Andrew Lawson, M.D.

STRESS & ANXIETY

“The World Health Organization calls stress a global epidemic.  Over 80% of all diseases and illnesses are highly associated with stress, yet over 90% of Americans cope with stress ineffectively.”-Catherine Montague, RN, MN, NP, AHN-BC

 

BREATHING

by Marianne Ross, Ph.D.

 

A few nice deep breaths can be so relaxing. It can be a quick and easy stress reliever. You can do this anytime. You can do this anywhere. It is not visible to others.  And the good news can be that because you are less stressed, you will handle things more easily.  Word has it that when people are stressed, they tend to take short little breaths rather than deep, relaxing ones. Is this true for you? Check it out.

 

Quick and Easy Stress Management Breathing Exercise:

· Sit down or lie down.

· Inhale slowly and say to yourself I am...

· Exhale slowly and say to yourself relaxed.

 

Breathing is not something you DO. Rather it is something which you ALLOW. (p.26) The problem is that we don't allow our breathing to occur smoothly and naturally.

For those who are a bit more ambitious, here is a way to experience more about breathing.

Experiencing a Full Breath While it is not possible or necessary to fully expand the lungs with every breath, it is vital in heightening awareness to experience how a really complete breath feels. Used periodically, this exercise utilizes the lungs to capacity, and extracts great amounts of "life force" from the air.

 

Directions: Try this exercise sitting, standing and lying down.

1. Exhale deeply, contracting the belly. 2. Inhale slowly as you expand the abdomen. 3. Continue inhaling as you expand the chest. 4. Continue inhaling as you raise the shoulders up towards your ears. 5. Hold for a few comfortable seconds 6. Exhale in reverse pattern, slowly. Release shoulders, relax chest, contract the belly. 7. Repeat.

This exercise will require gentle practice in order that inhalation and exhalation be smooth and balanced. Beginners should only do it 2 or 3 times continuously.

From: The Wellness Workbook. Travis, MD & Ryan; Ten Speed Press, 1988

HOW TO MANAGE SOURCES of STRESS

Edward A. Dreyfus, Ph.D.

 

Family, marriage, work, and even our own thinking can become sources of stress. Life today is filled with sources of stress much of which cannot be avoided. Often the best we can do is find ways of effectively coping. To be effective we must recognize both the source of stress and appropriate techniques for dealing it.

 

Family: Families are a complex network of interactions. Each family is a system and hence each interaction and each personality affects the entire system. If one person is ill in your family, it is clear how that illness disrupts the everyday flow of the system. Likewise, it affects the system when one member of the family is angry or depressed. An alcoholic in the family disrupts the system and often leads to the system trying to adapt to the family member. Sometimes that adaptation creates difficulties as well.

The family, like the human body, tries to compensate for an organ that is not functioning up to par. Our entire body may be thrown out of alignment by an injury to an arm or a leg, for example. Similarly, the family in an attempt to compensate for one of its members, may be thrown out of alignment and become dysfunctional. When this occurs it is time to seek professional help. Psychologists and family therapists can help the family focus on the communication styles that throw the family out of alignment.

 

Relationships: A primary relationship is often stressful. Two people, each with different histories, different personalities, different needs, and different ways of doing things are trying to live under the same roof and get along with each other on a daily basis. That's a pretty tall order even under the best of circumstances.

One of the main difficulties that couples face revolves around expectations. Each person in the relationship brings expectations -- a set of explicit expectations, a set of implicit expectations, and a set of unrealistic expectations. These expectations, when in conflict with the other person's expectations, can create a great deal of conflict; and this conflict is stressful.

During the course of a relationship, each partner may go through a series of transitions, such as the death of a parent, the loss of a job, or physical illness. The couple may go through transitions, such as relocation, the birth of a child, or the change of a job. All of these changes have an impact on the relationship and produce stress.

 

Occupational: Work is a significant source of stress for many people. Conflicts on the job, dissatisfaction with one's supervisor or with the job itself, insufficient financial compensation, fear of losing one's job, fear of changing a job for greater advancement, feeling stifled in a quest for power, not feeling appreciated or acknowledged, all produce significant stress. The degree of stress will vary depending on the personality of the individual and the amount invested in each issue.

 

How we think: Stress increases as a function of how we think about events. Some folks tend to catastrophize events, making mountains out of molehills, or exaggerating the consequences. They tend to react to small things with larger than warranted feelings, exaggerating the event to match their feelings, rather than adjusting their feelings to the event. People with low stress reactions tend to make molehills out of mountains.

 

The following questions can help gain a perspective on situations to reduce the impact and hence the stress.

· What is the worst that can happen?

· What is the likelihood of the worst happening?

· Have I done everything that I reasonably can do to alter the outcome?

· Will my life change substantially and will I even remember it years from now?

· How would I counsel a friend in a similar situation?

 

All you need are a couple of helpful statements for yourself for coping when you are under stress. These might include refocusing thoughts such as:

· What's my goal?

· I need to calm down.

· I'll think of sitting in a warm Jacuzzi, and

· just letting my muscles relax. This situation isn't worth it.

· I'll take a few seconds here to relax.

· My body is telling me it isn't happy.

· What can I do to calm down? Ok, time for a shower!

· Ok, time for a walk around the block.

· What's the best way out of here? I'm just human.

· So, I'll do the best I can, and let the rest go.

·  

There are several common activities that are useful in reducing or coping with transitory, situational stress. These techniques, when applied regularly, can significantly reduce or soften the brunt of the stress reaction to temporary events.

Relaxation techniques

There are many different forms of relaxation techniques including auto-hypnosis, progressive muscle relaxation, some forms of yoga, to mention a few. One that I have found helpful combines several aspects of these approaches.

· Start by seating yourself in a comfortable position in a quiet area. Loosen your clothing so that you do not feel constricted in any way.

· Close your eyes and squeeze them shut as tight as you can. Progressively move from one muscle group to another, teeth and jaw, neck, shoulders, arms, fists, chest, back, thighs, buttocks, calves, and feet.

· Tighten each in turn until your entire body is tight. Then relax one group at time, feeling the contrast between the tight experience and the relaxed experience. Notice the tingling or what ever sensation you have. Just notice it, don't do anything about it.

· As you relax each area, focus on your breathing. Breathe slowly and rhythmically until your entire body relaxes.

· Finally, imagine yourself in a location that you find especially relaxing, safe, and comfortable. For some people, it might be a secluded beach, for others a mountain lake. Each of us has our own place.

· Once you have the image in mind, make it as clear as you can, almost as though you are there. Let your thoughts go, don't try to capture them or block them; just let them go by like so many butterflies fluttering.

· Stay in your "place" for five or ten minutes and then slowly remind yourself to come back to present time or home.

Gently open your eyes and gradually re-orient yourself. This approach takes about 15 to 20 minutes. You should feel refreshed when you are through.

 

Breathing

Deep breathing has long been known to have relaxing properties. All forms of yoga, athletic exercises, and meditation have a breathing component. Oxygen itself tends to revitalize; it both energizes and relaxes as we cleanse our system. Breathing exercises are simple. Sitting quietly, breathe in as deeply as you can through your nose and exhale through your mouth expelling all of the air. Repeat this three times. Then, focusing your attention on your breathing, breathe in slowly through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Breathe rhythmically. Repeat this ten times. You will notice the difference.

 

Physical exercise

All form of exercise, aerobic exercise in particular, have relaxation qualities. Getting oxygen into your blood stream, releasing stored toxins in your body through sweat, and increasing the production of endorphins into your blood stream will have a calming effect on your entire system. That is one of the reasons so many people are participating in these forms of exercises.