Just gazing at this water makes me feel calm. Our children and grandchildren have given us the gift of a beautiful pond in celebration of my husband and my 50th anniversary ~ it is almost finished and I know 
just sitting by it will create a wonderful, restful spot to relax and reflect.
Another way I stay calm is by listening to Dr. William Tuttle’s piano music, particularly his CD called Ocean Prayer ~ a meditative album created to relax and heal. I highly recommend it. The first time I heard him play was on our 50th Anniversary Cruise ~ it was an amazing experience and whenever I hear his music I am taken back there to those peaceful sounds of the piano and the ocean waters.
We all go through stressful events at different times in our lives ~ perhaps a death in the family, a traumatic experience ~ now researchers in the UK are beginning a study funded by the Alzheimer’s Foundation to determine if stress can trigger dementia. According to the researchers, people who have mild cognitive impairment are at an increased risk of going on to develop dementia – although some will remain stable and others may improve. Past work suggests mid-life stress may increase a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease. And women seem to have a higher percentage of risk in developing dementia. A Swedish study that followed nearly 1,500 women for a period of 35 years found the risk of dementia was about 65% higher in women who reported repeated periods of stress in middle age than in those who did not. Scottish scientists believe this link to be connected to hormones released in response to stress which interfere with brain function.
The hormone cortisol is the one connected with stress and as our stress increases, our body’s production of this hormone increases. Continuously high cortisol levels have been linked to long-term health impacts. I have found a natural product that offers nutritional support and contains a key ingredient called Beta sitosterol, known to blunt the cortisol response. I love that it not only promotes a calm, relaxed state within 30 minutes, but all without drowsiness.
The information below about stress is extremely informative and hopefully helpful to all of you. Enjoy! And I would love to hear how you calm yourself down in times of stress.
