Before we have a discussion about stress, let's define our terms. What exactly, are the kinds of stress that we are talking about? There are the physical stresses like lack of sleep or working nine hours digging ditches. There are the chemical or nutritional stresses that are becoming more common every day in America. Just have a soda and pizza and watch the people for a while. Then there are the emotional or mental stresses. I bet you're talking about emotional stress.

Okay, let's talk about emotional stress, but understand that all three kinds of stress can create the same effects of stress.

There are certain patterns that take place during times of stress, no matter what kind you want to talk about. Here's a list of stress effects: circulatory changes, skin rashes, adrenal gland fatigue, lymphatic system slow down, intestinal track irritation...almost every symptom of the body will show the effects of stress.

So instead of looking at all the symptoms, which won't do you any good anyway, let's get to the cause and the correction of the cause of stress. Because no matter what the cause and effects of stress are, there are some powerful ways to reduce them.

Emotional Stress

Some people never "get over" a loved one's death, marital breakup, or other severe stress. Never. These people live their lives in the constant presence of the past emotional stress. Even extensive counseling doesn't help some people. Counseling at such times can be most important for a person, but counseling does not reset the emotional stress overload circuit breakers if they have been short circuited.

How many stressful life events can you think about which cause your "stomach to tie into a knot" or a queasy feeling to occur or tears to fill your eyes? The presence of these symptoms when thinking about an emotionally stressing event are a surefire indication that the emotional stress overload points need to be "reset" by you or someone close to you.

Have you ever seen a distressed person or a person completely frustrated, clap their hand to their forehead? Maybe you've done it yourself... recently. Why over the forehead?

It is no accident that placing the hand over the forehead is an instinctive reaction. Your body knows what it's doing.

It has been discovered that on the skin of the forehead are located neurological "circuit breakers" which are associated with mental and emotional stress overload. The instinctive reaction of the person's nerve system is to draw attention to these circuit breakers.

Think about the last time you went through a stressful situation. How about a school assignment that you had forgotten? What about that person you have to talk to but don't want to? What about that event that's coming up that you have to attend-and it's the last thing you want to do? Think of "that one thing" that causes you stress.

In each of these situations, if you think about the one that causes you intensity, you may very well slap your hand to your forehead. You might even add a shake of your head.

The point is this thought is causing you stress and the job of your subconscious mind is to minimize the effects of stress by attempting to reset your emotional circuit breakers. So let's do this for real. It will take 5 minutes and may very well change your life.

Find something moderately stressful. Think about it for ten seconds or to the point that this thought causes you a "gut feeling" of stress. You know what I mean? If it's not there, add some sensations like movement, sound, color, or brightness.

Now, place your finger pads on your emotional circuit breakers; they are the two bony points on your forehead. Make sure you are thinking about that stressful episode at the same time you are touching your forehead. Hold these points with a slight stretching or tugging on the skin and you're going to reset these circuits. The contacts should be held until a slight pulsation (like taking your pulse on your wrist or your neck) is felt in both fingers simultaneously. This usually takes from 30 seconds to two minutes. Once the pulsation is felt, the contacts may be held for a few more seconds and then released.

This is a simple but powerful way for you to reset your emotional circuit breakers in relation to a specific episode of stress. It will dramatically reduce the intensity of the event. If not, do it again. Do it until the intensity goes down to zero.

How do you feel? You have just removed a significant effect of stress from your life.