Stress is at an all-time high here in Alberta. Are we ever noticing this at our Sound Wellness events!

During almost all of our events, participants do a short quiz to measure their stress level. On a 1 – 10 scale where 10 is very high stress, the average is just under 8.

The results of our on-line stress quiz have me really concerned. 83% of those completing the survey showed elevated to high stress levels. Less than a third indicate that their stress levels are dropping.

So many of us are suffering from the effects of stress today, that the World Health Organization has declared Stress to be the Health Epidemic of the 21st century.

Another statistic that concerns me even more is that 80 to 90 percent of visits to the doctor are because of conditions rooted in stress. Yet only 3 percent of these appointments were made because the patient was concerned about stress.

THAT’S A LOT OF IGNORING OR A LOT OF NOT KNOWING!!

So – how do YOU measure up?

Here it is – the quiz.

These questions are everyday symptoms of stress taken from University measurement tools for measuring stress levels.

Be very honest with yourself. Keep track of the number of “yesses” and tally them up.

Think back over the past month or so.

1. Do you lie awake at night because your mind keeps racing?
2. Do you often feel nervous or anxious or depressed?
3. Do you feel guilty if you take time out to relax and do nothing?
4. Do you get upset when caught up in traffic that’s moving too slow
5. Do you feel that problems are piling up so high that you can’t overcome them?
6. Do you get impatient waiting in line-ups – do you leave if the line is too long?
7. Have you found that you couldn’t cope with all the things that you had to do- that you can never get caught up??
8. Do you get upset when things happen unexpectedly?
9. Do you sometimes feel that things just aren’t going your way?
10. Do you frequently get irritated or angry and you’re not sure why?

How did you do?

If you had 2 or less “yesses”, then your stress levels are under pretty good control. While you may have stressful moments in your life, it appears that you are handling them pretty well.

You’re using some good tools already and may be interested in adding some sound and music tools to help keep you that way.

3 to 5 means that your stress levels are elevated, and there is potential to develop physical, mental, emotional, and/or spiritual effects of stress. And you have likely begun to see the effects of them. Without better management of your stress, and the associated symptoms, you’re putting yourself at risk.

6 to 10 means Your stress risk factor is HIGH –  This means that you’re much more likely to experience stress-related illness such as heart disease/strokes, mental health challenges (depression & anxiety), obesity, gastro-intestinal problems like irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, and more.

Most of us are totally unaware of the damage that stress is doing to us – of the toll it’s taking on our health and our relationships.

Here is an interesting fact that gives us a lot of hope.

You are as wired to respond to sound and music with the release of hormones that keep you HEALTHY, as you are wired to respond with stress hormones that keep you ILL.

So Ed and I are doing something we’ve never done before. We’re offering a special edition of our Sound Wellness Foundation program, sold on our website for $197, for FREE!!

And what can this do for you?

• significantly reduce your stress and the health consequences from chronic stress. In minutes!
• give you effective tools for managing aches and pains.
• experience instant stress busters that work in seconds to minutes.

And so much more.

Join us for a FREE 1 day “PlayShop” where you will explore, and experience for yourself some of the many benefits of using sound and music. To support you!

We will be hosting this all day event in Calgary on April 23, at Self Connection Books.
Your admission is FREE. Sort of. Because the room only has the capacity for 40 people, we are charging a $25 refundable deposit that you will get back when you attend.

And if you live out of town, and you can’t attend the live event, we will be repeating the event in an on-line format – 4 Wednesday evenings from 7:00 til  8:00pm MDT, starting on April 27^th. There is also no cost to register for this series.

So if you’re tired of not feeling like yourself, I invite you to join us.