Stress Resilience

Many of us have heard that at the center of a hurricane, there is an area that is very calm. Perhaps you've seen this depicted in a movie, where there is a calm and quiet that is surrounded by a raging storm. This is called the "eye of the storm" and is a great metaphor for the goal of this book. If life is like the storm, we want to impart to you that you can be the eye, you can remain calm and centered even in the face of chaotic circumstances. Imagine that you are standing strong, quiet, and very calm while there is powerful storming around you in every direction. Feel the intensity of witnessing chaos, and also feel very relaxed & centered in calm abiding. Stress management is a buzzword in our society. Many people are talking about it. Many people know that stress is a problem. Our goal is to show you how the systems of the body are affected by stress and what you can do about it. Simultaneously, we will address the importance of the whole person, both body and mind. The intention of this book is to give you practical tools so you can move through your busy days with less stress, more energy, and greater joy. Our intention is to provide you with tools you can implement today and then begin seeing results quickly. This book is NOT trying to eliminate challenges from you life. Instead, the goal is to shift the way that you relate to obstacles that you face. If you actually implement the suggested strategies, we are confident they will help you fundamentally shift the way that you relate to life. The resulting orientation will provide lasting energy & joy. Our goal is to help you meet the trials of life in a relaxed way while enjoying the present moment. Many times we cannot change the pace of our lives. However, what we can learn to control is the speed that we feel internally. This book will show you how to operate from a space inside of yourself that will minimize the negative effects of stress, both on your physical and mental well being. These tools are not supposed to be the be-all-end-all solution for every stress. In our clinical practice we focus on balancing digestion, improving detoxification, identifying and eliminating chronic infections, and balancing hormones. We also work to optimize nutrition/lifestyle, and balance the thyroid and adrenal glands. What we have found, however, is that if we do not address the mind component of disease, the physical changes do not last. If we are allowing the challenges of life to create a chronic stress response in our body (which can happen even if one is not displaying exterior signs of stress), we will see a decline in multiple system functions. In our practice, we find many clients are ready to improve their dietary choices. They are often willing to take supplements that will help restore health. Yet, stress-management is a vital component that is commonly brushed under the rug. Although we bring it to light early, we usually find that mindfulness is the last and most difficult part to implement into daily living for many people. This book was inspired by the observation that the people we have seen that have attained and maintained the best vitality and happiness are those that focused on both the mental and the physical dimensions. The biggest obstacle we hear from people is that they do not have time to address it all. Yet, research supports that mindfulness practice increases productivity so you do more in less time. We will also address the physical components of stress so that we address both the body and the mind. The first half of the book will speak to the mental side, and the second half of the b