An effective way of promoting relaxation and
reducing stress, is to regularly “escape” from the pressures in your
life. You may have more opportunities to escape than you think.
Think of some daily or weekly event that you
find unpleasant, an example may be mowing the lawn, commuting to work,
or vacuuming the house. Situations like these usually don’t occupy our
mind, so stressful thoughts of tomorrow’s work and the time we are
wasting, can creep into our minds. Instead of allowing these
circumstances to affect us negatively, use them as an opportunity to
take a break and put your stressful day behind you. For some this may
be as easy as listening to a recording that is either soothing, or
allows you to “rock out” and escape. Some people may like to listen to
books or comedy on tape (these are often available at your local
library). Whatever you decide to use to help you escape, be prepared:
have it with you in the car, for when you get stuck in traffic, go to
the library on the weekend so you have a new book on tape to listen to
when you mow the lawn. When you perform these activities, remove
yourself from the situation and allow yourself totally escape.
Recognize these situations as an opportunity to enjoy yourself and
relax.
The Zen Buddhist principle of “mindfulness”
is nearly the opposite of what is described above, but it provides
another effective way of converting negative situations into positive
ones. This technique involves keeping the mind completely absorbed by
the current activity. Focus on your thoughts, sensations, movements,
emotions... Mindfulness takes practice and concentration, but can bring
great rewards. When done correctly, this practice can remove us from
mundane, repetative, or unpleasant tasks, and transport us to a
relaxing, introspective world.
Mark Altman is a computer programmer and
musician. Visit his site,www.soundsleeping.com,
for free relaxing music and an active discussion about sleep and
relaxation.
Stress
Management: Medical Risks of Stress
by Karen Cole-Peralta
What is Stress?
Stress may be defined as the three-way
relationship between demands on people, our feelings about those
demands and our ability to cope with them. Stress is most likely to
occur in situations where:
1. Demands are high. 2. The amount of
control we have is low. 3. There is limited support or help available
for us.
Who is Affected Most by Stress?
Virtually all people experience stressful
events or situations that overwhelm our natural coping mechanisms. And
although some people are biologically prone to stress, many outside
factors influence susceptibility as well.
Studies indicate that some people are more
vulnerable to the effects of stress than others. Older adults; women in
general, especially working mothers and pregnant women; less-educated
people; divorced or widowed people; people experiencing financial
strains such as long-term unemployment; people who are the targets of
discrimination; uninsured and underinsured people; and people who
simply live in cities all seem to be particularly susceptible to
health-related stress problems.
People who are less emotionally stable or
have high anxiety levels tend to experience certain events as more
stressful than healthy people do. And the lack of an established
network of family and friends predisposes us to stress-related health
problems such as heart disease and infections. Caregivers, children and
medical professionals are also frequently found to be at higher risk
for stress-related disorders.
Job-related stress is particularly likely to
be chronic because it is such a large part of life. Stress reduces a
worker's effectiveness by impairing concentration, causing
sleeplessness and increasing the risk of illness, back problems,
accidents and lost time. At its worst extremes, stress that places a
burden on our hearts and circulation can often be fatal. The Japanese
have a word for sudden death due to overwork: karoushi.
Medical Affects of Chronic Stress
The stress response of the body is like an
airplane readying for take-off. Virtually all systems, such as the
heart and blood vessels, the immune system, the lungs, the digestive
system, the sensory organs, and the brain are modified to meet the
perceived danger.
A stress-filled life really seems to raise
the odds of heart disease and stroke down the road. Researchers have
found that after middle-age, those who report chronic stress face a
somewhat higher risk of fatal or non-fatal heart disease or stroke over
the years. It is now believed that constant stress takes its toll on
our arteries, causing chronically high levels of stress hormones and
pushing people to maintain unhealthy habits like smoking.
Stressed-out men are twice as likely as
their peers to die of a stroke. There are weaker such findings among
women, which is likely due to the fairly low number of heart disease
and stroke cases among women, rather than a resistance to the health
effects of chronic stress. Women seem slightly more susceptible to the
effects of stress than men.
Simply put, too much stress puts you at dire
risk for health problems. Whether it comes from one event or the
buildup of many small events, stress causes major physical alterations
that often lead to health problems. Here is a list of some of these
changes:
• Our heart rates increase, to move blood to
our muscles and brains. • Our blood pressures go up. • Our breathing
rates increase. • Our digestion slows down. • Our perspiration
increases. • We feel a rush of strength at first, but over time stress
makes us feel weak.
These reactions helped our ancestors survive
threats by preparing for either "fight or flight." Today, our bodies
still react the same way, but the events that cause stress do not
require this ancient mechanism.
Stress can also greatly raise our risk of:
• Ulcers and digestive disorders • Headaches
• Migraine headaches • Backaches • Depression • Suicide • High blood
pressure • Stroke • Heart attack • Alcohol and drug dependencies •
Allergies and skin diseases • Cancer • Asthma • Depressed immune system
• More colds and infections
We have to learn ways to relieve stress,
because when it goes on for very long or happens too often, it
obviously can cause many serious health problems.
Resources about Stress Risks
The information in this article is
originally from:
the Somerset Medical Center website,
http://www.somersetmedicalcenter.com ; the University of Maryland
Medicine website, http://www.umm.edu/patiented ; the March of Dimes
website, http://www.marchofdimes.com ; the voice of doctors website,
http://web.bma.org.uk ; and the Health Ink Online website,
http://www.healthinkonline.com .
Rainbow Writing, Inc. -- copy editing,
ghost writing, graphics, publishing help and cheap dedicated hosting,
http://www.rainbowriting.com/ . Arcade games, internet tutorials, &
money making software, Four Seasons CDROM Store,
http://www.cdrommarket.com/ .
Do a word search for life balance on Google,
and it turns up over 98 million references. That is one hot topic!
Is life balance even possible in modern
society? Amid the material wealth of the industrialized world, the
struggle for balanced living has reached pandemic proportions. Never
before in history have we had so much and enjoyed so little.
We long for balance yet take on more
commitments; we dream of bigger homes but have smaller families; we
pride ourselves on the size of our networks yet have fewer friends; we
consume more vitamins yet are in poorer health, our life force drained
by stress and anxiety. We are bombarded with information and the
constant pressure of trying to keep up. So much to do, so little time!
Clearly, our lives are over-segmented and off-balance – and we pay the
price with less satisfaction and happiness.
A recent study from www.HRlook.com says that
the global workforce has stopped striving for a healthier work-life
balance, and more than 75% of the work force feel their work lives take
priority over their personal lives.
Life balance is about choice – and the
choice is yours!
To restore balance to life, you need to
place enough value on yourself to motivate you toward change. Doing a
life review can get you started in the right direction. By reviewing
core areas of life, you can clean out what no longer serves you and
start integrating the neglected aspects of life again. It enables you
to step off the treadmill of chaotic living to a life filled with
meaning and purpose.
A life review can start with an honest
assessment of the core areas of life: your work, home environment,
family & friends, spirituality, physical health, recreation and
financial health. Ask yourself what the three most stressful or
unsatisfying aspects are in each of these areas and jot them down.
You also need to know what you would like
your life to look like. In other words, what is your vision for your
life and what does life balance look like for you? Identify three
aspects that you value, or would like more of in each of the core
areas.
By doing this simple exercise, you will
quickly discover which areas are in need of balance in your life –
these tend to be the areas where it hurts to look! You can add more
balance to life by eliminating even just one stressful activity, or by
adding more of something you truly enjoy.
Balanced living is not about achieving
perfection in one area of life: instead it is about finding equilibrium
overall. This holistic, integrative approach allows you to feel
nurtured even if you have to put in long work hours for work to meet a
tight deadline, because you know that you have scheduled time to
recharge with loved ones after the project is completed.
There are many different interpretations of
what life balance looks like. For some of us, an unbalanced checkbook
is just fine, while for others it violates their very existence. Each
of us needs to clarify what we need to feel balanced, and then we need
to start working towards that goal.
In helping clients look at all their
responsibilities and obligations in order to reduce or eliminate those
that no longer serve them, we also work on learning to say “no.” Often,
I find that people say “yes” out of misplaced obligation or politeness,
when what they really want to do is say NO. No, they cannot donate a
Saturday to help clean up the park; no, they don’t want to sit on the
homeowners’ association board of directors; no, they don’t want to give
up a weekend to attend a distant relative’s anniversary.
At the start of each day, every one of us
receives exactly the same allotment of time. What we do with that time,
will determine our level of satisfaction, accomplishment and success.
In choosing how to spend our time and resources, we make decisions
about how to spend energy - the primary resource of life.
Borrowing from an old recycling slogan, I
use three steps to assist clients in the process:
1. Reduce. Do you really need this activity,
item or commitment in your environment? Do you need as much of it to
feel satisfied or secure? If not, it’s time to reduce participation to
make space for more fulfilling things! A good example would be setting
boundaries to reduce the number of hours you work per week to spend
more time with loved ones.
2. Reuse. How does this activity contribute
to your personal fulfillment or quality of life? Can you adapt it to
better serve your goals? Can you get the same benefit from a different
activity? Instead of skipping gym because of being bored with the
workout routine, you can switch to a different type of exercise that
would give the same benefit without boredom.
3. Recycle. Have you outgrown this activity,
item or commitment? Perhaps it has served the purpose long ago and you
have been holding on to it out of guilt or habit! If so, it needs to go
to free up space for something more appropriate. Many social
commitments fall in this category.
When we look at life as an integrated whole,
it is clear that balance can be achieved. It ultimately is an inside
job – an inner equilibrium that enables us to flow with all the things
that happen in our changing world.
Ada Porat is a certified life balance coach
and holistic healing practitioner with extensive international teaching
and clinical experience. She draws on cutting-edge body/mind/spirit
techniques to teach workshops and teleclassses on balanced living,
personal development and spirituality. For more, visit
http://www.adaporat.com
Symptoms
of Stress: How to Spot the Signs and
Do You Have the Courage to Admit
by Terry Dunn
It’s never ending isn’t it? Every day the
responsibilities, tasks, problems and work mounts up. Everyone needs it
now! And all the high tech gadgets and tools don’t seem to help either.
If anything, they seem to speed up your life.
Did you know that 1 in 2 people have
experienced stress by the time they are 40? So, are you suffering from
stress and can you cope?
Admitting you cannot cope
Okay, so you admit it. You are stressed. It
takes courage to recognise you cannot cope and you’re suffering, but
it’s the first step to beating stress. And the solution to every
problem starts with taking that first step. Trouble is, most people
cannot see it.
You are often the last person to see you
have a problem. If you were to ask your friends and family, they would
tell you. But they won’t tell you unless you ask(they don’t want to be
rude!).
But now that you have taken the first step,
what part of your life do you not enjoy anymore? When do feel on edge?
Do you have time for your own indulgence? To relax? To do something for
yourself?
Does that feel selfish? Are you starting to
resent all the responsibilities, jobs, tasks or people who fill your
life night and day? Or maybe, it’s been like that for as long as you
can remember.
It’s time to stand back, take stock and take
action.
Recognising the signs of your distress
How do you know if it’s stress you’re
suffering from? What are the symptoms to look for? There are 3
different types of symptom, physical, emotional and mental.
Physical symptoms can include,
· Heart pounding · Headaches
· Sweaty palms · Indigestion · Skin breakouts
· Shortness of breath · Cold hands · Sleeplessness
or sleeping too much · Fatigue · Nausea ·
Diarrhoea · Tight stomach · Tight muscles or pain
Emotional symptoms can include,
· Moodiness · Irritability
· Depression · Anxiety · Lack of sense of humour
· Abrasiveness · Hostility · Nervousness ·
You can be easily upset
Mental symptoms can include,
· Forgetfulness · Loss of
concentration · Poor judgement · Disorganisation ·
Confusion · Lack of interest in anything · Simple maths
errors · Inability to think when required · Negative
self-talk
You may experience any combination of these
symptoms. As everyone is different you may react in different ways.
Recognising and admitting your problems, if
only to yourself, is an important start. The next stage is discover
what you can do about it. And it doesn’t necessarily mean medication or
pills.
You may not realise it, but there are many
natural ways of relieving and managing stress that are much kinder to
you and your health.
You owe it to yourself to discover what's
best for you.
The stress doctor provides advice, tips,
tools and techniques for beating your stress problems. You can get a
free short report "18 health problems linked to stress you should know
about" or subscribe to "Living a stress free life" at
http://www.howtobeatstress.com
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