Thursday 19 SEPTEMBER 2002 (THE SUN) by Julian Aloysius Leicester Julian A. Leicester explains the importance of spring cleaning the mind as a way to de-stress and cope with our hectic lifestyle.
I am sitting and having a chat with a friend in a mamak stall in Bangsar last week. when he asked me this question. "Does hypnosis help in relieving stress? The stress at my work and the lifestyle in the city is so hectic that it it eating me alive!"
Stress is the reaction of the autonomic nervous system. Every action or reaction comes from stress. Some stress is good because it motivates us to grow. Everyone reacts differently to stress. Stress is like a ride on a roller coaster. There are those at the front of the car, hands over heads, clapping, who are eager to go on again, and those at the back, cringing, wondering how they got into this nd how soon the ride is going to be over.
Too much stress can cause emotion breakdowns, fatigue, headaches, irritability, sleep disorder and the list goes on and on. In fact, stress contributes to all mental and physical illness and disease. Since control of all circumstances surrounding stress is impossible, it is necessary to handle the circumstances that you can. Changing to a better diet and getting the proper vitamins, minerals, supplements, rest and exercise can help control stress.
On an emotional level, learning to balance life between family, work, spiritually, community, intimacy and self-esteem with realistic goals and expectations can minimise stress. The best defence against stress is a positive attitude. Living in the moment and flowing with life is a better way to control stress than fighting against it.
So are you coping well with stress? Think of your body as a car. Your heart is the engine, your backbone the axle and suspension, your muscle the transmission and your legs and arms the wheels. The difference is that the body has a built in driver which we call the brain and nervous system. So what happens when the driver starts maing mistakes?
We rarely have to worry about our survival, as our primitive ancestors had to do, but everyday, we have worries that can be perceived as a threat to our lives - bills, the struggle to hold down a job and cope with personal and professional responsibilities can provoke enough worry to trigger a build-up of emotions that leads inevitably to stress oevrload.
So how does hypnosis help in relieving stress? Hypnosis is a great and effective too to very quickly help you relax without any pep-talks. I have conducted many corporate stress workshops with hypnosis to help staff relax yet stay in a highly positive state.
All hypnosis is self-hypnosis, and almost everyone can use and do self-hypnosis. Since everyone is different, each person will experience hypnosis in his or her own particular way. I believe that the only limits to self-hypnosis are the limits you to place upon yourself. We have read alot about the mind-body connection, but what really is this connection? We can use self-hypnosis to access this connection to help reach our goals of health, well-being, success and mental edge.
Relaxation plays a key role in stress reduction. Deep breathing, time off, aromatherapy, hobbies, yoga, tai chi, massage, meditation and self-hypnosis can help keep stress in check. When you wake up, you brush your teeth to keep in clean. When you have your bath, you keep your body clean. How about removing the debris in your mind daily so that you are more in control of daily stress? To believe that your mind never needs a spring cleaning would be like never cleaning your house. Relax and live.
- Julian A. Leicester
