The Art of Stress-Free Living

Reprogram Your Life From the Inside Out

Brian P. Ramos

• Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781642795813
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Mental Health & Wellbeing

A neuroscientist and Yoga master teaches the life-changing secrets to mastering stress Do you feel like stress is affecting your ability to be yourself? Is it causing problems in your relationships or in your business? If so, it's time to craft your life into something better. Simple changes in your lifestyle can help you deal with any stressor in a healthy and balanced way, leaving you in the right state of body, mind, and spirit to enhance your connection to others, enrich your life, and empower your business efforts. The Art of Stress-Free Living offers a conscious approach to health and wellness that allows you to be the best version of yourself no matter what the circumstance. This guide can teach you how to: · Reprogram yourself to naturally react to stress with confidence and power
· Reduce your risk of diabetes, cancer, mental illness, and neurodegenerative diseases, all linked to a lifetime of uncontrollable stress
· Deal with stress while reserving energy for the activities and people you love
· Develop practices that you can use throughout your day – even at work – to reduce long-term effects of stress Keep stress from negatively impacting your personal and professional relationships

Chapter 1:

Where did I go?

“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.”

— Stephen Hawking

The bustle of the day is a whirlwind that sweeps you away through time. From the past, your mind flits briefly to the present, and then back to the past as you ruminate through one dead memory after another that only exists in your memory banks. With regret or longing, you enliven these dead memories in your mind’s eye and may even feel guilty or sad about something you did or said, or something that was done or said to you. You may think about the so-called better days, when everything seems to have been happier. You confuse true happiness with a version that contains significant obstacles or conditions.

On more than one occasion, you may find yourself worrying about the future. What deadlines are looming at work? What bills do you have to pay this afternoon? Where do the children have to go after school on Tuesday? What will you make for dinner? This apparently endless to-do list may even fill you with dread or worry, fueling the fires of depression or anxiety.

You may think you are in the present moment as you do a task on the computer or a smartphone, cook, watch television, or drive hastily to work. However, you are just replacing one mind-occupying habit with another, expending enormous amounts of energy on these types of habits. This constant noise distracts you from the greatest gift you already possess, your True Self. This never-ending cycle begins soon after you wake up and sometimes even keeps you up at night, reducing your productivity and connectedness to others during the daytime, and even causing insomnia at bedtime.

Notice your mental state upon awakening, the calmness you may feel, the lessened thought waves, the worries that have not begun or the to-do list that has not yet come to the forefront of your mind. Become aware of how the noise inside builds as you go about your day. Try to stop yourself in your mental tracks and observe the processes that often consume the majority of your day and energy.

You replace one thought with another, rarely, if ever, controlling the inner chatter that invades your present and prevents you from being fully aware and alive in the moment. You do this all the time as you go about your duties. You may even talk or text on the phone in an effort to keep your mind busy and distracted. Rarely do you find time away from this process of doing, working, moving, and thinking.

This process is very energy-intensive and is not conducive to a state of inner peace and joyfulness. The habit of non-being that afflicts us all prevents you from relaxing in the present, where you could find true happiness and serenity. This constant activity does not allow your mind to dwell on a single point and empty itself. Thus, it prevents you from witnessing deeper aspects of yourself that can only be experienced in quiescence. You cannot easily enjoy the present moment or reduce thought vibrations that generate noise and agitate your mind vigorously unless you gain control over this process.

Your spouse, family members, or friends may have become accustomed to this version of you. You have lost sight of who you were before so many responsibilities, problems, and duties took over the bulk of your time and energy. You may struggle with anger at times, take out your frustration on those who love you, or build up tension in your body, causing pain or discomfort. Where have you gone? Indeed, you are often your own worst enemy.

With your busy and sometimes chaotic schedule, you rarely set aside the time to reclaim your True Self slowly, patiently, and lovingly by cultivating healthier habits, an optimistic view, increased adaptability, higher ethical standards that improve your relationship with yourself and others, and better awareness of not only your body, but also your mind. These and other factors can be integrated into your daily life with practice and perseverance so that you can become freer of stress, doubt, fear, and worry. You can also become free of mindlessness and full of mindfulness.

This and more can be yours, but what will you do about it? Will this just be one of the many self-help books you have read, or half-read? Will you seek out personal help from me or someone else, only to give up halfway and stay where you are?

Break the cycle and join me in this venture. There is a great voyage ahead, but it is only for those who are willing to let go and fly free. Your wings may have become clipped, but I know they can be healed, and that you can again learn how to soar high and far to reach the destiny you are meant to enjoy.

Something that I hope can become clear at some point during this journey together is that if you work on being mindful, stress will become a rarity. Focusing all your energies on a singular moment will set you free from worry about the future, doubt about yourself due to lack of focus and faith, and regret and longing for the past. The only thing you have is the eternal now. If all your energy is concentrated there, in that moment, everything becomes more vibrant, powerful, and rich, and you become truly free and boundless.

As your journey unfolds with the practices outlined ahead, notice how you cannot be stressed in the present. If you do not allow excessive energies condensed in the past, in the form of pervasive and dark memories, or bring from the future energy as worry or fantasy, you prevent your consciousness from being invaded and overwhelmed.

There is certainly an element of energy work and channeling that is involved in this process. I can teach you how to unlock this reserve of power asleep in most and learn how to use it to your advantage to avoid being run over by the energies all around you, especially those that we consider a threat to our well-being and peace of mind.

All too often you may find yourself adding conditions to your happiness, which will only prevent you from enjoying your life in the here and now. Why wait to be happy and at peace? Why wait until someone else changes, or you get the job you want, or your children are out of the house, or you can move into the house of your dreams, or your partner changes and becomes who you dream of, or you get the raise you want? None of these or any other events or acquisitions will ever bring true and lasting happiness.

The intention of this book is to be an invaluable resource that triggers an awakening into the present. Where you can break free from the culture of fast-paced living that our society nurtures. Where you can find the way to take better care of your body by reducing the many poisons or toxins that we often load up our body with, like stress, unhealthy dead food and habits, poor sleeping and breathing, lack of mindfulness, overworking ourselves without a proper counterbalance like relaxation, etc.

All I want is for you to train or teach yourself to stand on your own two feet and break this vicious cycle. To learn how to profit rather than deficit from your life, how to settle into being rather than just doing, how to breathe in a way that energizes you and brings peace and harmony, how to heal yourself through a multidimensional approach, how to love yourself, your life, your relationships, and your job unconditionally, etc.

Think about what will happen if you do not do anything right now, or if you do not get help. What will you be missing? Why not take the plunge and let go of fear, worry, or doubt? Is it really a coincidence that you are reading these words? There are no coincidences in life. Either you are in sync with the flow of life and using the resources given to your advantage, or you are missing out on one opportunity after another to discover your own innate greatness, your natural state of beauty, love, and bliss.

Do you really want this? Then read on and remain open, faithful, and sincere. Listen with your heart and have confidence that only truthful words and advice is soon to follow. A life of love and service is poured into this book. May you reap the benefits it is designed to unfold. I see in you a perfectly adorned gift waiting to be opened, revealing the greatest gift this world has ever seen, the Real You.

Know you are loved and not alone, even if sometimes it seems like you are. Together, I know we can do this. You can uncover the contents of that most prized gift. Do your partner, family, children, or friends not deserve to see that? Do you not deserve that as well?

Breaking It Down

To begin this journey, in Chapter 3, I will describe the ins and outs of stress, summarizing what I have learned after nearly two decades of research, practice, and reflection. What are some of its physiological effects or causes? How does this affect our nervous and endocrine systems? What is the relationship between stress and a number of chronic ailments? The goal in this chapter will not be to burden you with what is wrong about stress and your health, but to give you better insight and perspective that will give you the power to do something before it is too late. It is imperative that you are well-informed and can make wise, conscientious decisions.

With that information, in Chapter 4 we will begin to learn how to care for your body to increase energy, vitality, and health. In Appendix B, I will share some additional nutritional secrets to avoid health-related or body-associated stress and inflammation. If we do not do anything, the body will continue to be an obstacle to rediscovering the calmness, longevity, and peace you can share with your loved ones.

Another topic that is important and will be emphasized throughout the book, especially in Chapter 5, is balance. I will not take lightly how to achieve this balance when faced with daily stressors. Remaining balanced, even when faced with extreme adversity, is under your control.

We will continue to build toward a comprehensive and holistic approach in Chapter 6 by teaching you how to be your own healer by helping you reconnect with your body, mind, and spirit, beginning with the body. By reconnecting with your body, you can identify where stress is stored as excess energy, how you are holding on to it, and how to let go. Therapeutic yoga techniques, yoga nidra (conscious sleep or relaxation), and body scanning are some of the methods that will be shared, along with Ayurvedic self-massage and how to properly practice asana (yoga postures) for stress relief and as a natural conduit to meditation.

Not only is it important for you to learn the different practices to do at home, but it is equally as important for you to know how to take these practices outside and into the real world. What use is it if you spend eight to ten hours outside of your house and cannot be shown how to integrate your practice at work, for example? I want you to be mindful and present at all times, if possible. In this way, you maintain a healing and nurturing mental attitude throughout the day. The stress of work can be one of the most crippling for some. Thus, our relationship with work becomes a key factor when managing stress, as we will see in Chapter 7. If our livelihood is not our passion, then we must make time for our passions outside of work on a regular basis.

I also want you to discover how to tap into your natural state of inner peace and how to carry that throughout the day and into the night. As we will see in Chapter 8, stress often leads to insomnia or poorer quality of sleep due to an inability to maintain a particular state of restorative rest. I will share simple techniques and approaches that can improve your ability to sleep and the quality of that sleep.

In Chapter 9, we will see how time can be one of our biggest enemies, as our culture is always in a rush to do more and more in less time. You can discover how to slow down time, concentrate more, and do more in less time. In addition, I want you to learn how to take time for yourself in a guilt-free way, since you are not doing this just for you but also for those around you, including your partner or loved ones.

As we progress, we will touch upon a number of different topics mostly from a yogic point of view. One of these is santosha, or contentment. In Chapter 10, we will see how much of our stress originates from seeking outwardly for praise or reward and feeling unsatisfied with our current role or life circumstances. Know that you matter and are beautiful just the way you are. You are already happy and free but need only to realize it in the here and now. Believe in yourself more and have faith that you are exactly where you should be. You should do your duties with care and love, but not forget that you can always work to improve your current circumstances, not by viewing them negatively or getting frustrated, but by getting organized and focused and putting your time, energy, money, and effort into getting where you want.

Then we get to Chapter 11, which may very well be one of the most important chapters, as we will safeguard you against yourself. There are hidden dimensions of your consciousness that can pose problems and become obstacles. Learning how to combat these unseen forces will be key. Negative ideology is at the top of the list, as it often leads us to do the opposite of what is in our best interest. It is what saps us of much-needed energy to do what will bring us into balance. To this end, positive and powerful affirmations, mantras, and mindfulness meditation can help to free you from these forces and help you to reclaim your free will. Changing your perspective on the source of your problems and your stress will be discussed, as it does not lie at all outside of you, but within yourself.

Lastly, in Chapter 12, I want to share how to take it to the next level and put it all together consistently. You know you want to make changes, and it starts now. If long-term success is your main goal, as it should be, then I am here to help establish a program based on your needs, your past, and your distinct plan of development and growth. I want you to discover why you are here, where you are going, and what are you meant to do in this lifetime. That discovery will bring a great sense of meaning and joy to your life and that of others around you as well. Are you ready to begin? If so, let’s move on and learn why I wrote this book, and about stress and how to make it an ally.

Chapter 2:

Why I Wrote This Book

“Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves.”

— Helen Keller

My Wife as the Channel

I wrote this book in honor of my loving wife, Norma, to whom I have dedicated this book, and who is at the heart of many of the successes in my life. We have been married for more than eleven years. Her sacrifices have, in many ways, made this book possible. For nearly two decades, I had wanted to share the ideas contained herein, but it was not until now that everything fell into place and, through her undying support, this book became possible.

For far too long, I have seen Norma be a hero to this household but rarely realize it, as she often waited for acknowledgments and affirmations from others that she was what we all knew: amazing, kind, giving, talented, loving, and strong. During this time, I have seen her struggle on and off with chronic stress, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression.

Norma would fight through many a difficult moment like a fierce warrior, but often not recover well, to the point where it has weakened her will and her health over the years. For far too long, I have seen her, like many others, look without for happiness rather than within.

I know I was not always there the way she needed, as I myself had my own struggles of maturation and dealing with...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction: This Book Is for You
• Chapter 1: Where did I go?
• Chapter 2: Why I Wrote This Book
• Chapter 3: What is Stress?
• Chapter 4: Healing your Temple
• Chapter 5: Friend or Foe?
• Chapter 6: Unwinding the Knots
• Chapter 7: Working Overtime
• Chapter 8: Routines for Relaxation and Sleep
• Chapter 9: Finding Time to Love Yourself
• Chapter 10: Doing Your Duties Mindfully
• Chapter 11: Unseen Forces
• Chapter 12: Taking It to the Next Level
• Appendix A: Sample Practices, Alternate Versions, and Other Techniques
• Appendix B: Additional Superfoods and Healing Herbs
• Acknowledgements
• Thank You
• About the Author
• Endnotes