There
is growing evidence that excessive stress is becoming an
increasingly important factor in the development of health
problems. It has even been related to the increased incidence
of diseases like cancer.
Stress comes in many different forms and it should be recognised
that it can be both psycho-social and physical, arising
from environmental soruces. Let's look at these separately.
1. Psycho-social stress is the sort of stress that comes
from working too hard, worrying about finances and having
relationship difficulties. There are a thousand and one
ways of dealing with these issues, but the first thing to
do, is recognise where these sources of stress are originating.
Allocate an afternoon over a weekend to look at this area
of your life. Perhaps go for a walk or a cycle ride in the
countryside or through the local park to clear your head
and come back to a clean sheet of paper. Divide your sheet
of paper into various areas such as: occupation, family,
relationships, attitudes and goals, and start to include
as many relevant points as you can in each section.
Once
you've worked out where the stress is coming from, consider
each point in turn and look at ways in which they can each
be dealt with. Sometimes this will involve very substantial
changes to one or two areas of your life, other times, it
might require only minor adjustments, but perhaps to many
different areas. You might need to give some things up or
you might need to re-organise your time more effectively.
The way your mind works is fundamental to the process of
reducing stress in your life. Focusing on positive thoughts
and attitudes is critical. Negative thoughts and attitudes
can very quickly become subsumed by positive thought and
attitude, if you encourage the process. Set yourself goals
and targets and appreciate that any positive changes are
not going to be easy initially as they will take you out
of your well worn 'comfort zone' that's actually become
the very trap that maintains your stress!
There are a huge range of personal development / self-help
books available. Go down to your local book store and buy
one that you can relate to. What works for one person won't
necessarily be the best thing for someone else.
Improving your diet and your exercise regime are often
really important parts of the solution as well. With this
new foundation, together with a positive mindset, the rest
often falls into place.
2. Environmental stress is the stress that comes from being
exposed to toxic chemicals, tobacco smoke, mobile phone
radiation, insufficient or excessive sunlight, excessive
noise and other forms of stress originating from external
sources and affecting you physically.
There
is good evidence to show that such forms of environmental
stress contribute to an increased burdenof free radicals
in your body and this can contribute to damage to lipids
and proteins in membranes, as well as to DNA. This in turn
can result in a wide array of diseases and contribute to
premature ageing.
Since it can be difficult to eliminate many sources of
environmental stress, it can be useful to ensure you are
consuming adequate quantities of natural antioxidants. Ultra+
Antioxidants (the key ingredients of which are also present
in Ultra+ Max) is probably the easiest way of getting a powerful
antioxidant complex in to your body. Refer to the Ultra+
Antioxidants Technical Bulletin for detailed information
about the product.
It makes sense to go as far as you can to reduce sources
of environmental stress. Here are some pointers to help
you in this process:
- Don't smoke and avoid second-hand smoke as far as you
can
- Minimise the duration of calls on mobile phones and/or
fit a radiation protection device to your phone
- Don't allow yourself to get sunburned or excessively
tanned, while at the same time don't lock yourself indoors
permanently!
- Air your house regularly to avoid a build up of toxins
from carpets, furnishings, fabrics and other sources
- If you enjoy swimming, try and swim in salt water pools
or the sea rather than in chlorinated water if you can,
or reduce the time you spend in chlorinated water
- Fit a carbon filter to your shower or bath tap to reduce
chlorine absorption through your skin
- Use naturally-based personal care product that are free
from petrochemicals and other known toxins and carcinogens
- If you drive a car, replace your pollen and pollution
filters regularly and when in cities switch your heating
or air-conditioning system to its re-circulation mode
- Consume organic products as far as possible to avoid
unnecessary pesticide absorption; this also means you
can avoid peeling fruits like apples and pears as the
skins (and seeds) contain important nutrients and antioxidants.
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