New Age Practices to help Alleviate Stress

Feb 2, 2017

3 min read

First Posted: Yahoo Voices 2013

Not all stress is harmful to health. Some people thrive on challenge and enjoy pushing themselves to their limit, welcoming a degree of stress in their life. When responsibilities, pressures and burdens in life get so much that a person feels they cannot cope, stress and stress-related illnesses are the consequence.

Even those who enjoy a challenge can reach a point when they feel stressed out and anxious. Some may not want to admit it and perhaps see it as a weakness within themselves. Other types of personality will admit to feeling uncertain and anxious. Stress can lead to depression, anxiety and physical symptoms such as headaches, back aches, stomach problems and raised blood pressure.

New Agers know that prevention can be the best strategy for alleviating stress, and just as stress can affect different people in different ways, some New Age techniques for reducing stress will work better on one person than another. At a recent weekend workshop, for instance, a number of people had signed up for the ‘relaxation class’ and one was insistent that she had no intention of imagining herself as being a flower or using any form of visualisation; she wanted to relax by being pampered and this is no doubt what would work to help alleviate her stress.

Even so, meditation does work for many New Agers as a means of reducing stress and tension. Regular meditation can help calm the mind, enhance spirituality, reduce tension and anger as well as connecting the conscious mind with the subconscious.

Meditation is also an excellent way to alleviate stress and physical pain. There are many techniques to help relax and calm the mind, and these include visualisation (imagining tranquil places such as waterfalls or a sandy beach, or visiting a place of healing within oneself) or focusing on one spot or a candle flame. CDs of relaxing New Age meditation music can help enhance a person’s meditation experience. New Age music CDs are also used regularly by Reiki, Yoga and Aromatherapy practitioners and for hypnotherapy, all excellent methods of helping to alleviate stress.

Reiki is a gentle form of healing that is non-invasive. It is an incredibly relaxing experience that helps to heal the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual self. Reiki energy is said to be an ‘intelligent energy’ that helps a person better cope with past emotional traumas and clears mental, emotional and spiritual blockages to bring a sense of well being.

Yoga uses a number of stress reducing techniques including exercise, meditation and visualisation. Researches have found that those who regularly practice yoga suffer less from stress-related illnesses.

Aromatherapy uses essential oils from plants to help balance mind, body and spirit. It is well known that certain smells can affect mood and even bring back pleasant memories. The smell of bread cooking, for instance, might take a person back to their childhood visits to a grandparent’s house and for an instant the smell will evoke the pleasant, relaxed feelings that were experienced in their younger days, at that time.

As essential oils are inhaled, this triggers the secretion of neurotransmitters which help increase relaxation and uplift the spirit.

Other New Age techniques to help reduce stress include Massage Therapy, listening to soothing music or nature music (the sounds of the sea or birds singing), acupressure, Tai Chi and dancing.