My clients often ask me how they can stay more balanced when challenges come up in their life. My first response is always “Do your clearing work!” 

As you release more and more of your baggage, you not only create less drama in your life, but you are better able to handle it when it does.   Old triggers fall away, and as your perception changes, so does your reaction.    It is LIFE though, and we all have our tests and challenges.  Without them, there would be no growth.

Here are some tips to release pressure when you feel stressed and overwhelmed…

1. My favourite is taking an Epsom salt bath, but it’s not always possible or convenient so I have listed some more “portable” techniques below.    Epsom salt baths are exceptional at clearing your energy field and your chakras.  Whenever you feel tired, stressed, depressed or “icky”… take a bath. You will feel refreshed and much lighter when you are finished.  Sea salt works too!  Add some essential oils if you like.

2. Breathe deeply.  When we are stressed, we tend to breathe very shallow.  We are not centered.  We are too busy in our thoughts, dissecting the past or worrying about the future instead of being present where our clarity and power lies.  Deep breathing helps ground us and brings us back to the present.  It helps calm us, helps us detach from strong emotional reactions, and gives us more oxygen.

When we are stressed, our shoulders often hunch up with tension. Our body is not able to breathe fully with shoulders migrating upwards. Consciously bring them back down to a more normal position… relax them… and you will notice a difference in the depth of your breath automatically.

You can also practice the Huna Ha breath to help clear and expand your energy field. Simply breathe in through your nose and exhale through your slightly open mouth with a very soft “haaaa” sound.  The exhalation should be twice as long as the inhalation. Breathe this way for 5-10 minutes and you will notice a beneficial shift in your energy.  The Ha breath not only clears your energy but it also builds your energy reserves as well.

 3. Use your voice! – Tone or chant.  Toning can be as simple as a single syllable, like ‘ohm’ or “ahhh” or a more complex chant.  The breath comes from deep within the diaphragm and the sound vibrates through your body.  It’s also a great way to open your throat chakra. Try it…

Take a deep yet comfortable breath and slowly exhale as you tone the vowel sounds of “a – e – i – o – u.”  Feel the sound reverberate through you. Try to do it in one breath if you can.  A few minutes of toning feels amazing.  You can chant and tone anything that makes you feel good.

4. Play Tarzan.  When you are toning, try lightly “beating” your chest with an open or closed hand.  Do the upper chest, the lower ribcage front, back and sides.  If you can reach, add the upper back or any other area that feels ‘tight’ when you breathe.  You don’t need to use force; patting the areas that move when you breathe is enough to move stagnant energy.

You will be amazed at how quickly this opens up your breath, expands your energy field and helps you release the pressure that has built up. This is a great exercise when you are feeling a lot of stress.  It’s simple and quick.

5. Go outside.   Get away from your computer, your phone, and everything on your to-do list.  Head outside and go for a walk… down the street, around the block or better yet, head to the park.  Find some green space. There is nothing like connecting to nature and breathing in all those negative ions to bring you to a more peaceful feeling.  Even if there is nothing green in your area, walk can still help.  Take a break – the change in scenery will do you good.

6. Tap on a meridian point.  Tap on any or all of the EFT points while focusing on how your body feels, the emotions you are feeling, or the issues that are creating stress for you.  Just breathe and focus while you tap.  If it helps you to focus, you can think or say a phrase such as “all this anxiety in my gut” as you tap.  Keep tapping until the feeling reduces or releases.

Other emotions or memories might come up, and if they do, tap on them too.  They are messages from your unconscious, showing you things that are related to what you are feeling now.

The Karate Chop point is a great place to tap and can be done inconspicuously if you are in public. If you don’t know the tapping points, send me an email and I will send you my chart of the points.

 7. Use vibrational essences.  The Canadian Tree Essences are amazing vibrational products.  I often recommend them to my clients to assist with healing between sessions.  I love them so much, I’ve become a distributor!

They help to clear emotions, thoughts and behaviour patterns.   Easy to use, you can carry with them wherever you go.  Avoid drinking coffee before or after you take them or you will negate their effect.

Here are a few of my suggestions when you are dealing with stress:

• Yellow Birch—quieting the mind, stopping mental chatter, and relaxing.  This essence is perfect for those who are frequently ‘wound up,’ tense and unable to relax.
• Forest Secrets—helps ground you and helps you find your center. Use when you are overworked and overtired. It calms the mind, bringing balance and concentration, realigns the body, and reconnects you with the real world.  It helps you sleep.
• Millennium Journey—takes you out of the future, those “what if…” thoughts and negative projections and brings you back into the present.  Take this essence if you are concerned, worried, overwhelmed or stressed. It will bring calmness, poise and show you the larger view of the situation.
• People Rescue—for those intense or stressful situations that bring you to a place of fear or panic.  Great to use in emergencies, for bad dreams, or for chronic or long lasting fears.  This essence brings awareness, presence and a sense of calmness and clarity.

Please contact me if you’d like more information.

And as I said at the beginning, it’s always good to do your clearing work!