Not too long ago, it used to be thought that our minds resided in the head, completely different and separate from the body. But science has shown otherwise. Our whole body is intelligent and works as a complete system, so integrated with our feelings and thoughts that they cannot really be separated, except artificially.

With this in mind it is easy to see how our state of mind can bear a direct relationship to our overall health and feeling of well-being and how it can have a deep connection to painful symptoms in the body, from headaches to  chronic illness

The Stories We Tell

We are not stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed because of the economy, our partners, or challenges at work, but because of the stories we tell ourselves in our minds about these circumstances. Emotions can sometimes get out of control and take over, dimming our normal rational responses to things. As a result, automatic stressor related responses from our bodies end up compromising the immune system with the result that we can develop all kinds of aches and pains.

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The Listening Body

This type of compromising body reaction usually occurs when we feel unable to handle what is in front of us at any particular time, or when it seems that the situations we confront are too many to cope with all at one go. We tend to get overwhelmed by our worries and fears. When we continuously keep worrying over events, what generally happens is that our bodies perceive this condition as a continual "threat" and reacts to it in the same way as it would to an actual physical attack. It does this by prioritizing and sending all its resources to what is most "vital" for a fight or flight response.

All of this at the expense of servicing the rest of our body which is ultimately deprived of what it needs to flourish

Cravings

An important part of dealing with stressful circumstances and taking care of the body, is to recognize and manage any stress-induced cravings. There is often a reduction in energy levels which could leave you facing cravings for sugary foods, alcohol, tobacco and so on in an effort to get a quick energy boost or for comfort. If you get into the habit of responding to these cravings automatically in this way you may end up creating a dependency on these substances that, in turn, causes additional strain on the body system.

And after a ‘sugar’ high or coffee ‘hit’ you are also more prone to having a ‘low’ afterwards and this may trigger the craving for another ‘shot’ or lead the way into a sinking into depression. The cycle then may spiral downwards and lead to consequent  physical complications, such as symptoms of back pain, neck and shoulder pain, headaches, constricted blood vessels and heart problems and many more.

How Do We Protect Our Health From The Cumulative Effects?

When we constantly react to our environment in a stressful way our consciousness of what is taking place can get numbed out whilst at the same time the body is being constantly put under pressure to stay in ‘survival response’ mode. So we have learned to ignore the signals at a conscious level and left the body to cope alone.

We are not relaxed, muscles remain tense, ready for flight, This explains how we can sometimes find ourselves in pain, with aching or stiff muscles or feel irritated and tired even though on the surface it seems that nothing has really happened. In fact pain is often the body’s way of saying ‘wake up’ to what’s happening. It is trying to communicate something and it is up to you to respond

Awareness is Key to Recovery.

Practise being aware of what is going on in your head and your body, without getting caught up in the drama. If you are going through a particularly stresful time, learn to acknowledge the thoughts and emotions associated with it, where you are tense in your body and when you feel most relaxed. When you witness and accept an unhealthy thinking process as it is, with compassion and without being over-involved it actually can empower you to then make better choices for yourself to move through and beyond. As you do this you will find your body starts to relax and the symptoms of physical pain start to subside. The body is esentially wired for health so if you cooperate with it and listen, you are less likely to develop painful conditions and illnesses

Management Of Mental and Physical Well Being.

Prolonged periods of emotionaly stressful responses can ultimately lead to chronic depression and physical complications that can eventually even cause death if not managed adequately.

What to do to relieve stress. Having quality, relaxing and fun time for yourself is of the utmost importance and this needs to be scheduled into your regular program.

Gather the support of loved ones, join a meditation class or listen to relaxation CD’s. Get some exercise and redirect or channel your anger and frustration through dance or squash or walks in the park. Watch funny movies and comedy programs and maybe even write a journal to allow your feelings and thoughts to be expressed and let go of.

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One thing that all people have is their emotions. For some people these emotions are more easily displayed. Some emotions are good for a person especially when displayed like happiness. Some people show emotions of excitement and happiness. Other people tend to show more sadness or more anger than happiness. All people have emotions and they usually express it but sometimes they get out of hand. Anger is one of those emotions.

Anger management

As you have read in this article anger can be dangerous and detrimental to family life. In my practice doing anger management in San Diego I have seen the effects it can have on a family. It could make living with the person very uncomfortable. It could make everybody afraid to say the wrong thing. It can turn a place of safety into a place where there is always negativity and anger. The place of safety I’m referring to is our homes.

Depression

It may be surprising but anger sometimes stems from an emotional issue like depression. Whatever reason it may be but the case is that this person is depressed. Often times it leads to anger when some problems seem unsolvable or there is no way out. That is why I advice everyone feeling depression to seek a depression counselor. It is best to stop something before it escalates into something worse. Because sometimes it just does not lead into anger but into something where they eventually hurt themselves.

Either way these two emotions whether they stem from each other have to be dealt with. If you let either keep going it can get worse. It will destroy your relationship with your family. It can destroy relationships. Being a family therapist in San Diego I stress the importance of good relationships in family life. So I stress to you that any kind of emotional issues be dealt with immediately. Sometimes it is hard to go to someone for help. But this would prove to be very helpful in the long run especially for the person affected.

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One of the main causes of the stressful life that most of us experience at some time in our lives is down to how we interpret an event, or what meaning we attribute to it. An event doesn’t just ‘happen’ to us, we respond in a specific, usually learned, way

If we see these events in a negative light it can cause a downward negative spiral which leaves us feeling stressed and exhausted and if it continues for any length of time, depressed too.

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The major cause of being stressed in our lives is the emotions we have attached ourselves to and have then found hard to let go of.  Emotional Freedom Techniques  are a newly discovered approach to release yourself from stressful reactions and the negative emotions that have taken hold and hindered your psychological, as well as ultimately your physical, well-being.

How EFT Works

Whenever we think of an unpleasant experience that we have gone through, we produce negative emotions that cause a disturbance in the flow of energy around the body.

The technique of  EFT Tapping  whilst at the same time holding your focus on the specific problem at hand helps to restore the previously disrupted energy flow.

Even though the original experience, which led to the energy disrupton or bockage, can still be accessed the link between it and a negative response has dissolved and so recall no longer leads to stress or anger.

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Benefits of EFT

From the above brief explanation, we can see that the major benefit is that EFT relieves stress and frees us from anxiety and associated physical problems. The  EFT therapy tapping technique  helps to dissipate an energy block that has led to a block in healthy flow and functioning and kept the ‘darker view’ in place. As a result of this
emotional freedom, our body can function more easily and efficiently and our overall performance in life ameliorates. We are able to feel well, relaxed and healthy

Major conditions

EFT is a technique or energy therapy that is used to help us heal from the intense emotional reverberations caused by Trauma such as forms of physical abuse, as well as treating rather specific fears like proclaimed phobias and extreme self consciousness. In this way we can become free of say, the fear associated with having a loving relationship or public speaking, or flying, or speaking to the boss about a rise and so on.

Mental Health

By the same method, EFT improves mental health as it treats distressing conditions such as depression or dwelling anger. This helps create a clearer view on life by introducing some clarity our whole system. As the anger or depression recedes, something else comes in to fill the gap and this can be more  positive feelings  and a more relaxed attitude. The result of this is a kind of ‘knock on’ effect on the body in terms of better health as the feel good hormones are released and help the body to recover from the earlier effects of stress, such as higher blood pressure, back pain and headaches.

Eliminating Stressor-related patterns

EFT also works on treating the  unhealthy physical habits  that one often forms as they undergo stressful experiences. Some of these include sleep loss or insomnia and addictive behaviours such as smoking and food cravings or nail biting.

On another note, EFT can be used alongside the treatment of physical illness to relieve stressful emotions that accompany the condition. It has been reported to help improve one’s  attitude toward illness  and has even been known to sometimes reduce the body’s need for medicine and even surgeries and radiation. This is because, as research or case studies have indicated, the body’s immunity system thrives on low stress levels so it would perform more actively toward attacking the disease and reducing or eliminating pain.

Basically the practice of EFT on a regular basis can have the effect of supporting improved mood, better health and relationships.

Although it doesn’t always work all of the time, Gary Craig, the founder of this method claims that it works about 90% of the time. EFT is a technique which brings about emotional freedom, leaving the person much less stressed and with a greater sense of, calm, self esteem and happiness.

It provides us with a simple tool that we can use to regain control over the negative emotions  that may have dominated and streesed us for some time and signals an opportunity to freely embrace the world in a way that is both enjoyable, satisfying and ultimately health enhancing too.

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