Stress Education Center - Dstress.com Newsletter

"Dedicated to serving by providing information, products, and services to

create awareness and then offer control of stress and the process of change."

In this issue:

1. Introduction and Welcome

2. Stress Management Tip of the Month: Instant Relaxation Anytime Anywhere. Article submitted by Peter Murphy

3. Self-Care Survey Results

4. Article: Finding Happiness Submitted by Lion Goodman

5. Product of the Month: New product survey Results and New Product Release

6. What comes next...

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1. Introduction of the Stress Education Center's - Dstress.com Newsletter

I'm thrilled you're reading this letter. But you must be stressed. Welcome to the July-August, 2002 issue of this bi-monthly e-zine.
Stop for a minute in whatever busy place you are, take one deep breath, relax your shoulders, your forehead, and your jaw.
Through 25 years I've been fascinated with people and the ways they can learn to change their lives and better manage stress. Through private practice, work with doctors and now a coaching center I've celebrated with men and women how small changes, like tiny stones, can slay this Goliath.

Read on to gain insight, learn about products and materials to enhance your life, increase your productivity and most importantly give you back what you want - a life and the time and energy to enjoy it. Do you have ideas for subjects you'd like addressed? Let me know! Do you disagree with something I say? I want to hear!

Thanks for reading.

L. John Mason, Ph.D.

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2. Stress Management Tip of the Month:

Now if you are ready to relax! Read this next article. But before you do, take three slow deep breaths. Feel the cool air as you inhale, and then pause a moment. Exhale fully and completely, feeling the warmth breath flow out and away. Letting the muscle of your body begin to release tension or extra energy. Slow down.... Easier said than done, but slow down, and then read on.

Instant Relaxation Anytime Anywhere

By Peter Murphy

If there was a way of relaxing quickly and easily in any situation would you want to know what it is?

Ancient cultures knew this secret, and followers of Hawaiian Huna used it to access altered states. While in more recent times martial artists used it as a way to develop relaxed alertness, and today photoreaders use it to relax before reading books at speeds of 25,000 words per minute.

What is the secret? It has to do with how you use your eyes!

Pick a spot on the wall straight ahead and a little above eye level. Now continue to look at that spot with soft focus and after a few moments you will notice that the room seems to become fuzzy as you develop tunnel vision. This tunnel vision goes hand in hand with the worry, stress and anxiety you feel when you get fixated on getting what you want when you are under pressure.

If only you could snap out of that tunnel vision when it clouds your judgment then you could be more relaxed when you choose to be. You can in a moment if you know how to access your peripheral vision.

How to access your peripheral vision:

1. Pick a spot on the wall in front of you, slightly above eye level.

2. Extend your field of vision, little by little, to take in more of what you can see to the left and right. Continue like this until you are aware of what you can see out of the corner of your eyes on either side.

3. Let your awareness go even further. Use your sense of space to guide you all the way around behind you through 360 degrees.

When you stay in peripheral vision for a few minutes, you will notice that your breathing tends to slow down and even become deeper; the muscles of your face may have relaxed; and even the rest of your body may feel heavier and more relaxed.

When you use your peripheral vision your nervous system seems to automatically calm your body, mind and emotions.

4. Return to normal everyday awareness by letting your vision return to normal.

When you are speaking to a group or even to a large audience, accessing your peripheral vision is a valuable skill. It will let you relax immediately while also allowing you to see your entire audience and any small movements, consequently you can be more aware of reactions to your message.

Which do you prefer, tunnel vision with stress or peripheral vision with relaxation? The choice is yours. To have a choice when it matters you need to practice accessing your peripheral vision at will. Then the next time you feel anxious, scared or tense in front of other people you will be able to quickly and easily access your natural state of relaxation.

Would you like a free weekly ezine full of practical tips for communicating at your best under pressure? All new subscribers get a free ebook with powerful strategies for being at your best. To subscribe send a blank email to:

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Along the way, do not forget to take good care of yourself!

Good Health!
L. John Mason, Ph.D.

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3. Self-Care Survey Results

I recently completed an e-mail survey to Human Resource Professionals regarding the use and benefits of self-care.
Of the group who chose to respond, about 40% of total group, there was a 90-95% positive response to the following questions.

• How important is self-care to you?
• How important is self-care to your health?
• How important is self-care to your quality of life?
• How important is self-care to your work performance?
  

The highest use of self-care involved positive social interactions with family, friends, and pets. Exercise and diet were next on the list of self-care strategies that were most used. Hobbies and travel were next on this list. Regular relaxation and personal growth activities were on the list but not used as much.


These HR professionals average 1/2-1 hours per day of self-care activities.

Self-care was reported to be "vital to life balance," able to reduce burnout and enhance job performance, and was used to prevent health problems from developing or getting worse. More support on the job was a need and there not enough positive role models for others to follow.

Send me your comments regarding what strategies you believe work for your self-care and how you most benefit from regular self-care practices.

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4. Article: Finding Happiness submitted by Lion Goodman

Lion Goodman is a friend and colleague with an agenda. He wants to serve. In this brief article he offers a noteworthy alternative that you may wish to explore. Please read on....

What is happiness? And how can I get some?

The quest for happiness is as old as humankind. Where does happiness come from?

If you were walking down the street and noticed a sandwich shop, you might go in and order your favorite sandwich. How did you know what to order? You have a memory of eating that type of sandwich before, and you liked it then, so you expect to like it again. Your desire begins with an idea or a memory (of the sandwich) or a sensation (of hunger). You anticipate the end result (enjoying the sandwich, feeling satisfied), and that attracts and focuses your attention. You take actions that are in alignment with those thoughts, feelings, and sensations, and your hunger is eventually satisfied.

What about happiness? You have memories of being happy. And you probably seek out the same kinds of activities and actions that were associated with happiness in the past. If you experienced happiness while riding a bicycle, you'll probably go riding again and again. If you were happy on a date, you will most likely go out with that person again. We fill our lives with actions that should make us happy, based on the it felt good the last time principle. Unfortunately, this rarely works to make us happy, because happiness is not like hunger. It can't be satisfied with something outside of ourselves because happiness is not based on a physical need. Rather, happiness is a phenomenon of the mind, or inner self. Happiness is self-generated.

Most people look for happiness outside themselves, and for good reason. We are bombarded with thousands of advertising messages every day, telling us that if we use this make-up, buy this car, smoke those cigarettes, wear this brand of clothes, or eat at that fast food restaurant, we will satisfy our desires for happiness. We will suddenly have satisfying relationships, joy and laughter, sex appeal, and satisfaction.

it's not just advertising that convinces us that we should seek our happiness outside ourselves. We believe our parents: If you become a doctor/lawyer/engineer you'll live a good life. We believe our religious leaders: If you believe what we believe, you'll be saved/enlightened/joyous. We believe our friends: If you _______ (fill in the blank), you'll be happier.

Where does happiness really come from? We know that it doesn't come consistently from anything outside ourselves, although we spend tremendous amounts of time and money trying to achieve that tenuous state. It must, therefore come from within ourselves. Is it possible to generate happiness anytime you want?

Try this experiment: Smile until you feel happy. It may take only a moment, or it might take a few minutes.

Now try another experiment: Think to yourself, I'm happy until you smile.

Did you notice that there was nothing outside of yourself that was required for you to experience happiness? And if that is the case, why aren't you happy more often?

The causes of our unhappiness are also within us. There are four main causes of unhappiness: our attachment to what is, or what we have (and our concomitant fear of loss); our desire for what isn't, or what we don't have; our resistance to that which we are experiencing in this moment; and our limiting beliefs about ourselves and about the world around us.

What does it take to be happy? It takes an honest, vulnerable, and open-minded assessment of what stands in the way between you and being happy. It takes time, attention, and practice. It takes tools that work. It takes a careful examination of your belief system. It is our beliefs that cause us to create or attract the situations and events that we experiences as our lives. Most of these core beliefs are transparent to us. They are constantly operating, but are below the level of our conscious mind. What does it take to uncover them and change them?

During my 30 years of self-exploration, I discovered numerous valuable techniques and teachings, philosophies and exercises. They each moved me forward toward my goal of being happy, and I came out of each one with a workshop high. But I had to take another workshop to get that feeling again. This was my form of sandwich my attempt to gain happiness from an outside source. Then, through luck or fate, I discovered a set of tools that I could use to generate my own happiness. During the nine-day Avatar Course, I found that I had a transparent core belief deep down beneath my unhappiness: I'm not a happy person. Using the Avatar tools, I discreated, or disappeared, that belief. What emerged was a natural state of happiness that flowed easily out of me and into my daily life.

Using the Avatar tools and techniques, I can now create any state of consciousness I wish to explore. I can change my mood at will. When I find myself reacting, I can quickly find the source of the reaction, and clear it up. I no longer have to wait for the next workshop, because I am the leader of the workshop called my life.

The Avatar Course is a nine-day exploration of beliefs, one's consciousness, and one's true self, or spirit. More than 80,000 people around the world have transformed their lives with Avatar, and have become happier people as a result. Each person who takes the course uses these neutral tools to create the life they want. Some use it for economic and material success. Some use it for spiritual advancement. Others use it to explore extraordinary beliefs and dimensions. The Avatar techniques have had a profound impact on every person who has taken the course. People become happier, more peaceful, and more capable of managing their lives. Graduates of the program become more pragmatic, more compassionate, and more in tune with their higher selves. What would you like to change about your life? I suggest that you try happiness you'll probably enjoy it!

Lion Goodman is a licensed teacher of The Avatar Course and a personal transformation coach. Avatar courses are held around the Bay Area every month. Call 415-472-8507 for more information, and for course dates and locations. Visit the Avatar website: www.avatarepc.com.


I appreciate this submission and I hope that it offers you useful information. Along the way, do not forget to take good care of yourself!

Good Health!
L. John Mason, Ph.D.