When asked: Chill, or Freak Out? Which would you rather? You probably choose chill. Peace, stress free…that’s what we all long for, but not many of you are enjoying that peace or lack of stress in your lives. If you want to enjoy a beautiful, optimally healthy life, full of vibrancy, this ultimately can only come from God. Don’t be fooled though, just having accepted Jesus, calling yourself Christian, or going to church, will NOT bring you peace and calm…full trust in the Lord, and His promises for you, as you diligently seek relationship with Him, spending time with Him, and being willing to obey His direction and Word….AAAAAHHHHH….
But whether you are a Believer already, or not, here are some amazing things that will help you get to enjoy some really awesome relaxation, because God allows ALL people to experience Him through everything He created…all for YOU! For your enjoyment, and to show His love for YOU: that you might wonder how it is that everything goes together so perfectly!
First, let’s define stress: It is the body’s reaction to any change that requires adjustment or response. The responses are physical, mental, and emotional.
You WILL experience stress in life, because that’s what life is all about! HOWEVER, what you need to learn to do is reduce or eliminate TOXIC STRESS!
Toxic Stress effects:
Lowers Immune system
Increases blood sugar levels
Increases Blood Pressure
Destroys nervous system
Impacts the heart and circulatory system
Causes Muscle pain and weakness
Causes Stomach pain and nausea
Intestinal upset, including diarrhea and constipation
Causes wrinkles and skin problems
In short: toxic stress makes you fat, sick, ages you greatly, and brings on an early death!
Long term toxic stress = long term mental illness (all of us experience mental illness throughout our lives, no different than physical illness or emotional pain and trauma, but that’s another post), cancer, stroke, heart attack, IBS, and all other degenerative diseases (those that develop over time).
Learning to practice how to relax and come back to calm is NOT a luxury, but an absolute necessity! And for long-term optimum health and wellness, simply apply this truth: EVERYTHING you do, think, see, hear, touch, eat and breathe in…every experience you have, either builds your health up or tears it down.
GREAT NEWS: YOU are in control of what and how you process stress and even if you end up allowing toxic stress to get to you, you can get right back on track!
Your number one weapon against toxic stress is your mind: become mindful about what you are thinking, and CHOOSE to think about the positive, the good, and what is uplifting. There is Biblical scripture for that, too! What you think about is under your control, and the more you practice thinking positive things, the more your mind will tend towards that.
Relaxation induces/promotes:
Mental, emotional, and physical balance
Lowers stress and all its effects
Lowers anxiety and depression
Lowers BP
Improves concentration and memory
Improves sleep
Enhances Immunity
Increases Creativity and IQ
Hightens spirituality/ deepens faith
You can experience calm, peace and relaxation (or the opposite), through every one of your senses.
Hearing
Sight
Touch
Taste
Smell
Mindfulness (intuition)
Everything has a signature frequency. Calming/relaxing frequencies are higher than tense/stressful frequencies.
For calm, engage Alpha, Theta, and Delta brain waves, with the following:
*Calming music, particularly in the 432 Hz and 528 Hz
*Colors: blue: increases calm, love, honesty, kindness, truth, inner peace, emotional depth and devotion
*Appropriate, meaningful touch: hugs, massage, even light stroking
*Foods (see particular specifics and types, below and more under “Top Brain and Mental Health Function” blog.
*Aromatherapy: including simple diffusion, application, adding to bath salts, etc…
** Above all, is mind and spirit
Think positive, uplifting and productive, loving thoughts, and learn how to do Biofeedback at home, by concentrating on what it is you want your body to do: slow down heart rate, lower blood pressure, calm, feel cooler, or warmer, reduce pain, work through emotional pain, etc…
Calming Foods:
Dark chocolate
Berries
Walnuts, Pecans, etc… (Omega 3’s in particular)
Asparagus
Spinach or other dark leafy greens, including dandelion greens
Salmon, sardines, and other fatty salt water fish
Citrus fruit
Avocado
Oatmeal
Green, Chamomile, Hibiscus and Lavender teas
Coffee/ Dandy Blend
Sauerkraut and other pickled foods
Extra Virgin Olive oil
MCT oil
Coconut oil (MCT is in coconut oil)
RECIPES>>>Geri’s Amazing Relaxation goodies:
Juice Plus+ Lemon Coconut Protein Bites
1 Cup JP+ Vanilla Complete
1 cup softened Almond Butter
2 tsp. lemon extract or 2-3 drops YL Lemon essential oil, mixed into honey
1/2 cup Honey
2 tsp lemon rind
1 cup Gluten Free Oats
1 cup finely grated, unsweetened coconut
Mix all ingredients together really well.
Roll into small bites. Optional: roll into coconut flakes.
OR Spread evenly into 8″ x 8″ square pan and sprinkle with coconut.
To order Juice Plus+ Complete from Geri, please go to link HERE.
Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
1 cup Raw Almond Butter
1/2 cup almond flour
1/3 cup Maple Syrup
1 egg
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup dark chocolate, broken into pieces at least 70% cacao
Preheat oven to 350
Place all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.
Chill dough for 20 minutes.
Roll 2 Tbsp of dough into balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet
Bake for 10 minutes
**Geri’s adjustments to basic recipe:
Double recipe, making 3 dz cookies
Use 1/2 Tbsp vanilla and 1/2 Tbsp Almond extract, instead of just vanilla
Add 1/2 cup pecans, coursely chopped pecans into dough
Roll dough in the pecans, before putting on parchment paper
Add a full packet of Stevia
Mix batter by hand
Chill longer, and chill in between batches, or they will stick
3 oz chocolate bar – about 1/2 cup
Leave chocolate in chunky pieces: at least 3 pieces per cookie
Calming Supplements:
Minerals (Young Living Mineral Essence)
Magnesium, in particular
Omega 3’s (Also plentiful in nuts, seeds and fatty fish)
Inulin (in plants, but adding powder adds more calm)
Sulfurzyme, by YL (Precursor to glutathione…next supplement not needed, if you take this one. Available in powder or capsule form)
Liposomal Glutathione
Fast tip to melt away stress: Take Epsom Salt foot or full body baths. Increase effectiveness and enjoyment by adding YL essential oils, 5-7 drops, per handful of Epsom Salts, and add the oils to salts, before throwing into the bath!
True meditation and relaxation brings you to an altered state of awareness, allowing you to tap into your spirit, and allows for personal growth and change. This is also where you can most directly feel and receive the love of God, and His direction for you. Living with peace and calm is a completely different way of operating that is impossible to achieve without daily practices of being good to yourself, engaging your spirit, and ultimately, seeking God!
The Bible teaches to love your neighbor as yourself…most people find it hard to love themselves. But this is part of the calming and peaceful state of being. To love yourself, you need to replace whatever negative self talk you may have been engaging in!
Find some great affirmations that speak to you. One of my favorite affirmation cards are Louise Hay’s “I Can Do It” card set. We also have a long list of “I Am” statements with scripture, which I will post separately). Take your affirmation card or statement, close your eyes, and repeat it slowly and mindfully over and over to yourself.
Find a wonderful guided meditation or simply play beautiful, soothing music, as you are being mindful and review your affirmations in a meaningful way. Apply calming/relaxing YL essential oils to the palms of your hand, activate by rubbing in clockwise motion, apply over wrists, with circular clockwise motion, put your hand over your heart, and apply over it, and over the Vagus nerve, on either side of your throat, up through behind your ears, and down to your shoulders. Then cup your hands over your mouth, gently close your eyes, breathe in deeply through your nose, open up your palms, and breathe deeply out your relaxed mouth. Keep cupping your hands for the inward breath, and opening your hands, for the exhale breath. Gently lie down if you can, or rest your back completely against your chair or couch if you are in a sitting position. Pull your breath in from the very tips of your toes to the crown of your head…in other words, very deep and long, and exhale fully, relaxing more and more into your seat or the floor, with every breath. The more you do this, the more practice you will give your emotional intelligence, and the more calm you engage, the more your body craves and wants to stay in that state. In short, the more you practice calm and relaxation, the more of it you will get to enjoy on a daily basis…in an exponential manner, and it will color your entire perception and response to stress. For those of you who are Christ followers, the more you do this, while calling on His name, the sweeter your devotional time will be with Him. Win-win for everyone!
To come out of the meditative state, slowly concentrate on waking every part of your body up, starting from the tips of your toes in your feet, all the way to the crown of your head. Give yourself a few minutes and make sure you are completely steady, before you try to sit up or get up. Chances are great that you may feel a bit dizzy, sleepy, or lightheaded. Taking a few minutes to revitalize every part of your body will leave you feeling completely refreshed, and either ready to face the day, or ready to head to sleep. The benefits of mindful relaxation and rest, through meditation, and using YL essential oils, are too numerous to list. You don’t have to be perfect at it, just start, and do it regularly…it can completely change you, and change your life!