Mind Over Stress

Progressive Muscle Relaxation, PMR, is a gold standard method for releasing anxiety and stress. With thousands of studies attesting to it's effectiveness, it's helped millions of people since it was developed in the 1920's.You'll be led through a guided PMR process to experience it's effectiveness for yourself.You'll also learn how to do a mini 2 to 4 minute PMR process anytime to feel relaxed and rejuvenated, with a calm, clear mind and body ready to excel through the rest of your day.Host: Stephen Carter, CEO of Stress Solutions, LLC, website: https://www.EFT-MD.com;Email: CarterMethod@gmail.com;Website for other "Mind Over Stress" podcast episodes and to subscribe at no cost: http://MindOverStress.us;Mic: EV RE320

You learn a simple, effective stress release technique called Balloon Breathing.With Balloon Breathing, you combine the power of breath, imagination, and physical action to create a calm mind and body in one minute or less.Host: Stephen CarterOrganization: Stress Solutions, LLC;Websites: http://MindOverStress.us and https://www.EFT-MD.com.Contact email: Cartermethod@gmail.com.Mic: EV RE320.Key words: balloon breathing, breath work, breathing meditation, calm, relax, stress, stress release, Stephen Carter, Stress Solutions, peace, breath meditation,

You'll learn why today's social media is so toxic for your emotional wellbeing and how to eliminate anxiety and stress and still maintain a calm presence on social media platforms you enjoy.Citation for article highlighted in this episode:Phil Reed D.Phil. Digital World, "Real WorldAnxiety and Social Media Use - Does anxiety drive excessive usage?" "Psychology Today", February 3, 2020: Article link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/digital-world-real-world/202002/anxiety-and-social-media-useHost: Stephen Carter, CEO Stress Solutions, LLC;Company website: https:www.EFT-MD.com;Podcast website: http://MindOverStress.us;Contact host: CarterMethod@gmail.com;Mic: EV RE320;Key words:anxiety, stress, social media, Twitter, Facebook, calm, relaxed, emotional, peaceful

During this episode, you learn the secret of how to control your mind and thoughts to dissolve stress and make better, more empowering decisions.The Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius in his marvelous work, “Meditations” tells us, “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” Is this true? If it is true, how can you apply this truth to dissolve stress and consistently create a calmer, well-balanced state of mind? You and I will explore these questions and more in this episode 27 of, “Mind Over Stress”.You’ll find other episodes of, “Mind Over Stress” by visiting our website at www.MindOverStress.usHost: Stephen Carter, CEO of Stress Solutions, LLC - Website https://www.EFT-MD.com.Contact host: CarterMethod@gmail.com.Mic: UV 8500Keywords: mind, thought, stoic, stoicism, thoughts, Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, stress, calm, relaxation response, relax, relaxation, meditation,

The week of May 10 - 16 is designated as National Women's Health Week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health. Given the challenges we're facing with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no better time to take time and assess your overall health.Your Initial Self-AssessmentHere's a visual way to do a self assessment that can alert you to areas of your health that may need attention:On a sheet of paper make a list of major health and wellbeing categories you want to to assess. As an example, your list might include:* Emotional and mental wellbeing;* Food consumption habits;* Sleep;* Exercise and movement; and,*Spiritual practices.This isn't an exhaustive list, but it could be a starting point. Choose other or additional health and wellbeing categories important to you.Next, honestly assess how satisfied you are for each category on a 1 to 10 scale. If you rate a category with a 10, you're totally satisfied with how things are for that category. A rating of "1" means you are tot

Several of our best current psychological treatment methods have strong roots in a philosophy called Stoicism. The good news is you don't have to be a philosopher or psychologist to apply the simple, powerful truths of Stoicism to enjoy a calm mind and stress free clear thinking.One of the leading stoic philosophers was a Roman Emperor named Marcus Aurelius. Unlike most other emperors, everyday of his life he sought to be a better person grounded in rationality and natural law.Thanks to Aurelius’ secretary who captured the Emperor’s many thoughts and observations, we have a rich resource of stoic guidance on how to live a happier, calmer, and more authentic life.In this episode, we explore and apply to your everyday experience Marcus Aurelius’ observation:“Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.”You will discover a simple, powerful way to apply his wisdom to cre

Choosing the Right Mindset for This Challenge - Show Notes:With the uncertainty and fear around the coronavirus pandemic, how are you coping? Are you reacting with fear or responding with a plan? In this episode you'll learn how to create and maintain the best mindset for navigating through this difficult situation.Summary:- Current pandemic situation and numbers at the time of recording.- The constant drumbeat of news and government information can add to stress.- As with any major event, our brains are wired to ask, consciously or unconsciously, “What does this mean for me?”. Initially, we may react with a strong fear response because of the confusion and uncertainty. - After your initial shock, you may enter into disempowered thinking patterns founded on fear and blame.- I encourage you to look at the big picture of the coronavirus situation. This doesn’t mean ignoring or minimizing the impact, but it does mean looking beyond the headlines and social media noise.- It’s vital we continue taking needed preca

How to Take Stress Out of Goal Setting - Learn the Power of Whole Brain Goal SettingWhen you fail to achieve a goal, do you experience a stress response? Most of us do. It’s a natural reaction. It’s not so much the lack of goal achievement itself. More often, it’s the self-talk from your inner critic that does the job. In this episode of, "Mind Over Stress”, you and I look at a study published in the journal, “Behavioral Brain Research” that points to an effective way to craft goals that increases the probability of success.Summary of Whole Brain Goal Setting Process:- Create big, bold, and bright visualizations of your ultimate, BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) goal or destination;- Creat big, bold, and bright visualizations of subgoals or mile markers along the way;- Make the subgoals as small as needed to be easily achievable;- Identify and visualize possible points of resistance or roadblocks you may encounter. If you need to, return to the previous step and create even smaller subgoals;- Create two or mor

Stopping Disempowering Thoughts - Ep22 - Show Notes- We all are affected by disempowering thoughts.- For diagnosed or serious psychological conditions such as depression, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), or other chronic psychological issues consult an appropriate licensed medical professional.- The suggestions I’m sharing are for informational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical or psychological condition. Always consult an appropriate licensed medical practitioner for any issue of concern. Suggestion 1: Avoid Fighting or Resisting Disempowering Thoughts.Fighting or resisting disempowering thoughts by telling yourself, “Don’t think about this” or similar reactive responses will likely result in those unwanted thoughts getting stronger and more frequent. - Mind exercise: Think of a dancing elephant wearing a blue tutu.- Rather than resist a disempowering thought, relax into the thought and simple notice it. Become an unattached observer and allow the thought to b

3 Step Secret for Mindful Walking - Episode 21 Intro; Time stamp: 00:06How to combine Mindful Awareness with everyday walking to create a calm, relaxed state of mind and body. Host introduction for Stephen Carter. www.MindOverStress.us and www.EFT-MD.com; Time stamp: 00:26 Sitting Meditation Compared to Walking Meditation; Time stamp: 01:00Say the word, “Meditation” and the image that comes to mind is likely a person seated in a Lotus posture with legs crossed, back erect, and fingertips touching in what’s called a Mudra pose. Say, “Walking Meditation”, and the image likely coming to mind is a person walking deliberately through the various sections of a labyrinth. A labyrinth is a complex set of pathways requiring someone’s full attention to navigate through the maze.The Truth About Walking Meditation; Time stamp: 01:35But the truth is you can practice Walking Mindful Meditation virtually anytime you choose whether you're walking long distances or simply walking a few feet across the room.Why Walking Meditat

As CEO of Stress Solutions, LLC, here is my 1 best tip to avoid holiday stress and maintain holiday harmony.Given the current political climate in the United States. in the United Kingdom, and in many other countries, here's my number 1 suggestion to avoid holiday stress and conflict:When getting together with family and friends, avoid conversations about national politics. Why? Let us count the ways:- No matter how passionate, persuasive, or logical you are in stating why your beliefs are “the truth”, you will not convince anyone who holds contrary beliefs to change those beliefs.- The current state of political discord makes reasoned civil discussion virtually impossible with too many people who hold strong opinions about our current President or those vying for the Democratic party nomination.- It’s highly probable if conversations gets heated, honest differences and reasoned discussion will be abandoned and replaced by ad hominem attacks on your intelligence, your character, your beliefs, or all of the ab

Dissolve Stress With This Simple Calm Breathing Technique.Learn to apply the diaphragmatic based Calm Breathing Technique to let go of stress and create a renewing Relaxation Response for mind and body.Important Note: Please do not listen to this episode while driving or doing other activities requiring your full attention. Always consult a licensed medical doctor or other appropriate medical professional for any issue of concern. By listening to this or any other episode of “Mind Over Stress, you agree to take full, complete, and sole responsibility for your own wellbeing.To Begin:Spend about 30 seconds noticing your breathing. Just notice it. Get a sense of the frequency and intensity of your breathing.Next, recall a recent experience when you felt stress. Bring to mind the memory of that experience and recall the location, any people present, and the circumstances contributing to the stressful situation. Stay with that memory for about 20 to 30 seconds and then notice your breathing again.Compare your post

7 Ways to Celebrate Self-Care Awareness MonthEp 18 Mind Over Stress ShowHost Stephen Carter, CEO of Stress Solutions, LLC.With each episode, I share stress mastery methods to help you live a happier, healthier life.Details and previous episodes available at MindOverStress.us.Important temporary note: in suggestion seven, I discuss learning Energy Psychology methods by visiting the FREA website at www.FREA.support. After recording and releasing this episode, there was an issue with the FREA site causing it to go offline temporarily. The site should be back in business in a few days time.Opening Story You’ve boarded the plane and you are settled in your seat. The plane begins to taxi toward the runway in preparation for takeoff.As the plane moves, a flight attendant stands at the front of the aircraft and tells you about the important safety procedures. During the demonstration, you hear:"if there is a change in cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop down in front of you. Place your oxygen mask on first before

“3 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Life” Show Notes“Simplify Your Life Week” is celebrated for one week every August. In support of this celebration, in this “3 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Life”, episode we look at three ways to open physical and emotional space in your life for a healthier and happier you. These include:- An easy strategy for clearing your living space.- How to identify clothing and related items you no longer need as a way to simplify.- Why it’s important to clear out old emails, eliminate new email and related message clutter, and how to reduce online clutter and the stress that comes with it. Pareto Principle Also Known as the 80 / 20 RulesWe explore a real world reality called the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80 / 20 rule. This universal rule tells us 20 percent what we do produces 80 percent of our results. The Pareto Principle was identified by an Italian economist and socialist named Vilfredo Pareto in 1906. His initial research established 20% of the Italian population owned 80% of

How to Escape the Multitasking Trap - 3 Simple Steps to Release Stress and Improve PerformanceHow often do you get caught up in the hectic swirl of trying juggle six tasks at once, only to do none of them well? “If I only push harder”, you say to yourself. “Yes, I will redouble my effort and do even more so all of these tasks get done!”. The Truth About MultitaskingHere’s a seldom heard truth: The parts of your brain handling conscious procedural tasks typically associated with day-to-day cognitive activities aren’t wired for multitasking. Your brainstem and midbrain sections handle parallel processing tasks with ease. The prefrontal cortex, that brain region where conscious cognition occurs, handles one task at a time.What is actually happening when you think you’re multitasking? Your attention is moving rapidly from one activity to another. Five seconds here, three seconds there, and 10 seconds to several minutes of confusion trying to figure out what to do next. With each transfer of attention, there is pe

Show Notes: Episode 13, "Mind Over Stress" Show.Can a "Thank You" Note Ehance Emotional Wellbeing?In this episode, you’ll discover why taking just two or three minutes to write a short note of appreciation can create positive feelings of self-worth for the person receiving the message AND for the person writing the message. That would be you!This is your host for the “Mind Over Stress” show, Steve Carter. I am also the CEO of Stress Solutions, LLC. More information about my work through Stress Solutions, LLC is available at www.EFT-MD.com.So what does the science tell us about writing “Thank You” notes? Is it worth doing? Is it difficult? Who benefits?What stops you from writing notes of appreciation? Does it feel awkward? Are you afraid you won’t know what to write? Are you concerned the recipient won’t really appreciate receiving that kind of message?Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Chicago published the results of their research into "Thank You" note writing in the j

Show Notes:You learn how to use the simple 4-7-8 breathing pattern to help you fall asleep fast. This breath pattern can also be used anytime to create the relaxation response and calm mind and body to reduce stress.