The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that Stress accounts for around 75% of all doctor visits. This involves an extremely wide span of physical complaints including, but not limited to: headache; back pain; heart problems; upset stomach; stomach ulcer; sleep problems; tiredness; inability to overcome disease; accidents.



Emotional Stress is a major contributing factor to the six leading causes of death in the United States: cancer, coronary artery disease, accidental injuries, respiratory disorders, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.

Most life-threatening diseases show up within 2 years of a stressful life event such as the death of a family member, an accident, a move or a divorce.

Since stress is such a huge contributor to health issues, you really need a consistent way to reduce stress in your life, and the effects of stress on your body, mind and spirit. There are many ways to reduce the effects of stress, you may already know some of them, like exercise and meditation. Both of these will help you deal with the stress of the day, the things that happen at work, the bills, the kids, etc.

But when your health really takes a hit, it affects more than just your body. It affects your thinking, your emotions and your spirit. Especially when you are looking for something to compliment your medical routine, or you feel like you have tried everything and have not gotten the results you wanted, you need a new acumen to add tools to your toolbox.

Reviving your spirit and getting in touch with that part of you that is directly connected to your higher power can be vitally effective in restoring your health. By correcting your thinking and emotions, you are setting in motion corrections in your physical energy as well. Miracles have happened through prayer and spirituality ? and by opening up to the healing available to you through spirit, who knows what you may experience. I can assure you ? it will be profound and extraordinary, and good.

Find a quiet place where you can close your eyes and not be disturbed for a few minutes. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing, allowing your mind to still and relaxing into a meditative state. Any visions, thoughts or emotions that pass through your mind, just acknowledge them, then let them go. All that matters right now is you, your breathing, your relaxation.

Imagine that deep inside of you, in your center, is a crystal. This crystal represents your emotional, physical and spiritual health. Feel yourself shrink down, down, down, getting smaller and smaller until you can fit right inside that crystal, and see the walls of the crystal around you, as though it were hollow inside and you were standing in the center. Let the walls of the crystal shelter you and protect you as you gaze at them with a new perspective.

As you see that crystal from the inside, you can see any flaws, any cracks that need repair, any angles that need correction. You can see any colors that need repainted, clarity that needs refreshed and cloudiness that begs to be wiped clean.

Here standing inside your crystal, you can see the effects of time on your spirit, emotions, thoughts, beliefs and body. From this place, become aware of the emotional issues that are making you unhealthy and keeping you from being as healthy as you want to be. You can expose the root cause for every blemish in your crystal?your life energy, your spirit.

Allow those emotions, those unresolved experiences, expressions, communications and acts to come to the surface where you can work with them. As you do, imagine that your connection to spirit, to your higher power absorbs you, it grows all around you as you stand in awe at the sheer vastness and greatness of it. Standing in the essence of that power, you feel that it is clean and pure, and you are one with that power. You are one with your creator. You are one with it's energy. You know that this higher power holds no fear, no resentment, no anger, no worry. You know that this higher power forgives you and all others. This higher power knows only love ? complete and unconditional love. That is all. As you are one with this higher power, connected to it spiritually and energetically, you feel that power, the strength, the forgiveness, the love.

Feel it healing the blemishes in your crystal. Feel it healing the old experiences, emotions, traumas, sicknesses. There is no reason for you to hold on to those things. Let them go now, and give your higher power permission to heal you. As it does, imagine the cloudiness fades, the cracks are sealed, and the crystal becomes clear and flawless.

Feel that unconditional love and imagine it continuing in your life. Let yourself just bask in those feelings. When you are ready, take a few deep breaths and open your eyes.

This can be a very powerful exercise both by yourself or with a group. It allows you to communicate directly with a healing source and really connect with it's healing power. Use this process often, and you will find your stress decreasing, you will notice a boost in your emotional balance and may even notice an instant improvement in your physical health.