Showing posts with label Battling Stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Battling Stress. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Hobbies To Relieve Stress - 3 Cool Tips

The modern world is an amazing place to live. It is filled with all kinds of technological advances that promise to make our lives easier, yet far too many of us succumb to stress and illnesses associated with that stress. Perhaps it's because all of this technology is constantly bombarding and distracting us so we never get a chance to truly relax, and end up feeling overwhelmed instead. But worrying about stress only makes the problem worse, but the good news is that there are several ways to relieve stress.

Some people want to know if hobbies relieve stress. That's a fair question, and the answer may surprise you. The truth is that choosing the wrong hobby can only make you more stressed than if you didn't have one in the first place. Here are some things you should consider before deciding on a hobby that's a good match for you:

1. The best hobbies are those that will help you not think about the obligations and responsibilities you have in your life, at least for a while. After all, picking a hobby that only makes you more tense isn't going to be all that effective. For example, a lot of people like to golf as their hobby. Now this may be fine for some, but if you're too competitive, then what would be a leisurely game of golf for others will turn into a stressful situation for you of you are down by a few strokes. Furthermore, golf tends to be a bit expensive, so if money problems are causing stress in your life, then an expensive hobby doesn't make a lot of sense.

2. Find a hobby that you can enjoy from beginning to end. Going back to golf for a moment, it has the advantage of being pleasurable from the first hole until the last (assuming it fits in with your personality and budget). Something like gardening can be a good choice, too. It gets you outside just about every day, and you can enjoy your hobby, then when it comes time to harvest, you can also enjoy all of the fruits of your labor.

3. Moving beyond the norm is a great stress reliever for a lot of people. The very act of learning something new forces you to focus on it, and that means your focus is not on the things that are causing you stress. There is also the added benefit of enriching your life in some way, which can actually help you cope with stress even when you're not engaged in your hobby.

So, the answer to the question "do hobbies relieve stress?" is "yes, so long as you choose the right ones." The cool thing is that there are so many different hobbies out there, that there is sure to be a few that are a good match for you.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Magnet Therapy For Battling Stress

We may be familiar with the use magnet therapy for relieving pain, especially by those who suffer from osteoarthritis. Surprisingly, magnet therapy could also be used to relieve or reduce stress. In a fast paced life, which is very common nowadays, stress is inevitable. Unmanaged, stress could affect our work, social relationships and even our health.

1. Magnet Therapy

In ancient civilizations like those of found in China, Egypt, India and Greece, magnets are already used to heal different forms of illnesses. When thinking about magnet therapy, magnets used are different from those we have on our refrigerator doors. Household magnets, like those in fridge, only have 10 gauss (used in measuring magnet power). What we use in magnet healing is magnets with 400 to 1000 gauss. We need to use stronger magnets since it is important to reach organs and different elements like boron, cobalt and samarium.

With magnetic healing, the magnets are in close contact with the problem area. Injuries, pain and inflammation can be a cause of electromagnetic induction. The intention is to regularize or return the body to its balanced condition.

Aside from using a tape or bandage to keep the magnet in place, there are also magnetic products which can be used daily, like shoe insoles, head inserts, mattress, and magnetic jewelries like bracelet, necklaces, rings, and earrings. There are also therapists who would use hand-held magnets and move them around the body or specific areas that need treatment.

2. Stress

There are different causes of stress: major causes could be financial troubles, work related issues, family, relationships woes, and death. But whatever the reason is, stress effects could be serious without management. There are different studies showing that stress could weaken your immune system, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart diseases and even in some cases, cancer.

Alternative methods like magnet therapy are among the popular choices for reducing stress. Aside from little or no side effects, there are different studies showing that natural healing actually reap results. An example would be the use of four magnets on the back. Just place the magnets on the points below the shoulder blade and one to two inches to the side from the spine line.

How effective are these methods?

There are studies conducted in National Institute of Mental Health along with national Institute of Neurological Disorders and stroke and National Institute for Health on how repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) was able to improve the mood of several patients. In fact, there is a middle-aged patient who reported an improvement in her disposition, something she has not experienced for the last three years.

Stress is not the only thing that magnet therapy can manage or address. There are several anecdotal reports sharing that Tibetan monks use magnets to relieve depression. To support these reports, there are studies conducted at the Menninger Clinic.

What makes magnet therapy an ideal cure, according to proponents and those who use it, is that it is natural. It does not compromise the body in the long run. However, magnetic products encourage those who would use it for the first time to consult their physician first. In addition, magnet therapy tries not only to treat the symptoms of the disease, but the root cause of the problem.