I have used hypnosis for sleep disorders and PTSD for years with amazing results. If I could tell my clients I could guarantee them anything; it is that they will begin to sleep better. That is because all my clients have told me they started sleeping better.

I used hypnosis for PTSD in the Navy and still see many PTSD cases from the military, trauma, post-surgery, and other reasons.

Below is an article sent to me by Robert Bayliss concerning hypnosis Sleep and PTSD. Ron Eslinger

From a blog by Daniel Amen, MD, CEO, Amen Clinics, Inc.
Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
Hypnosis Improves Sleep, Even in PTSD

I have used hypnosis to help with sleep disorders for nearly 30 years. It is often very effective. From Israel comes a study using hypnosis as an add-on therapy for patients with chronic PTSD, showing benefit for sleep. Here is the scientific abstract. Enjoy.

This study evaluated the benefits of add-on hypnotherapy in patients with chronic PTSD. Thirty-two PTSD patients treated by SSRI antidepressants and supportive psychotherapy were randomized to 2 groups: 15 patients in the first group received Zolpidem 10 mg nightly for 14 nights, and 17 patients in the hypnotherapy group were treated by symptom-oriented hypnotherapy, twice-a-week 1.5-hour sessions for 2 weeks. All patients completed the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C, Beck Depression Inventory, Impact of Event Scale, and Visual Subjective Sleep Quality Questionnaire before and after treatment. There was a significant main effect of the hypnotherapy treatment with PTSD symptoms as measured by the Posttraumatic Disorder Scale. This effect was preserved at follow-up 1 month later. Additional benefits for the hypnotherapy group were decreases in intrusion and avoidance reactions and improvement in all sleep variables assessed.

Abramowitz EG, Barak Y, Ben-Avi I, Knobler HY. Hypnotherapy in the treatment of chronic combat-related PTSD patients suffering from insomnia: a randomized, zolpidem-controlled clinical trial. Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2008 Jul;56(3):270-80. Israel Defense Forces, Mental Health Department, Israel.
END.

Every recipient may copy, reprint or forward all or part of this newsletter to friends, colleagues or customers, so long as any use is not for resale or profit and the following copyright notice is included intact: “Copyright 2008, Amen Clinic Inc., A Medical Corporation. All rights reserved.”

Copyright 2008, Amen Clinics Inc., A Medical Corporation. All rights reserved.

Hi Ron,

Had the Cochlear surgery Monday.  Doing well, but boy is there a difference in anesthesia.  I could never understand why so many of my patients made comments like “I’ve had a lot of surgeries, but you are the best anesthetist I ever had”, and “Oh, that was wonderful”, and so many comment on compassion.

Well, at the “big” hospital there was nothing but business, business, business.  CRNA came in first (could hardly understand her, but no small talk just the usual questions.  The anesthesiologist came in , same thing, Joe Friday, just the facts sir, just the facts.  Zip to the O.R.

no talking to me just hook up the monitors, then lights out.

What an experience.  I sure hope I can get back to work, these people need me!!

Hope to be able to attend a meeting before long.

Leroy

• Host a self-care day for nurses at your local hospital or clinic.
• Perform a “Blessing of the Hands”  with the nurses at your work. Download here.
• Organize a candlelight vigil.
• Set up a special display at your work about the Nightingale Moment and AHNA.
• Hold a reception in honor of a holistic nurse in your community.
• Submit an article about holistic nursing to your local newspaper.
• Pass out Nightingale Moment fliers to your co-workers (available through AHNA).
• Request that your city council officially designate May 12 as Florence Nightingale Day.
• Volunteer to talk to a nursing class about  the specialty practice of holistic nursing. 
• Join together with other organizations and groups to celebrate the Nightingale Moment.
• Attend or sponsor a special celebration or reception at an AHNA network meeting. Click here to find a local Network Leader.
• Pass out AHNA brochures and bookmarks. Email office@ahna.org to request.
• Take a few moments and sign NIGH’S Nightingale Declaration for a Healthy World at http://www.NightingaleDeclaration.net
• Host a fundraiser and donate to the AHNA.
• Give a friend the gift of AHNA membership.
• Visit the AHNA Web site for more ideas

Let us know how you will celebrate by e-mailing a 30-word description of your local event to advertise@ahna.org. Please include date, time, place and who to contact to get involved. Let’s make sure that the 10th annual Nightingale Moment is a grand success!

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as there are no changes to the text and if published electronically, all URL’s or Mailto addresses in the body of the article AND in the Author’s Resource Box are set as Hyperlinks (clickable links). You may serialize long articles if you prefer (breaking it into a part 1 and 2 and publish it in two issues).A notice, courtesy copy of newsletter or URL emailed to roneslinger@yahoo.com is appreciated.

“My Pain is Gone! Why didn’t they send me to you two years ago?”

New Medicine – PBS catching up to Ron Eslinger, CRNA

On March 27^th, 2006 PBS – TV aired their new show New Medicine.  The program highlighted a process that Ron Eslinger, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) owner of Healthy Visions Wellness Center started over 20 years.

New Medicine stated that Blue Shield of California saved an average of $2000.00 per patient undergoing surgery by simply having them listen to a guided imagery – hypnosis CD prior to surgery.   The results were less pain, less nausea and vomiting, and faster healing than those who did not listen to the CD. So why doesn’t every surgeon and every hospital offer their patients the same opportunity to have less pain and faster healing? Only they know. 

You can also listen to CDs during surgery.  A high percentage of surgery patients hear during surgery, but do not remember what they heard.  This is called implicit memory.  Implicit memory can be very good, very bad or have no significance at all. The following is an example of a very bad implicit memory uncovered with hypnosis by the author.

She was a 34-year old lady with a two-year history of painful chronic cystitis (bladder pain) following an abdominal hysterectomy.  Hypnosis was considered only after all other treatments had failed.  Her history stated that she woke up after surgery in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU) screaming in pain and that her pain had lasted for two years with no relief. She was addicted to narcotics, which required she be admitted to the hospital three days prior to her hypnosis for detoxification. Her pain went away at the first hypnosis session and she said, “My pain is gone Why didn’t they send me to you two years ago?”  She was asked if she was willing to use hypnosis to uncover the cause of the pain?  She said “yes.”  In hypnosis it was learned that during her surgery she heard some one say as they were separating the uterus from the bladder, “ her bladder is going to hurt when she wakes up and it did.”  She was in excruciating pain for two yerars.

Patients are reporting phenomenal results with wonderful Memories to the hundreds of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) who are placing CDs created by Ron Eslinger (www.eslinger.net) on thousands of their surgical patients.  So take control of how you do after surgery by making your on CDs or tapes or buying them commercially.  Just think. Your entire post surgery recovery can be good or bad depending on what you hear during surgery.  What if instead of hearing about how bad the pain would be on awaking that you would hear suggestions like the ones listed below which were created by the author for his patients to listen to during surgery. The words are recorder over soothing biorhythmic music.

×          You will wake up feeling better that you thought you would.

×          You will be pleasantly hungry.

×          Your surgery is going well

×          Your immune system is keeping you healthy

×          You should be comfortable – if not let us know

×          You may have a pleasantly warm and hungry feeling in your stomach.

If the hospital staff tells you your CD player is not allowed in the OR.  You tell them to read their Patient Bill of Rights, which will include “your right to participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care…”

Florence Nightingale in her book Notes on Nursing published in 1859 states, “Volumes are now written and spoken upon the effect of the mind upon the body.”  She discussed in detail the suggestibility of children and that nurses should help patients to vary their thoughts.  Florence Nightingale was more in tune with complementary therapy in 1859 than most nurses and physicians of today.  She speaks at length in her book on music, color, aroma, physical activity, fresh air and exercise just as hypnosis was hitting its popularity zenith and other alternative therapies had even been thought of.

Ron Eslinger, RN, CRNA, APN, MA, BCH, CMI

Owner Healthy Visions Wellness Center

www.eslinger.net   865-220-0777

About the Author: Michael R. “Ron” Eslinger, Captain, U.S. Navy, Retired is a Board Certified Hypnotherapist, Advanced Practice Nurse, Certified Hypnotherapy Instructor and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. He has served as Chief Nurse Anesthetist, Assistant Department Head for Administration Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA. and is the Past President, Virginia Association of Nurse Anesthetists. He is Owner/Director of Healthy Visions Wellness Center in Oak Ridge, TN, USA. For more information regarding hypnosis as an adjunct therapy, Ron Eslinger can be reached at The Healthy Visions Wellness Center.  Email roneslinger@yahoo.com or go online to http://www.eslinger.net  for more information.

When waking up instead of hearing How bad do you hurt or do you need to vomit

Other research has shown a 17-minute decrease in the amount of time to do a heart catherization with an 85% decrease in resedation.

Florence Nightingale in her book Notes on Nursing published in 1859 states, “Volumes are now written and spoken upon the effect of the mind upon the body.”  She discussed in detail the suggestibility of children and that nurses should help patients to vary their thoughts.  Florence Nightingale was more in tune with complementary therapy in 1859 than most nurses and physicians of today.  She speaks at length in her book on music, color, aroma, physical activity, fresh air and exercise just as hypnosis was hitting its popularity zenith and other alternative therapies had even been thought of.

How about as you are waking up in the PACU which some call the Puke-U. You heard:

×          How bad are you hurting on a scale of 1-10?

×          Do you need to vomit?

What if instead you heard?

×          You should be comfortable – if not let us know

You may have a pleasantly warm and hungry feeling in your stomach.

It has been over 150 years since Florence Nightingale wrote her book and with all the research today on mindbody medicine one would wonder why insurance companies spend billions on technology to diagnose and fix disease, but near nothing on mindbody medicine to prevent disease.

In 1984 the author created intra-operative tapes with suggestions, which are now being used in four research projects across the country to better understand the impact of biorhythmic music and theta tones to improve patient outcomes. Examples of a few of the 26 suggestions on the CDs listed below:

Awareness or recall during anesthesia has gotten enough press that the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) has gotten involved to look at the problem.

, which will help you wake up comfortable. Awareness or recall is when the patient hears or feels pain during surgery and remembers it. Of course feeling pain is never good, but hearing on the other hand can be good or bad.

Words on Water, Make Plants Grow

Ron Eslinger, Healthy Visions Wellness Center

www.eslinger.net

My 12 year old grandson, Drake, asked me for ideas for his science project. I told him about a video called  What In The Bleep …Do We Know on quantum physics that shows changes made to water molecules when words are written on the side of their container.  The water molecules were viewed under a microscope and the results that occurred with the different words were astonishing. Those with positive words looked like snow flakes and crystals while those with negative or mean words took on angry colors and shapes.

I asked him if he thought plants put in water with positive or negative words on them would make a difference in the plants growth. He said he didn’t think so.  Below is an excerpt from the book by Marsaru Emoto.

The Hidden Messages in Water introduces the revolutionary work of internationally renowned Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto, who has discovered that molecules of water are affected by our thoughts, words and feelings. Since humans and the earth are composed mostly of water, his message is one of personal health, global, environmental renewal and a practical plan for peace starts with each one of us.

According to Masaru Emoto in his book The Hidden Messages in Water words and phrases can change water molecules.  Drake asked himself the question, “ Does it make a difference in a plants growth if you write something on the outside of a cup of water and then put the plant in it? ” In this case he put a cutting from a vine taken from a planter in our house. He was looking for the answer to two specific questions: 1. Does a negative word change water molecules? 2. Does a positive word change water molecules? 

Drake did not think it would make a difference if he wrote negative or positive words on a cup of water.  He said, “It will not change the molecular structure of the water molecules and will not change how the plants grow, water is just water.”

He used four plastic cups, three fourths full of  tap water and a label taped to the side. The labels were: “I love you, I hate you, I will kill you, and Thank you.”

He monitored them for eight weeks photographing the plants on September 23, November 18, December 3, and December 28, 2008.

The results proved Drake’s hypothesis wrong. It does make a difference if you write negative or positive words on a cup of water. It does change the molecular structure of water molecules as stated by Mr. Emoto. The change was evident by the changes in the growth of the vines.

Over that eight week period Drake watched the two cups with “I will kill you” and “I hate you” written on them wilt and die.  While, the vines in the cups labeled “I love you” and “Thank you” flourished.  The “Thank you” vine even sprouted roots and leaves.

Most amazing to me was after we had completed the science experiment documentation and were waiting for the day of the science fair.  Karen, Drake’s Grandmother, took the plants off the window sill to clean and when she put them back on the window sill she inadvertently put the “I will kill you” cup between the “I love you” and “Thank you” cup.  Within a week the seemingly dead plant sprouted a new leaf. Simply amazing!

If you want healthier potted plants or herbs write positive words on their containers and see the change.  If you will consider that words can do that to water and our bodies are made up of 90% water, then what do words do to us?

PAIN MANAGEMENT and the JCAHO Standards

M. Ron Eslinger

RN, CRNA, APN, MA, BCH, FNCH

 Pain:The 5th Vital Sign

  “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.

INTERNATIONAL  ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF PAIN -The Challenge of

JCAHO  January 2001

• EMPHASIS
• Collaborative and interdisciplinary  approach
• Individualized pain - control plans
• Assessment and frequent reassessments with appropriate documentation
• Pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches
•  Establishment of a formalized approach to pain management

JCAHO - New Standards - 1

• RI.1.2 Section of JCAHO Standards calls for patients to be involved in all aspects of their care
• Provide statement of patient’s rights
• Provide info about pain and pain relief measures
• RI.1.2.8 of JCAHO Standards states that patients have a right to appropriate management and assessment
• Plan, support, and coordinate assessment and mgmt of pain
• Educate staff in proper assessment and mgmt of pain

JCAHO - New Standards - 2

• PE.1.4 of JCAHO Standards requires assessment of pain in all patients, including ID of patients in pain, reassessment and f/u
• Educate staff in:
• proper pain assessment
• Barriers to reporting pain
• Proper use of analgesics

JCAHO - New Standards - 3

• TX.5.4 of JCAHO Standards expects hospitals to monitor patients post-procedure
• Assess pain when making decisions about discharge in terms of:
• Changes in quality of pain
• Changes in intensity of pain
• Response to treatment
• Follow-up care

JCAHO - New Standards - 4

• PF.1.7 of JCAHO Standards calls for patients to be taught that pain management is a part of treatment
• Offer patients and families instructional material about pain management to meet their ongoing needs
• Provide educational materials that are easy to understand

JCAHO- New Standards

• CC.6.1 of JCAHO Standards provides for a continuum of care upon discharge
• Consider patient’s needs upon discharge
• Provide services to help meet those needs
• JCAHO - In a Nutshell - 1
• Rights and Ethics: recognize the right of individuals to appropriate assessment and management of pain

Hypnosis, Biofeedback and Psychotherapy are considered PSYCHOLOGIC TECHNIQUES for treating pain.

Come Own Down! The Price Is Right

M. Ron Eslinger, RN, CRNA, APN, MA, BCH, CMI, FNCH

Can you imagine what it would be like to be sitting in the audience of The Price Is Right and hear Bob Barker say?  “Come on down you’re on The Price Is Right!” 

Well believe it or not, there are three people in Anderson County, Tennessee who actually experienced that wonderful sensation.  Two of them were on the same program and spun the showcase wheel against each other.  It was mother-in-law against son-in-law. Of course the son-in-law being politically correct lost to the mother-in-law. That was a good thing. 

Six months later, a third family member also heard the call.  “Come on down you’re on The Price Is Right.”  She was soon to enter the winner’s circle with her husband and her mother.

Karen Eslinger, Ron Eslinger and Katie Stanton were all winners on The Price Is Right with Bob Barker. Yes, both ladies kissed him. Katie won the showcase by first beating out her son-in-law (me) when spinning the wheel.  She walked away with an Alfa Romeo car, a living room full of furniture and a beautiful German grandfather clock. I did OK myself by winning a new car and a dinning room set.

Six months later Karen, my wife, celebrated a friend’s birthday at The Price Is Right. Her friend didn’t get chosen, but Karen did. That day she brought home a widescreen TV, VCR and two wonderful recliners to enjoy our new home entertainment system. 

As Paul Harvey would say: “Now for the rest of the story.”

Karen and I learned early in our career to take each Navy move as if it was just an extended vacation.  We knew that when we retired we would return to East Tennessee.  Our order to Southern California was a simple 3-year vacation as far as we were concerned.  Shortly after being assigned there we got tickets to The Price Is Right to celebrate Karen’s birthday.  Karen’s mother and stepfather visited us in Long Beach for Karen’s first Birthday outside of Tennessee.  So off we go to spend the day on The Price is Right.

They do two shows a day with 300 people in the audience and the producer interviews each possible contestant.  You stand in line just like at Disney World except that you are 6 across and the producer starts left to right asking questions. It is quick and he who hesitates loses.  Everything hinges on those first couple words that come out of your mouth.

When Karen faced the producer he asked her what she was doing in California? She said, “I’m on my vacation and I’ve come to The Price Is Right for my Birthday today.” He asked “how long are you going to be here?”  “Three years,” she said. He came back with, “Do you think you will unpack? “Probably not,” was her answer.”

The producer then looked at me and asked. “How old is she?”  I learned a long time ago that you don’t discuss a women’s age. So I said, “Sir, she’s the same age she was the day I married her.  Three years younger than me.” 

Now Katie, my mother-in-law, was another story.  When asked by the producer why she was in California, she blurted out that she was on her honeymoon.  She didn’t tell him that her wedding had been six months earlier and that she had been married six times and that this was the second time to her current husband.

How did we win?  Karen was asked the prices of products that by coincidence she bought at the supermarket every week. 

I had to guess and be with in $600 without going over the price of a car.  I had spent every afternoon for two weeks looking at cars because our son, Doug, had just totalled our car in an accident.

Katie won the showcase because the other contestant simply over bid and was disqualified.

Was it luck?  Was it fate?  Or was it the power of positive thinking, body language and communication? The answer is that is was the air of expectation.  We expected to get picked.  However, expectations need education and communication.  Therefore, we got advice from a past contestant and simply ask. “What is the procedure and what will increase our chances of being asked to “Come on Down!”  We took their advice and we coached 8 other people who felt that wonderful rush when they heard the words “Come on Down!” 

Weight Loss – So Simple yet so Hard

10 simple suggestions to lose 84 pounds in 12 months.

Overweight/Obesity is a national public health crisis, and the problem is getting worse. Unhealthy weight leads to a greater risk for several chronic diseases including heart disease and diabetes. Regular physical activity and good nutrition can help promote healthy weight and prevent chronic disease. Below are some simple ways to add value to your life by removing the burden of being overweight.

1. When you take in Less Calories than you eat YOU LOSE WEIGHT.  You can eat less and exercise the same and lose weight.  You can exercise more while eating the same as before and lose weight.  Best is to both exercise more and eat less to lose weight more quickly. If you burn more calories than you eat you WILL lose weight.
2. Eat a light breakfast soon after waking.  Those who do not eat breakfast gain an average of 1 pound a year. If you know that 10 years ago you would be 10 pounds lighter today.
3. Eat 6 small meals daily or 3 meals and 3 healthy snacks.  This keeps your metabolism up and helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels. This will help you take off about 1 pound a month or 12 pounds a year and feel much more energetic.
4. Start the day with 16 ounces of cool water.  This is a great boost to the metabolism and will take off a pound a month. That’s another 12 pounds a year.
5. Water intake on normal days should be one half your body weight in ounces.  If you weigh 200 pounds drink 100 ounces of water a day.  Good for about one pound of weight loss a month or another 12 pounds a year.
6. If you eat as you normally do, but not eating the equivalent of one cookie a day you will take off another pound a month.  That decreases your calories by 150 a day and you will lose another 1 pound a month; another 12 pounds a year.  .
7. You know that walking is good for the heart – good for the soul, and very good for the waist line.  A brisk 20 – 30 minutes walk each day is another pound per month or 12 pounds a year.
8. Be careful of foods that are labeled light or fat free.  They have increased sugar to maintain taste. Look for sugar free or no sugar added products.  Good for another pound a month.
9. Read labels – Know what you are eating. You may be surprised at how easy it is to put something back on the shelf when you know how much sugar, carbs and fats are in it.
10. Stress reduction is so important for all around good health but in weight management it is essential.  When stressed we crave sugar and salt, therefore beginning a stress management program for yourself is a major health savings benefit.  Meditation, walking and listening to relaxing music are all great ways to relieve stress.

For more information on weight and stress management ideas visit our web site at www.healthyvisions.net or call Healthy Visions Wellness Center at 865-220-0777.

Think yourself thin

M. Ron Eslinger, RN, CRNA, MA, APN, BCH, CMI, FNCH

When I lecture I like to ask the class if they have ever been hypnotized.  Usually one or two will hold their hand up to indicate that they have.  I then say let me ask the question in a different way. “How many of you have ever been married?” If you held up your hand  then you have been hypnotized.  Next question, “How many have ever been divorced?” We call that self-hypnosis.”  In the same way your thoughts get you married or divorced you can Think Yourself Thin.  

Eighty Percent of the population is moderately too highly open to suggestions from others and from themselves. Suggestions we give ourselves are the most powerful. However, as they pass through the conscious mind, they are evaluated and influenced by our past experiences before being sent to the subconscious mind.  Which means if you have tried to lose weight before and didn’t your thought is that you can’t lose weight and the subconscious mind believes you and keeps you doing the things you been doing which keeps you over weight.

The subconscious mind does not reason, it takes every thought literally as a child would.  For example, when he was three I decided to teach my grandson how to hit a golf ball.  I got him the little plastic club and placed the ball on the ground in front of him and said, “keep your eye on the ball” with out hesitation he bent over picked up the ball and pressed it against his eye.”  An adult would evaluate the request and do through past experience what was expected.  

The subconscious mind takes every thought as a truth whether real or not.  An example is when you think of eating a lemon your body responds as if you are eating the lemon – not thinking of eating a lemon.

So, if you tell your subconscious mind you are fat the subconscious mind works to keep you fat.  Simply stated, we are what we think we are.  We become that which we see ourselves to be.  Whatever the mind possesses the body expresses.  Therefore, change your mind and change your body. 

To think yourself thin you must imagine yourself at your optimal weight eating the right foods in the right amounts and being physical active.

The simple fact is that our weight is determined by the amount of energy in calories that we take in compared to the amount of energy in calories that we burn.  When you burn more calories than you take in you lose weight.  To lose one pound you have to burn 3,500 more calories than you eat.

Think yourself thin:

1. Continuously imagining yourself at your optimal weight.
2. Eat Breakfast - People who do not eat breakfast will gain about 10 pounds a year.
3. Eat something about every three hours in order to maintain metabolic rate.
4. Drink 16 ounces of cool water when you get up and lose approximately 1 pound a month.
5. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each and every day.  Coffee and Colas are not water.
6. Take off 12 pounds a year by Not eating the equivalent of one cookie a day.
7. Walk a brisk 20 minutes each day to lose 12 pounds per year.
8. Do not diet! Do not weigh! You tried that already.  It does not work.
9. Imagine yourself enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables at your optimal weight. 
10. Increase physical activity.  When shopping park at a distance from the store.  That short walk will make a great difference.

It is simple and it works so do it! Don’t try to do it

Some Simple Ways to Manage Your Stress

Ron Eslinger, RN, CRNA, APN, MA

Andrew Weil, MD an internationally recognized physician and expert on mind body interactions and integrative medicine said; “A person with a digestive problem or a skin problem should see a hypnotist before they see a dermatologists or a gastroenterologists.  Why? Because around 85% of this type problem is stress related.  Hypnosis is one of the best stress management techniques available according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

If stress is the underlying cause of 85% of visits to the doctor for things like Fibromyalgia, Headaches and other Chronic Pain syndromes then what is the prescription for stress?  Why do we ignore the stress in our lives when it is causing so much emotional and physical pain?  How do we combat stress?  These questions are being studied more than ever before as can be seen in issues of Time, News Week, US News and World Report, National Geographic and a host of other weekly and monthly magazines including O, The Oprah Magazine.

Listed below are a few things you can do to combat stress in your life.

Ten Ways to Cut Down on Stress

1.        Talk it out. Get support from family and friends.

2.        Exercise regularly.

3.        Avoid false guilt.

4.        Set realistic goals and priorities.

5.        Avoid perfectionism.

6.        Keep a sense of humor.

7.        Hang loose. Set aside idle time to relax every day.

8.        Live by the calendar, not the stopwatch.

9.        Avoid overindulging in drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.

10.    Think positively

Learn to relax.  Take time for yourself.  Purchase some stress management CDs and biorhythmic music to listen to.  These can be found at www.healthyvisions.net

Everyone experiences relaxation differently.  Here is a list of things you can do to enhance your ability to relax.  Albert Einstein had what I think is the best answer which was to time each day to creatively day dream and time each day to play.

Here are some additional ways to help yourself relax:

§         Sit or lay down in a quiet place

§         Say positive happy things to yourself

§         Listen to biorhythmic music (60 beats a minute)

§         Day dreaming about good things (avoid worry which is negative day dreaming)

§         Taking a walk in nature and listen to the birds the wind and other nature sounds.

§         Turn off the news

Breathe Stress Away:

Gently push your stomach out like blowing up a balloon.  This will drop the diaphragm down and automatically pull into the lungs a deep breath.  This will get more air into the two lower lobes of the lungs.  The two lower lobes of the lungs are highly vascular and will get more oxygen into the cells of the body, which greatly helps decrease stress. It would be like this: In for a count of five hold for a count of five and then breath out for a count of ten.  Do this once or twice and hour and you will be surprised at the change in your life.

This is only a short comment on what you can do to combat stress.  For more information and ideas you can email me at ron@eslinger.net