[FW]Well Being -- 5-minute stress buster

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5-minute stress buster

By Kate Hanley

By doing a simple breathing technique or visualization whenever you

experience stress, you can slow your breathing, decrease your blood pressure, and

even lower your heart rate. Try this visualization from Gaudet, MD,

director of the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine and author of Consciously

Female (Bantam, 2004).

* Find somewhere where you can be alone and undisturbed for five

minutes.

* Sit comfortably or lie down and close your eyes. Allow your

breathing to deepen.

* Imagine a place you'd love to be in, and notice as many details as

you can about that place. Indulge in the sensations of that spot. What can you

see, hear, smell, and feel?

* As you head back into your day, carry with you the imagery and

feelings your visualization elicited.