Many of you have thought about your communication-style, leadership style, management-style, and life-style. But have you ever thought about your health-style?

What is a health-style? It is a new term used by a friend and colleague, Greg Richardson. He thought of this word as I was describing the need for each individual to identify their paths to better health. By focusing on your health-style, you can give yourself a gift that can last a lifetime.

What would it take for you to focus on your health? Would it take a catastrophic illness in a family member or close friend or symptoms like back pain or high blood pressure to have you focus inwardly and determine what in your life is not promoting good health? How about heart disease? Or would you need to be stopped in your tracks with a serious illness. Health is a state of ease or balance in mind, body and spirit. The new frontier of health-care is available to all and the biggest part of it is awareness and personal commitment. To improve health awareness and increase consciousness is to be on the path to better health and well being. Understanding stress is a first step in doing that.

Stress is any reaction to a physical, mental or emotional stimulus that upsets the body’s natural balance. It is the body’s reaction to the demands of life and in itself is neither good nor bad. Since stress is unavoidable, it is the individual's ability to cope with stress that makes it positive or negative.

Environmental stressors include the air we breathe, the sounds we hear, and the people in our lives, including relationships and financial situations. Stress from the mind comes from thoughts and emotions. When a person is ill or poorly nourished, the body is the source of stress. All three sources of stress can be experienced in the workplace--the workplace is more and more stressful as it becomes more complex and organizations downsize. You need to know ways to reduce stress while at work in order to maintain good health.

1. Regular practice of some form of conscious breathing, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, repetitive prayer, progressive muscle relaxation, or imagery. From this, self- awareness is born, not to mention the calming effect that has a direct benefit to your health.
   
2. View life from a position of learning about yourself. See it as adventure rather than something to control or fear.
   
3. Exercise and eat nourishing foods. Based on individual body chemistry. Body structure, energy system, and blood type have been suggested as deciding factors.
   
4. Become more aware of the sounds and smells around your. Introducing and exploring music and aromas can be a fun eye opening experience. Ancient healing practices included specific music and aromas to heal disease.
   
5. Set up your environment to enhance your experience of well being.