Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen reported in their "Real Age" e-mail newsletter, that a recent study revealed that high self-esteem may help lower the body's stress response.
Is this why some people never seem to get sick?
What is self-esteem? How do you know if you need to build "feel good about yourself" equity? Would that dream job, perfect body or have to own it car be what you need to boost your self-love quota? "If only I lose x amount of pounds, I will be happy". "If I only land that promotion, I will be content".
Time to dig a little deeper into the roots of what real self-esteem is all about.
Can you boost your immunity and feel better physically if you feel good about yourself?
If you are kind to yourself then your body can handle stress better. People who rated themselves as having high self-esteem had lower heart rates. How can you improve your self-esteem?
Dr. Oz suggests five simple steps to a happier you and a happier life.
One, make time for a favourite past-time of yours every day e.g., listen to music, sitting in silence. Having something fun just for yourself to look forward to can help balance out satisfaction and stress.
Two, stick with your work-out plan even when you are feeling low. It will strengthen your immunity and produce mood-boosting hormones.
Three, practice stress-reduction strategies. Try deep-breathing, yoga or meditation. A brisk ten minute walk in the fresh air is a better choice than junk food when you are feeling anxious.
Four, volunteer or reach out and help others with an act of kindness. Generosity, offering up your time and spirit improves your well-being.
Five, spend time with your family, colleagues or friends at least once or twice a month. Sharing a laugh or two, getting support with the ups and downs of life, helps give you a balanced perspective to cope when the going gets tough.
Speaking from example, when I look after my own needs without feeling guilty with the mom/wife/teacher/grown child hat I wear, I am less prone to sickness and I am happy and relaxed.
If I am busy trying to please everyone else in my circle, from family to succumbing to work pressures and start neglecting my basic needs e.g, from having enough sleep, to giving myself an uninterrupted lunch to personal time, I wind up getting stressed (and often come down with something).
Be it a day in, day out crisis, from not finding your car keys to a squabble with a family member. Or a larger life drama, such as going through a divorce or sick family member, your self-esteem is put to the test. How do you surface when you are caught up in a melee?
When you are on an airplane, the flight attendant always reminds passengers travelling with young children, to put on their oxygen mask before attaching their children's masks. Rescue workers such as lifeguards make sure that they are secure in their positioning before they throw out their life buoys or perform daring acts.
I once went to a stress management conference for educators. The guest speaker gave suggestions on how to manage one's workload and time when it came to over burdening oneself with more commitments than one could handle. Women often find themselves being super agreeable, saying yes to another request to meet other peoples' needs while neglecting their own well-being.
"I would rather turn you down than let you down". Great line to remember before you run yourself down.
Cashing in on inner peace requires one to make a conscious effort to make some changes in one's life,. Identify your individual stresses and think about what action you can take next time you are tempted to react. "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change".
The biggest reward of having high self-esteem is inner peace. Peace begins with ourselves.
My first marriage was a decade long and it ended in divorce, nine years ago. At the time, I purchased a fridge magnet with a quote on it which helped me through my years as a single parent. Although I am remarried, I often re-read this special quote which sums up what self-esteem and peace are about:
"Peace - it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart (Anon)".
A calm heart is a healthy heart.
Spoken from the heart,
Maija
No comments:
Post a Comment