Eliminating Stress and Raspberry Mango Ice Cream

Stress is a big factor in health and healing.  While communicating with a friend the other day and giving her a list of the principles to practice in order to regain her health, she said, "You said eliminate all stress".  Out of all the things on the list, this one stood out as being the most difficult to achieve.

It is possible to eliminate a great deal of the negative stress you experience.  When I was given this principle, I was addicted to the news and was worrying every day on how my "party" could take over and make the world better.  How was I to eliminate stress?  I looked around at my then five-year-old granddaughter and asked myself, "What is she worrying about?"   I decided to be like her, so I turned off the news, exited my attachment to either major political party, and put my focus on things within my control.  I honestly believe, that the other things will take care of themselves if we do the work on ourselves.  Change yourself...change the world.

Another way to eliminate stress is to let go of placing expectation on other people.  It is a great source of stress when you are trying to make other people do or be a certain way.  It is manipulative, and it is stress producing for you and them.  Place your expectations on yourself to make the world better by making yourself better...and healthier.

According to Dr. Keki Sidhwa, in his wonderful book, The Quintessence of Natural Living for Health and Happiness, we can take control of our lives by seeking variety and not letting ourselves get into a rut and by being interested in life.  It helps to be poised and cheerful.  We can learn to take what life brings, whether it be joy or sorrow, good or bad, with calmness.

It is important not to bottle up our emotions.  Exercise is a good release of the frustrations and anxiety that may show up. Regular exercise makes us stronger and, at the same time, releases emotional tension.

It is okay to be assertive and speak up against injustice and unfairness in a quiet and dignified way...at the right time, in the right way, to the right person.  We can let out steam without scorching the other. We are hoping to reach a stage of mental composure so that we can deal with our irritations in a dignified way.

Time management is important in eliminating stress. You can't be in two places at the same time, and you can't do two things at the same time...no matter what they say about multi-tasking. If you try it, you will wear yourself out.  We need to make the best use of the time we have and set our priorities to do the most important things....the things that have the most potential...first.

In Natural Hygiene, we talk about enervation playing a factor in illness. Excess stimulation produces stress and is enervating.  Entertainment that has loud or discordant noises, violence, crime and tragedy induces stress.

Regularly schedule 30 minutes or an hour of quiet time where you can pray, meditate, or walk. This is one of the practices for a healthy lifestyle.

Practice seeing only the good in all around you and turn a blind eye to the bad. Stop judging. A positive attitude is essential for eliminating stress.It is a complete change in lifestyle that focuses on concern for the needs of others. Hate causes stress and love eliminates it. What if you really did love your neighbor as yourself?

One of the main qualities needed for coping with stress is gratitude. Always think of how you can be thankful. Give up trying to get revenge.

Exercise and meditation are two sides of the same coin. Kevin Black, from Unlabel Yourself, reminded us this morning that the body benefits from movement and the mind benefits from stillness. To be whole, we must take care of our body and our mind.

We are here to grow in love. That is our challenge, and to live the simple natural lifestyle is part of answering that challenge. It is a simple way of living powerfully.

So let's just do it!

Here is a simple recipe for you...two ingredients...a real treat:

RASPBERRY MANGO NICE CREAM
1 package frozen raspberries
2 packages frozen mango

Let the raspberries thaw, then blend until liquidy.  Put in a bowl and set aside.

Place the frozen mangos in your high speed blender or food processor.  Add just enough water to make it blend.  Blend until creamy.

Put some of the raspberry on the bottom of your serving bowl.  In a mixing bowl, mix  the rest of the raspberry in with the mango until it is marbelized.  Put the mango/raspberry mix in the bowl that has the  raspberry bottom.

Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.

To health and happiness.