Stress Techniques

Quick Stress Relief Tips…

March 1, 2020 by Carol Leave a Comment

Trying to find the time to implement stress relief techniques can be stressful itself, so I wanted to share with you some quick stress releasing ideas. It really doesn’t take long to shift your energy and calm your nervous system and access a sense of relaxation and peacefulness. Here are a few of my favorite, very quick stress releasing tricks.

#1 – EXHALE… A few focused, deep breaths can shift your mood in a moment. Exhaling slowly stimulates the Parasympathetic part of the nervous system, the part that calms and nourishes our system. Inhaling stimulates the Sympathetic part, the part that controls the Fight or Flight response. Think about the difference between a quick gasp and adrenalin surge when you are startled, vs. a long, slow sigh of relief…

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A New Year and a New Bridge…

January 11, 2012 by Carol Leave a Comment

I am so pleased and relieved to be beginning the new year with a new bridge connecting my home and office to the outside world. Enjoying the simple pleasures of pulling into my driveway to unload groceries instead of carting them over the footbridge and though the mud in a wheelbarrow, the security of getting a fuel delivery at last, and being able to turn on the heat…

Since Hurricane Irene destroyed our bridge, I have been pondering the metaphoric significance of bridges in my life. Bridges as connection, as links, as the pathway from one place or state to another… What does it mean when connections are suddenly severed? How do we adapt to unexpected events that change how we live our lives? How we feel safe when the structures that we rely upon are taken away?

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Giving It Over – Do I Really Have To Do It All Myself?

July 4, 2011 by Carol Leave a Comment

I just found a computer program that creates a fancy To Do list for me and I felt an immediate sense of relief. How much mental energy do we use just trying to remember all the myriad details of life? And how relaxing it is to stop keeping track and give it over to someone or something else?

Giving it over is a powerful concept; acknowledging that we can’t and don’t have to do it all, that something else is there to the burden off of our shoulders. Any process of connecting to our higher self, to spirit, God, a higher power – whether in meditation, contemplation, prayer, dance, chanting, Yoga, or your favorite mode is a way of giving over, and letting go of the illusion that we are in this alone and have to do everything ourselves.

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How Do I Fit Meditation Into My Busy Life?

May 31, 2011 by Carol 1 Comment

The question I hear most frequently is “how do I find time to meditate? I’m stressed enough already, trying to find time to meditate is even more stressful!” Life seems busier, more rushed, more full of stuff to do every year. So how do we find extra time to do the things that will, theoretically, make us feel calmer, more relaxed, more centered?

It used to be with meditation, the longer the better. Now, in the age of tweeting, texting and shortening attention spans, people want something short and sweet. And actually, I think that’s just fine…

We are no longer in the days of retiring to a mountaintop to contemplate the Universe.

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crisis and opportunity..

September 9, 2010 by Carol 1 Comment

A young friend of mine recently got involved with a young woman who lied to him about being over 18, and her father had him arrested for Statutory Rape. And in one moment, he was abruptly shifted from living his life, filled with hope and possibility and a future, to living in a frozen space of fear and uncertainty. Fear is like that – it can sneak up in an instant, flooding your veins with icy panic, and filling your energy field with a dark fog.

The fear is palpable around him now, and I watch him desperately trying to see his life as he knew it, through the fog that surrounds him. Pat, “spiritual” answers like “trust the Universe” and “change your vibration” are less than meaningless to him. In the midst of my fear and concern for him, can I hold that space of trust? Can I hold my vision of his future, hold the vibration of safety for him?

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Marci Shimoff on Happiness

September 13, 2009 by Carol Leave a Comment

Marci Shimoff is the opening speaker this Tuesday when the fall 2009 series of “Profound Paths to Health, Healing and Happiness” teleseminar series begins. Her book “Happy for No Reason” is a beautifully crafted piece of work; insightful, empowering and full of simple tools to shift your perspective on life and happiness. Marci and I spoke about our mutual philosophy that there is no one right way, no one perfect path to happiness, health or anything else! We share a belief in the uniqueness of each person, and the importance of finding the path that is right for you.

We bring all these different teachers and practitioners together in this series in the hopes that each of you will find someone or something that resonates, that gives you that “yes, I can do that, that feels right to me” feeling. In her book, she offers a multitude of tools and ideas with the same intent. I hope you enjoy our conversation, and find at least one thing that says “YES!” in your heart. Check back here for more thoughts, and feel free to share your feedback and ideas as well.

Yours in Happiness, Carol