“Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There's going to be stress in life,

but it's your choice whether you let it affect you or not."

– Valerie Bertinelli

Psychological stress is something that everyone will experience in their life, and if they tell you otherwise they are probably lying. Humans experience stress as a result of our body's flight-or-flight response. When presented with a potentially harmful or negative experience, certain biochemical changes occur within our bodies that results in stress.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people who suffer from regular, high levels of stress resort to prescription drugs to mask the problem. These drugs may offer some initial relief, but it's usually short lived -- not to mention the potential for adverse side effects associated with the drugs. If you suffer from psychological stress, try the following techniques to harmonize your life.

How Stress Affects Your Health

Think stress only affects your mind? Think again. According to the American Institute of Stress, 77% of U.S. adults experience physical symptoms caused by stress. These symptoms may include fatigue, muscle cramps, elevated blood pressure (hypertension / prehypertension), teeth grinding, increased perspiration, skin blemishes and more.

Stress may even shorten your lifespan. According to a study published in NaturalNews, stress can lower a person's lifespan by four to eight years, depending on how they handle it.

Ways to Relieve Stress Without Drugs

  1. Find a quiet area in your home to mediate. Contrary to what some people may believe, you don't need any special training or education to mediate. Just close your eyes and perform slow, deep breaths while keeping your thoughts focused on a central element.
  2. Practice yoga. Yoga isn't just for improving your flexibility. It can also relief stress and anxiety. A German study found that women who were "emotionally distressed" experienced 30% lower stress levels after practicing yoga twice weekly for three months. Yoga has also been shown to ward off depression and improve mood.
  3. Get plenty of sleep.  Sleep and stress go hand in hand. When your don't get enough sleep at night, your body's hormones are thrown off balance, resulting in increased production of stress hormones like cortisol. By getting a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night, you'll promote a healthier hormone balance, which should in turn reduce stress.
  4. Seek the services of a professional hypnotherapist. Yet another effective drug-free way to reduce stress and anxiety is hypnotherapy. There's an underlying cause of stress that must be acknowledged and addressed if you want to regain full control of your life. Hypnotherapy can accomplish this by unraveling the layers of your stress and re-training your brain to view it from a different perspective.

Get the support you need to make important life changes. If you would like to complement your therapy with an alternative treatment option (or need a place to start), you might consider trying hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy can help you sort out your feelings and give you the courage and strength you need to move on with your life, set new goals, and rebuild an always damaged self-esteem.

Call for your FREE consultation. No pressure. No obligation. Let me help you decide where you are on this issue.