Sacha Tarkovsky asked:


Today, life is more stressful than ever and more people are looking for natural help and Rhodiola provides a massive amount of health benefits to help us cope with stress and much more.

Add in its other benefits as an anti aging cure and its ability to boost the immune system and it’s no wonder it’s becoming so popular – Let’s look at it in more detail

Background

Known as the “golden root” in Russia where it has long been used to treat depression, stress and fatigue, Rhodolia is now gaining a worldwide following and it popularity continues to grow as our lives get more stressful.

Medical research and benefits

Research also indicates that it may help depression, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome and is also used for anti aging.

Why does it make you feel better?

Rhodiola rosea’s effects are probably due to its ability to optimize chemical balance in the neuron-transmitters of the brain namely serotonin and dopamine.

It also is able to its influence on opioid peptides such as the beta-endorphins

In one study, 76% saw a reduction in depressive symptoms and 50% percent felt their depressive symptoms had been cured.

In another study

In one double blind study, the Rhodiola group decreased proof reading errors by 88% while the other group increased proofreading errors by 84%

1. Boosts the immune system

Rhodiola rosea strengthens the immune system by reducing the effect of stress, which is known to weaken the body’s ability to defend against illness.

2. Acts as an anti aging supplement

Rhodiola boosts immune system function, rhodiola also helps the body fight conditions linked to free-radical damage, such as heart disease and mental deterioration.

3. Heart Protection

By decreasing the release of catecholamines and corticosteroids triggered during the stress response, it can help prevent cardiac damage.

Rhodiola’s support of the adrenal glands helps normalize blood sugar, potassium levels and blood pressure reducing further the risk of heart disease.

Helping you cope with modern living

Stress is the disease of the 21st century and it can very often lead to depression – both are killers and Rhodiola can help you fight back feel more alert and improve your mental wellbeing and that’s not all its benefits.

Its natural and can help you feel your best learn what the Russian’s and Vikings have known for thousands of years Rhodiola does you good.

Tim Staines asked:


Realizing the need of stress management, many experts have been continuously conducting studies in order to give people who suffer from it as many options as possible. As defined, stress management is means of managing stress using various techniques that are key in equipping people with coping mechanisms that can be effective when they undergo different types and levels of stress.

Experts say that over the years, there have been so many stress management techniques that have been developed in order to help people deal with psychological stress, physical stress, and even emotional stress. But, these stress management techniques is not tailored for all types of people. Many of these will work on other people while some of it may not be very effective or helpful to other. So, for stress management to be effective, an individual must utilize a specific technique or strategy and see if he or she can cope with various stressful circumstances.

Managing stress effectively

Stress is one thing that many people cannot live without. In fact, there are those people who use stress to fuel their drive to do something or accomplish tasks in time. Although stress can be beneficial to some people, this is not always the case for everyone because too much unmanaged stress can be detrimental to physical and psychological well being.

As defined, stress refers to an individual’s “physiological response to an internal or external stimulus that triggers the fight-or-flight response.” Meaning, it is something that is innate for people and normal once it is managed properly.

To date, there are various models of stress management that are being recommended to people who want to effectively manage their stress levels. The most common stress management models include the transactional model and the health realization or innate health model.

The transactional model says that stress that is not a direct response to a certain stressor but from other sources can be controllable. Here, the stress that a person goes through may be reduced by changing the stressors’ perceptions, thus, providing people with different strategies and techniques for them to cope up and gain back their confidence in completing tasks at hand.

Another stress management model is the health realization or innate health model which says that being stressed doesn’t always need a stressor to be felt. This model aims to help individuals that are being stressed to better understand the nature of a person’s thinking specifically in giving them the realization that to know when they are feeling stress so they will know how to overcome it and eventually reduce their stress levels.

To effectively manage stress, there are some techniques that can be used to manage it. Majority of which can help people who get stress to cope with it or even control it during crucial instances. Experts say that most of these techniques can vary depending on the theories that are being taken into consideration.

The techniques to manage stress include meditation, cognitive therapy for anxiety or clinical depression, nootropic, autogenic training, exercise, deep breathing, conflict resolution, various relaxation techniques, which include either fractional and progressive relaxation or using stress balls.

You can also use natural medication, alternative treatments that are validated by the clinic, effective time management, and through listening to certain types of music that are relaxing which include new age music and classical music.

בס”ד asked:


I’m a Jew and I’m only 13.
I don’t want to use medications because I’m only 13 and most of my depression comes from stress from schoolwork and unsolveable problems.
The problem is after I do all these things I’m just depressed again.

Dr John Anne asked:


Stress influences our life and health quite significantly. Stress can be defined as any psychological or emotional condition that leads to an overall imbalance of the system. The effect of stress can be profound. It may cause several complications ranging from simple headaches to severe heart attack.

Not all stresses are bad. When you are doing exercise you are experiencing stress, but it is temporary with a promise of health benefits if it can be performed in effective fashion. However, if you are continuing your exercise module for longer period than is actually needed, it has all the possibilities that you are welcoming some disputable stresses in your life. Hence, as it reveals, it is all in the way how you manage stress rather than how you experience it. So learning and adopting various stress management techniques in your daily life can actually make you able to manage your life with full potentiality.

Managing Stress

Typically, stress is associated with two interrelated factors. One is external and the other one is internal. External factors may include all and everything related to your physical world, the world of job, home, relation, events, diseases and others. On the other hand, internal factors determine the bodily abilities. Stress management techniques focus on alteration in the external factors contributing stress or on internal factors in terms of making them strong to deal with external ones. Now we will focus our attention on few effective stress management techniques.

Exercise

We do physical exercise because it perks up our health - not only in physical terms, but also in emotional terms. Exercise helps us to maintain a healthy balance in holistic sense. When you feel that you are physically fit and healthy, it feels good to your mind and eventually it helps to develop confidence to fight against stressful conditions.

Relaxation and Meditation

Relaxation and mediation technique are really worthy as it promotes the overall mind-body enhancement. There are a great variety of these two techniques. Some of the relaxation and meditation techniques can not be learned without any expert guidance; however, there are some that can be achieved by own effort. Here is a brief overview of some of the relaxation and meditation processes that are integral part of any standard stress management techniques.

Meditation: Since ancient ages meditation is considered as one of the best stress management techniques to acquire a total mind-body relaxation. In practice, there are more than thousands meditation techniques available, some of them can be learned by own. The meditative state is achieved when someone may have a deep focus upon the core of his own being. This is a state of absolute calmness and tranquility. A regular and structured practice can induce the same. Transcendental meditation is a particular form of meditation which has been popularized in last decades.

The primary objective of transcendental meditation is to achieve the state of transcendental awareness, the non-complex form of consciousness. Another form of meditation technique known as relaxation response is designed to inducing the opposed reaction to the stress stimuli experienced. It is effective lowering high blood pressure and other bodily stress response.

Qigong:

Originally evolved as a part of ancient Chinese health care system, Qigong offers a blend of physical activities in essence with Eastern philosophy and relaxation techniques. It may include different activities ranging from standing, walking, sitting to body massage and many others. Recognized as one of the most effective stress management techniques, Qigong demands patience, time, commitment, group cohesion, and determination.

Visual Imagery:

This is also known as guided imagery. It offers a calmness of mind and soul by using pleasant visualization through imagination. In this process, you will learn to regulate your breathing pattern in addition to visualize a soothing image in your mind. Controlling these two factors, you will gradually reach at the state of absolute relaxation. This method is easy to learn and virtually any one can take advantage of this technique. A regular practice can ensure a good control over stress.

Ashish Bhattacharya asked:


                                       Stress Management Techniques

The simple realization that you’re in control of your life is the foundation of stress management

Living with high levels of stress, can putt your entire health at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional stability, as well as your physical health. It tapers with your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life.

Causes of Stress

Stress may be because of any physical, chemical, or emotional factors that cause bodily or mental unrest and that may even cause physical sickness. Stress also has effects on the immune system. Chronic (long-term) stress has the effect of “wearing down” the immune system, leading to an increased susceptibility to colds and other infections.

Physical and chemical factors that can cause stress include trauma, infections, toxins, illnesses, and injuries of any sort. Emotional causes of stress and tension are numerous and varied.

How to Manage Stress

Stress is a daily part of our life; it would be absolutely foolish to think that we can eliminate it from our lives completely. What we can do is to manage it and not let it cripple us.

 Learn to say “no” : This is the most important step, know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept extra responsibilities that you know will cause you distress.

 Avoid people who stress you out : If someone constantly causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely. 

 Take control of your environment : Avoid environments that stress you, if traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If shopping is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online or ask someone to help out.

Avoid heated topics : If you get upset over religion or politics, avoid talking about them. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people you are bound to be stressed.

Know your limits: evaluate your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you’ve got too much on your plate, drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom or eliminate them entirely.

 Express instead of bottling up- If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and polite way. If you don’t voice your feelings, resentment will build creating unnecessary stress.

Compromise- When you ask someone to change their actions, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend a little, you’ll find a middle ground.

Be more assertive- If you need something ask for it. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them.

Manage your time better- Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you’re stretched too thin and running behind, it’s hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead, you can avoid these stress-inducing pitfalls.

Don’t try to control the uncontrollable- Many things in life are beyond our control— particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control.

Look for the Brightside- When facing major challenges; try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth.

Share your feelings- Talk to a trusted friend or a therapist. Expressing what you’re going through can be very therapeutic, even if there’s nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.

Learn to forgive- Let go of anger and resentments. Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.

Include relaxation time-Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Don’t allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.

Create a Support system- A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life

Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension.

Eat a healthy diet-  Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day.

Reduce caffeine and sugar- The temporary “highs” caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you’ll feel more relaxed and you’ll sleep better.

Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs- alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Later the stress simply piles on plus your health starts to suffer.

Get enough sleep-Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


Managing Stress is as much a physical issue as it is a psychological concern. To boost the benefits of counseling, experts of stress management and therapists keep advising their clients to get busy in any exercise training program. People who are suffering from extreme stress mostly complain of weakness, sluggishness in going about daily work and also feel that they are unable to perform to the fullest.

Let us assume that you are determined to go through a stress management exercise program, how do we begin then? If you have not been active for a long time and have been leading a sedentic life, the best way to start is by walking. It can become quite enjoyable for sure when you take pleasure in small things like noticing surroundings - the green plants around, the chirping birds, the different types of buildings, the people around etc.Walking briskly can be a good exercise and eventually you will start to feel better and less stressed.

While starting on a stress management exercising program, keep in mind that exercise trains but too much of it can strain. This means that you should work at a comfortable pace and level. If you overburden yourself, there are chances that you will get more stressed than before. You should exercise at a level and frequency that you enjoy and become healthier rather than causing harm to yourself. Have fun while running and enjoy every movement of your body without any strain .

You don’t need to be a professional runner to achieve the beneficial effects of stress management program. In fact, researchers have proved that any physical exercise of moderate nature 30-40 minutes daily gives many health benefits. By moderate, we mean exercises like cycling, gardening, brisk walking and performing household chores.

Since physical exercise requires good concentration, you will have no time to think about your problems. This will slowly rid you off the stress eventually. This is called a type of selective awareness.

Strenuous exercise can provide even better results and benefits. To obtain cardiovascular benefits from strenuous exercises, the heart rate should be raised to 60%-80% level.

For example, if your age is 30 years, your target heart rate should be 190 beats/minute. You should adapt your self to your training program so that heart rate during exercise is between 60%-80% of 190 beats/minute or in other words between 114-152 beats/minute.

For the desired results of the training program, you should exercise 20-30 minutes for 3-4 days every week. Since cardio respiratory endurance decreases after 48 hrs, you must ensure that you exercise at least three days in a week. You can schedule your exercise in your daily routine in a manner comfortable to you. This way, you will approach it like a commitment that has to be kept and will be more than ready to exercise rather than finding excuses to exercise when you get time and putting it off continuously for a later date.

Managing stress through training can benefit everyone. People who go through such program are able to relieve stress through exercise even if they have problems like physical disability, shortage of time or low level of fitness. To assess and properly find out how your body is responding to specific types of exercises, learn to listen to the body. The following are the signs of over exhaustion and give you signals to cut down on your exercise routine.

- Muscle and joint Soreness

- Feeling of heavy in arms and legs

- Not able to relax

- Continuously feeling tired

- Bad appetite

- Under weight

- Problem such as Constipation and diarrhea

- Repeatedly getting injured

American College for Sports Medicine advices that testing should be done before starting any exercise program. They suggest that for healthy people below 45 years, and people below 35 years with some health risk factors but negligible symptoms of disease, a stress test is not mandatory. However, those over 45 years and showing some symptoms of diseases (cardiac, metabolic, pulmonary) and those actually having one of these types of diseases must be given a stress test before they start managing stress through training program.

Carefree Alpaca! asked:


My tv just went out, I’ve got an essay due on Monday, and my job isn’t going very well. On top of that, my dad’s girlfriend is really annoying.

I’m really stressed out, and I’m anxious because I can’t thing of anything to write for my essay. I need ways to deal with stress.

Medication never works well, and dealing with these problems is difficult for me. The most helpful person will get 10 points…

Raymond Lee asked:


You can’t rid stress from your life completely, but you can reduce it. Know that it takes some effort because you may have to make changes in your attitude and lifestyle. Reducing stress requires that you know how you react to stress. If you know, you can change your behavior. Try to be more optimistic and assertive. See the glass as half full instead of half empty (and tell someone who disagrees that that’s the way you see things). Also, develop a strategy for handling stressful situations. This way, you won’t be caught off guard.

Here are the helpful tips:

1. Add good nutrition and exercise

When your body is healthy, it can better stand up to stress. Keep your body healthy and strong with nutritious foods. A low-fat diet helps slow the progress of some stress-related diseases. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.

2. Laugh

Laughter may be one of the healthiest antidotes to stress. When you laugh or, just smile, the blood flow to the brain is increased. It is due to the release of endorphins which results a drop in the level of stress hormones.

3. Be social

When you feel stress, your instincts tell you to isolate yourself. When you withdraw, you allow yourself to concentrate more on the problem, which makes your stress level greater. Call friends. Be around with young children, who can help make you forget yourself and your worries. Do volunteer work.

4. Know your stress personality

Do you know how to react to stress? Do you yell and kick the furniture? Or do you retreat into stony silence? Keep a stress diary for two weeks. Make note of any stressor, the time, place, and day it occurs, how you feel (angry, defeated, tired, overwhelmed), and what you do as a result. By knowing your own personality and triggers, you can learn to respond to stress before you reach crisis mode.

5. Make your job work for you

The real cause of job-related stress is not overwork but lack of personal control. Interestingly, the most stressful positions are not at the top. Workers in high-demand, low-control positions, such as computer operators and sales personnel, are more heart-attack prone than CEOs, who have a high degree of control in their jobs. Although you probably can’t change your company’s culture by yourself, you can change the way you react to stress at work.

Participate as actively as possible. Ask and answer questions, attend company meetings and events, and be sure you speak up in the workplace. Support your coworkers. Good relationships with peers and a respectful boss help you feel more in control of your job. But no matter how good things are at work, there is bound to be an upsetting event. What do you so then?

Try counting to ten before you react, which helps to avoid conflict. And the pause can help you regain a sense of control.

And finally, if you know you are in the wrong job, accept the fact and consider improving your skills so that you can change jobs.



6. Get enough sleep

Probably one of the most important things that you can do for yourself is get enough sleep. Sleep helps your body replenish and maintain cells, fortifies your immune system, filters out toxins, and relaxes your muscles. Develop a daily sleep routine that signals your mind that it is time to sleep (for example, take a warm bath before bed). Don’t drink alcohol or caffeine, and don’t smoke because these substances contain chemicals that stimulate your mind.



7. Mind-Body Technique

Teaching your body to flex and relax its muscles is a good way to release stored tension, which relieve stress. Allot at least 15 to 30 minutes of relaxation time. Be sure to practice this relaxation technique when you know that you will not be disturbed, and take the phone off the hook. After the session is over, gently stretch your body, allowing yourself to slowly come out of the relaxed state.

wish upon a star asked:


Can they be taken for a short time or just when needed so i don’t become addicted?

~*Godz_ANGEL*~ asked:


i’m just basically stressed out with school, home and other stuff.