Holiday Stress Relief: 3 Jolly Tips!

Sleigh bells ring and are you listening? If you are, you might also hear the sound of grinding teeth and breaking glass! Although the holidays can be a time of great happiness for many, it can provoke unpleasant emotional responses in others. Holiday stress relief involves active measures you can take in order to keep an even keel during this time of year.

Watch Your Expectations. A central tenet of stress management is that it is not events or problems that cause stress, rather it is our response to these stimuli. We know this is true since two people can find themselves in identical situations and yet have radically different responses. A potential problem with the holidays is that it can seem like you or the people around you “must” or “should” be deliriously happy or else something is wrong. Better to take the accepting attitude of “it is what it is,” which takes the pressure off somewhat and makes it more likely you will enjoy yourself. You cannot browbeat your self or others into having a good time.

Remember the Original Meaning of the Holidays. In the Judeo-Christian traditions, the holidays (holy + days) were set aside as a time to give thanks and appreciation. In modern culture with our over-emphasis on being competitive and materialistic, the holidays can turn into another opportunity to make negative comparisons. So what if the next door neighbor can afford more stuff than you? Focus on what you have, not what is lacking and you will feel infinitely richer. Anyway, what kind of monetary value can be placed on love, friendship or the health of yourself and your loved ones?

Take Active Physical Health Measures. A lot of the holiday blues, at least here in North America, can be attributed to the time of year itself. We get fewer hours of sunlight and when the weather turns cold and wet many of us become less willing to venture outside. Most heating systems tend to dry out the air and us as well. Also, consumption of refined sugars (candy, baked goods, alcohol) usually increases because of all the holiday parties. Combine less sunlight and fresh air with mild dehydration and a load of empty calories, and you have the recipe for a serious case of the holiday blahs. Consider getting full spectrum light bulbs for your home and workplace. Bundle up and get outdoors-during the daylight hours if possible. And remember you lose a lot of moisture through respiration in the winter, keep drinking your water. It can be helpful too to keep a bottle or glass of water on hand at holiday parties and intersperse a few swigs with the various goodies.

James Malone is a Certified Hypnotist from Point Pleasant, NJ and he truly believes that friends don’t let friends eat fruitcake during the holidays-or any other time of year for that matter. To learn more about stress reduction please visit the New Jersey Hypnotist Web Site.

Bodybuilding Hypnosis: Mind Over Muscle

Those rugged individuals who pursue bodybuilding and other strength related sports are known to be a group bordering on the fanatical-and they often cross over that boundary. Whether it is a new diet or exercise regimen, they are always on the lookout for whatever will give them the extra edge. Bodybuilding hypnosis is another tool that can have considerable potency.

Contrary to the image of hypnotism in funny stage shows or scary movies, a hypnotized person does not become unconscious or out of control. Rather it is a relaxed state of awareness where an individual learns to better activate his full mental and physical potential.

Clinical hypnosis is often used to help people successfully overcome fear, pain, lack of confidence, stress and unwanted habits. There are also three primary areas where hypnosis can help the bodybuilder as well, these being relaxation, breaking past barriers and maintaining focus.

Relaxation. As every strength athlete knows, muscle is actually built during the resting phase. Exercise that progressively increases in intensity places stress on the muscle fibers. During rest the body adapts by making them larger and stronger in preparation for future challenges. Although regular exercise is a great stress-buster, it is a rare individual who can relax deeply and completely at will. A lack of sleep and rest interferes with the hormonal system’s ability to respond to stress; dampening energy, immunity and yes, muscular development. Hypnosis has a well deserved reputation for helping people to develop deep relaxation skills.

Breaking past barriers. Are the limits on your potential solely physical or is there a mental aspect involved as well? Sports history tells us the story of Sir Roger Bannister, the first human to run a mile in under four minutes. Prior to that, many “experts” proclaimed that this feat was impossible and possibly life-threatening. What is most interesting is that after Bannister smashed that barrier, several other runners followed suit soon after. Nothing had changed about them physically. Rather the collective belief system of those athletes had undergone a transformation for the better. Hypnosis enables you to overcome self-imposed limitations. Maybe your potential is greater than you have suspected?

Increasing focus. It has been noted that successful people are usually both confident and intently focused on what they truly want. The word “confident” itself is derived from the Latin for “with faith.” If you can persistently focus on a compelling goal image, your behaviors will unconsciously change in order to turn that picture into reality. Most people lack focus and are vague as to what they want out of life or from their training routine for that matter. As a result their efforts tend to be scattered and inconsistent. Is it that you want greater size, strength or definition? A few minutes spent every day relaxing and focusing on your desired outcomes will pay handsome dividends.

If mind over matter is possible, certainly mind over muscle is as well and should be considered when putting together a well-rounded training program.

James Malone is a Certified Hypnotist from Point Pleasant, New Jersey and is also the publisher of the wildly popular Creative Calm Online Newsletter. He realizes that you would probably kick sand in his face (and deservedly so) if he were to suggest that hypnosis could replace proper diet and exercise when it comes to building your ideal physique. But what if it gave you an added 5% edge in your performance over the next year, would you be interested? You may wish to learn more about his Mind Over Muscle audio program.