, visions and new thoughts is where the power of hypnosis to heal the mind actually lies.
***** From Hypnosis To Meditation - Breaking The Stress Loop
"Going into trance" is something that we learn and we are taught when a hypnotist talks to us, and talks us down from the stress of the thoughts that fly here, there and everywhere, into a relaxed state of clarity, and peace, where your body is at ease and mind healing can finally begin.
THE MORE HYPNOSIS YOU DO, THE BETTER YOU GET AT RELAXING.
It is a learned skill that gets ever better with practice.
So my recommendation to combat stress, and to learn how to relax and EVENTUALLY to be able to meditate successfully, which then leads to being able to control one's own stress levels in the real world and to be able to relax and de-stress even in the middle of a stressful situation, is to DO HYPNOSIS - and LOTS OF IT.
Rather than to hopelessly try and "find inner peace" so necessary for mind healing without guidance, do hypnosis inductions. This is as easy as sitting down in a chair, putting on the headphones and letting the hypnotist do their job.
Hypnosis CDs, mp3s and tapes are readily and freely available; there are MANY free downloads and trial downloads available.
Try many, and if you find a hypnotist that YOU GET ON WITH, someone you find relaxing to listen to and who can make you feel safe, relaxed and you can feel your stress begin to drain away as they speak with you, you have struck "Anti-Stress Gold".
Now you have a tool to help you break out of the stress loop.
Use this hypnotist to de-stress you regularly and as often as you possibly can.
You will find after a few repetitions that you LEARN TO LEARN TO RELAX and HOW YOU DO THAT.
Now, you are ready to start meditating on your own.
***** Anti-Stress Meditation In The Moment
When you are out and about in your daily environment and you notice your stress levels rising, remember your hypnotist and what they said, just for a moment. Find out if you can feel your stress beginning to flow away. Even if your stress abates just a little bit, you can know that you are now on your way - you have started to learn to control your states of being, your states of mind.
This is the beginning of a new stress free life.
Life will ALWAYS be stressful.
We need to learn to be able to notice when we're stressed, and to step
back from that into the clarity of altered states.
That is what hypnosis teaches you, teaches you easily, and just for the listening, no willpower required at all.
When you have learned the basics of relaxation, THEN and only THEN are you ready to begin to meditate on your own, or to use meditation devices that require these basic skills of knowing how to shift state in the first place.
***** Hypnosis, Stress & Meditation - In Conclusion
Using hypnosis for stress relief doesn't mean that you should only look at hypnosis programs designed for stress alone. Remember that what you want to learn is the skill of altering your states of being, so that you can also then meditate and get all the health benefits from that; but more importantly even still, so that you can de-stress yourself in REAL LIFE.
You can choose ANY good hypnotist, and ANY good hypnosis program that excites you, in a double benefit, because it is not the CONTENT, but the hypnosis skills themselves you need to learn to put an end to being in stress states all the time.
You can choose intelligence enhancing hypnosis programs; mind healing programs; performance programs, health programs - the CONTENT is irrelevant and just the icing on the cake.
Hypnosis is a WONDERFUL and incredibly USEFUL tool for dealing with the human mind, for healing the mind, and for getting our thoughts and
conscious mind under control.
Explore. Find a GOOD hypnotist who can teach you the life saving skill of going into trance, and you get control not just of your stress, but of your entire WORLD.

7 Leading Causes of Stress

In 1967, Thomas H. Holmes and Richard H. Rahe, from the University of Washington, did a study on the connection between significant life events and illness. As part of that study, they compiled a chart of the major causes of stress. That chart, which contained 43 causes of stress in 1967, was updated to 55 causes in 2006. Apparently, society is finding more causes to feel stressed.
If you knew the leading causes of stress in your life, would you take action to eradicate them? Can you eradicate stress - or is it an inoperable condition that will be with you all of your life, possibly causing your eventual death?

Which Is Your Leading Cause of Stress?

1. Finances
Most studies agree that finances are a leading cause of stress. In an online poll conducted in 2005 by LifeCare, Inc., 23 percent of respondents named finances as the leading cause of stress in their lives. Financial stress has led the list in many modern polls.
Some who name finances as the leading cause of stress cite major purchases they have to make, such as a home or car. Others are stressed by a loss of income, or mounting credit card debt. For some, financial stress will eventuate in bankruptcy. While college students stress over paying for an education, Baby Boomers and older senior citizens find that retirement income can be a major cause of stress.
2. Work
Closely tied to finances as a cause of stress is work. Our jobs or careers seem to cause constant stress. In the LifeCare poll, 21 percent of those responding listed this as the leading cause of stress in life.
How is the workplace a cause of stress? We worry about getting and keeping adequate employment. We worry about new types of work or new responsibilities. We struggle to climb a career ladder, overwhelmed by the demands. Work conditions may change, or we may have interpersonal trouble at work. Students, especially teenagers and college age students, cite school work as a cause of stress. Sometimes, work stress is brought on by others. Sometimes, we bring it on ourselves.
3. Family
Family, wonderful though each member may be, is also a leading cause of stress. Arguments erupt with a spouse or other family member. Parents divorce. Children marry. The ebb and flow of family life is filled with stress. A child moves out - an aging parent moves in.
Family health is also a leading cause of stress. A sick family member, a serious injury, pregnancy, miscarriage, or abortion all cause stress. Family changes of other kinds bring stress, too. Adoption, relocation, and job changes for just one family member can cause stress for all.
4. Personal Concerns
Personal concerns that are only indirectly created by others are another top cause of stress. Lack of control tops the list of personal concerns. Every human has a deep-seated desire for control over his or her own life. When control is weak or missing in a given area, we experience stress. To many people, a lack of control over their own time is a leading cause of stress. We want to determine when we do tasks around the home, or at work. Holding a job, participating in the children's carpool to school, driving family to soccer practices, shopping, and scout meetings while trying to keep the household running can create major stress. You would like to control your time, rather than let others' demands control it, but that is not always possible.
We may be involved in legal proceedings that cause stress. We may be wrestling with a bad habit. We may be going through changes. Personal change of any kind can be a cause of stress.
5. Personal Health and Safety
Most people find that personal health is a leading cause of stress. For some, the stress is linked to obesity, and a desire to lose weight. For others, the stress is a personal bas habit that affects health and must be changed. For example, smoking, abuse of alcohol or other drugs. Illness or injury, whether less or more serious, can be a leading cause of stress for many people. Incontinence can be an ongoing concern. Personal health is more or less stressful according to the degree of seriousness and our personal outlook on health.
Personal safety is also a leading cause of stress. Women, more than men, tend to stress about their own and others' safety. Adults tend to stress more than young people, who may act invincible. Crime is a factor, as is
6. Personal Relationships
Whether it is a friendship, dating, separation, marriage, divorce, or re-marriage, a relationship can be a leading cause of stress for many. We all want love, and that is potentially available in relationships, but getting from A to B can be very stressful. Some resort to online relationships that are easier to handle. Others withdraw and become recluses. Either way, the demands on time, finances, and emotions can cause ongoing stress.
7. Death
Probably the most wrenching cause of stress is the death of a loved one or close friend. Even the death of a pet can be stressful. Children are always a source of stress for parents, but when a child dies, the stress is overwhelming. The same is true when a lifetime spouse passes on.
Win or Lose
Causes of stress change as we age. The stressed child who threw tantrums becomes a young student, stressed by the school bully. The young student becomes a teenager, stressed by acne, hormones, and dating. The teenager becomes a young adult trying to handle the stresses of leaving home, adjusting to college life, and managing finances. Life progresses to first jobs, marriage, children, and so on. Even if you move to a secluded cabin in the woods, stress will follow you.
Gaining knowledge of the leading causes of stress is important. Using that knowledge to win over unhealthy stress is vital.

Stress Management Myths That Could Kill You!

WOW! If you learn nothing else about managing the stress of your life, you must become skilled in recognizing these five common stress management myths and take steps not to be caught in their deadly trap.
In today's 24/7 pressure filled world, it is crucial to develop the stress hardiness needed to enjoy the stress of your life, be at peace and productive. The speed of life today is not going to slow down! If anything it may speed up, if that is possible. In order to survive and thrive you must not only strengthen your stress coping reserves, you must maximize them! You must also be aware of some very dangerous misinformation circulating about stress.
MYTH #1--I'M NOT STRESSED BECAUSE I DO NOT FEEL STRESSED! The question is: how do you know? Stress is very deceptive and many people who feel very stressed are actually handling their stress quite well while others who do not feel stressed are on the edge of disaster. The truth is that some individuals can handle huge amounts of stress and thrive while others collapse under less than normal stress.
MYTH #2--ALL STRESS IS BAD, AND I CAN ELIMINATE ALL STRESS FROM MY LIFE, RIGHT? Wrong, stress is not all bad. In reality, stress is the spice of life. Life would not be much without it. The only people experiencing no stress are in the cemetery. Eliminating stress is not the goal. The goal is to manage both positive and negative stress for the optimum enjoyment of life.
MYTH #3--EXECUTIVES AND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ARE THE MOST STRESSED PEOPLE, RIGHT? Wrong! Executives and air traffic controllers deal with huge amounts of stress and most thrive on it because they have learned the basic stress coping skills needed for their high intensity work. Actually, the reverse of this myth is true. The average worker and those in middle management are often the most stressed in an organization because of the lack of control they feel in their every day lives combined with limited stress hardiness skills.
MYTH #4--I ALWAYS KNOW WHEN I AM STRESSED! Unfortunately most people don't and a serious miscalculation here could cost you your family, your job or even your life. Your feelings are not the best indicators of how well you are managing your stress. You need some objective assessment tools which will tell you how effectively you are handling your stress and more importantly how stress is actually affecting you. With a good assessment, some people find out that they are handling their stress very well--a pleasant surprise! Others, sometimes in the same family or work group, get an unpleasant surprise when they find out that while they do not feel stressed that in reality they are heading for a crisis and don't even know it. If you had asked me if I felt stressed a few days before I experienced serious job burnout, a few years ago, I would have said no. An effective and objective assessment tool is worth it's weight in gold.
MYTH #5--IF I IGNORE MY STRESS AT HOME OR WORK IT WILL ALL GO AWAY. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Plus this is a very dangerous attitude. We never automatically resolve work or personal stress. You must be aware of your stress and know and use daily the stress resolving tools that work best for you.
Here are three ways to make sure that these myths do not unnecessarly harm you:
1. Discover all you can about stress, how it both positively and negatively affects the body and most importantly how it is affecting your body mentally, physically and emotionally.
2. Become tuned in to your body's reactions to stress. Know what are the key stress warning signals for you.
3. Take the necessary proactive actions needed to thrive and grow with the stress of your life. I have FREE E-course entitled, 7 Days to Enjoying the Stress of Your Life, to sign up click on the link below.

Cameron Johnston is an author, speaker and stress fitness coach. He is a burnout survivor who has inspired tens of thousands of individuals to live it up without being washed-up. Through his articles, books and speaking, employees in hundreds of organizations have mastered the stress hardiness tools needed to thrive and succeed in our fast-paced, 24/7 world. He has a Masters of Science Degree in Public Health and has developed the Cooling DownThe Stress Soup Stress Management System. Cameron is the author of three books on stress management including, Don’t Eat The Soup As Hot As They Cook It! Here he has distilled all the stress management essentials into eight powerful and very doable ways to cool off the stress soup. He is President of WellChoices™ Consulting and Business Development Director for the Silver Hills Lifestyle Makeover Spa. His unique, effective and fun approach to wellness and stress solutions guarantees that his writing and presentations will always be both entertaining and informative. [http://www.thestressfitnesscoach.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/199525

Stress Management is for Anyone

In the newspapers, in the magazines, in the cinema, in the television, everywhere we listen people that talks about the stress..
Why is it so?
The stress has been part of the human race from the beginnings of the history, why do we pay it so much attention now?
Has it changed?
Is it now more more dangerous than before?
Or is it because now we have discovered its incidence in our lives?
Stress is an unavoidable consequence of life and it is not something exclusive of the human beings, because the animals also have it. But the stress it is not necessarily bad.
To win the lottery can produce much more stress that to not win it, but the difference rests in the organic answer that we will have in a case and the other.
On the other hand, there are many people that need some pressure to reach more, and stress can provide a state of alert, anticipation and excitement.
How can we achieve a fair balance between not having stress and having too much?
Stress is the answer of the body in front of external conditions that are perceived as dangerous, worrying or irritating. And our natural answer is the modification of the behavior of almost all the body organs, to allow us to escape or to face that danger.
Although in fact for the body any CHANGE in our life implies stress.
When we face a change, the brain activates the secretion of certain hormones that untie a chain reaction in the whole body, and this is not bad, but rather it is the way that the nature uses to protects us, getting us ready to react to the stressor.
If the situation is prolonged during a short time, the stress and its changes are something good, but if the situation is prolonged in time, it can be exhausting, cause ulcers, cardiovascular illnesses, migraines, sexual problems, asthma, nervous tics, baldness, diabetes, back pains, and even weight modifications increasing or removing the appetite.
WHAT CAUSES STRESS?
Anything can cause stress, since what a person perceives as irritating or dangerous, can be indifferent for another person in the same situation, that is to say that the stressors are different for different people.
And we should distinguish among the stress produced by pleasant situations (vacations, to get marryed, to win the lottery) that it is known as "eustress".
And the stress produced by unpleasant situations (a divorce, a death, to lose the employment) that it is known as "distress".
For this reason many people carry a load of stress much bigger than they can imagine.
Any change in our routine and any change in our body is lived with stress.
Some of the more common stress producers are:
To work in excess without the appropriate time to recover
To live in places with extreme climates or extreme altitudes
Toxins like the poisons, the tobacco, the alcohol and the drugs
Fights and discussions
Illnesses
The puberty, with all the physical CHANGES that it bears
The pre-menstrual syndrome: once a month, before the menstruation, the lack of the same hormones that produce stress in the puberty, causes stress states in the mature women.
For the same reason, the sudden fall of the hormones level that takes place in front of the childbirth and the abortion, produce stress
The menopause, although of gradual appearance, it produces stress for the lack of the same feminine hormones.
Being in charge of the actions of another person. This produces CHANGES over our life, which we can't control, and for this reason it is a strong stressor.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE STRESS?
As well as different people react in different ways in front of the same stressor, they also feel different things when they have stress and those things can be:
headache
diarrhea
constipation
insomnia
edginess
sexual inability
depression
anxiety
throbs
indigestion
etc.
HOW TO TREAT STRESS
If the stress symptoms persist during many days, it is reasonable to go to see a doctor or to request psychological support.
As emergency measures the doctor can prescribe analgesic, beta blockers, tranquilizers and antidepressants, but the ideal is to learn how to control the stress by natural means like yoga practices, gymnastics, relaxation and mind control.
When the stressor is an unique cause, like a divorce or the loss of a loved one, it is convenient not over weight yourself with concerns and responsibilities, until the organism adapts to the new situation.
But if the stress reasons are a series of different daily stressors, then it is really necessary to think in the necessity of the psychotherapy or the mind control, to learn how to control your reactions in front of an adverse reality.
HOW CAN YOU ELIMINATE STRESS?
We have already seen that the stress is part of the natural answers of our organism, and that the good news can produce as much stress as the bad ones.
Therefore it is IMPOSSIBLE to ELIMINATE THE STRESS and all that you can aspire to do is to learn how to manage it, to learn how to react in front of the CHANGES.
The stress lack will lead us easily to the depression, the boredom or a sensation of rejection, and an excessive stress it can make us get sick.
WHICH IS THE GOOD STRESS LEVEL?
A good stress level doesn't exist. A person with sedentary habits, can feel stressed if you put him in a work that requires excessive mobility.
A person accustomed to work on the stock market or in positions that requireS a high level of adrenaline and stress, can feel stressed if it is confined to a sedentary work on a desk.
The good level of stress is different for each person, and for that reason each one must determine what he likes and makes him well. And even this way, this level will modify with the years.
When you feel that the stress has gone beyond YOUR acceptable limit, you should look for a way of dealing with the excessive stress, since more than the strong stressors, what makes us feel sick is the accumulated stress.
Once we detect that we carry accumulated stress, we have two ways to solve it, one is to eliminate the stressor from our lives (which is not always possible) another is to modify the way in which we react.
The steps to follow should be:
Learn how to become aware when you have been surpassed by the stress.
What is it it that usually produces stress on you?
What do you feel in your body?
How do you react emotionally?
Recognize what it is that you can do about it:
Can you avoid that situation?
If you can not avoid it, are you able to experience it with less frequency?
Can you shorten the time that you are exposed to that stressor? It is not the same when something breaks your nerves for one hour, that when it does it during the whole day
Learn how to react in different ways
Do you feel responsible for things that you can not control?
Do you feel in the obligation of pleasing everybody?
Do you always want to be right?
Don´t you agree that everything can not be so serious neither so urgent?
Get used to think that the stress is something that you are learning how to control, and NOT something that overcomes you
Learn how to modify your emotional answer
Learn how to breathe slower in front of stressing situations
Practice relaxation and mind control
Take anxiolitics (only if your doctor has prescribed them) until you learn how to control your mind and body
Build a physical reservation to respond better to the stress:
Feed in a moderate form avoiding the excesses of fat and alcohol
Swim, walk, ride in bicycle, practice jogging or gymnastics of some type, three times a week
Try not to have overweight, neither be below a normal weight
Try to not smoke, and not no drink tea or coffee in excess
Learn how to have resting intervals during your work or study
Rest enough at night and if it is possible take a short nap (30 minutes) after lunch.
Modify your social behavior
Frequent your friendships. Mainly those that are mutually protectors (not those that will always hang emotionally from you, without allowing you to do the same thing when you need it)
Put on realistic goals, according with your age and capacity
Put YOU your own goals, don't live after the goals that OTHER tell you that you should have (beware of fashion)
Prepare yourself to have failures, displeasures, frustrations and sadness, since they are part of the life. NOBODY is perfect, and NOBODY came to this planet only to enjoy it.
Be always kind with yourself and with the other people (although they are not always going to be kind with you) and this will make you feel well
Written by Dr. Roberto A. Bonomi

You will find all that you need to know about, self help, stress control, weight control, stop smoking, mind control, relax, motivation and meditation with subliminal messages at Dr. Bonomi's web site: http://www.drbonomi.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/141913

Stress Management Made Simple And Easy...

Stress management is a hot topic; stress-related illness and suffering is at an all-time high in America and increasing every year. Cliff Kuhn, M.D.'s work with the powerful natural medicine of humor has uncovered the primary culprit behind your unhealthy stress symptoms, as well as the solution to simple, healthy stress management.

Astronomer-mathematician Ptolemy (85-165) devised a theory of planetary motions that placed the earth at the center of the universe. The sun, moon, and planets revolved around the earth in the Ptolemaic universe. This notion was accepted for approximately 1,500 years. More on this in a moment...
Shelly was in such need of stress management that she was unhappy much of the time. Shortly after she became my patient, I was able to help Shelly see that, just like Ptolemy's theory, she was casting herself as the center of the universe, thereby causing unmanageable stress levels in her life. We began a regimen from my Fun Factor prescription that afforded Shelly proper stress management, reintroduced joy and happiness, and brought her life back into balance.
Shelly's problem was common; I see more and more people each day who suffer from unhealthy levels of stress. Whether it is sleeplessness, weight gain, mood changes, hair loss, worry, agitation, or any other of the myriad symptoms commonly associated with stress, stress-related illness and suffering is at an all-time high in America and increasing every year. Luckily for you, my work with the powerful natural medicine of humor has uncovered the primary culprit behind your unhealthy stress symptoms, as well as the solution to simple, healthy stress management.
My medical practice, involving decades of work with chronically and fatally ill patients, has clearly identified the cause of our painful stress symptoms - seriousness. Seriousness means taking yourself too seriously; seriousness means over-reaching - taking responsibility for things beyond your power, such as the outcomes and results of all your hard work. Consequently, you're positioning yourself incorrectly as the "center of the universe." Seriousness causes so much pressure that effective stress management, which I will teach you in this article, becomes impossible.
The antidote for your seriousness, and your foundation for healthy stress management, is the natural medicine of humor. Humor's incredible power is harnessed to maximum impact through my unique Fun Factor prescription. Based upon my Fun Commandments, which were forged in unison with some incredible patients of mine, my Fun Factor prescription is capable of producing such profound positive change to your health and personal success that you will soon have people whispering, "Is she always this happy?"
In this article, I will explain how my Fun Factor prescription can be directly applied to your stress. You will be amazed at how much lighter and happier you feel, with each passing day, as you put the following Fun Commandments to work in your life. You are about to discover that the natural medicine of humor produces flawless stress management, putting an end to your painful stress symptoms.
The Fun Factor Stress Management Formula
Step One: Laugh with Yourself
My first stress management Fun Commandment is: Laugh with Yourself. This Commandment is not about humiliation or self-denigration, it is the ultimate in self-respect because it teaches you to appreciate your "perfect imperfection" and to find gentle amusement in your foibles. And, when it comes to stress, there is plenty of amusement to be found which will greatly aid your stress management.
Here's the first amusing thing about your stress: you can't live without it, yet too much is bad for your health. Like many of the essential things in life: we need a certain amount of stress to survive, yet too much can kill us. For example, we die if we are without water for more than a few days; but submerge us in water and we die a lot sooner.
It is said that we can die from boredom. I don't think there is any scientific evidence for that theory, but one thing is certain - stress relieves boredom. Ending boredom, indeed, could be considered a form of stress relief. An amusing paradox, no doubt!
Without stress, also, we might not eat. Hunger is a form of stress our body needs occasionally to remind us we need food. Stress causes the adrenal glands to work. Athletes would not perform at their best without stress-induced adrenaline. Every activity causes a certain amount of stress. So does inactivity. In fact, to be completely stress-free we would have to be dead - not a highly recommended stress management technique!
The idea that stress is a killer is exaggerated, which is also humorous. Too much stress can be a killer, and it is against too much stress in our lives that we need to guard. Fortunately we are equipped with the finest possible stress management mechanism: the natural medicine of humor and the ability to laugh with ourselves. Far better and safer than Valium, it is our built-in stress management system.
As you learn to laugh with yourself you will become like an athlete - who can have fun running the mile or the marathon and still turn in peak performance. In fact, since too much seriousness can tighten muscles through negative tension, laughing with yourself may even enhance performance. This Fun Commandment works wonderfully on many levels.
Step Two: Choose To Motivate Yourself With Fun, Not Fear
Step two in my Fun Factor stress management formula is one of my newest Fun Commandments. Motivating yourself with fun rather than fear is a crucial step that allows your commitment to laugh with yourself to fully impact your healthy stress management.
This brings us to the only true choice you have in life. Will you be inspired by fear or by fun? One choice is all we have for our health, wellness, and fitness - fear or fun. It all boils down to that. It is your responsibility to choose one or the other.
The question is, which is the responsible choice? Which of the two is a powerful medicine, which will give you health and motivate you greater success, sustaining you over time? The natural medicine of humor gives us the answer.
There is no doubt that both fear and fun are potent stimulants to behavior over the short run. So the question becomes one of sustainability. Will fear or fun best help us sustain our excellence over time? Which of the two is a powerful alternative medicine that you can learn to use for your greatest health, wellness, and fitness? (That's a trick question, by the way)
Let's Encounter A Man-Eating Bear!
The fear of being eaten alive motivates us to run as fast and as far as we can when chased by a bear. There is little to no fun in that experience. It is purely fearful, but the energy it provides maximizes the possibilities of sustaining life for that moment. For the moment, in such a life-threatening situation, fear seems to be an efficient and productive choice. Though full of stress, it relieves us of the immediate threat!
But let's take it a step further. Having survived my wilderness encounter with the bear, I return to my home in an urban environment. The next morning, as I start out for work, I run desperately for the car, quickly jumping inside and locking the doors.
When I arrive at my workplace, I race into the building. Before I get down to work I suspend my bagged lunch high above my desk, roping it to the light standards. I insist upon all doors being locked and secured. When asked why, I answer, "I'm merely doing what got me through my wilderness experience over the weekend. I don't want to be eaten by a bear."
You'd think I was over-reacting just a wee bit, and you'd be right. You could say that my stress relieves my anxiety, but my anxiety is based on a lie conjured and sustained by my fear! Not exactly the greatest of stress management techniques.
The Three Biggest Dangers Of Our "Run-From-a-Bear" Stress Management Techniques
1. We live our lives as though every day was an emergency; as though a bear is chasing us all the time. This is unfortunate for three reasons:
2. We now know that such a constant state of "wariness" or agitation breaks down our coping mechanisms over time. It is impossible to sustain the fear-based behavior without breaking down or burning out.
3. Of all the stress management techniques, this is the absolute worst to choose because it only increases our stress! It reduces the effectiveness of humor's natural medicine to zilch.
A more pernicious error occurs. We begin to think that the avoidance of whatever we fear is the same as having fun. Joy becomes synonymous with the avoidance of fear.
The Absence Of One Thing Does Not Indicate The Presence Of Its Opposite
If this sounds ridiculous to you let me put it in more familiar terms that have become acceptable where your health is concerned. With rare exception we have agreed in our society that health is synonymous with absence of symptoms. Do you really believe your health is merely the absence of your symptoms? My Fun Factor prescription teaches you that, not only is the absence of symptoms not synonymous with health, but also that you never have to fall for that lie again.
You never have to settle for second-rate health! You can use your powerful natural medicine of humor to stave off seriousness' debilitating effects.
Therefore the issue becomes balance. Fun balances fear. The ultimate question is not, "Are you without fear?", but "Is your fun in balance with your fear?" If you're not 100% certain of a "yes" response to the later question, then you need to STOP - RIGHT NOW - and take the last step in my Fun Factor stress management formula to ensure that your life is as healthful as it could be.
Step Three: Tell the Truth
The final step in your Fun Factor stress management formula is the Fun Commandment, Tell the Truth. This Commandment refers more to self-integrity than it does "cash register" honesty. Getting in the habit of telling yourself the truth will cement humor's powerfully positive effect over your stress. Your stress management becomes second nature when you are honest with yourself each day, because you can then immediately, easily, and simply apply steps one and two to your life.
Telling yourself the truth, for our purposes, focuses on knowing when your stress levels are rising. As we noted in step two, everyday activities normally produce a baseline level of stress and this stress is usually alleviated by your daily routines (for example, when you experience the stress of hunger, you eat). Step three in my Fun Factor stress management formula teaches you to recognize the signs of unhealthy stress and take corrective action immediately.
Here are some simple stress management techniques to apply when your self-honesty reveals rising stress levels:
1. Start your day off by singing in the shower at the top of your voice. Make up your own song that incorporates the idea that you are embarking upon a glorious day in which great things are going top happen to you. Can't sing? Good! Can't rhyme? Who cares? The words are for you alone. This is not a contest. Be as off-key as you need to be...unless you are Placido Domingo.
The important thing is to be loud (your inner ear has to hear it), upbeat and convincing. The subconscious believes what it is told. Start your day by telling it that it will be a great day and you will be more than halfway to producing exactly that result. Think of your singing not as singing but as a stress relief game played before stress has a chance to rear its ugly head.
2. Travel to work alone, along the same boring route every day? Make up a game to play as you look out the window of your car, bus or train. For example, how many dogs will you see on the way to work?
Try to guess before you set out and see how close you are when you arrive. Reward yourself every time you guess correctly to within a certain number. Drivers: limit yourself to dogs (or green elephants) you see through the windshield only. This game does not work well in subways; there are no green elephants in subways.
3. Have a routine job? One that you find boring? Does it produce stress symptoms, such as drumming your fingers or tapping your toes? Perhaps you need to introduce fun into your workday.
For example, if your job is to make identical widgets each day, how could you do something different to give variety to what otherwise could become a monotonous task? Could you, for example, place each new widget relative to the others so that together they make a pattern, or spell the name of your sweetheart? How many do you make an hour? Could you make one more than that the next hour, safely and with the same excellent quality? Make a stress-relieving game out of your work and it will feel less like work and more like fun.
4. Smile. You feel stressed? Smile. It is a simple activity, so simple that even infants can do it. Just for kicks, count how many times you smile in an hour. None, you say? Then this stress relief game is even easier for you, and more important than it is for those who smile all the time. (No wonder they don't feel the same degree of stress that you do!)
Your smile doesn't need to be a broad grin that suggests to those around you that they need to call the men in white coats. But it should be more than a mental smirk; your facial muscles should be aware that they are smiling.
It is possible simply to paste a smile on your face without any reason other than you want to smile. After a while, your subconscious will take over, lighten your mood, and the smiles will come easily and naturally.
It's best, if possible, to think of something that can give you a genuine smile, a reason you can talk about if called upon to do so. Each of us, no matter how depressed, has something in life to celebrate.
5. Recognize that stress is a choice. We can accept it and put up with it, and the damage it can cause our bodies. We can avoid it, but that could be a difficult choice; especially if it means quitting the only job we know in a tough job market. That choice might easily create worse stresses. Or we can deal with it and defeat it.
That is not as difficult as it might sound if you make up your mind to use my Fun Factor prescription in everything you do. That doesn't necessarily mean, laughing, joking and playing the village idiot - though all those activities can relieve stress too. You can have fun without ever cracking a single joke.
A game of tickle with the children or grandchildren can be fun and bring energetic screams of delight from them and you. Touch football or, for the less energetic, lawn darts or horseshoes can be fun. For others, it's a walk, socializing with friends, admiring the beauty around us or following a hobby - especially if it is an engrossing one.
Attitude Is Everything
The key is to recognize stress symptoms when they occur, recognize what's causing them, and use my Fun Factor formula for healthy stress management. Since fun is the best natural stress reliever known, it makes good sense to incorporate my Fun Factor stress management formula into your daily life.
But don't get obsessive about it. Don't be stressed by removing stress. Be content with removing some of your stress, and with taking the edge off it so that you function as a healthier, happier and more productive humor being. After all, perfectionism produces stress.
Shelly, by the way, has learned to take herself much more lightly now and she does not suffer nearly as many stress symptoms. The paradox she loves is that taking herself less seriously actually permits her to take her responsibilities more seriously than ever before! The natural medicine of humorr, supercharged by my Fun Factor prescription, has allowed Shelly to easily and simply manage her stress and enjoy a life others have started to envy.
Just as Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus disproved Ptolemy's earth-centered universe in the 16th century, so the natural medicine of humor disproves that you must suffer from being the center of your universe. Remove yourself from the pressure and stress of a life where everything revolves around you...start using my Fun Factor stress management formula, and the rest of my Fun Commandments, today!

Clifford Kuhn, M.D., America's Laugh Doctor, teaches people and organizations to be more healthy and successful through the use of fun and humor. A psychiatrist, and the former associate chairperson of the University of Louisville's renowned Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Kuhn now dispenses his prescription for turbo-charging your health, success, and vitality from http://www.natural-humor-medicine.com/EZA4 On his website you will find tons of fun, free ways for you to maximize your sense of humor, and enjoy a life others will envy.