Beat Stress Before It Beats You

By Staci Elder Hensley

Stress has become such an integral part of life that most American adults are resigned to feeling run ragged 24 hours a day. Many no longer realize how stressed they are, accepting the exhaustion, irritability, aches, pains and mental confusion as the price of modern-day life.

To truly combat stress requires lifestyle changes, not just a stress-busting tip for the moment. These changes are worth the effort, because overwhelming long-term stress harms every aspect of a person’s life, including one’s physical health, said Eric Dlugokinski, private practice therapist in Oklahoma City and University of Oklahoma professor emeritus of psychology.

Stress affects a person’s immune and nervous systems, emotions, thinking ability, attitude and energy level. Left unchecked, it often leads to depression, anxiety attacks and harmful behaviors like binge drinking or eating. Plus, Dlugokinski added, it can irreparably damage a person’s family and work relationships.

Symptoms of stress, burnout

When stress becomes overwhelming, it can paralyze a person’s ability to function. Be alert for these signs of stress overload:

* Constant fatigue, experienced as a sense of exhaustion, tiredness or feeling physically run down.

* Frequent headaches, stomachaches, back pain, shortness of breath, chest pain and other non-specific physical complaints.

* Anger at everyone around you for making demands upon your time and energy.

* Anger at yourself for “giving in” to those demands.

* A general feeling of being under siege.

* General feelings of cynicism, negativity and irritability.

* Sudden, rapid weight gain or weight loss.

* Insomnia and difficulty sleeping, or else wanting to sleep all the time.

* Depression/anxiety attacks.

* Angry outbursts over trivial problems.

* Feeling helpless.

* Increased risk-taking, such as drinking to excess, taking illegal drugs, promiscuity, gambling or other dangerous behaviors.

Making stress work

Modern life is stressful enough without any extras thrown in. These steps can help you make stress work in your favor:

* Develop your own standards of what’s “good enough.” For example, “I will work 45 hours this week, but not on Saturday,” or “I will spend one hour picking up the house each day.”

* Deep breathing – Deep “cleansing” breaths, the kind where you slowly inhale until your stomach expands, and then slowly exhale through pursed lips, have an almost immediate relaxing effect. If you’re a clock-watcher, stick colored dots on all your clocks. Whenever you check the time, use the dots to remind yourself to take several deep, relaxing breaths.

* Exercise – Exercise is arguably the single most effective stress buster available. No matter what your age or physical condition, some type of activity is recommended.

* Meditation and yoga – both are established stress-reducers.

* Sleep – People who are sleep-deprived (including the majority of American adults) weaken their immune system and become more vulnerable to stress. Even quick naps can be great stress-reducers.

* Nutrition – A poor diet leads to poor overall health, again making a person more vulnerable to stress and illness.

* Quiet time – Eat lunch by yourself once a week, or take a few minutes each morning to meditate, pray or listen to soothing music. You can even use the time spent driving to and from work to reflect, leaving the radio and CD players off.

* Pet power – Pet ownership has wonderful side effects, including lowered blood pressure and reduced tension, stress, anxiety and pain.

* E-mail and phones – Limit the number of times you answer the phone and check e-mail or text messages.

* Transition time – When you arrive home from work, change clothes. It will help shift your mind into “off-duty” mode.

* Stretch – Take a break, and spend five to 10 minutes stretching, starting with your neck and shoulders.

* Visualize – Sit in a relaxed position with your eyes closed. Picture your favorite place and concentrate on it for five to 10 minutes, letting yourself feel all the positive emotions connected with that location.

* Change your environment – Reduced clutter and cooler colors in your walls, carpets and furniture help promote positive feelings and a sense of well-being. Opt for greens, blues and violets, rather than reds, yellows and orange.

* Get organized – Clutter and disorganization are huge sources of stress. Even if you need to hire a professional organizer, it can be worth it. Getting organized boosts your feeling of being in control, and at the same time greatly reduces stress.

* Schedule in “me” time – Schedule in regular breaks and time for yourself, and give them the same importance as any other appointment. This includes “play” time to regularly do something fun with your friends, family or by yourself.

* Write – Keep a private journal, and use it to vent your emotions, both positive and negative.

* Counseling – When stress is severe and overwhelming, one-on- one counseling and support groups can be very helpful.

* Go outdoors – Exposure to sunlight helps boost your brain’s serotonin levels, making you less vulnerable to depression and stress.

* Say no – Overcommitment is a huge source of stress. Know and respect your limits.

* Travel light – If you fly frequently, limit yourself to carry- on luggage only. Don’t forget to take advantage of hotel pools and gyms – they’re great ways to get rid of travel-related stress.

Finally, Dlugokinski said, the best way to subvert stress is to know yourself and to learn to focus on the positives in your life. Only by recognizing your own signs of stress overload (whether they appear as anger, depression, overeating, drinking, inability to sleep, shopping/gambling sprees or whatever), can a person then take steps to alleviate the problem. It’s also necessary to acknowledge some stress is inevitable, and to train yourself to look at the glass as half full. As the famed Serenity Prayer (used by Alcoholics Anonymous) suggests, you can accept what you cannot change more easily if you work on changing those things you can. That’s why a realistic view of life is critical for long-term stress management.

Originally published by Staci Elder Hensley.

(c) 2008 Journal Record – Oklahoma City. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.