Stress may be the number one killer of modern times. Everywhere you go, you hear people saying how stressed they are. This is due to the fact that life is changing and progressing at an exponential rate. People are losing their jobs or changing careers and relationships faster than ever before. Debt is at record levels, at least in America.

Of course, this change is both good and bad. It is good because it means knowledge and technology are advancing exponentially, increasing our life-expectancy and standard of living. It is bad if we do not learn to cope with this change.

Statistically, about about 12% or 13% of all Americans ages 18 to 54 suffer from an anxiety disorder at some time in their life. That’s about 20 million people. This is the number one health problem among women, and the number two health problem among men second to alcohol and drug abuse.

More people suffer from anxiety than any other mental health [...]]]>

Vitamins and antioxidant health supplements, along with healthy diets of natural, organic foods for weight loss, exercise and fitness are necessary for optimal mental health and anti-aging. But it goes further than that.

Stress may be the number one killer of modern times. Everywhere you go, you hear people saying how stressed they are. This is due to the fact that life is changing and progressing at an exponential rate. People are losing their jobs or changing careers and relationships faster than ever before. Debt is at record levels, at least in America.

Of course, this change is both good and bad. It is good because it means knowledge and technology are advancing exponentially, increasing our life-expectancy and standard of living. It is bad if we do not learn to cope with this change.

Statistically, about about 12% or 13% of all Americans ages 18 to 54 suffer from an anxiety disorder at some time in their life. That’s about 20 million people. This is the number one health problem among women, and the number two health problem among men second to alcohol and drug abuse.

More people suffer from anxiety than any other mental health disorder. Women suffer from anxiety at twice the rate of men. The cost to society approaches $50 billion a year. And what is the cause of this anxiety? Very often it is triggered by stress.

Stress does not just cause anxiety, it also leads to depression, another scourge of modern society. Stress is a killer, which can cause many horrible diseases from high blood pressure, strokes and cardiovascular illness to autoimmune disorders and cancer. We know that stress weakens the immune system, which is responsible for fighting nearly all disease.

During stress, the body releases hormones that can be useful against short-term threats or for physical activity, but when released for an extended period of time lead to the break down of the body and disease. In addition, stress leads people to unhealthy habits such as poor diets, drinking, smoking, lack of exercise and drugs.

So how do we fight stress and become more relaxed? There are many ways, and each person must find what works best for them. Here are a few suggestions that seem to work well for many people.

The first thing is to realize that almost all stress is caused not by events in the external world, but by how you react to those events. Stress is produced by the thoughts in your own mind which you are responsible for creating.

One of my favorite techniques for reducing stress is listening to music. When you are feeling stressed, your body is vibrating at a low level of energy. Beautiful music vibrates at a higher energy frequency. So by listening to music, the higher levels of vibrational energy will lift and increase the energy levels in your own body and naturally decrease your stress levels. Music will help your body to vibrate at a higher frequency, and has been shown in scientific studies to reduce stress levels.

Meditation has also been proven to reduce stress levels. If you have not learned how to meditate, now is a great time. Meditation is a great way to reduce stress and gain control over your life. Everyone I know who meditates appears more calm, relaxed and in control of their emotions and their life. Meditation clears your mind of the negative thoughts that produce stress and draw negative experiences into your life. Remember, stress is produced by the thoughts in your mind. By learning to meditate, you are taking control of your thought process which produces your reality.

Exercise has also been proven to reduce stress. When you are feeling anxious, stop what you are doing, get up and move your body. This can be as simple as going for a walk, or just doing some stretching exercises. You will be surprised at how effective this can be at reducing stress in your body and mind, as simply moving will help you feel better. I find for myself that a good exercise workout in the gym lifting weights is a tremendous stress reducer. Fitness is fabulous. In fact, at no time in the day do I feel better than after a good hard workout. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain that are responsible for elevated mood and just plain feeling good.

Most people spend their entire day inside. They go from their house to their car to the office, back to the car and back home again. They get no direct sunlight on their skin, which is necessary for creating vitamin D, serotonin, melatonin and other hormones that help you to feel good and get adequate sleep. If you are feeling stressed out, go out and get some natural sunlight on your skin, and even better, exercise in the process. Additionally, commune with nature. If there is a park or some woods nearby, take a nice walk and soak in the calm and beauty of the natural world.

Learn to laugh more, and laugh and play every day. Laughter is a great stress reliever. Watch a funny movie or a comedy routine on TV. Or better yet, go out and see one live. Getting out of the house will increase your confidence and help you to feel that you can master your world. Laughter has even been shown to fight disease. Figure out what gives you joy and pleasure in life and do more of it. Find and learn to love the child within.

Make friends and socialize. Studies show that people who are socially active have less stress, are less prone to disease and live longer. Married people live longer that singles. Even people who have animals that express the positive vibrations of unconditional love have reduced stress levels.

Eat a healthy, nutritious diet of natural, organic foods. These should include lots of organic fruits and vegetables (and fresh juicing), whole grain carbohydrates, quality proteins such as eggs, spirulina and lean meats, and healthy fats such as olive oil (no trans fats).

This is critical for maintaining fitness and feeding your cells with the vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and nutrition necessary to support your immune system to fight disease, and give you the mitochondrial energy to live an active, long and productive life.

Supplement your natural food diet with extra vitamins, anti-oxidants and hormones for maximum anti-aging health benefits. These should include powerful multi-vitamins, herbs and health supplements such as DHEA, melatonin, pregnenolone, fish oil, green tea, ginseng and resveratrol.

Finally, remember one thing if nothing else: the law of attraction. You are the master of your thoughts. You create the thoughts in your mind, and the thoughts in your mind create your reality. Learn how to think positive thoughts, and learn how to imagine and visualize the things that you want in your life. The more you do this, the more you’ll attract these positive qualities and experiences into your life, the better you will feel about yourself, and the more success you will achieve.