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2012年8月29日 星期三

Sensory Overload and Stress


As we move into the new millennium, we witness the effects of increasing environmental, economic, and psychological stress. Sensory overload is taxing the human system. The pressures upon all life on earth have reached unparalleled proportions.

Our bodies are subject to an onslaught of man-made stressors: crisscrossing fields of microwave, radio, television, and electronic transmissions, pollution, noise, and traffic, as well as the bombardments of information and advertising, and the requirements to produce more and more efficiently in the face of fierce economic competition. Add to that the threats of terrorism and war that have created a palpable level of world anxiety and we have a culture dominated by stress, tension, and fear. We are beings of energy vibrating at the edge of disintegration in a sea of over-stimulation.

How do we maintain our balance? What do we do when an intense stressor such as a lost job, divorce, or the death of a loved one lands on top of the load we bear? What if, to complicate matters, this load rests on a personal history of trauma?

One of the main reasons we have a hard time breaking out of this cycle is that we do not realize how deeply we are affected by stress. On the surface, we may speak of being in a time-crunch, feeling burned-out, or needing to get away. We joke about vibrating from all the pressure. When our stress is intensified, we feel that we are going to go ballistic. We blow off steam in more or less productive ways, from exercise to alcohol to road rage, but the underlying pattern of denial remains.

Psychologists describe our perpetual tension, or the fight/flight response, as a reaction to the relentless fronts of over-stimulation. This response pattern is characterized by high-frequency brain waves termed beta waves. We are functioning as if we are on high alert all of the time.

Moreover, medical scientists are discovering how this state of perpetual tension adversely affects our well-being. Stress creates chronic patterns of muscular tension. Muscular tension restricts the flow of blood, lymphatic fluid, and nerve impulses. Cells are deprived of oxygen and nutrients and unable to clear toxic substances. This leads to chronic pain, cellular toxicity, and decreased immune response.

On an emotional level, we experience chronic anxiety and reactive response patterns marked by inappropriate anger and projected blame and criticism. Mentally, we become locked in rigid thinking patterns marked by a defensive mindset governed by fear. Spiritually we resign ourselves to being victims of circumstances and isolate ourselves in a survival mode. While our problems are not new, the pace of modern life has multiplied their negative effects exponentially.

If that sounds overly grim, take heart. It can be motivation to shift our state of awareness. It can intensify the search for ways to live differently. In recent decades, a time-honored light has begun to shine through the dense, tangled lines of our modern networks. This light radiates through a variety of old and new refractions. We see the emergence of a multitude of holistic practices.

In support of these phenomena, research has shown that certain exercises for the mind and body reduce stress and produce deep relaxation via slower alpha-theta brain-wave frequencies. In the states affected by these exercises, such a slowdown simultaneously occurs in many of the body's systems. This slowdown produces integrating, synchronizing, and healing effects. The practice of these exercises can develop capacities within us that will enable us to handle the pressures of our lives.

Taking these exercises even further, we are able to develop senses and modes of perception that have been latent in human evolution, as we know it. We can develop the ability to perceive and cultivate ourselves as the energetic beings that we are on the most fundamental level.

As an entry point to the expansion of the conscious domain, biofeedback research shows that we can positively affect aspects of our lives that we thought were automatic and inaccessible, such as brain-wave frequencies, heart rate, respiration, and chronic muscle-tension, to name a few. Guided-imagery research has proven the power of imagination and visualization in overcoming disease and increasing wellness. Meditation research describes how, through the application of awareness and intention, we can positively affect the intricate pathways that serve as conductors for qi ("chee"), the universal vitalizing force that enlivens our bodies.

Dr. John Sarno, a physician who specializes in pain relief, has shown that emotion and consciousness play a large role in health and disease. He has coined the term Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) to describe a host of symptoms that are caused by stress, tension, and repressed rage. To show the direct relationship of consciousness to TMS he found that "Awareness, insight, knowledge, and information were the magic medicines that would cure this disorder" (The Mindbody Prescription, New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1998, p. xxi). This supports what physicists have been saying for many years, which is that consciousness and physical reality are interwoven; mind and matter are inseparable. In the context of the qigong meditation, we see how body, emotion, mind, and spirit form a feedback system that can be used to shift our state of being.

Tension-causing sensory overload is both our most predominant problem and our window of opportunity. It is through a thorough understanding of our stress that we will find a new way. When we uncover the source of stress and take action to release this tension, we open to new possibilities. We recover and develop our fuller sensitivities and feelings of vitality.

These are not the mists of fantasy or the mere ear tickle of sweet sounding words. This is a well-mapped path. The Chinese have used Qigong Meditation as a powerful tool for self-development for thousands of years. You can receive a free introduction to this method and discover a step-by-step program of qigong meditation in my "LEARN QIGONG MEDITATION" course available from http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com

Copyright 2006 by Kevin D. Schoeninger




Kevin Schoeninger: M.A. Philosophy, Certified Personal Trainer, Qigong Meditation Instructor, and Reiki Master. http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 清晨6:50 0 意見
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2012年8月25日 星期六

Escaping Sensory Overload Through Meditation


In any given day, our senses are assaulted by the glare of city lights, the sounds of traffic and the smell of fast food. We touch a hundred different textures before we even leave our home. In a single meal our taste buds register sweet, salty and bitter with every bite.

So is it any wonder that we have such short attention spans? We are stimulated for every waking second of every day. This sensory overload is part of what stresses us out. We can never relax because there is simply so much to see, smell, hear, taste and touch. That is why we need relaxation techniques that take control of our senses and engage them in a soothing way.

Engaging the senses in meditation

The best way to circumvent sensory overload might surprise you. You don't need to submerse yourself in one of those sensory deprivation tanks. Meditation on a single object that can stimulate all or most of your senses will quickly and efficiently still your mind and calm your entire nervous system.

There are a lot of old-school meditation aids out there, such as incense, chants and chimes that can provide a point of focus. However, none of them really grab your attention and hold it in the face of a hectic modern lifestyle. Good meditation tools will engage as many senses as possible, blocking out distractions and helping you get centered.

Tips for calming overloaded senses during meditation

o Choose a meditation tool that can engage at least four of the five senses in order to keep your attention on the task at hand.

o Use a repetitive physical activity, such as throwing and catching your meditation tool, to quickly focus the mind.

o Use the same meditation tool each time you practice relaxation techniques. Soon, just holding or looking at the object will bring your mind to a peaceful state.




Zen Sticks look beautiful, give you something to touch and feel, have a pleasant smell, and can produce a repetitive sound will take your tired senses hostage! You’ll forget all about the overstimulating world around you and find a perfect meditative state. Visit SleepingTiger.org [http://sleepingtiger.org/zen.htm] to get your Zen Stick and start soothing those frazzled nerves.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 上午10:33 0 意見
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2012年8月19日 星期日

Stress and Sensory Overload


Stress, as most know, is a combination of mental and physical fatigue. I pastor a Church and deal with it both personally and in counseling. I even wrote a short booklet on it. Your mind and body are connected. Worry, fear, anxiety, and such things add to the body's stress as well. A body that is rundown, exhausted, or sick can impact your mental state as well. Stress is unavoidable. It is part of life. We feel it any time there is pressure--pressure to perform, pressure to be somewhere, pressure to do something, pressure to be something. All of this is stress.

Stress can compound itself when our bodies can't handle well the input that we receive through our senses. We have the basic five: smell, touch, taste, hear, and sight. When we deluge these senses with outside stimuli it then impacts both our bodies and our mental stability.

We've all watched movies or read articles about a form of torture that involves sensory overload or even sensory deprivation. Ever felt chills when someone raked their fingers down a chalkboard? Ever had multiple people talking to you at once and shouted for everyone to be quiet?

Of all the sense, our hearing is the one that is most susceptible to sensory overload. There are more nerve endings that gather in or near the ears than anywhere else in the body. So when we talk of sensory overload, the first and most important one that must be dealt with is that which we hear. The second one, and one with significantly less impact, is our sight.

These two, more than the others, impact our stress levels. They focus the mind on it so that we can't tune things out, or set them aside, or let it pass. The intense focus on something that stabs at our senses will add to our levels of stress.

We live in a society where noise and images are the primary means of gaining attention. You drive down the street and see billboards and signs. You watch TV and have images flashing rapidly at you with the often overwhelming number of sounds and noises. Movies can be stressful for people. They give children nightmares, they can cause sleep deprivation. I go into people's houses and notice that the TV is on and no one is watching. They don't even realize that the images and noise is constantly on. You can say that their senses have been overwhelmed.

I've even found a correlation between children diagnosed with ADD and their environment at home. When the house is loud, noisy, and generally in a clamor, children can't seem to absorb it well and often end up with attention spans much less than other children. It is a form of stress. I've observed teenagers that have to have music playing all the time, even when they go to sleep, tend to be more nervous and stressful than others. The constant input of sound and sight can be overwhelming.

Many of the techniques for reducing stress such as meditation, yoga, and so forth all put you in an environment or state of mind that is sensory deprived. They seek to quiet your mind and feelings, get you away from the noise and sights. For me, I simply go somewhere quiet and read a book. No matter what goes on in the book, I am in a state where I'm not dealing with so many sights and sounds.

I worry about people who are unable to enjoy quietness. People who have to have music playing, have to have noise and sounds around them constantly usually are more uptight, more nervous, and more stressed. Learn to enjoy a time of quietness, of peace, where there are no or few noise. If you must have music, have something very soft with no rock beat, something gentle.

And you can't discount a person's emotional state. The more sensitive our emotions, the more impact sensory input can affect it. A parent who had a bad day at work and comes home to loud and rambunctious children will quickly grow stressed with the noise and often react improperly. A wife having a bad marriage will find herself unable to deal with the pressures of her job, especially if she works in a loud environment.

I've had many people say that watching TV actually calms them. But my personal observations on the issue are that TV is only a temporary and often inadequate solution. Too many things are thrown at your ears and eyes for your brain to process well. It doesn't reduce your stress so much as it hides it for a bit.

Another solution people turn to is music. But overwhelmingly loud music isn't stress relief, it is hiding. Personal observation and years of counseling have convinced me that the best music is soft background music. Something that eases the senses and emotions not overwhelms them. Think about it, people who listen to such loud music, do they even look relaxed?

SUGGESTIONS

1. Reduce stress by finding somewhere each day where you can be in an environment of calm and peace.

2. Before entering a loud environment, make sure that your emotions are not overly sensitive.

3. Meditate on something pleasant. I usually meditate on my God, my Saviour, and the Bible. I find great peace and comfort from this. I shut out almost all sensory input and just think. It provides great strength for the day. Prayer is a wonderful tool that I use to reduce stress and prepare for the day.

4. Use your imagination more than sensory input to stimulate your mind. We watch way too much TV and don't read enough. Write, read, or think, but don't let the world feed you your thoughts with sounds and images all the time.

5. Make your home a castle of peace. I see to it that the home is a place where we can find peace and calm. The more chaotic your house is with TV, yelling, arguing, fighting, negative sights, and tense emotions the more stressful everyone is going to be. There is an incredibly strong correlation between this and a child with ADD.

Stress is unhealthy. Although we can never rid ourselves completely of it, we can do a lot to control it.




Please visit our website at: http://fitlyspoken.org. For more books and resources to build relationships and express yourself. Specializing in practicality that works, not the politically correct or socially acceptable platitudes!





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 晚上9:38 0 意見
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2012年6月29日 星期五

Sensory Overload and Stress


As we move into the new millennium, we witness the effects of increasing environmental, economic, and psychological stress. Sensory overload is taxing the human system. The pressures upon all life on earth have reached unparalleled proportions.

Our bodies are subject to an onslaught of man-made stressors: crisscrossing fields of microwave, radio, television, and electronic transmissions, pollution, noise, and traffic, as well as the bombardments of information and advertising, and the requirements to produce more and more efficiently in the face of fierce economic competition. Add to that the threats of terrorism and war that have created a palpable level of world anxiety and we have a culture dominated by stress, tension, and fear. We are beings of energy vibrating at the edge of disintegration in a sea of over-stimulation.

How do we maintain our balance? What do we do when an intense stressor such as a lost job, divorce, or the death of a loved one lands on top of the load we bear? What if, to complicate matters, this load rests on a personal history of trauma?

One of the main reasons we have a hard time breaking out of this cycle is that we do not realize how deeply we are affected by stress. On the surface, we may speak of being in a time-crunch, feeling burned-out, or needing to get away. We joke about vibrating from all the pressure. When our stress is intensified, we feel that we are going to go ballistic. We blow off steam in more or less productive ways, from exercise to alcohol to road rage, but the underlying pattern of denial remains.

Psychologists describe our perpetual tension, or the fight/flight response, as a reaction to the relentless fronts of over-stimulation. This response pattern is characterized by high-frequency brain waves termed beta waves. We are functioning as if we are on high alert all of the time.

Moreover, medical scientists are discovering how this state of perpetual tension adversely affects our well-being. Stress creates chronic patterns of muscular tension. Muscular tension restricts the flow of blood, lymphatic fluid, and nerve impulses. Cells are deprived of oxygen and nutrients and unable to clear toxic substances. This leads to chronic pain, cellular toxicity, and decreased immune response.

On an emotional level, we experience chronic anxiety and reactive response patterns marked by inappropriate anger and projected blame and criticism. Mentally, we become locked in rigid thinking patterns marked by a defensive mindset governed by fear. Spiritually we resign ourselves to being victims of circumstances and isolate ourselves in a survival mode. While our problems are not new, the pace of modern life has multiplied their negative effects exponentially.

If that sounds overly grim, take heart. It can be motivation to shift our state of awareness. It can intensify the search for ways to live differently. In recent decades, a time-honored light has begun to shine through the dense, tangled lines of our modern networks. This light radiates through a variety of old and new refractions. We see the emergence of a multitude of holistic practices.

In support of these phenomena, research has shown that certain exercises for the mind and body reduce stress and produce deep relaxation via slower alpha-theta brain-wave frequencies. In the states affected by these exercises, such a slowdown simultaneously occurs in many of the body's systems. This slowdown produces integrating, synchronizing, and healing effects. The practice of these exercises can develop capacities within us that will enable us to handle the pressures of our lives.

Taking these exercises even further, we are able to develop senses and modes of perception that have been latent in human evolution, as we know it. We can develop the ability to perceive and cultivate ourselves as the energetic beings that we are on the most fundamental level.

As an entry point to the expansion of the conscious domain, biofeedback research shows that we can positively affect aspects of our lives that we thought were automatic and inaccessible, such as brain-wave frequencies, heart rate, respiration, and chronic muscle-tension, to name a few. Guided-imagery research has proven the power of imagination and visualization in overcoming disease and increasing wellness. Meditation research describes how, through the application of awareness and intention, we can positively affect the intricate pathways that serve as conductors for qi ("chee"), the universal vitalizing force that enlivens our bodies.

Dr. John Sarno, a physician who specializes in pain relief, has shown that emotion and consciousness play a large role in health and disease. He has coined the term Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) to describe a host of symptoms that are caused by stress, tension, and repressed rage. To show the direct relationship of consciousness to TMS he found that "Awareness, insight, knowledge, and information were the magic medicines that would cure this disorder" (The Mindbody Prescription, New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1998, p. xxi). This supports what physicists have been saying for many years, which is that consciousness and physical reality are interwoven; mind and matter are inseparable. In the context of the qigong meditation, we see how body, emotion, mind, and spirit form a feedback system that can be used to shift our state of being.

Tension-causing sensory overload is both our most predominant problem and our window of opportunity. It is through a thorough understanding of our stress that we will find a new way. When we uncover the source of stress and take action to release this tension, we open to new possibilities. We recover and develop our fuller sensitivities and feelings of vitality.

These are not the mists of fantasy or the mere ear tickle of sweet sounding words. This is a well-mapped path. The Chinese have used Qigong Meditation as a powerful tool for self-development for thousands of years. You can receive a free introduction to this method and discover a step-by-step program of qigong meditation in my "LEARN QIGONG MEDITATION" course available from http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com

Copyright 2006 by Kevin D. Schoeninger




Kevin Schoeninger: M.A. Philosophy, Certified Personal Trainer, Qigong Meditation Instructor, and Reiki Master. http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 下午3:58 0 意見
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2012年6月25日 星期一

Stress and Sensory Overload


Stress, as most know, is a combination of mental and physical fatigue. I pastor a Church and deal with it both personally and in counseling. I even wrote a short booklet on it. Your mind and body are connected. Worry, fear, anxiety, and such things add to the body's stress as well. A body that is rundown, exhausted, or sick can impact your mental state as well. Stress is unavoidable. It is part of life. We feel it any time there is pressure--pressure to perform, pressure to be somewhere, pressure to do something, pressure to be something. All of this is stress.

Stress can compound itself when our bodies can't handle well the input that we receive through our senses. We have the basic five: smell, touch, taste, hear, and sight. When we deluge these senses with outside stimuli it then impacts both our bodies and our mental stability.

We've all watched movies or read articles about a form of torture that involves sensory overload or even sensory deprivation. Ever felt chills when someone raked their fingers down a chalkboard? Ever had multiple people talking to you at once and shouted for everyone to be quiet?

Of all the sense, our hearing is the one that is most susceptible to sensory overload. There are more nerve endings that gather in or near the ears than anywhere else in the body. So when we talk of sensory overload, the first and most important one that must be dealt with is that which we hear. The second one, and one with significantly less impact, is our sight.

These two, more than the others, impact our stress levels. They focus the mind on it so that we can't tune things out, or set them aside, or let it pass. The intense focus on something that stabs at our senses will add to our levels of stress.

We live in a society where noise and images are the primary means of gaining attention. You drive down the street and see billboards and signs. You watch TV and have images flashing rapidly at you with the often overwhelming number of sounds and noises. Movies can be stressful for people. They give children nightmares, they can cause sleep deprivation. I go into people's houses and notice that the TV is on and no one is watching. They don't even realize that the images and noise is constantly on. You can say that their senses have been overwhelmed.

I've even found a correlation between children diagnosed with ADD and their environment at home. When the house is loud, noisy, and generally in a clamor, children can't seem to absorb it well and often end up with attention spans much less than other children. It is a form of stress. I've observed teenagers that have to have music playing all the time, even when they go to sleep, tend to be more nervous and stressful than others. The constant input of sound and sight can be overwhelming.

Many of the techniques for reducing stress such as meditation, yoga, and so forth all put you in an environment or state of mind that is sensory deprived. They seek to quiet your mind and feelings, get you away from the noise and sights. For me, I simply go somewhere quiet and read a book. No matter what goes on in the book, I am in a state where I'm not dealing with so many sights and sounds.

I worry about people who are unable to enjoy quietness. People who have to have music playing, have to have noise and sounds around them constantly usually are more uptight, more nervous, and more stressed. Learn to enjoy a time of quietness, of peace, where there are no or few noise. If you must have music, have something very soft with no rock beat, something gentle.

And you can't discount a person's emotional state. The more sensitive our emotions, the more impact sensory input can affect it. A parent who had a bad day at work and comes home to loud and rambunctious children will quickly grow stressed with the noise and often react improperly. A wife having a bad marriage will find herself unable to deal with the pressures of her job, especially if she works in a loud environment.

I've had many people say that watching TV actually calms them. But my personal observations on the issue are that TV is only a temporary and often inadequate solution. Too many things are thrown at your ears and eyes for your brain to process well. It doesn't reduce your stress so much as it hides it for a bit.

Another solution people turn to is music. But overwhelmingly loud music isn't stress relief, it is hiding. Personal observation and years of counseling have convinced me that the best music is soft background music. Something that eases the senses and emotions not overwhelms them. Think about it, people who listen to such loud music, do they even look relaxed?

SUGGESTIONS

1. Reduce stress by finding somewhere each day where you can be in an environment of calm and peace.

2. Before entering a loud environment, make sure that your emotions are not overly sensitive.

3. Meditate on something pleasant. I usually meditate on my God, my Saviour, and the Bible. I find great peace and comfort from this. I shut out almost all sensory input and just think. It provides great strength for the day. Prayer is a wonderful tool that I use to reduce stress and prepare for the day.

4. Use your imagination more than sensory input to stimulate your mind. We watch way too much TV and don't read enough. Write, read, or think, but don't let the world feed you your thoughts with sounds and images all the time.

5. Make your home a castle of peace. I see to it that the home is a place where we can find peace and calm. The more chaotic your house is with TV, yelling, arguing, fighting, negative sights, and tense emotions the more stressful everyone is going to be. There is an incredibly strong correlation between this and a child with ADD.

Stress is unhealthy. Although we can never rid ourselves completely of it, we can do a lot to control it.




Please visit our website at: http://fitlyspoken.org. For more books and resources to build relationships and express yourself. Specializing in practicality that works, not the politically correct or socially acceptable platitudes!





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 凌晨2:20 0 意見
標籤： , ,

2012年6月16日 星期六

Escaping Sensory Overload Through Meditation


In any given day, our senses are assaulted by the glare of city lights, the sounds of traffic and the smell of fast food. We touch a hundred different textures before we even leave our home. In a single meal our taste buds register sweet, salty and bitter with every bite.

So is it any wonder that we have such short attention spans? We are stimulated for every waking second of every day. This sensory overload is part of what stresses us out. We can never relax because there is simply so much to see, smell, hear, taste and touch. That is why we need relaxation techniques that take control of our senses and engage them in a soothing way.

Engaging the senses in meditation

The best way to circumvent sensory overload might surprise you. You don't need to submerse yourself in one of those sensory deprivation tanks. Meditation on a single object that can stimulate all or most of your senses will quickly and efficiently still your mind and calm your entire nervous system.

There are a lot of old-school meditation aids out there, such as incense, chants and chimes that can provide a point of focus. However, none of them really grab your attention and hold it in the face of a hectic modern lifestyle. Good meditation tools will engage as many senses as possible, blocking out distractions and helping you get centered.

Tips for calming overloaded senses during meditation

o Choose a meditation tool that can engage at least four of the five senses in order to keep your attention on the task at hand.

o Use a repetitive physical activity, such as throwing and catching your meditation tool, to quickly focus the mind.

o Use the same meditation tool each time you practice relaxation techniques. Soon, just holding or looking at the object will bring your mind to a peaceful state.




Zen Sticks look beautiful, give you something to touch and feel, have a pleasant smell, and can produce a repetitive sound will take your tired senses hostage! You’ll forget all about the overstimulating world around you and find a perfect meditative state. Visit SleepingTiger.org [http://sleepingtiger.org/zen.htm] to get your Zen Stick and start soothing those frazzled nerves.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 清晨7:23 0 意見
標籤： , , , ,

2012年5月29日 星期二

Escaping Sensory Overload Through Meditation


In any given day, our senses are assaulted by the glare of city lights, the sounds of traffic and the smell of fast food. We touch a hundred different textures before we even leave our home. In a single meal our taste buds register sweet, salty and bitter with every bite.

So is it any wonder that we have such short attention spans? We are stimulated for every waking second of every day. This sensory overload is part of what stresses us out. We can never relax because there is simply so much to see, smell, hear, taste and touch. That is why we need relaxation techniques that take control of our senses and engage them in a soothing way.

Engaging the senses in meditation

The best way to circumvent sensory overload might surprise you. You don't need to submerse yourself in one of those sensory deprivation tanks. Meditation on a single object that can stimulate all or most of your senses will quickly and efficiently still your mind and calm your entire nervous system.

There are a lot of old-school meditation aids out there, such as incense, chants and chimes that can provide a point of focus. However, none of them really grab your attention and hold it in the face of a hectic modern lifestyle. Good meditation tools will engage as many senses as possible, blocking out distractions and helping you get centered.

Tips for calming overloaded senses during meditation

o Choose a meditation tool that can engage at least four of the five senses in order to keep your attention on the task at hand.

o Use a repetitive physical activity, such as throwing and catching your meditation tool, to quickly focus the mind.

o Use the same meditation tool each time you practice relaxation techniques. Soon, just holding or looking at the object will bring your mind to a peaceful state.




Zen Sticks look beautiful, give you something to touch and feel, have a pleasant smell, and can produce a repetitive sound will take your tired senses hostage! You’ll forget all about the overstimulating world around you and find a perfect meditative state. Visit SleepingTiger.org [http://sleepingtiger.org/zen.htm] to get your Zen Stick and start soothing those frazzled nerves.





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 下午5:20 0 意見
標籤： , , , ,

2012年5月28日 星期一

Stress and Sensory Overload


Stress, as most know, is a combination of mental and physical fatigue. I pastor a Church and deal with it both personally and in counseling. I even wrote a short booklet on it. Your mind and body are connected. Worry, fear, anxiety, and such things add to the body's stress as well. A body that is rundown, exhausted, or sick can impact your mental state as well. Stress is unavoidable. It is part of life. We feel it any time there is pressure--pressure to perform, pressure to be somewhere, pressure to do something, pressure to be something. All of this is stress.

Stress can compound itself when our bodies can't handle well the input that we receive through our senses. We have the basic five: smell, touch, taste, hear, and sight. When we deluge these senses with outside stimuli it then impacts both our bodies and our mental stability.

We've all watched movies or read articles about a form of torture that involves sensory overload or even sensory deprivation. Ever felt chills when someone raked their fingers down a chalkboard? Ever had multiple people talking to you at once and shouted for everyone to be quiet?

Of all the sense, our hearing is the one that is most susceptible to sensory overload. There are more nerve endings that gather in or near the ears than anywhere else in the body. So when we talk of sensory overload, the first and most important one that must be dealt with is that which we hear. The second one, and one with significantly less impact, is our sight.

These two, more than the others, impact our stress levels. They focus the mind on it so that we can't tune things out, or set them aside, or let it pass. The intense focus on something that stabs at our senses will add to our levels of stress.

We live in a society where noise and images are the primary means of gaining attention. You drive down the street and see billboards and signs. You watch TV and have images flashing rapidly at you with the often overwhelming number of sounds and noises. Movies can be stressful for people. They give children nightmares, they can cause sleep deprivation. I go into people's houses and notice that the TV is on and no one is watching. They don't even realize that the images and noise is constantly on. You can say that their senses have been overwhelmed.

I've even found a correlation between children diagnosed with ADD and their environment at home. When the house is loud, noisy, and generally in a clamor, children can't seem to absorb it well and often end up with attention spans much less than other children. It is a form of stress. I've observed teenagers that have to have music playing all the time, even when they go to sleep, tend to be more nervous and stressful than others. The constant input of sound and sight can be overwhelming.

Many of the techniques for reducing stress such as meditation, yoga, and so forth all put you in an environment or state of mind that is sensory deprived. They seek to quiet your mind and feelings, get you away from the noise and sights. For me, I simply go somewhere quiet and read a book. No matter what goes on in the book, I am in a state where I'm not dealing with so many sights and sounds.

I worry about people who are unable to enjoy quietness. People who have to have music playing, have to have noise and sounds around them constantly usually are more uptight, more nervous, and more stressed. Learn to enjoy a time of quietness, of peace, where there are no or few noise. If you must have music, have something very soft with no rock beat, something gentle.

And you can't discount a person's emotional state. The more sensitive our emotions, the more impact sensory input can affect it. A parent who had a bad day at work and comes home to loud and rambunctious children will quickly grow stressed with the noise and often react improperly. A wife having a bad marriage will find herself unable to deal with the pressures of her job, especially if she works in a loud environment.

I've had many people say that watching TV actually calms them. But my personal observations on the issue are that TV is only a temporary and often inadequate solution. Too many things are thrown at your ears and eyes for your brain to process well. It doesn't reduce your stress so much as it hides it for a bit.

Another solution people turn to is music. But overwhelmingly loud music isn't stress relief, it is hiding. Personal observation and years of counseling have convinced me that the best music is soft background music. Something that eases the senses and emotions not overwhelms them. Think about it, people who listen to such loud music, do they even look relaxed?

SUGGESTIONS

1. Reduce stress by finding somewhere each day where you can be in an environment of calm and peace.

2. Before entering a loud environment, make sure that your emotions are not overly sensitive.

3. Meditate on something pleasant. I usually meditate on my God, my Saviour, and the Bible. I find great peace and comfort from this. I shut out almost all sensory input and just think. It provides great strength for the day. Prayer is a wonderful tool that I use to reduce stress and prepare for the day.

4. Use your imagination more than sensory input to stimulate your mind. We watch way too much TV and don't read enough. Write, read, or think, but don't let the world feed you your thoughts with sounds and images all the time.

5. Make your home a castle of peace. I see to it that the home is a place where we can find peace and calm. The more chaotic your house is with TV, yelling, arguing, fighting, negative sights, and tense emotions the more stressful everyone is going to be. There is an incredibly strong correlation between this and a child with ADD.

Stress is unhealthy. Although we can never rid ourselves completely of it, we can do a lot to control it.




Please visit our website at: http://fitlyspoken.org. For more books and resources to build relationships and express yourself. Specializing in practicality that works, not the politically correct or socially acceptable platitudes!





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張貼者： 於 清晨5:18 0 意見
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2012年5月21日 星期一

Sensory Overload and Stress


As we move into the new millennium, we witness the effects of increasing environmental, economic, and psychological stress. Sensory overload is taxing the human system. The pressures upon all life on earth have reached unparalleled proportions.

Our bodies are subject to an onslaught of man-made stressors: crisscrossing fields of microwave, radio, television, and electronic transmissions, pollution, noise, and traffic, as well as the bombardments of information and advertising, and the requirements to produce more and more efficiently in the face of fierce economic competition. Add to that the threats of terrorism and war that have created a palpable level of world anxiety and we have a culture dominated by stress, tension, and fear. We are beings of energy vibrating at the edge of disintegration in a sea of over-stimulation.

How do we maintain our balance? What do we do when an intense stressor such as a lost job, divorce, or the death of a loved one lands on top of the load we bear? What if, to complicate matters, this load rests on a personal history of trauma?

One of the main reasons we have a hard time breaking out of this cycle is that we do not realize how deeply we are affected by stress. On the surface, we may speak of being in a time-crunch, feeling burned-out, or needing to get away. We joke about vibrating from all the pressure. When our stress is intensified, we feel that we are going to go ballistic. We blow off steam in more or less productive ways, from exercise to alcohol to road rage, but the underlying pattern of denial remains.

Psychologists describe our perpetual tension, or the fight/flight response, as a reaction to the relentless fronts of over-stimulation. This response pattern is characterized by high-frequency brain waves termed beta waves. We are functioning as if we are on high alert all of the time.

Moreover, medical scientists are discovering how this state of perpetual tension adversely affects our well-being. Stress creates chronic patterns of muscular tension. Muscular tension restricts the flow of blood, lymphatic fluid, and nerve impulses. Cells are deprived of oxygen and nutrients and unable to clear toxic substances. This leads to chronic pain, cellular toxicity, and decreased immune response.

On an emotional level, we experience chronic anxiety and reactive response patterns marked by inappropriate anger and projected blame and criticism. Mentally, we become locked in rigid thinking patterns marked by a defensive mindset governed by fear. Spiritually we resign ourselves to being victims of circumstances and isolate ourselves in a survival mode. While our problems are not new, the pace of modern life has multiplied their negative effects exponentially.

If that sounds overly grim, take heart. It can be motivation to shift our state of awareness. It can intensify the search for ways to live differently. In recent decades, a time-honored light has begun to shine through the dense, tangled lines of our modern networks. This light radiates through a variety of old and new refractions. We see the emergence of a multitude of holistic practices.

In support of these phenomena, research has shown that certain exercises for the mind and body reduce stress and produce deep relaxation via slower alpha-theta brain-wave frequencies. In the states affected by these exercises, such a slowdown simultaneously occurs in many of the body's systems. This slowdown produces integrating, synchronizing, and healing effects. The practice of these exercises can develop capacities within us that will enable us to handle the pressures of our lives.

Taking these exercises even further, we are able to develop senses and modes of perception that have been latent in human evolution, as we know it. We can develop the ability to perceive and cultivate ourselves as the energetic beings that we are on the most fundamental level.

As an entry point to the expansion of the conscious domain, biofeedback research shows that we can positively affect aspects of our lives that we thought were automatic and inaccessible, such as brain-wave frequencies, heart rate, respiration, and chronic muscle-tension, to name a few. Guided-imagery research has proven the power of imagination and visualization in overcoming disease and increasing wellness. Meditation research describes how, through the application of awareness and intention, we can positively affect the intricate pathways that serve as conductors for qi ("chee"), the universal vitalizing force that enlivens our bodies.

Dr. John Sarno, a physician who specializes in pain relief, has shown that emotion and consciousness play a large role in health and disease. He has coined the term Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) to describe a host of symptoms that are caused by stress, tension, and repressed rage. To show the direct relationship of consciousness to TMS he found that "Awareness, insight, knowledge, and information were the magic medicines that would cure this disorder" (The Mindbody Prescription, New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1998, p. xxi). This supports what physicists have been saying for many years, which is that consciousness and physical reality are interwoven; mind and matter are inseparable. In the context of the qigong meditation, we see how body, emotion, mind, and spirit form a feedback system that can be used to shift our state of being.

Tension-causing sensory overload is both our most predominant problem and our window of opportunity. It is through a thorough understanding of our stress that we will find a new way. When we uncover the source of stress and take action to release this tension, we open to new possibilities. We recover and develop our fuller sensitivities and feelings of vitality.

These are not the mists of fantasy or the mere ear tickle of sweet sounding words. This is a well-mapped path. The Chinese have used Qigong Meditation as a powerful tool for self-development for thousands of years. You can receive a free introduction to this method and discover a step-by-step program of qigong meditation in my "LEARN QIGONG MEDITATION" course available from http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com

Copyright 2006 by Kevin D. Schoeninger




Kevin Schoeninger: M.A. Philosophy, Certified Personal Trainer, Qigong Meditation Instructor, and Reiki Master. http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com





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張貼者： 於 上午9:50 0 意見
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2011年11月30日 星期三

Stress and Sensory Overload


Stress, as most know, is a combination of mental and physical fatigue. I pastor a Church and deal with it both personally and in counseling. I even wrote a short booklet on it. Your mind and body are connected. Worry, fear, anxiety, and such things add to the body's stress as well. A body that is rundown, exhausted, or sick can impact your mental state as well. Stress is unavoidable. It is part of life. We feel it any time there is pressure--pressure to perform, pressure to be somewhere, pressure to do something, pressure to be something. All of this is stress.

Stress can compound itself when our bodies can't handle well the input that we receive through our senses. We have the basic five: smell, touch, taste, hear, and sight. When we deluge these senses with outside stimuli it then impacts both our bodies and our mental stability.

We've all watched movies or read articles about a form of torture that involves sensory overload or even sensory deprivation. Ever felt chills when someone raked their fingers down a chalkboard? Ever had multiple people talking to you at once and shouted for everyone to be quiet?

Of all the sense, our hearing is the one that is most susceptible to sensory overload. There are more nerve endings that gather in or near the ears than anywhere else in the body. So when we talk of sensory overload, the first and most important one that must be dealt with is that which we hear. The second one, and one with significantly less impact, is our sight.

These two, more than the others, impact our stress levels. They focus the mind on it so that we can't tune things out, or set them aside, or let it pass. The intense focus on something that stabs at our senses will add to our levels of stress.

We live in a society where noise and images are the primary means of gaining attention. You drive down the street and see billboards and signs. You watch TV and have images flashing rapidly at you with the often overwhelming number of sounds and noises. Movies can be stressful for people. They give children nightmares, they can cause sleep deprivation. I go into people's houses and notice that the TV is on and no one is watching. They don't even realize that the images and noise is constantly on. You can say that their senses have been overwhelmed.

I've even found a correlation between children diagnosed with ADD and their environment at home. When the house is loud, noisy, and generally in a clamor, children can't seem to absorb it well and often end up with attention spans much less than other children. It is a form of stress. I've observed teenagers that have to have music playing all the time, even when they go to sleep, tend to be more nervous and stressful than others. The constant input of sound and sight can be overwhelming.

Many of the techniques for reducing stress such as meditation, yoga, and so forth all put you in an environment or state of mind that is sensory deprived. They seek to quiet your mind and feelings, get you away from the noise and sights. For me, I simply go somewhere quiet and read a book. No matter what goes on in the book, I am in a state where I'm not dealing with so many sights and sounds.

I worry about people who are unable to enjoy quietness. People who have to have music playing, have to have noise and sounds around them constantly usually are more uptight, more nervous, and more stressed. Learn to enjoy a time of quietness, of peace, where there are no or few noise. If you must have music, have something very soft with no rock beat, something gentle.

And you can't discount a person's emotional state. The more sensitive our emotions, the more impact sensory input can affect it. A parent who had a bad day at work and comes home to loud and rambunctious children will quickly grow stressed with the noise and often react improperly. A wife having a bad marriage will find herself unable to deal with the pressures of her job, especially if she works in a loud environment.

I've had many people say that watching TV actually calms them. But my personal observations on the issue are that TV is only a temporary and often inadequate solution. Too many things are thrown at your ears and eyes for your brain to process well. It doesn't reduce your stress so much as it hides it for a bit.

Another solution people turn to is music. But overwhelmingly loud music isn't stress relief, it is hiding. Personal observation and years of counseling have convinced me that the best music is soft background music. Something that eases the senses and emotions not overwhelms them. Think about it, people who listen to such loud music, do they even look relaxed?

SUGGESTIONS

1. Reduce stress by finding somewhere each day where you can be in an environment of calm and peace.

2. Before entering a loud environment, make sure that your emotions are not overly sensitive.

3. Meditate on something pleasant. I usually meditate on my God, my Saviour, and the Bible. I find great peace and comfort from this. I shut out almost all sensory input and just think. It provides great strength for the day. Prayer is a wonderful tool that I use to reduce stress and prepare for the day.

4. Use your imagination more than sensory input to stimulate your mind. We watch way too much TV and don't read enough. Write, read, or think, but don't let the world feed you your thoughts with sounds and images all the time.

5. Make your home a castle of peace. I see to it that the home is a place where we can find peace and calm. The more chaotic your house is with TV, yelling, arguing, fighting, negative sights, and tense emotions the more stressful everyone is going to be. There is an incredibly strong correlation between this and a child with ADD.

Stress is unhealthy. Although we can never rid ourselves completely of it, we can do a lot to control it.




Please visit our website at: http://fitlyspoken.org. For more books and resources to build relationships and express yourself. Specializing in practicality that works, not the politically correct or socially acceptable platitudes!





This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

張貼者： 於 下午2:02 0 意見
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2011年11月28日 星期一

Escaping Sensory Overload Through Meditation


In any given day, our senses are assaulted by the glare of city lights, the sounds of traffic and the smell of fast food. We touch a hundred different textures before we even leave our home. In a single meal our taste buds register sweet, salty and bitter with every bite.

So is it any wonder that we have such short attention spans? We are stimulated for every waking second of every day. This sensory overload is part of what stresses us out. We can never relax because there is simply so much to see, smell, hear, taste and touch. That is why we need relaxation techniques that take control of our senses and engage them in a soothing way.

Engaging the senses in meditation

The best way to circumvent sensory overload might surprise you. You don't need to submerse yourself in one of those sensory deprivation tanks. Meditation on a single object that can stimulate all or most of your senses will quickly and efficiently still your mind and calm your entire nervous system.

There are a lot of old-school meditation aids out there, such as incense, chants and chimes that can provide a point of focus. However, none of them really grab your attention and hold it in the face of a hectic modern lifestyle. Good meditation tools will engage as many senses as possible, blocking out distractions and helping you get centered.

Tips for calming overloaded senses during meditation

o Choose a meditation tool that can engage at least four of the five senses in order to keep your attention on the task at hand.

o Use a repetitive physical activity, such as throwing and catching your meditation tool, to quickly focus the mind.

o Use the same meditation tool each time you practice relaxation techniques. Soon, just holding or looking at the object will bring your mind to a peaceful state.




Zen Sticks look beautiful, give you something to touch and feel, have a pleasant smell, and can produce a repetitive sound will take your tired senses hostage! You’ll forget all about the overstimulating world around you and find a perfect meditative state. Visit SleepingTiger.org [http://sleepingtiger.org/zen.htm] to get your Zen Stick and start soothing those frazzled nerves.





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張貼者： 於 下午4:02 0 意見
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2011年11月26日 星期六

Sensory Overload and Stress


As we move into the new millennium, we witness the effects of increasing environmental, economic, and psychological stress. Sensory overload is taxing the human system. The pressures upon all life on earth have reached unparalleled proportions.

Our bodies are subject to an onslaught of man-made stressors: crisscrossing fields of microwave, radio, television, and electronic transmissions, pollution, noise, and traffic, as well as the bombardments of information and advertising, and the requirements to produce more and more efficiently in the face of fierce economic competition. Add to that the threats of terrorism and war that have created a palpable level of world anxiety and we have a culture dominated by stress, tension, and fear. We are beings of energy vibrating at the edge of disintegration in a sea of over-stimulation.

How do we maintain our balance? What do we do when an intense stressor such as a lost job, divorce, or the death of a loved one lands on top of the load we bear? What if, to complicate matters, this load rests on a personal history of trauma?

One of the main reasons we have a hard time breaking out of this cycle is that we do not realize how deeply we are affected by stress. On the surface, we may speak of being in a time-crunch, feeling burned-out, or needing to get away. We joke about vibrating from all the pressure. When our stress is intensified, we feel that we are going to go ballistic. We blow off steam in more or less productive ways, from exercise to alcohol to road rage, but the underlying pattern of denial remains.

Psychologists describe our perpetual tension, or the fight/flight response, as a reaction to the relentless fronts of over-stimulation. This response pattern is characterized by high-frequency brain waves termed beta waves. We are functioning as if we are on high alert all of the time.

Moreover, medical scientists are discovering how this state of perpetual tension adversely affects our well-being. Stress creates chronic patterns of muscular tension. Muscular tension restricts the flow of blood, lymphatic fluid, and nerve impulses. Cells are deprived of oxygen and nutrients and unable to clear toxic substances. This leads to chronic pain, cellular toxicity, and decreased immune response.

On an emotional level, we experience chronic anxiety and reactive response patterns marked by inappropriate anger and projected blame and criticism. Mentally, we become locked in rigid thinking patterns marked by a defensive mindset governed by fear. Spiritually we resign ourselves to being victims of circumstances and isolate ourselves in a survival mode. While our problems are not new, the pace of modern life has multiplied their negative effects exponentially.

If that sounds overly grim, take heart. It can be motivation to shift our state of awareness. It can intensify the search for ways to live differently. In recent decades, a time-honored light has begun to shine through the dense, tangled lines of our modern networks. This light radiates through a variety of old and new refractions. We see the emergence of a multitude of holistic practices.

In support of these phenomena, research has shown that certain exercises for the mind and body reduce stress and produce deep relaxation via slower alpha-theta brain-wave frequencies. In the states affected by these exercises, such a slowdown simultaneously occurs in many of the body's systems. This slowdown produces integrating, synchronizing, and healing effects. The practice of these exercises can develop capacities within us that will enable us to handle the pressures of our lives.

Taking these exercises even further, we are able to develop senses and modes of perception that have been latent in human evolution, as we know it. We can develop the ability to perceive and cultivate ourselves as the energetic beings that we are on the most fundamental level.

As an entry point to the expansion of the conscious domain, biofeedback research shows that we can positively affect aspects of our lives that we thought were automatic and inaccessible, such as brain-wave frequencies, heart rate, respiration, and chronic muscle-tension, to name a few. Guided-imagery research has proven the power of imagination and visualization in overcoming disease and increasing wellness. Meditation research describes how, through the application of awareness and intention, we can positively affect the intricate pathways that serve as conductors for qi ("chee"), the universal vitalizing force that enlivens our bodies.

Dr. John Sarno, a physician who specializes in pain relief, has shown that emotion and consciousness play a large role in health and disease. He has coined the term Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) to describe a host of symptoms that are caused by stress, tension, and repressed rage. To show the direct relationship of consciousness to TMS he found that "Awareness, insight, knowledge, and information were the magic medicines that would cure this disorder" (The Mindbody Prescription, New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1998, p. xxi). This supports what physicists have been saying for many years, which is that consciousness and physical reality are interwoven; mind and matter are inseparable. In the context of the qigong meditation, we see how body, emotion, mind, and spirit form a feedback system that can be used to shift our state of being.

Tension-causing sensory overload is both our most predominant problem and our window of opportunity. It is through a thorough understanding of our stress that we will find a new way. When we uncover the source of stress and take action to release this tension, we open to new possibilities. We recover and develop our fuller sensitivities and feelings of vitality.

These are not the mists of fantasy or the mere ear tickle of sweet sounding words. This is a well-mapped path. The Chinese have used Qigong Meditation as a powerful tool for self-development for thousands of years. You can receive a free introduction to this method and discover a step-by-step program of qigong meditation in my "LEARN QIGONG MEDITATION" course available from http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com

Copyright 2006 by Kevin D. Schoeninger




Kevin Schoeninger: M.A. Philosophy, Certified Personal Trainer, Qigong Meditation Instructor, and Reiki Master. http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com





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