Techniques for Less Stress

I sat down several times to write this column, and each time ended in frustration. The topics I had chosen to write on are important ones: the Iraq War, global warming, oil addiction. The problem always came when I tried to come up with things that individuals could do about these problems. I'll certainly be addressing these with some no bullshit answers in the future, but...

There are more immediate and personal problems than war or pollution, and these problems prevent us from collectively dealing with anything outside the stresses of everyday life. So there is my topic, stress. If we could find ways of dealing with individual stress more effectively, then we would have more time and energy to think about and deal with public problems.

This past summer I had the good fortune to live and work with a tribal shaman and Chinese doctor, named Crazy Owl, on his organic herb farm. From this man of 79 years, I learned that two of the easiest and most effective ways of lowering stress are diet and massage therapy.

It would be rather hard, if not impossible, for most of us to switch to a wholly organic diet of unprocessed foods, but this is the best thing you can do for good health and reducing stress on the individual level. Small changes however are all that's needed to see improvement. Eat a little less fast food. Have some green beans and broccoli. Replace a soft drink with fruit juice or hot tea. You are what you eat.

Processed foods, or food packaged in a factory, are easy to get and inexpensive. They're also bad for our bodies. One way to get around this is to grow your own, especially if you can't afford a trip to the grocery store every week. Since living in an apartment makes growing anything difficult, a good solution would be to find a nearby community garden.

These are more common in big cities than one might think. More than likely there is a farmer's market located in your city. In Little Rock I regularly find organic and locally grown, fresh produce. Yummy.

The proper use of herbs in the diet is a big part of Chinese medicine. One of the happiest herbs out there is vanilla. This is one reason why vanilla ice cream is still so popular despite the constant invention of new flavors. A teaspoon full of vanilla bean extract, can be added to a cup of water, or anything bland, everyday. You just need to be able to taste it.

Green tea is very medicinal and has the most powerful antioxidants. Drinking a couple of cups a day will help remove some of the toxins we regularly accumulate from city life. High fructose corn syrup should not be an ingredient. Brew your own, drink it hot, and sweeten with honey.

Instruction and time are needed to get really good at massage therapy, but this doesn't mean you won't see benefits from it as an amateur. Paying attention to another person's body, and having them return the favor, is a great method of relieving stress. Going to a licensed therapist, or checking out a book on the topic, can be helpful to a beginner, but these aren't necessary.

You don't even need another person to enjoy the benefits, though it helps. Practice on yourself. Find the sore spots in your neck and shoulders, your feet and face, and be gentle. In the animal world we call this grooming. Massage ranks right up there with fixing your hair for making you feel good about yourself.

Some of the strongest acu-points are on the soles of the feet, the nape of the neck, and the earlobe. You'll really be surprised when, while prodding your scalp, you find sore spots of locked up chi.

None of this will stop the larger things that cause us stress of course. We all still have to pass the test and come up with money to support ourselves. We still have to deal in everyday life with angry people and our cars breaking down. What a better diet and massage therapy will do however is lower the background stress that civilization, and the city especially, puts on our bodies. With happier bodies we can more readily deal with the problems we face both in our lives and in our society.