Defeating my Stress Monster

Last week I was feeling majorly stressed out. There was stuff going on with friends, family, work, self, and it was all piling up. I spent a nightmare-induced evening that led to a painful cold sore the next morning. I realized I have to start letting things go and start working on stress reduction. You do not really know either how dangerous or damaging stress is until it directly affects your health or you educate yourself on the risks of unmanaged stress. Who knew stress could lead to advanced aging and disease? Why are we stressed out? How can you both prevent and treat stress without a prescribed pill? These questions have me searching for answers. I watched a documentary on stress that showed how baboons that live a stressful life die earlier than those with less stress do. Research shows that humans affected by stress suffer from heart disease, hypertension, anxiety, digestive disorders, and the list goes on. As I learn more about stress and how to fight it naturally, I want to share it with you. I have recently heard about how sound, music, and speech can soothe frayed nerves and reduce stress. Music therapy and guided meditation are first on my list. I am prepared to dive into new age therapies for stress relief and discover how to avoid the anxiety, excessive worry, and stress induced cold sores that often plague me. Here is to a journey of self-healing and hopefully a longer, healthier life!