Archives From The Desk of CJD
I’m finding small ways to lower stress and enhance my calm such as meditating. I would suggest a minimum of 2 minutes in a quiet spot and focus on breathing, nothing else.
I use my Android’s built in timer but you can simply use whatever is convenient. Try it!
I had mentioned in a previous article about my desire to relieve stress from my world. I wanted to share some tools I have discovered that may be useful to others. I started off with my basic issue of sleep deprivation and discovered some great apps for my iPod Touch. These apps are mostly sound-based such as WhiteNoise which plays a variety of background noise such as wind chimes, rainfall, airplane travel and more. Another discovery and one that was a little awkward to get use to is iBrainWave which allows you to “tune your brain”. It is a binaural brain stimulator by playing constant tones at frequencies you choose, you can sleep, meditate, or relax. If you need energy, just simply raise the megahertz frequency.
I have even downloaded a few yoga and meditation apps to guide my breathing, posture, stretching and body/mind relaxation. I’ve even downloaded a few relaxation/meditation podcasts that incorporate verbal instruction as well as soothing music to help relieve stress.
Perhaps as a new year resolution to self I will pursue light yoga as a means to stretch and relax my body more. In the past I will admit I had had reservations about these techniques but when I hear of professional athletes using these as a means to stay healthy in addition to their workouts…well, it deserves consideration. I will avoid all references to Eastern spiritualism as I know it is not relevant in my world. Instead I will probably meditate on God’s Word just as the writers of Psalms instruct.
I’ll be honest when I say that this is an endeavor I will struggle with and could use some support and guidance. How do you manage your stress?