Managing Personal Stress: Some Useful Tips

• Being under prolonged stress has an adverse effect on the immune system, increasing susceptibility to coughs and colds, and slowing recovery and healing.  Combat this by ensuring a high intake of essential vitamins and minerals – eat plenty of fruit and vegetables (of all different colours!), and complex carbohydrates (brown bread, rice etc)
• Avoid snacking on high sugar foods – they encourage the body to produce high levels of insulin, this then lowers blood sugar and leaves you low and tired and craving more sugar.
• Keep an eye on your caffeine intake; the side effects of too much caffeine (raised heart rate, palpitations, raised blood pressure) are very similar to those of stress, and can therefore exacerbate any stress or agitation you are feeling, in addition to interfering with sleep.
• Alcohol may seem to help you  relax after a busy day, and certainly the social element of being with friends is a good antidote to stress.  However, it can quickly become habit forming and lead to adverse health effects including raised blood pressure, and disturbed sleep.

• The body responds to stressful situations by producing adrenaline.  If this persists in the body it leads to the symptoms of stress such as raised heart rate, lowered concentration etc.  Aerobic exercise helps to ‘burn off’ some of the excess adrenaline, and hence reduce symptoms.
• Exercise also makes the body release endorphins – these are ‘feel good’ chemicals, which are often absent when we are under too much pressure.  Regular exercise has been shown to be as effective as anti-depressants in mild to moderate depression.
• Gentle exercise such as yoga or T’ai Chi can also help to combat the adverse effects of stress by lowering blood pressure etc.

• Breathe in to a count of 4, out to a count of 8; this changes the chemical composition of the blood, with a direct effect on the brain.  It also reduces the stress responses such as raised heart rate and rapid shallow breathing, and helps you feel better (more quickly – better?). Cool air in, warm air out

• Close eyes, sit in a comfortable position, breathe in, concentrating on the air coming in through your nostrils breathe out, concentrating on the air moving out. Notice the air coming in seems to be cooler than the air going out. Think of air coming in as being fresh and pure, and the air going out as sweeping out with it all your  tensions and worries which makes the air warm.

• Alternate nostril breathing.  Shut one nostril with your forefinger, breathe in through the other one and count to eight.  Shut the other nostril with your thumb, release the first nostril and breath out to the count of eight.  Repeat several times.

Relaxation techniques can  help to calm you when stressed.  Even better is to practice them on a regular basis (e.g. daily) so that you become accustomed to the feeling of being relaxed.  This will then have a carry over into the rest of the day, as well as becoming easier with practice to slip into a calm state of mind and body.

(i)         Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Sit or lie in a comfortable position.  You’re going to tense and relax each part of your body in turn.  Work at a pace to suit your breathing.  Close your eyes, and take 4 or 5 deep slow breaths in and out.  Starting with your right foot, stretch and tense it as you breathe in, and relax it as you breathe out. Work up your right leg doing the same thing with the calf and thigh (pointing the toes towards the head is a good way to do this).  Imagine your whole right leg is heavy and warm. Repeat the process on your left leg.

Progress in this way up your body – bottom,  abdomen (tense the stomach muscles, then relax);  back (arch, then relax);  shoulders and neck (shrug your shoulders hard, then relax);  arms and hands (stretch out, then relax); face (tense your forehead and jaw, lower your eyebrows and bite hard;  then relax).

Lie still for a few moments, check your whole body is floppy and enjoy the feeling. 

 

After a period of using this method you can make the process quicker by working on both legs together; and eventually learn to skip straight to relaxing the muscle groups without having to tense them first.

(ii)        Visualisation

Imagine that you are seated in a car of your choice – no limit in price – just one in which you would feel comfortable. Feel the comfort of the seats and how relaxed this makes you feel.  Once you have visualised yourself and it is firmly fixed, close your eyes.

Now, think of some time in your life when you felt good about yourself.  It could have been receiving praise; just passed your driving test;  a job well done;  the birth of a child….and remember how wonderful this felt.

Now imagine yourself driving away, down quiet country lanes, until you come to a place where you can feel relaxed – walking in the countryside, resting on the beach, lying in the sun.  Lose yourself in that time and place.  Feel the sun gently warming your body, listen to the sound of the breeze and the water, gentle rivers or waves gently breaking. Stay there for as long as feels right.  Then, when you feel ready, return to the  present time, feeling refreshed and ready to start again.

For either of these techniques, you could record a tape of yourself talking through the process; or buy  yourself a pre-recorded relaxation tape.  There are lots available.  Or, if you spend most of your life at the computer, check out www.calmcentre.com for on-line meditation!

Author – M E Thomas
Date – September 2003