We all experience some form of stress in our lives. Clinically, stress is a negative element that can threaten our physical and emotional health. One form of stress can diminish our resistance to other forms of stress. Therefore, stress seems to take on a momentum or it’s own i.e. stress can cause more stress. When our healthy resistance, i.e. our immune system, begins to break down under too much stress, physical damage and disease results. In addition to physical stress e.g. sore muscles, pain, aches, tension, overexertion, exercise and inactivity that causes back pain, minor strains and sprains, we also experience emotional stress as well. Emotional stress can come from many sources. Emotional stress, as we know, comes from discord in our work and personal relationships, economic pressure, loss, grief, anger, fear, etc. Over time, stress actually builds up toxic deposits in our cells. Stress can create physical pain and chronic fatigue that leaves us without energy or rest, leaving us accident prone and effects our emotional and cognitive abilities leading to even more stress. Again, stress builds upon itself and causes a vicious cycle. Our lives can be charted in a energy wave pattern with healthy activity being at the high point of the wave and rest being at the lower point of the wave. If one phase suffers, it effects the other phase. Our energy wave pattern becomes almost flat. We then experience restlessness, lack of energy, depression, insomnia, muscles tension, less frustration tolerance, exaggeration of emotional reaction e.g. constant anger of a feeling of our wanting to cry constantly. This in turn strains our work and personal relationship and our relationship with ourselves. Sleep and relaxation interrupts this vicious cycle of stress and restore a healthy energy wave pattern of activity and rest which interrupts stress building on itself and causing us to experience emotional and physical distress. Water can play a vital natural role in helping us experience the rest and relaxation we need to end the cycle of stress and pain we are experiencing.
Our natural, innate relationship with water is both primordial and present. We live in water for months before we are born. Our bodies are composed of a large amount of water. We could say that we are water. We all know the natural attraction we have to creeks, lakes, and the ocean. Although not always in our conscious awareness, we instinctively “know” that water is vital and “alive”. All our physical, intellectual, and emotional functions are modalities of water functions. Water provides all living things/beings with a flow of nutrients as well as a means of elimination. All living forms exist within the Earth’s great hydrosystem. Water is the origin and present source of all life. In a full hot bath we become surrounded by water, the source of all life. This stimulates our primordial security feelings and responses and provides us with comfort, relaxation, and pleasure. Heated water relaxes our muscle tension that restricts fluid and energy flow. The magnetic fields of our nervous system flow through the surrounding water malecules. We experience the profound and relieving effects of water’s releasing us from stress and pain.
We can turn our bath into a therapeutic anti-stress, anti-pain treatment. Our bathroom should be warm and we should have clean towels and a robe ready for coming out of our bath. We just fill our tubs with hot water increasing or decreasing the temperature as is comfortable for us. When our tub is as full as we can get it, without running over as we get into it, is the right temperature for us, we can note the time. We need to stay in the bath for 15 to 20 minutes, not longer. Submerge yourself with only your head above water. Let your thoughts drift into the quietness of your awareness of your breathing in and out. Inhale and exhale fully, which releases tension from our muscles. Relax into the water and become “one” with the water. Add hot water if you need it, but beyond that, stay as still as possible. When time as passed, rise slowly and towel off lightly and put on the robe. This process will greatly help reduce stress, break the stress cycle, and allow our bodies to fall into a deeper rest. Regular use of anti-stress, anti-pain bath will release many stress factors through relaxation. This allows us to recover our energy and stimulate a stronger natural resistence, enhance our immune system and recover our health.
We can further enhance the effectiveness of water’s stress and pain reduction by adding herbal extracts and essential oils to our therapeutic bath. Herbal extracts and essential oils are made from natural plans by various means of distillation. Essential oils, e.g. Lavender, provide a relaxing aroma that in itself reduces stress and pain. These essential oils are used in the treatment modality of aromatherapy and can be added to our bath water for added benefit. We can also use aromatherapy candles by our bath to add even more effective benefits to our therapeutic bath experience. Aromatherpy candles add a soothing light and aroma to ease stress and pain.
In natural thermal pools found in nature are many dissolved minerals that also have an effective therapeutic benefit. Minerals play an important role in water conditioning. Natural sodium (salt) minerals such as sodium borate, sodium caronate, and sodium cloride neutralize metals and provide a mild electrolyte solutions which disperses botanicals evenly throughout the water and helps attract the botanical molecules to our skin. Aromatherapy bath salts and minerals added to our bath water helps us receive full benefit from aromatherapy essential oils that we have added to our bath
Water is a powerful therapeutic natural source of stress and pain relief. We are water. Water is life. We often take this for granted and therefore do not make full use of this natural healing agent. Many of us do not even drink enough water. If we are wanting to manage stress or to break a vicious stress cycle, we need only remember that water is a powerful resource. The next time we are feeling stress, we can remember to simply wash our hands, splash some water on our faces, or take a soothing drink of water. If possible spend time with creeks, rivers, and where possible with the ocean. If possible, we can introduce swimming to our exercise program. If this is not possible, we can naturally soak away stress and pain with hot baths enhanced with aromatherapy bath salts, aromatherapy mineral baths, aromatherpy essential oils or stress and pain formulas specially designed to be used with water such as ABRA Herbal Hydrotherapy Muscle Bath or ABRA Hydrotherapy Stress Bath.
By: Jennifer KaysAbout the Author:
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