The 5 Concepts to Feel Better and Be Better 1. We need to throw the kitchen sink of solutions at our pain and issues. Why?

Answer: Excepting antibiotics for an acute infection, there is virtually no pill or silver bullet we can use to fully address a health/well-being issue. This is especially true for most chronic or on-going issues such as stress (and migraines). There is no completely effective “uni–therapy” for these chronic conditions.

We must use multiple approaches to effectively address stress and the pain and anxiety it causes. And to develop resilience so that stress does not affect us nearly as much.

The MyRelaxer device will relax us instantly. The MyRelaxer Lessons will create a resilience to the effects of stress by combining new healthful habits involving 1) sleep, 2) attitude, 3) moving, and 4) eating to feel better. And you need to continue the medications and strategies already prescribed by your health care provider + add new approaches.

Takeaway: Throw the kitchen sink of solutions at your pain!
2. Commit this to memory: It is impossible to be stressed and relaxed at the same time.

This is called “emotional incompatibility.” It is also impossible to be happy and sad at the same time. And impossible to be reactive and creative at the same time.

We will combat stress by relaxing you. If you are relaxed, you will experience less stress. Simple, huh?

If we are stressed, we are reactive to events around us. We cannot create the optimal solution to the challenge or issue facing us if we are reactive. We need to be relaxed to be creative so that we can fashion that optimal solution that fits our unique life and situation.

3. Our feelings follow our actions. Huge concept. Commit to memory. Behaviors beget Feelings. “If you want a quality, act as if you already have it,” said William James, the Father of Modern

Psychology.
To feel happy, just smile. Just behave as if you are having a good time: Use happy talk, hold your head

up, have a spring in your step→you will feel happy. Your feelings will follow your actions.

This may seem delusional when we are feeling anxious and up tight. But there is no downside to this delusion because it works. “Just Do It.” We have the power to change our feelings by purposeful actions. (Practice this when not stressed so you can call upon this powerful strategy when stress does hit.)

4. Stress is harmful to all our body systems, not just our feelings.

It is critical to control stress and our stressors to protect our minds and overall well-being. Ongoing stress causes the body to produce excess amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, and multiple other messenger substances that are harmful if chronically out of balance.

Stress can be psychological, which may be noticeable, or from our poor daily habits, which may not be noticeable. No matter the origin, stress affects our mood, immune system, ability to concentrate, heart rhythm, digestion, affection, and general aches and pains amongst many others. Hence, for short and long term health, we need to control our stress.

5. Our Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) is our new best friend.

Our autonomic nervous system controls our body functions automatically without any thought in two distinctly different sub-systems. Optimally, these two sub-systems should be somewhat balanced.

The Sympathetic Nervous System (“Fight or Flight” system) is responsible for our survival and our reactive responses to threats and dangers. It has served us well in the past when threats (stress) from predators or other humans were frequent.

Unfortunately, we are still wired like our ancient ancestors and use the Fight or Flight responses today when faced with most any inconvenience, no matter how minimal the threat, if any, to our survival. (Think parking ticket or other “first world” problems.)

And we all have dozens of problems/inconveniences and not enough time to address them. The result: We get stuck in a Fight or Flight mode of constant stress→reactive responses→more stress→headaches + bad mood. Bad cycle to be in.

Our Parasympathetic Nervous System (“Relax, recover, restore” system) is responsible for our recovery necessary to replenish our energy and thought processes. Engaging the parasympathetic nervous system is key to relaxing. And there are many keys to engaging it.

We need to prioritize engaging our new PNS friend as often as we can. We need to encourage it any way we can essentially. Meditation, yoga, mindfulness are all good. The Four Pillars of Well-Being (sleep, attitude, moving, and eating to feel better) all contribute to PNS activation. So does a relaxing stretch with the MyRelaxer. And the many tips in the MyRelaxer Lessons will help engage our new best friend (our PNS) so we feel better→be better.

So, our path to a better life combines all these concepts together:

1. Throw the kitchen sink of solutions at stress.
2. Relax to combat stress and to avoid reactive responses.
3. Act positively and you’ll feel positive.
4. Protect our long-term health while feeling better by limiting effects of stress.
5. Engage our PNS so we can relax, recover, and restore.