A new study, published on-line in the Journal of Aging Research, found that men, who consistently experiencing more than two major stress events in a year (spouse dies, divorce, coping with an aging parent) have a higher risk of death then their less stressed peers. Only three things seem to reduce this stress: good health, marriage and the occasional drink. The author of this study concludes, “People are hardy, and they can deal with a few major stress events each year. But our research suggest that long-term, even moderate stress can have lethal effects.”
Stress isn’t always bad. We’re programmed for “fight or flight,” since that’s our body’s way of protecting itself from real or perceived danger. When we are threatened, our nervous systems revs the engine with hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. This allows us to flee the tiger or apply the breaks when we’re about to run over the tiger in our car. Stress also comes into play when you give a presentation you aren’t sure about, go to the doctors for lab results, have a job interview or even ask someone out on a date.
At some point, having your body constantly on overload because of stressors starts taking its toll. It’s a bit like trying to run your computer with a number of different programs operating all at once. It will freeze, crash and just stop working. This is how the body responds when it has too much stress. It not only can impact your mood and your ability to remember things, but it can also lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and worse.
So how much stress is too much and how stressed are you? Start by taking the Stress Quiz: How Stressed Are You? This particular quiz looks at how you handle your daily life. Next try the Life Stressor Test Developed by Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe in 1967, there are a few items that aren’t as accurate today as they were in the 60‘s. However, it is an indicator of what type of events are stressful for people. Between the two, you should have a good idea of what the stressors are in your life, how well you handle them and whether stress could be a contributor in your health and well being.
So once you have a handle on your stressors and how you handle them, what’s the next step?
• Determine what stressors you can change or control and act accordingly. There are many things in our life we have no control over (the weather, life events such as the death of a loved one) When confronted with a stressful situation, ask yourself: is this my problem? If it isn't, walk away. If it is, identify what you can do to address it now before it blows way out of proportion. As the saying goes, “don’t sweat the small stuff “ and don’t spend hours obsessing about would a, could a, should a. Most importantly, accept what you can’t change.
• Take a break. If you are a caregiver, schedule time to get out of the situation for a few hours at least weekly if not daily. Use the Five Minute Kripalu Yoga Break and of course, don’t forget that every Wednesday is “take a break day” at Healing Whole. If you aren’t interested in one week’s activity, check the side bar for the summary posts of archived “take a breaks.” There are now 100s of these, so you should find at least one or two that peek your interest.
• Avoid the stressful situation all together. If going to the annual Thanksgiving party at Aunt Jane’s leaves you with an emotional hang over for the rest of the weekend, make other plans this year.
• Identify the priorities in your life. If it’s not a priority, and it makes you anxious, let it go.
• Change how you view and react to a situation. If you think about it, there are often more than one way to see something. So if you do decide to go to Aunt Jane’s for Thanksgiving, identify who and/or what makes you crazy. Is there another way you can view this situation?
• Stick to the basics of sufficient sleep (more than 8 or less than 6 is not healthy) exercise and a well balanced diet. Certain foods, such as sugar and caffeine can add to your stress.
• Breathe! When you are feeling the most tense, remind yourself to breathe deeply. Shallow breathing reduces the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream, which leads to an increase in muscle tension. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Connect with others. If you find you are spending more and more time alone, reach out to other people. Attend a support group, accept invitations, and/or create invitations so people come to you.
• Talk about it. Talking to a good friend, family member or members of your support group can help you problem solve and reduce stress. Since Aunt Jane’s Thanksgiving party is quickly approaching, talk to your cousins or Aunt Jane about what makes you feel so stressed about these events and look for solutions.
• Laugh. It truly is the best medicine.
• Avoid self medicating with alcohol or other drugs.
• Practice meditation and mindfulness.
More Information
• Healing the Whole Person: Ways to Increase Well Being
• Stress Mastery from Taking Charge of Your Health
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