“Massage. Numerous studies have examined the effects of massage on everyone from babies and new mothers to breast-cancer survivors and people who suffer from migraines. The results are fairly clear that massage boosts your serotonin by as much as 30 percent. Massage also decreases stress hormones and raises dopamine levels, which helps you create new good habits.”
Source: The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time
“In many if not most cases, a psychologist is a glorified and paid shoulder to cry on.”
“Calm is not merely the absence of stress, but the powerful presence of peace.”
Source: Frazzlebrain: Break Free from Anxiety, Anger, and Stress Using Advanced Discoveries in Neuropsychology
“A third lesson is to constantly remind yourself of the benefits of tension, which can be easy to forget when all you want is a quiet life.”
Source: Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives
“Okay, I'm not fine," I corrected. There was no hiding the results of my stress baking. "But I will be, no need to worry.”
Source: Cupcake
“By reducing stress levels, yoga lowers the presence of glucocorticoids circulating throughout the body. The result is that you now have less to fight against. Your cravings change—you want junk food less and salad more.”
Source: How Yoga Really Works
“You have earned breaks without having to earn them to begin with.”
“We often think of fight or flight as the main defensive reaction human beings turn to when faced with a threat. When under stress, we flee or hunker down for the impending battle. While this reaction does characterize a pervasive human tendency, researchers have documented another stress-response system that many people engage in when under threat: a “tend and befriend” response. They seek out other people for support and care.”
Source: Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It
“Activity alone doesn’t get the job done nor relieve your stress. You need to take the right action.”
Source: Healthy Thinking Habits: Seven Attitude Skills Simplified
“Studies on the phenomenon indicate that a person with a high tolerance for pain is likely to also have above-average capacity to cope with the stress of a job layoff or a cancer diagnosis, and this same person is more likely as well to have experienced a moderate amount of psychological trauma in his or her past. It would appear that a certain amount of misfortune is needed to toughen the mind against suffering and hardship, but excessive trauma leaves scar tissue.”
Source: How Bad Do You Want It? Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle