It is
impossible to avoid stress in modern society, everyone suffers from it to a
greater or lesser degree. So, if it can't be avoided, we need to learn a
few strategies to cope with it. I hope these tips on stress management
are helpful.
What
is Stress? Stress was, and is, a response to danger, the
'fight or flight response'. In days when we were hunter-gatherers,
it got us away from danger. Today, stress occurs when body is
INAPPROPRIATEDLY held in a 'fight or flight' response over a period of
time. Certain
things happen in the body when it enters this 'fight or flight response'.
1) the
adrenal glands increase production of adrenaline
2) blood sugar is released into the blood stream to produce instant energy
3) the heart rate increases and the blood pressure rises
4) breathing becomes more rapid
5) the muscles tense ready for action
6) the body 'shuts down' non essential activities like digestion and some
hormone productionWhile
this is fine in the short term, stress tends to be accumulative, and
damage occurs when, what is intended to be a short-term response, forces the
body into long-term changes.How
Can You Tell if Stress is Adversely Affecting You? These
are symptoms to look out for:1)
tension, aches and pains in muscles
2) headaches
3) feeling of helplessness or hopelessness
4) difficulty in sleeping
5) poor concentration
6) mood changes
7) fatigue, irritability, weeping or restlessness.
8) Palpitations
9) digestive problems from indigestion to constipation & diarrheoa
10) frequent colds & flu are also common as stress affects the immune
system.
11) more severe problems include ulcers, stroke and heart attack.
Stress
management doesn't have to be complicated. There are many books and articles
available. but essentially you are aiming to reverse the effects on the body
noted above. So you want to bring down your blood pressure and your pulse rate,
relax muscles and get rid of the resulting toxins within them, and level off
sugar and hormone levels in the blood.
To do
that, these are some simple tips that might help.
Rest when you
can, if you can't sleep at night, take power naps during the day.
Take a
healthy diet free of caffeine, sugars, bad fats and processed foods.
Get
outside for at least ten minutes every day since light stimulates the pineal
gland in the brain.
Take some gentle exercise and learn some breathing
techniques.
Create a time and space for yourself, that may be in having a
bath with fragrant oils, or simply a time away from family when you cannot be
disturbed.
Try to think positively, I know at the moment that is
especially hard.
Talk to people, tell them you are not coping and see if
they can take some pressure off you.
Join a class for tai chi or yoga,
both of these teach you relaxation techniques but there are also excellent
articles available on the internet to lead you through some calming
exercises.
Short Relaxation technique to combat stress
One of
the very best things for stress is learning relaxation, in learning how to get
the body to relax, the muscles to relax, the breathing to slow, the blood
pressure to lower and the heart rate to lower.
While you are the midst of
a stressful situation is probably when you need it most, so practice at home
taking short or one minute meditations that you can apply when you are actually in a stressful situation like in the car or at work.
For this:
just look down at your
desk, you don't have to close your eyes so no-one will be aware of what you are
doing.
Take three really deep breaths, filling your lungs completely and
emptying them completely.
If you can do so unobtrusively, breathe in
through your nose, and out through your mouth, it doesn't have to be an noisy
exhale.
Take your awareness, your attention, to the centre of your chest
and for a minute just watch each breath as it enters and leaves your
lungs.
As you breathe in imagine taking in peace.
Every time you breathe out, imagine you are letting go of a little
bit more tension.
Be aware that each time you breathe out you can let go
the tension in your neck and shoulders, just concentrate on letting the muscles
relax.
You can repeat this as often as you need and in time the first
three deep breaths will act as a trigger for your body to relax.
There is always professional help available too. Try reflexology or
aromatherapy or perhaps you can find, or start, a meditation group in your
area. Most of all, realize you are not alone, and, rather than being
helpless in the face of stress, you too can learn to cope with it.
I'll be back with more ways of coping with stress in later posts
Good advice and very useful for everyone to implement. The meditation/breathing technique you describe is similar to one I know and can be very effective.
Great tips Anne - we are killing ourselves with stress, people need to learn how to manage it better!
I'm also on a campaign to undermine the cult of 'multi-tasking' since I believe it only results in jobs poorly done and no sense of setisfaction = more stress
Great advice here for dealing with stress!
ReplyDeleteGood advice and very useful for everyone to implement. The meditation/breathing technique you describe is similar to one I know and can be very effective.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips Anne - we are killing ourselves with stress, people need to learn how to manage it better!
ReplyDeleteI'm also on a campaign to undermine the cult of 'multi-tasking' since I believe it only results in jobs poorly done and no sense of setisfaction = more stress