Rescu. spoke to Dr Bob Goldman, author of The Official Anti-Ageing Revolution: Stop the Clock Time is On Your Side, and asked him to share with us his 20 tips that will help lower the level of stress in our lives and keep us looking and feeling young and enjoying life.1. Get a regular medical check up. Not only can checkups be comforting if the doctor confirms that you’re in good health, but they are also an indispensable method of preventing any minor health problems from becoming worse.
2. Tie the knot! Studies show that married people are healthier than single people. In fact, married people have been reported to reduce their risk of illness, accidents, and death by up to 50 percent!
3. Take a siesta – that is, a short nap. These twenty-to thirty-minute naps are best taken midday, since it is at this time that the body’s metabolism is at its lowest.
4. Spend high-quality time with friends. Social relationships are not only fun, they’re necessary for good mental health, as well. When our internal resources are depleted, the comfort of close friends can help lessen our worries and burdens.
5. Become more spiritual, either through an organised religion or through your own personal meditations. People who are affiliated with religious or spiritual groups are usually tapped into three powerful stress reducers: forgiveness, hop, and understanding.
6. Adopt a pet. Various studies have shown pet owners to live not only longer lives, but happier, more fulfilled lives as well, and like human friends, a pet can show devotion and bring necessary companionship, closeness, and comfort to anyone’s life.
7. Take up a hobby or develop a new interest. A daily planner or a daily list of “things to do” cannot only be productive but can reduce our risk of trying to do too many things at once, thus burning ourselves out physically and mentally.
8. Use of time-management techniques. A daily planner or a daily list of “things to do” cannot only be productive but can relieve stress as well. By listing what we need to accomplish, we reduce our risk trying to do too many things at once, thus burning ourselves out physically and mentally.
9. Examine your surroundings. If you feel the source of your stress is coming from where you live, for example, a major city or urban area, you might want to consider moving to a calmer, quieter place of residence. However, if moving is not an option, perhaps forming a closer sense of community with your neighbours may help ease some of the stresses related to your living situation.
10. Think outside the box. Sometimes something as simple as a mere change in the way we think about things can help reduce stress in our lives. For example, start perceiving your commute to work- be it by train, plane or automobile- as an opportunity to relax, reflect, prepare, or meditate, rather than an aggravation.
11. Keep a careful check on your finances. Money, whether we have too little or too much, can become a huge emotional strain. Be prudent and be smart. Try to realise that you have value and quality as a human being.
12. Practice the art of meditation and relaxation. Studies have shown that people who take time out of the day to devote to these activities have lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of heart disease.
13. Smile! Scientist have actually discovered a connection between facial muscles used when smiling and an area of the brain that release “feel-good” neurochemicals.
14. Get moving. Exercising more will not only lower your anxiety levels, but will also decrease any feelings of depression and low self-esteem.
15. Change your diet. Perhaps the extra pounds you’re carrying around is adding to the extra internal or mental pounds you’ve been carrying as well. A healthy change in diet will help you feel more alive, more energised, and happier overall.
16. Cut back on alcohol consumption. While many people view alcohol as way to escape from stress, it never reduces it. In reality, drinking more than two ounces of alcohol daily has been show to raise blood pressure, inflame tempers, damage brain cells, and eventually increase stress levels.
17. Stop smoking! By quitting right now, you can significantly improve your current state of health and live a longer life. Quitters can expect to notice improved lung function within days, a decreased risk of coronary heart disease within a year, and a diminished risk for cancer within three years.
18. Think positive. You may not want to be an eternal optimist, but do try to avoid being a perpetual pessimist. For maximum stress control, try being a little bit of both, so as neither to overextend yourself nor to become a total cynic.
19. Learn to express your anger positively and respectfully. Don’t scream or act hostile. Positive anger can actually help us change stress into strength; destructive anger, on the other hand, when turned inward can lead to stroke, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
20. Feel good about yourself. Convert feelings of low self-esteem, not into forms of stress but into forms of strength. Everyone experiences personal defeats and losses, and a key element to stress reduction is not to allow these setbacks to control our lives.
For more information on Dr Goldman visit www.a5m.net
