Fear, Stress and Health
Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out. - Abraham Lincoln
Hello Fellow Sojourners!
Garden Week in Virginia provides opportunites to visit places that are closed to the public the rest of the year. Morven Farms is a place I've driven by in the countryside of Virginia, surrounded by black board fencing with views that are without words. How my heart would long to step inside it's boundaries and absorb the peace and tranquility of absolute silence and beauty.
This place has been one of the estates open for Garden Week annually and this year we finally drove through those gates.
View Morven Estate and Gardens with me. I've noted some historical information on the photo titles.
It may not be warm enough for a swim yet in your part of the country, but you can close your eyes and picture yourself with no stress or worries, like this frog below. It's obvious that he knows how to "chill out." It's an important lesson that society in our world today needs to learn. Health problems are rising as the world's pressure and stress levels climb.
Although lifestyles can't be changed in a day, you can choose to take moments to close your eyes for 3 full minutes and visualize what brings peace to your soul. A special place you've been, the sounds of relaxing music and a bubbling creek, or maybe just the visual image of this frog who appears to have not a care in the world. Those 3 minutes can make a difference in your health and the more often you do them ... the better you will feel.
Bunches of Blessings to You!
Donna
"Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today's Featured Article
Fear, Stress and Health
by Donna L. Watkins
It's everywhere online, in the news, on the television. Research is linking our thoughts and emotions to disease. How we react to our environment and the boundaries we do or do not set on ourselves affect the outcome of our health. In many ways, we are a sum total of what we think because every action is preceded by a thought.
Many of us have based our belief systems on what we learned in childhood. Some of that is good since many good character qualities are learned in childhood, such as sharing, giving, honesty, respect for authority, etc.
What about beliefs that were formed because of an assumption and not a life lesson taught like a character quality would be. As children we do not understand the big picture and we make assumptions in our minds that are mostly untrue. We have belief systems that determine our behavior and stress levels based on one event in childhood. Those are the things that need to be reevaluated in the light of adulthood and true wisdom and knowledge.
Maybe you had a teacher that told you your science project was awful, and you determined then that you wouldn't stretch your imagination and creativity to share with the world because what you assumed was a bright idea was evaluated as lousy. Unknowingly, you've allowed that one event, in a moment of time, to change the course of your life. You may have been created to invent many things. It may be a gift inside of you that God gave you when you were born. Do you want to leave all of that behind just because a teacher was maybe having a bad day, or expected a higher grade level of expertise than the grade she/he was teaching.
What are your fears? Trace them back to the events in your life that planted the seed for them. Evaluate the situation as an adult with an ability to see more of the big picture. You have hidden talents and gifts to offer the world. The devil begins early to destroy the special you inside. God gave you specific gifts that will bring you and others joy. They may be hidden inside you in a cellar, but with the Holy Spirit's help and insight you can search for and seek them and claim them as yours.
Much of the stressful lifestyles of today are created from bad situations in childhood. Families that were scattered here and there without enough time for nurturing. Advertising that tells you that beauty comes from a product, not from within. Those people you see in ads that look so perfect do not look that way in the morning when they get up. You can do many things with camera and film, so you are not seeing the real thing. Nobody was made perfect other than Jesus Christ and that wasn't based on His outward appearance.
We can be healthier by filling our lives with joy and laughter that God has promised in His Word. Our world is much too focused on performance, deadlines and a drive to over-compete. The only thing that will matter in the end is whether or not you have pleased our Father. All other works will burn up.
If you don't think it's important to take time to laugh, research is proving it's very important. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have shown that laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.
This study was done using laughter-producing movies to gauge the affect of emotions on cardiovascular health. When the same group of volunteers was shown a movie that produced mental stress, the blood vessel linings developed a response called vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow. That finding confirms previous studies, which suggested there was a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels.
Our attitude about life really does matter! Our thoughts control hormone release and digestive juices and enzymes. It matters what we think about and whether we can laugh at life's continual challenges. What can you do different to make yourself more at peace with the world and life. What fears from childhood can you leave behind by shedding the light of today on them? Seek God on it and renew your mind!
Archived Articles Here
Share "A Healing Moment" With a Friend
On the blog: http://www.theherbsplace.com/AHMblog/ahm.html
On the website: http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
Quick Links to The Herbs Place
Current Specials
Online Catalog
Products A-Z
Home Business
Women
Men
Children
Pet Health Topics
Essential Oils
Natria Beauty Products
Non-toxic Laundry and Cleaning
More Complimentary Email Newsletters
The Herbs Place offers several newsletters with topics such as natural health, essential oils, pets, nature, and frugal living. More about newsletters.
Copyright and Reprint Information
© 2007 Donna L. Watkins
All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and link:
This article originally published in "A Healing Moment" was reprinted with permission. The Herbs Place provides a free email subscription to "A Healing Moment." Visit the author's website for more articles and other free newsletters available. http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
Hello Fellow Sojourners!Garden Week in Virginia provides opportunites to visit places that are closed to the public the rest of the year. Morven Farms is a place I've driven by in the countryside of Virginia, surrounded by black board fencing with views that are without words. How my heart would long to step inside it's boundaries and absorb the peace and tranquility of absolute silence and beauty.
This place has been one of the estates open for Garden Week annually and this year we finally drove through those gates.
View Morven Estate and Gardens with me. I've noted some historical information on the photo titles.
It may not be warm enough for a swim yet in your part of the country, but you can close your eyes and picture yourself with no stress or worries, like this frog below. It's obvious that he knows how to "chill out." It's an important lesson that society in our world today needs to learn. Health problems are rising as the world's pressure and stress levels climb.
Although lifestyles can't be changed in a day, you can choose to take moments to close your eyes for 3 full minutes and visualize what brings peace to your soul. A special place you've been, the sounds of relaxing music and a bubbling creek, or maybe just the visual image of this frog who appears to have not a care in the world. Those 3 minutes can make a difference in your health and the more often you do them ... the better you will feel.
Bunches of Blessings to You!
Donna
"Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Today's Featured ArticleFear, Stress and Health
by Donna L. Watkins
It's everywhere online, in the news, on the television. Research is linking our thoughts and emotions to disease. How we react to our environment and the boundaries we do or do not set on ourselves affect the outcome of our health. In many ways, we are a sum total of what we think because every action is preceded by a thought.
Many of us have based our belief systems on what we learned in childhood. Some of that is good since many good character qualities are learned in childhood, such as sharing, giving, honesty, respect for authority, etc.
What about beliefs that were formed because of an assumption and not a life lesson taught like a character quality would be. As children we do not understand the big picture and we make assumptions in our minds that are mostly untrue. We have belief systems that determine our behavior and stress levels based on one event in childhood. Those are the things that need to be reevaluated in the light of adulthood and true wisdom and knowledge.
Maybe you had a teacher that told you your science project was awful, and you determined then that you wouldn't stretch your imagination and creativity to share with the world because what you assumed was a bright idea was evaluated as lousy. Unknowingly, you've allowed that one event, in a moment of time, to change the course of your life. You may have been created to invent many things. It may be a gift inside of you that God gave you when you were born. Do you want to leave all of that behind just because a teacher was maybe having a bad day, or expected a higher grade level of expertise than the grade she/he was teaching.
What are your fears? Trace them back to the events in your life that planted the seed for them. Evaluate the situation as an adult with an ability to see more of the big picture. You have hidden talents and gifts to offer the world. The devil begins early to destroy the special you inside. God gave you specific gifts that will bring you and others joy. They may be hidden inside you in a cellar, but with the Holy Spirit's help and insight you can search for and seek them and claim them as yours.
Much of the stressful lifestyles of today are created from bad situations in childhood. Families that were scattered here and there without enough time for nurturing. Advertising that tells you that beauty comes from a product, not from within. Those people you see in ads that look so perfect do not look that way in the morning when they get up. You can do many things with camera and film, so you are not seeing the real thing. Nobody was made perfect other than Jesus Christ and that wasn't based on His outward appearance.
We can be healthier by filling our lives with joy and laughter that God has promised in His Word. Our world is much too focused on performance, deadlines and a drive to over-compete. The only thing that will matter in the end is whether or not you have pleased our Father. All other works will burn up.
If you don't think it's important to take time to laugh, research is proving it's very important. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have shown that laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.
This study was done using laughter-producing movies to gauge the affect of emotions on cardiovascular health. When the same group of volunteers was shown a movie that produced mental stress, the blood vessel linings developed a response called vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow. That finding confirms previous studies, which suggested there was a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels.
Our attitude about life really does matter! Our thoughts control hormone release and digestive juices and enzymes. It matters what we think about and whether we can laugh at life's continual challenges. What can you do different to make yourself more at peace with the world and life. What fears from childhood can you leave behind by shedding the light of today on them? Seek God on it and renew your mind!
Archived Articles Here
Share "A Healing Moment" With a Friend
On the blog: http://www.theherbsplace.com/AHMblog/ahm.html
On the website: http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
Quick Links to The Herbs Place
Current Specials
Online Catalog
Products A-Z
Home Business
Women
Men
Children
Pet Health Topics
Essential Oils
Natria Beauty Products
Non-toxic Laundry and Cleaning
More Complimentary Email Newsletters
The Herbs Place offers several newsletters with topics such as natural health, essential oils, pets, nature, and frugal living. More about newsletters.
Copyright and Reprint Information
© 2007 Donna L. Watkins
All photos remain the property of Donna L. Watkins. You may forward or use this copyrighted article on a website if you include the following credit and link:
This article originally published in "A Healing Moment" was reprinted with permission. The Herbs Place provides a free email subscription to "A Healing Moment." Visit the author's website for more articles and other free newsletters available. http://www.theherbsplace.com/ahm.html
posted by Donna at 9:27 AM
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