What is stress?
Today’s news includes around-the-clock coverage of natural and man-made disasters, hurricanes, wars, economic failures and terrorists’ attacks. Just 10 minutes of watching the network news can make your stress levels soar. Racing against deadlines, sitting in traffic, arguing with your spouse. Modern life is full of time pressure and frustration.
· All these make your body react as if you were facing a physical threat--Gave early humans “fight or flight” mentality, helped them survive
· External Stress—Hot or cold, poor living or working conditions, abusive relationships, crowding pollution
· Internal Stress—Worry, anxious about things beyond your control, tense, hurried approach to life, relationship problems because of your own behavior, overworked—achieve too much in too little of time
How it affects your body?
· Stress triggers the adrenal glands to produce stress hormones—cortisol & adrenaline
· They can focus concentration, speed reaction time, increase strength
· Return to normal after stress is gone
· When stress piles up one event after another, body can’t recover and hormone levels stay elevated=chronic stress
**Effects on the body= Increased risk of obesity
Insomnia
Digestive problems
Heart disease
Depression
Weakened immune system-sick more often
Reproduction problems
Memory, concentration, and learning problems
Pain-muscle and joint pain
Who is at risk?
Individuals at high risk
· Younger adults
· Women
· Working mothers
· Less educated
· Divorced or unemployed
· Isolated
· Target of racial or sexual discrimination
· People without health insurance
· Live in a larger city
How can I eliminate stress?
The goal is not to eliminate stress, but to manage it.
· Positive stress—Adds anticipation and excitement
· Negative stress—Leads to health problems
How can I manage stress?
1. Identify Sources of Stress
· Activities putting a strain on time and energy can trigger anger and anxiety
· Don’t ignore stress or gloss it over
2. Recognize What You Can Change
· Avoid or eliminate stressful situations if possible
· Shorter exposure to stress---Take a break, Leave the premises
· Which tasks are in your control and which are not
** Devote time and energy necessary to make changes in your life
--Set goals
--Time Management
3. Restructure Your Priorities
· Replace unnecessary time consuming chores with pleasurable activities
· Take long weekends or vacations
· If stress is at home plan time away—even for an hour or two
** Make time for recreation—It is as essential as bill paying or grocery shopping
4. Reduce the Intensity of Emotional Reactions to Stress
· Are you exaggerating the levels of stress
· Are you trying to please everyone
· Are you overreacting and viewing everything as critical or urgent
· Try to see stress as something you control rather than something that overpowers you
· Try to temper excess emotion
--Stop, Count to 5, Think, And Then React
· Do not labor on the negative aspects
** Use humor—Laughter reduces tension
5. Maintain Emotional Reserves
· Develop mutually supportive friendships/relationships
· Pursue realistic goals meaningful to you rather than goals others have for you
· Listen to learn
· Empathize with others
· Always be kind and gentle with yourself
** Expect some frustrations, failures, and sorrow
6. Keep Perspective and Look for a Positive Outlook
· First identify worst possible outcomes
· Rate the likelihood of bad outcomes happening
· Envision a favorable result
· Develop a plan to achieve a positive outcome
· Recall previous situations which seemed negative, but ended well
**Step back from conflict giving you stress
7. Build Your Physical Reserves
· Healthy diet—Eat well balanced nutritious meals
· Avoid nicotine, excessive caffeine, and other stimulants
· Get enough sleep—Consistent sleep schedule
· Mix leisure with work—Take breaks, daily pleasant activities
--If job is unendurable, plan and execute a career change
· ****EXERCISE –Amount of time is better than intensity
--Do cardiovascular exercises 3-4 times per week
--Aerobic activities
--Brisk walking
--Swimming
--Yoga
--Ladies Workout Express is Great!!
8. Get Help
· Changing habitual patterns is tough
· Psychiatrist, Psychologists are trained to help
What are some relaxation techniques?
1. Deep Breathing Exercises—Brugger’s Breathing Exercises
· Stand up with good posture
· Spread legs past shoulder width
· Arms raised to the side
· Tighten stomach muscles
· Inhale slowly through the nose to count of 10
· Exhale slowly and completely to count of 10
· Repeat 5-10 times, several times per day
** Brings needed oxygen to all parts of the body
2. Muscle Relaxation Exercises
· Lying down with arms at your side and legs not crossed
· Breath deeply
· Focus on one body part at a time
· Feel the muscles of that body part totally relax
Ex. Start with feet and work toward the head feeling all the muscles relax as you go
3. Meditation
· Sitting comfortably
· Eyes closed
· Quiet room
· Concentrate on deep breathing
· Observe the “out” breath
· If mind wanders, just return to the “out” breath
4. Massage Therapy
· Muscle manipulation, massage can reduce excess muscle tension
How can chiropractic help?
1. Aligning the spine
· Chiropractor can check the spine for “subluxations” or misalignments, which may be causing some tight muscles and painful joints, adding to the stress
2. Nutrition Supplements
· Recommend nutritional supplements
--Natural way to reduce tension and stress
3. Stretching techniques
· Develop a stretching program for tight muscles
4. Exercise Plan
· Tailor an exercise regimen based on your body and level of fitness
5. Diet
· Recommend healthy foods for the diet and which foods to avoid
Five Unrealistic Desires or Beliefs That Cause Anxiety---Albert Ellis
1. The desire to always have the love and admiration of all people important to you.
2. The desire to be thoroughly competent at all times
3. The belief that external factors cause all misfortune
4. The desire that events should always turn out the way you want them to, and that people should always do what you want
5. The belief that a past bad experience will inevitably control what will happen in the future.
Dr Douglas Yost
http://www.acwclinic.com/
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