Reduce stress. It is your enemy and not your friend. Reject it. Stress is at the root of all disturbances, physical, mental, and emotional; illness is compounded by stress, even spiritual disturbances are complicated by stress. Get yourself stress free. Use the practice of detachment to avoid stress; leave it outside of you. Use practices of self-regulation, including breathing, deep relaxation, exercise, and meditation. Find ways to avoid stress that are healthy and nurturing rather than destructive and habit forming. If you are going to form a habit to combat stress, make it one that is truly good for you. With so many stressful situations in the world you live in, remind yourself at times of stress to regulate your body’s response mechanisms, to get calm, to just breathe, to relax. Remember that stress is a reaction and not a cure, so let it go, just let it go. It can really hurt you, but you have the perfect cure within you and within your own control: self-regulate, and just breathe. Your body will be grateful, your mind will be calm, and your spirit will be at peace.
-From the Soul Sisters, Jan & Jeanne
