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| Stress: You’re Not Just Imagining Things |
| Written by Dr. Daniel Bockmann | |
 Photo: Steve Woods Here’s an experiment. We’re going to give you a couple of today’s news headlines, and your job is to read them without letting your stress levels rise. Think you can do it? Well it sounds easy enough, so let’s try. “Triple Bombing in Baghdad Deadliest in Months” — Christian Science Monitor “DHL to Cut 9500 Jobs in US” — Reuters “US Heart Failure Doubles Over 25 Years” — Bloomberg “Fannie Mae Sees $29 Billion Loss This Quarter” — CNN Money “Analyst Sees GM Shares as Worthless” — Detroit Free Press “US Unemployment Rate Hits 14-year High” — CBC Well, how did you do? If recent events in our country and the world have you feeling “on edge,” you’re not alone. Stress can make you feel angry, afraid, excited or helpless. It can make it hard for you to sleep. It can also cause real pain, like head, neck, jaw, or back aches. But what is stress, really? In short, stress is your body’s way of responding to a threat. When you’re in danger, your body reacts quickly to protect you. Here’s what happens: ◊ Adrenaline is released, which increases heart rate, elevates blood pressure, and ramps up your energy. These changes help prepare you to defend yourself, or to escape a threat. ◊ Cortisol, the “stress hormone,” prepares your body for a fight-or-flight situation by enhancing brain function and tissue repair systems. Cortisol also “dials down” parts of your body that aren’t needed in a fight, like digestion, immune function, reproduction, and growth systems. It’s a very sophisticated response, and it is incredibly helpful in emergency situations. The only problem is, the stress “alarm system” can also be engaged in situations that are not life-threatening. Situations where you are faced with multiple low-level threats like, for example, being laid off at work, or losing your retirement fund, or going bankrupt, or not being able to afford healthcare. Not pleasant any of them, but most definitely not life-threatening either. Even the demands of daily living can contribute to this stress (traffic, deadlines, hectic schedules, family problems, etc.).  Photo: Dave Gostisha ◊ Heart Disease ◊ Sleeping problems ◊ Digestive problems ◊ Depression ◊ Obesity ◊ Memory impairment ◊ Worsening of skin conditions, like eczema But, stress can be neutralized. It’s true. Even though you can’t single-handedly solve our nation’s economic crisis, you can reduce the amount of stress your body feels. Here are some simple, effective techniques that anyone can use to reduce stress: ◊ Simplify. Take stock of the daily events that make you feel stressed, and identify the ones you can de-fuse. If you’re always rushing to work because you’re running late, try waking up ten minutes earlier. Money problems? Go down your list of monthly expenses and look for luxuries you can trim (such as premium movie channels you don’t use, unnecessary meals at restaurants, expensive lattes, etc.). ◊ Be more active. Don’t force yourself to exercise, but do what you enjoy. Walk, jog, swim, take the dogs out more often—they’ll appreciate that! Exercise is the single best way to melt stress away. It releases pent-up tension, stimulates endorphins (the “anti-stress” hormone), and will help you sleep better at night. ◊ Relax. Reserve 15—20 minutes a day to sit or lie down in a quiet room. Put on some music you enjoy, or just close your eyes and breathe deeply. Taking some “decompression” time each day can help your muscles relax, and can have a calming effect on your mind.  Photo: Mark Jones ◊ Give up! Identify the causes of stress in your life, and figure out which ones you can actually influence. If you have no control over a particular stressor, stop worrying about it! Save your energy for the parts of your life you actually can do something about. It’s important to understand that stress is not “all in your head.” The effects of stress can be incredibly damaging – both to your mind and your body. But, by using these stress-busting techniques, you can dramatically reduce the effects of stress. Don’t let stress rob you of your life—take charge! |