20 WAYS TO TURN STRESS

INTO FUN !!

BY: DHYAANGURU DR. NIPUN AGGARWAL

www.theworldofhealing.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dhyaanguru Dr. Nipun Aggarwal is a Humanitarian, Philanthropist,

Mentor, Motivator, Doctor and a Spiritual Guide who has helped

thousands over the years with Lectures and workshops on Self-

Development, Meditation and Mantras.

Dr. Aggarwal is a Physician listed as one of the Top Leading

Physicians of the World. He has delivered lectures on Motivation,

Confidence building, Personality Development, Hypnotherapy and

many more natural ways of Healing over the World. He has a

doctorate in Medicine and Masters in Hypnotherapy with special

interest and expertise in Meditation, Acupressure, Reflexology

and Alternative Medicine.

This book is very easy to read. The fundamentals described in the

book are very simple and easy to follow.

AN INCIDENT…

It started while I was taking a trip to India. It was a long day

before I got on the flight and I sat tired in the chair. After an

hour or so of napping, I took a moment to look around myself and

saw a nicely dressed man in his 60's sitting next to me. I

introduced myself and started talking. He was reading a book on

motivation. Being a speaker on motivation, I told him that I

myself conduct workshops on motivation and meditation to help

people. He looked at me for a second, and then said, “Let me tell

you a story. Few years ago, I was a very busy executive in one of

the Fortune 500 companies. One morning I was rushing to get to

work as usual. I was on the beltway when I realized that my car

was making a noise. I slowed down my car. I pulled it over the

shoulder and realized that I had a flat tire. It was raining heavily.

I had a very important meeting to attend. I started getting

stressed out. I started breathing fast and shallow. I could feel

my heart racing and not being able to think what I should do. Felt

as if everything wrong had happened to me in life. All of a sudden

I was drenched in negativity just by that one event. A passerby

stopped to see if I needed help. He saw me stressed and said,

“Take it easy. Let me help you with this". While helping me to get

the tire changed, he started talking to me and told me that he

had lost his job due to economic crisis and was struggling to get

one. He said,"I have been through a tough stressful phase when I

got laid off. I kept thinking as to why this happened to me. But on

deep thinking, I realized that there are so many people going

through real problems. Look at people who do not have a house to

live, do not have food to eat, suffering from cancer, handicaps, etc.

At least I have none of those. So, I am happy."

It took me a few minutes to think straight. But after digesting

what he said, I realized that we stress out on such minor stuff

which is not even worth thinking. That day I changed my attitude

towards stress and now I do not get it, because now I know Stress

is a thief that steals the peace of mind. So I keep the

doors of my mind locked to all such thieves to keep my peace of

mind.

This story was one of the few which people tell me about them

and how a few words can transform their thought process for the

better or worse.

STRESS IS BAD….

QUESTIONNAIRE..

Do you have hard time focusing on things?

Do you feel occupied mentally even when you cannot think of

anything particular?

Do you have bloating, heartburn or upset stomach frequently?

Do you have hard time sleeping?

Do you feel aches & pain in your body?

Do you have a constant fear of some sort?

Do you get headaches and neck pain frequently?

Do you have trouble losing weight even with aggressive diet and

exercise?

IF YES, YOU LIKELY HAVE STRESS CAUSING ALL THIS!

Stress is an emotion that comes from OVERACTIVE thoughts,

i.e., thoughts of over-concern, thoughts of disappointment,

thoughts of fear, thoughts of failure, etc. It creates a multitude

of chemical reactions in the whole body including brain. The

chemicals released lead to subtle contractions in the body which

gradually keep progressing if stress gets prolonged. Those

contractions manifest in multiple ways, both physically and

psychologically.

Stress reduces Immunity making you more susceptible to disease.

Physical Effects

1. Chronic Headaches.

2. Anxiety

3. Depression

4. Heartburn

5. Chronic Pains

6. Sleep disorders

7. Asthma

8. Cardiovascular diseases.

9. Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

10. Weight gain/weight loss

11. Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

12. Loss of sex drive

13. Frequent colds

14. Chest pain/tightness

Psychological effects

1. Irritability

2. Anger

3. Agitation

4. Poor judgment

5. Memory problems

6. Addictions to alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax

Now what everyone wants to know is,

’How to Manage Stress?'

Next page is the most important page in the book.

MANTRA OF STRESS MANAGEMENT:

DO THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT

STRESS DOES TO YOU !!!

So, lets start the journey

20 WAYS TO TURN STRESS

INTO FUN

1. TAKE A DEEP BREATH

Deep breathing is a must and first physiological response that one

should adopt when going through an acute stress phase.

Whenever we are stressed, we do not breathe right. We take

very shallow breaths which do not provide sufficient oxygen to

the body. Our body reacts as if we are surrounded by a lot of

people who are going to harm us and we try to hide. As we do not

take deep breaths when we try to hide from someone, so that

they don't find us by the noise of breathing, similarly, when

stressed, we do not breathe properly. It leads to multiple

contractions in the body. Our blood vessels also start contracting

leading to elevation of Blood pressure. Lack of oxygen creates

mental clouding as the brain needs oxygen to breathe. The stress

hormone rises, leading to appetite changes. Our bowels do not

absorb the food as they should, leading to symptoms of diarrhea

or constipation initially, and may turn into Irritable Bowel

syndrome (IBS) when stress becomes chronic. All the above

mentioned physiological changes drain out a person physically and

mentally within few minutes of a stress response. Lungs are one

of the major organs to detoxify our body. They work by

eliminating the harmful gases out of our system. Improper

breathing leads to accumulation of toxic chemicals in body making

it more prone to disease.

Deep breathing helps in many ways. Physiologically, it provides

enough oxygen to our body, slows down heart rate, improves brain

function leading to better decision making during the stress

phase. The stress hormone concentration decreases and blood

circulation improves.

Tip: Just take 10 deep easy and deep breaths and say to yourself

“Relax" and see the difference in your body. The results are

instantaneous and magical.

2. STOP THINKING NEGATIVE, THINK GOOD

The first psychological response to stress is that we start

thinking negative about the situation or person in context. This is

part of human mind system which is very natural. It is hard to

change the response as it is part of our thinking mechanism. But

the thought itself is of no harm as long as you are aware of it and

you do not let that negative thought turn into a negative action.

Every event or happening in your life has a deeper meaning to it.

We get problems in life so that we can learn how to deal with

them. There is no single person in this whole world who could say

that he or she did not have any stressful situation in their lives.

Stress and its human response are the same for most of us. The

difference is perception and the experience. A problem is a

problem the first time. When we learn how to deal with it, we

know how to take care of it the second time.

Tip: think of good things that happened in your life. Think of all

the achievements, success and loved ones that you are proud of.

Think that you will be better the next time and that this problem

will never come again.

3. SOCIALIZE

Humans are social animals. We cannot stay away from people for

long. Stress leads to a fright response and the first thing we

want to do is ’hide' ourselves as mentioned in 1. So if you try to do

the opposite, you can easily null-void the stress response.

Conversation, sharing, being in touch with others, gives living a

purpose. Sharing with friends helps multiply the joys and divide

the sorrows. Several studies report fewer colds, lower blood

pressure and lower heart rates in participants with strong social

ties. Statistics show that marriage, perhaps the strongest tie,

adds years to life expectancy. Suicide, mental illness and

alcoholism rates are much lower when people feel a sense of

belonging.

Dozens of findings over the past two decades have shown how

important social connections can be. In another study, University

of Michigan epidemiologist James House and his team interviewed

and examined 2,754 adults over a period of nine to 12 years.

Their results, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology

in 1982, showed that men who reported more social relationships

-- going to movies, church meetings, classes, or trips with friends

or relatives, for example -- were significantly less likely to die

during the study period. Socially active women also benefited,

although not quite as dramatically.

Marriage, too, turns out to have important health benefits. In the

December 1999 issue of Neurology, researchers at Bordeaux

University in France reported that among 2,800 volunteers

followed over a five-year period, married people were one-third

less likely than the never-married to develop Alzheimer's disease.

So stop hiding in your room or house. Go out. Meet people. Talk to

people. World is beautiful out-there.

4. DANCE

History of dancing goes a long way when human civilizations were

established. It has been researched and studied over thousands

of years on how dance can affect us. Dance is a body response of

happiness and good mood. I have never seen person dance when

they are sad/depressed. Dancing with the music you like, increases

serotonin hormone in the brain which is the ’happy hormone'. That

is why depressed people are give SSRI's(Selective serotonine

Reuptake Inhibitors) which basically avoid depletion of Serotonin

in the brain leading to happy feelings and enhanced mood. Dancing

is a way to increase serotonin which improves your mood when you

are stressed. It also increases circulation in the body leading to

better oxygen consumption and detoxification.

Frequent dancing apparently makes us smarter. A major study

added to the growing evidence that stimulating one's mind can

ward off Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, much as

physical exercise can keep the body fit. Dancing also increases

cognitive acuity at all ages.

One of the surprises of the study was that almost none of the

physical activities appeared to offer any protection against

dementia. There can be cardiovascular benefits of course, but

the focus of this study was the mind. There was one important

exception: the only physical activity to offer protection against

dementia was frequent dancing.

Reading - 35% reduced risk of dementia

Bicycling and swimming - 0%

Doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week - 47%

Playing golf - 0%

Dancing frequently - 76%.

That was the greatest risk reduction of any activity studied,

cognitive or physical.

So put on your favorite dance music and show your moves. Your

stress will melt away in no time.

5. TAKE IT AS A CHALLENGE

Did you ever heard of anyone who sat on the bicycle for the first

time as a child and did not fall? Falling is part of human learning

system. We can only balance ourselves when we have fallen. Those

who don't fall, don't get success. So if you think, you have a lot of

falls on your plate, I want to congratulate you because all those

falls have helped you be at balance in life in many areas.

Perfection comes from practice. A 100 mile walk starts with one

step. How many times do you see toddlers fall when they are

learning to walk? Countless times. But does it make them stress

out? Not at all. Its part of learning curve to fall.

Whether we realize it or not, we are all faced with challenges in

our own lives every single day. We also frequently overcome these

challenges. As adults, we long for stability and certainty, yet

unintentionally fail to live out the incredible possibilities that

come with uncertainty. What we don't realize is that by putting

ourselves into a position where we are forced to take action in

order to succeed, we get rewarded always one way or the other.

So, take problems as challenges. Problems always go in the past.

You have to go in future. Our thoughts make us who we are.

6. GO TO A PARTY

Fun is a must especially when you are stressed. Our neural

connections and neurotransmitters also get in a happy mode.

Avoid any toxic substances like alcohol or smoking as they have

opposite effects. The idea is to connect with friends, socialize,

dance and listen to good music.

7. DRINK PLENTY WATER

Water is the best detoxifying agent created by nature. Water's

healing properties are always underestimated. To most of my

patients, I recommend drinking plenty of water as first part of

my recommendations. Water is major component of human body.

It constitutes over 70% of human body. Water goes into blood

circulation; kidneys filter the blood and eliminate toxins from

your body.

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Drinking 5 glasses

of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it

can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50%

less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Benefits of water include

*Clears body toxins

*Improves colon and bladder health

*Improves circulation

*Improves muscle strength

*Improves skin texture

*Promotes muscle growth.

*Reduces weight

*Promotes mood

*Promotes exercise capacity

*Increased productivity

*Reduces fatigue and tiredness

So, start drinking more water. Recommendations are 8 glasses,

8oz each per day.

8. EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGGIES

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables have abundance of anti-oxidants

which reduce the aging process accelerated by stress. Stress

affects our telomeres (part of genes) leading to poor and reduced

life. Antioxidants help to reduce the effects of free radicals

created in the body by stress and helps cleanse our body and

mind. Fruits and vegetables come in terrific colors and flavors, but

their real beauty lies in what's inside. Fruits and vegetables are

great sources of many vitamins, minerals and other natural

substances that may help protect you from chronic diseases.

Most people should aim for at least nine servings (at least 4½

cups) of vegetables and fruits a day. To get a healthy variety,

think color. Eating fruits and vegetables of different colors gives

your body a wide range of valuable nutrients, like fiber, folate,

potassium, and vitamins A and C. Some examples include green

spinach, orange sweet potatoes, black beans, yellow corn, purple

plums, red watermelon, and white onions. For more variety, try new

fruits and vegetables regularly. Stress reduces our immunity

and fruits and veggies help restore that giving us the ability to

fight disease.

9. GET UP EARLY IN MORNING

We all have heard this multiple times from our elders that “Early

to bed and early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise."

It is very true. I know it is very hard to get up early in the

morning with the kind of lifestyle we have, but once you do it, you

feel so good, that you would want to do it again and again. That one

extra hour in the morning is most productive part of the day.

Whatever you would do in that one hour would lead to great

results. There are multiple reasons for that.

a. You are fresh,

b. You are relaxed.

c. You are well rested.

d. Your mind is not racing with multiple thoughts in the first hour.

e. Highest concentration of positive hormones in the morning.

So, if you have some work which you have been wanting to do for a

while, but do not get enough time to finish it off, try once to do it

in that one hour. It will help boost your mood for the rest of

that day. Mornings are best times to stretch, exercise and

meditate.

10. CLEAN YOUR HOME

Cleaning your room, desk or wherever you dwell is a must for each

human being. Clean Homes have been proven statistically to be

much more calming to mind than dirty ones. So the first thing to

calm your mind is to clean your clutter. You will get instant

satisfaction and peace of mind. Also, cleaning involves physical

exercise. Physical exercise helps with increased motor activity

leading to lowering of serum cortisol (stress hormone) and

improved circulation. So gather the cleaning supplies and start

this stress buster.

11. ORGANIZE CLOSET

Organizing helps streamline our thought process and improves our

problem solving skills. Organizing closet saves time in mornings,

keeps your mood right and improves your organizing skills. It is

well known that people who keep their closet organized are good

organizers overall.

Our belongings stay in closet. The way we carry ourselves can be

easily correlated with the condition of our closet. So clean it.

How we are inside is how we are outside. If inside is good, outside

always turns good.

The idea is to organize. When we organize, we feel good. We get

a sense of achievement. All high achievers are good organizers.

Just keeping your closet organized, would lead to cleaning your

subconscious mind, improving sense of well-being.

A few easy ways to do is to follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of the

things we have are only used 20% of the times and 20% of the

things are used 80% of the times. So put the 20% items in front

where they can be easily approached and kept. The rest 80% good

stuff that you piled up over time thinking that you will be using it,

but as usual did not get a chance to use, needs be the one that

needs sorting out soon.

Take 2 big plastic or cardboard boxes. Separate the ones that

you honestly feel that you would be using in future and the ones

that really fit well. Put them in the Box named MINE.

The ones that do not fit, or are now old fashioned or the ones you

have used enough that you don't feel wearing anymore, put them in

a box named DONATE. Most people are able to get at least 25-

40% of the stuff in Donate Box.

Organizing closet also burns up some calories and get you going.

Also helps your spouse/room partner feel good about that. So

your stress buster can bring a smile on someone else's face. It is

totally worth it. Now your closet is clean and very well organized.

Take a picture with your digital camera to remind you of that

moment.

12. EXERCISE

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise. I hope I have made a point here.

Exercise is a significant booster of endorphins (happy hormones).

Health Benefits of Exercise and Physical Activity:

Reduce the risk of premature death

Reduce the risk of developing and/or dying from heart

disease

Reduce high blood pressure or the risk of developing high

blood pressure

Reduce high cholesterol or the risk of developing high

cholesterol

Reduce the risk of developing colon cancer and breast

cancer

Reduce the risk of developing diabetes

Reduce or maintain body weight or body fat

Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints

Reduce depression and anxiety

Improve psychological well-being

Enhanced work, recreation, and sport performance

So put on your sneakers and take a run on road or treadmill.

Lifting some weights would be a good idea too.

13. DRESS WELL

When was the last time you dressed well? Imagine how you felt at

that time. When we dress well, we get more confident. Good

dressing style brings style in you. You carry yourself well. You do

not slouch. You stand erect and you are ready to take on to any

challenge. That is why most of the corporation executives,

marketing people and customer service representatives wear

formal clothing. When we feel confident, we are more efficient

and our face value improves.

It has been said that in the first 5 seconds after meeting a new

person, they will have made a long lasting first impression of your

image. 90% of your body at any time is covered in clothing.

Therefore how to dress well for men IS a big deal. You don't need

to spend thousands of dollars on a new wardrobe, but you do need

to put effort and thought into what you wear.

Dressing well is applicable to all areas of life (the business world,

the dating world etc.) You need to look and feel your best no

matter where you are going. Fashion is really an expression of

yourself.

So put on your best show tonight.

14. LOTUS POSE

The Lotus position is adopted to allow the body to be held

completely steady for long periods of time. As the body steadies,

the mind becomes calm. The posture applies pressure to the lower

spine which may facilitate relaxation. The breathing slows down,

muscular tension decreases and blood pressure decreases. The

sacral nerves are toned as the normally large blood flow to the

legs is redirected to the abdominal region.

15. AVOID CAFFEINE

Caffeine is very potent trigger for vasospasm, i.e., blood vessel

contraction. It increases blood pressure and also increases

irritability of bladder and colon making you more susceptible to

disease. Stress when combines with caffeine is a bad combination.

So avoid any caffeinated drinks like coffee and sodas. You can try

decaf if you still crave for it.

For most adults, moderate doses of caffeine -- 200 to 300

milligrams (mg), or about two to four cups of brewed coffee a day

-- aren't harmful. But heavy use -- more than 500 to 600 mg a

day, or about four to seven cups of coffee -- can cause a whole

host of problems, including:

Insomnia

Nervousness

Restlessness

Irritability

Nausea or other gastrointestinal problems

Fast or irregular heartbeat

Muscle tremors

Headaches

Anxiety

16. LAUGH

Watch a comedy movie or show. You can also call up a friend or

colleague who makes you laugh. Laughter is a good way to

generate series of neurochemical reactions which are helpful for

mood enhancement. A lot of cultures have now adapted a system

of laughter clubs. It’s an idea whereby all people stand in a circle

and laugh. It is way to subconsciously train the mind to stay happy

even without an occurrence of stimulus to laugh.

Laughter is a good way to connect with other people. It lightens

up the mood. It also gives a wonderful internal workout (especially

abdomen). Increases endorphins and reduces cortisol. It

distracts you from stress. Humor and laughter strengthen your

immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you

from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless

medicine is fun, free, and easy to use. Humor helps you keep a

positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations,

disappointments, and loss.

So start laughing.

17. LET GO

A lot of us have a hard time letting go. We keep holding on to

past bad memories or thoughts about people and events in life. As

discussed above, things happen in everyone's life. There is no

single person who is only blessed with happiness and no sorrow.

Our subconscious mind is like the sea's bottom surface. Over time,

we keep adding layers of memories and we become who we are.

Some memories are very disturbing to that surface and keep

creating waves which does not let our mind settle. It not only

causes us to be unhappy, but can strain or ruin relationships,

distract us from work and family and other important things, make

us reluctant to open up to new things and people. We get trapped

in a cycle of anger and hurt, and miss out on the beauty of life as

it happens.

Try to shake the memory or thought that has been shaking your

mind. Imagine wiping that thought out of your mind. It will help

you incredibly.

18. SET GOALS

Goal setting gives you direction for future. SMART goals help you

achieve the desired results that you strive for. Goals should be

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time-bound

It is even more important to make goals during time of stress

because it gives you a morale boost. You look for the good part of

future rather than looking at the past or present. Futuristic

approach helps you forget your present or past issues for a while.

Goals can help you concentrate your time and effort

Goals can provide motivation, persistence and desire

Goals can help you establish priorities.

Goals can provide a roadmap to take you from where you are to

where you want to be.

So always look forwards.

19. PLAN A TRIP

It would be a good idea to plan a trip with your spouse or friend

to your favorite destinations. Make sure you do not spend out of

pocket as that would be another stressor later. Check out travel

deals over internet. You can easily save bunch of money that you

can use for later in life. You feel good when you save.

When we travel, we meet variety of people. On reading biographies

of highly successful people, one thing that stands out is that they

all mention that their best learning experiences came while

travelling and meeting people. When we plan, we look forward to it.

We get a reason to be happy, especially when surrounded by so

many stressors.

So take a road trip, plane trip or a sea trip and enjoy.

20. MEDITATE

A 2005 study on American men and women who meditated a mere

40 minutes a day showed that they had thicker cortical walls as

compared to non meditators. What this meant is that their brains

were aging at a slower rate. Cortical thickness is also associated

with decision making, attention and memory.

Meditation is one thing that people are scared of. Meditation is

traditionally thought to as an act of ultimate mind control which

is very hard to achieve. It is imagined as a very tough task to

perform. I have a good news for you my friend. You have already

meditated by reading this book. Reading a book is also a type of

meditation. Anybody can do meditation anytime. Meditation is

nothing but self-awareness. You may feel your breathing, the air

touching your skin, sensations in your hands and feet or whatever

you want to as long as you are living in the present moment. We

tend to think multiple things at the same time and are unable to

achieve desired results because of lack of focus. So take a few

moments and try to feel yourself.

LET’S REFRESH AGAIN WHAT WE READ REALLY QUICK.

20 WAYS TO TURN STRESS

INTO FUN !!

1. TAKE A DEEP BREATH

2. STOP THINKING NEGATIVE, THINK GOOD

3. SOCIALIZE

4. DANCE

5. TAKE IT AS A CHALLENGE

6. GO TO A PARTY

7. DRINK PLENTY WATER

8. EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGGIES

9. GET UP EARLY IN MORNING

10. CLEAN YOUR HOME

11. ORGANIZE CLOSET

12. EXERCISE

13. DRESS WELL

14. LOTUS POSE

15. AVOID CAFFEINE

16. LAUGH

17. LET GO

18. SET GOALS

19. PLAN A TRIP

20. MEDITATE

SO, THE IDEA TO MANAGE STRESS IS TO CONVERT IT

INTO FUN !!

DO THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT STRESS DOES TO YOU AND

YOU WILL BE HAPPY IN NO TIME .