Are
There Techniques for Curing Stress?
No doubt it's generally impractical to try to "cure" stress in the
sense of eliminating all occurrences of it. It's probably
self-defeating as well, as concentrating too strongly on the elimination of all stress can create its
own new source of stress. The good news is that there are
several simple and practical short-term, and pretty effective long-term
strategies, for reducing
stress and its effects.
Most of us, who are under some sort stress at almost all times, will
let it build. That's one of the major problems. We
ignore it for too long!
We cite the need to get a work project completed before the deadline
(apt term), or view our situation as unchangeable for some
reason. We even have a commonly voiced, and
accepted mantra: "That's life,"
However, no form of ill-effect from life stress should be considered as
inevitable, nor is it necessary or wise to passively accept
inevitability as an excuse not to do anything to relieve or manage stress.
As with so many problems in life, the first positive step is to
increase awareness and understanding of the problem. With
stress, we can do this in two directions - outward and inward. By
becoming aware of your internal state and evaluating it as
realistically as possible, you have begun to take the sword out of the
hand of stress. You must be objective about external
circumstances and not allow common events to become just "about me".
When you do recognize a circumstance as legitimately worrisome,
reacting with concern and a degree of stress is normal and healthy, and
realizing this can help reduce the level of stress as well.
Unreasonable fear and obsession is not a good approach.
If you must concentrate on the stressful events in your life, from time
to time, take a moment to review the statement:
"...grant
me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the
courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the
difference."
That last phrase is important.
If things are causing us stress, in order to live a longer, healthier,
happier life, we should take action and, in some way, change
them. However, knowing when to honestly say to yourself,
"This is how it is and I cannot change it," is important.
But, unless that attitude is coupled with, "I know I cannot change the
situation, but what can I do to ease the effects this situation has on
me?", stress will win every time. There are things you can
change and some you cannot. If you can change it, do
so. If you cannot, change yourself in some way if
possible. Even if you cannot reduce every stressful
situation, there are steps (literally and figuratively) which you can
take to reduce many of them, and this will reduce the overall affect
that stress has on you, your loved ones, your health, and your life.
Knowing when to stand against the "...slings and arrows of outrageous
fortune", and when to seek cover is an important skill.
Whatever the source of the stress, the question is not about "curing
stress". The question is: What can YOU do to reduce the power
that stress, any stress, will have over you. Here are a few
suggestions:
Take a
moment to breathe.
Literally.
One of the most common reactions to stress is tension, usually muscle
tension. Many muscles of the body will stiffen up, including those used
in breathing. We find ourselves taking shallow breaths, and
deep breathing will relax us. You may have to practice this,
but taking a couple of minutes to take a break and actually take slow,
deep breaths will do a world of good.
People who regularly practice yoga, meditation, and other such
practices are well aware of this phenomenon, but you do not have to be
a yogin, mystic, or swami to benefit from a couple of scientific
facts.
First, if you concentrate on almost anything other than the problem(s)
causing the stress, you are going to experience some temporary relief
from it. If you do this regularly, you will reduce the
overall level of stress you carry around with you, and stress breeds
stress in an exponential manner. This is one of the benefits
associated with practices which involve regular moments of relaxation,
such as yoga
and meditation.
If that's still a little too "other-worldly" for you, although having
been proven by many studies, here's a bit of science on the subject of
deep breathing.
When you take long, deep breaths through your nasal passages, your body
creates nitric oxide.
This substance causes your blood
vessels to dilate, improving the flow of blood to all parts of the
body, and creates a calming affect and a release of tension.
Again, do it once and you will receive a temporary reprieve from the
stress which is affecting you. Do it regularly, and you will
experience, over time, a noticeable reduction in your total level of
stress and the negative affects that it has on you.
Many who begin to take these steps learn that the stress itself is
often preventing them from seeing solutions to the situations causing
the stress. They also often begin to take a more realistic
view of the stress, its causes, and their own reactions to it.
While deep breathing is good for combating stress, there's no need to
overdo the exercise especially if you are just beginning to use the
technique.
You're not practicing yoga, or yoga
breathing (Pranayama), and you
certainly don't want to hyperventilate. Slowly move the head and
shoulders and relax the chest muscles. A slow deep breath or two is
often enough to break the tension, but if you can take a couple of
minutes to think about something other than your problems, especially
if you can think about some very pleasant moment in your life or a
scene which produced feelings of pleasure. Having grown up in
Pensacola, Florida, for example, I can always remember the Gulf of
Mexico on a Summer day as seen from Santa Rosa Island.
These suggestions can be effective for acute stress - the type that is
produced by an isolated event and lasts a short time and which you want
to move away from, for at least a moment. For more chronic stress -
that which results from ongoing circumstances and evaluations and
persists - additional techniques may be valuable.
Many will say that exercise
is good for preventing or relieving stress, and many who feel that
having to exercise if that is not something pleasing to them would just
add one more stress to deal with.
Surprisingly, however, something as simple and old-fashioned as a brisk
walk in
the park can be helpful. It's not simply
an old wives' tale that fresh
air and sunshine can be relaxing. While too much sunlight on
the skin can be harmful, a certain amount of sunlight, about 10 - 15
minutes a day can help with the production of Vitamin D (which can be
involved with easing feelings of depression or sadness), and serotonin
(a chemical in the body which can help relieve depression and improve
one's outlook), It's also true that moderate exercise helps relieve
many of the accompanying physical symptoms of stress.
It is not surprising, scientifically, that suicide rates are often
higher in countries which receive less sunlight or that there is a
condition, a seasonal depression called SAD, which results in increased
levels of depression and increased feelings of stress.
Even such simple activities as playing music of certain types is
helpful. Of course, people want to know which types will be
most effective in reducing stress. The fact is that studies
have shown that the music which YOU find most joyful will be most
effective.
Seeing a comedy on TV or at the movies is very beneficial as
demonstrated by many studies and as reported by many sources, such as
Norman Cousins in his classic "Head
First: The Biology of Hope and the Healing Power of the Human Spirit ",
It is not by accident
that, for generations, Reader's Digest has run a section called,
"Laughter, the Best Medicine". Laughter is a great mood lifter.
Any creative activity can be helpful, especially if there is some sort
of accompanying physical activity. It could be as simple as making a
birdhouse or as advanced as painting or sculpture. If it
gives you the chance to concentrate for a while on something you enjoy,
it will help relieve your stress. Working puzzles, putting
together hobby kits, even something as simple as stamp collecting can
be beneficial.
A talk with a sympathetic friend will almost always be useful, but it's
a good idea not to spend too much time talking about the circumstances
which are causing your stress or the stress itself. A good airing of
the problem can be quite beneficial, but too many times it becomes an
excuse to obsess over the problem. Unfortunately, some of us
are inclined to seek out only those who will reinforce negative
evaluations.
These are all techniques to help relieve
the symptoms of stress, they don't address
the underlying causes. However, one unique factor of stress, is that
the symptoms, and the resultant mess they can make of our health and
our lives, makes it an area in which relieving the symptoms can be
almost as much value as relieving the cause itself.
It's not quite the same as curing stress, but it's a step towards that
ultimate result.
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