Natural Alternatives For Stress Relief

For close to two decades, I was either in management, development, marketing or training of the use of natural health products as an alternative to conventional techniques. I have appeared on over 200 radio and television programs, and written a book published by Safe Goods Publishing in 1995, "Natural Alternatives To Stress Relief."

Stress is a natural occurrence in everyday life. More prescription drugs are sold in the United States for stress and depression- related problems than for anything else. However, there is another approach for handling everyday stress, that does not require drugs. One of the definitions of stress offered by Dictionary.com is "physical, mental or emotional strain or tension." There are quite a number of "natural" approaches to stress that have been proven to be quite effective is assisting with coping, especially in mild to moderate cases. Some of these include:

(1) Relaxation exercises - - these exercises help to clear "stressed minds," relax stressed muscles, calm one's breathing, and slow down racing heartbeats.
(2) Music therapy - - for many individuals, there is nothing as relaxing as listening to music. Music can be calming in a number of ways. Music can serve as a "temporary escape," and help one to refocus away from whatever is the cause of the stress.
(3) Rest - - sometimes all that's needed. Very often, when someone has not slept well or had enough sleep (whatever is enough for them), it stresses them.
(4) Breathing exercises - - there are a variety of exercises that have been proven to be quite relaxing.
(5) Self- talk - - using techniques such as Affirmation Lists, Positive Mental Attitude, and other self-talk techniques, can often be extremely relaxing and stress- reducing. I have previously published Associated Content articles on Affirmation Lists and Positive Mental Attitude.
(6) Natural remedies, including:
(a) Massage therapy- often reduces stress by reducing muscle tension, and slowing one down, thus relaxing them.
(b) Aromatherapy - many have found using this therapy to effectively reduce stress.
(c) Accupuncture/ accupressure - often removes negative "energies," or "chis," thus reducing aches, pain and anxiety.
(d) The Bach Flower Remedies - - I have extensively written about these in my book, Natural Alternatives for Stress Relief (published by Safe Goods in 1995, as well as in several published magazine articles. These remedies were discovered around 1930 by the British physician, Dr. Edward Bach, who found 38 wildflowers that, when made into essences, were extremely helpful in handling a variety of different emotional upsets. Dr. Bach also created a five- flower combination for stress relief that he called his Rescue Remedy. This five-flower combination is now manufactured under a variety of brand names. In my book, I go through a thorough discussion on the use of Dr. Bach's essences, as well as a variety of other natural stress relieving alternatives.

There is no one way to relieve stress. When the stress is acute enough, it is important to immediately contact a competent, trusted health professional. When stress is chronic, treatment should be dictated by degree of functionality or dysfunctionality. Each individual must determine for himself which approach is best for his situation. However, I feel it is important for people do realize that drugs are not always the only solution!