Anyone who has ever been in a relationship can tell you that they are hard work. This doesn’t just include romantic relationships but also relationships with friends, coworkers, and family members. We all have to have relationships of some kind in our lives, so learning to keep them as stress free as possible is necessary.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Familiarity breeds contempt”? It’s true. We take for granted that those close to us will love us forever so we abuse them when we feel bad. It sounds harsh but it is the reality of what happens.

Here’s a scenario. A husband comes home from work. He has been belittled by his boss all day and when he hits the door, he begins to shout orders to his kids and his wife. All of that pent-up frustration with his boss ends up all over his family. Needless to say, everyone develops stress as a result of the work relationship.

Stresses within relationships are easier to ignore than to confront, but that only increases the stress. Out of sight, out of mind doesn’t work when it comes to relationships. Internalizing problems has an effect on the body whether we know it or not. It could be as simple as feeling a knot in your stomach when that person comes around.

This is not a good response especially in relationships with spouses and family members. We can quit our jobs or stop seeing friends, but family is forever. Instead of going around with a headache or stomach ache learn to confront the problem when it arises.

Just like we pile on the frustration with people who are close to us, we can also communicate our problems in a civil manner. When a friend, coworker, or family member has offended us or done something that we don’t like, go to them and discuss it. Chances are the person didn’t even know that we were affected in such a way.

Now, there will be times that we have to deal with difficult people who hurt us on purpose. The first reaction is to give them one of those slaps we see in the movies where the other person goes flying across the table, but save that for the punching bag at the gym. Instead, go to that person and let them know you are aware of what they are doing and won’t stand for it.

The bottom line here is communication. We harbor too many ill feelings based on misunderstandings. The stress of it will topple our relationships and ruin our health. Isn’t it worth the effort to clear up the situation? Everyone will be a lot better when we do.

Please leave a comment.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I look forward to healing with you,

Cheryl Y. Price, Ph.D.

W: www.anewwaytoheal.com

E:  holisticspeaker@gmail.com

Stress doesn’t just affect women. Maybe we seem to be more frazzled by it than the other sex, but they experience stress as well. Men also have to learn to deal with stressful situations before they ruin their health.

 Where do men get the majority of their stress? It is from their jobs. Men are thought of as the breadwinners in traditional households and it is they who have to shoulder the responsibility of household finances. This doesn’t mean that wives don’t work, but if there is any shortfall, the man is almost always purposed with finding a way to deal with it.

 Most men internalize their feelings. Unlike women, men are taught from an early age not to show too much emotion. It is one of the reasons that men have such a hard time in relationships. They equate being strong with absence of outward emotion.

 The problem with this philosophy is that stress can still attack the body without our consent. All of that bottled up anger and frustration results in poor health and even poorer choices for coping mechanisms. Many men have high blood pressure. It could be a result of getting older but more often than not it is due to stress-related factors.

 High blood pressure can lead to other health problems. Strokes and heart attacks are prevalent in males due to high blood pressure. In the bedroom, stress can result in problems in the sexual arena. No one wants to talk about sexual dysfunctions but they do occur and stress can play a part.

 Men gain the majority of their weight in their abdominal region. Stress releases a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol causes the body to hold on to fat like during a famine. Their body preserves the amount of cushion so the body can survive tough times.

 We are well out of those tough times now, but cortisol is still produced in stressful situations. People experiencing times of high stress also crave sweet or salty foods due to the rise in cortisol levels. In spite of ourselves we tend to eat too much of the bad stuff when we are stressed.

 Men also take up destructive habits such as alcohol, smoking, and gambling. These activities numb the pain of stressful situations but create their own nightmarish reality. A man may never say that he is experiencing stress but his actions will tell the entire story.

 Dealing with stress is not just a job for women. Men also experience stress and it is important for them to find healthy ways to handle it. Taking up exercise, a hobby, and learning conflict resolution skills are a few of the ways that men can deal with their stress without turning to less helpful strategies.

Please leave a comment.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I look forward to healing with you,

Cheryl Y. Price, Ph.D.

W: www.anewwaytoheal.com

E:  holisticspeaker@gmail.com

Stress can be good? No way! It’s true. Sometimes stress is a powerful motivator that propels us forward to great things. Find out how stress can actually work in your favor.

 Stress has always carried a negative connotation. If you are stressed it is often because of a bad situation. But, there are a few times that we are glad for the stress response.

 Good instances of stress can be termed, eustress. The prefix “eu-“means “good.” It is a name given to stressful situations that bring about good results.

 For instance, let’s say that you are getting ready to make an important speech. All eyes will be on you and you want to do well. The stress accompanying this task causes you to focus on the speech and nothing else. As a result, you practice until you are comfortable with the words and relax to be able to deliver it.

 The same goes for a big competition. Your nervousness leads to more intense practice sessions to get you ready. Your pulse quickens but it strengthens your resolve to do your best.

 Any time that stress is related to physical activity it produces endorphins. Those who are involved in practices and big sporting competitions reap the reward of good feeling endorphins from the physical exertion. The endorphins make us want more of the same to keep us in that feel good mode.

 Have you heard of the fight or flight response? It is what happens when we are scared or confronted by someone who may want to hurt us. Adrenalin is released. Our senses become more acute as the body prepares to hit the ground running or stand and fight.

 In those moments, our basic instincts take over and we are primed for the best response in the situation. You hear about extraordinary situations where people have lifted cars off of their loved ones who were hurt in an accident. Or, someone thinks to use their cell phone to call from the trunk of a car when they’ve been kidnapped.

 People wonder how someone can think of those things but it is the fight or flight response that occurs when we are in the midst of those harrowing experiences. This response extends to people like hostage negotiators who talk a kidnapper into releasing his hostages or the doctor who is performing emergency surgery to save a person’s life.

 Good stressors abound in our lives but often go unnoticed in favor of the unhealthy stress. A dose of good stress can save our lives. Cultivate good stress in your life.

Please leave a comment.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I look forward to healing with you,

Cheryl Y. Price, Ph.D.

W: www.anewwaytoheal.com

E:  holisticspeaker@gmail.com

We all have times when we need to just go somewhere and take a few breaths to calm down.  Life sometimes causes us to want to chuck it all in.  If you’re feeling like things are closing in on you, take a few minutes to practice some of the tips below.

Even when you are handling stress well, you need a breather. Time to renew and recharge ensures that you continue to manage stress in a healthy way. Here are some tips to help you take advantage of time to relax and release.

Most of us want to simply unwind after a hard day at work or a long day of handling stressful situations. Stress can come from many sources – deciding which bills to pay when money is short, medical issues, family demands – not just your job. You are working to meet these stressors head on but it can take a lot of wind out of your sails when you’re done.

Relaxation Techniques

The thing about relaxation is that we don’t get nearly enough of it.  And relaxation is the opposite of stress.  An ideal relaxing situation is one in which the stressor doesn’t figure – anywhere. You are not sitting down in an easy chair to mull over the events of the day. You are instead focusing on something more pleasant to recharge your batteries for future stress management.

1. Go for a massage – The first  thing you want to do is discipline yourself to relax your mind.  That’s where your stress is coming from–your thoughts.   Try not to think about the massage therapist, how you look on the table, whether or not you should talk, or anything that is distracting from the moment.  Enjoy the healing touch on your body and allow the tension to release.  There is nothing more relaxing then letting someone else do all the work for a change to make you happy. All you have to do is lie there, listen to soft music and let the tension in your body melt away.

2. Take an uninterrupted hot bath – This works for me.  And this is not the time for your spouse to sneak in for a romantic rendezvous. Dim the lights and light candles. Aromatherapy candles in relaxing scents like chamomile and lavender will also lighten the mood. Enjoy the warm water and wafting smells. You can even have a CD of earth sounds playing in the background (far away from the tub).

3. Try yoga – If this is your thing.  Find a yoga practice that is comfortable for you.  Yoga has been practiced for centuries as a way of enhancing the mind-body connection. By concentrating on your breathing and your body movements, you can learn to control your body responses. It takes practice to get good, but even that frees your mind and helps you to relax.

4. Watch a funny movie – Have you ever heard that laughter is the best medicine? Well, laughter releases endorphins in your body. Your dark mood lifts and you feel better – better able to cope with life and whatever was on your mind previously.

All of these things are great but they won’t help if you don’t set aside time to do them. Make a commitment right now to carve out time each day to relax. That will be your biggest challenge.  Pen it in just like you do everything else. Leave more time than you need in case one day you need all of that time to restore balance to your body.

Find a relaxation technique that pleases you and start there. You can add others for variety. Once you get started, you’ll look forward to those times with joy.  They do work– trust me.

Please leave a comment.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I look forward to healing with you,

Cheryl Y. Price, Ph.D.

www.anewwaytoheal.com

cheryl@anewwaytoheal.com

I’m going to let you in on a little secret your doctor may tell you.

It’s a well known fact in the medical community that stress makes you sick. Period.  And doctors also know that up to 85% of all doctors’ visits are stress-related.  During your last exam, you probably weren’t asked about your lifestyle–how’s work, how’s the missus, how’s the mister, how’s your diet, are the kids okay, been under any  pressure lately.  But let’s say you are asked, your answers probably won’t matter because you’re still going to get a prescription for some kind of  drug.  And, it will most like make you feel worse because of all of the possible side effects.  But in all fairness, it’s really not the doctors’ fault.  It’s what they’ve learned in medical school–treat the symptoms.  But it’s up to you to take charge of your own health.

So whether you suffer from high blood pressure, cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain, or stomach problems, stress hormones are to blame.  And you may not know this either, but addiction to prescription drugs is on the rise (you may be addicted and not even know it).

Well, here’s one of my secrets ….  You may not need drugs to heal.  Prescription drugs only treat symptoms and the results may not last.

I’ll give you another one of my secrets…  Your body was created to heal and you can tap into the healing intelligence of your body for lasting results.  Your healing path  seeks the truth for the illness and is transforming.

So the next time you visit your doctor, ask him/her to suggest a natural way to heal; and if they can’t, seek out some of your own.  It’s your life.

Please leave a comment.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I look forward to healing with you,

Cheryl Y. Price, Ph.D

www.anewwaytoheal.com

cheryl@anewwaytoheal.com