Ten Proven Stress Reducers

							Ten Proven Stress
   Reducers
  LaNae Valentine, Ph.D.
    October 12, 2005
Benjamin Franklin
said the only things a
person can be sure of
in this world are death
and taxes.
Stress!
Insufficient stress acts as a depressant and may
   leave us feeling bored and unmotivated.
Stress Related Health Conditions
   High Blood Pressure
   Chronic Bronchitis
   Gastrointestinal Problems
   Backaches
   Headaches and Migraines
   Skin Problems
   Colds
   Insomnia
   Poor concentration and forgetfulness
   Irritability
Stress can be defined as a real or imagined
imbalance between the demands on a person and
the person’s ability to meet those demands.
Distress – results when there are not
sufficient coping mechanisms to meet the
demands of the situation.
       Women Who do too Much
   Our competitive society
   Women are caretakers and nurturers
   Feelings of unworthiness
   Addiction to stress
   Avoidance and procrastination
      Are You Hooked on Stress?
   After making a speech, or completing a highly
    demanding or virtually impossible task, do you
    feel high?
   You know you should enjoy a three-day
    weekend off from school or work, but do you
    secretly dread it, feeling guilty, unproductive,
    and worry during it?
   Is your self-esteem higher when you’re super
    busy?
             Hooked on Stress?
   Do you habitually take on more projects than
    you can comfortably do?
   Do you feel that you accomplish more under
    pressure – and the more fierce the pressure, the
    better?
   Do you often create unnecessary challenges for
    yourself, for instance, booking too many
    appointments close together and assuring
    yourself you can pull it off?
                   Type of Stress
   Type 1                         Type 2
   The source of the stress       The source of the stress
    is immediate and                is unclear, not
    identifiable, and the           immediate, and
    stress can be resolved in       sometimes not even
    a short period of time.         recognizable.
     Results of Unmanaged Stress
   An increase in muscle tension can result in muscle tightness,
    back pain, and/or chronic headaches.
   Changes in breathing can result in shortness of breath or rapid,
    shallow breathing.
   Increased activity in the brain can lead to anxiety, racing
    thoughts, a lack of focus, or depressive symptoms.
   Activity in the intestines can become irritable bowel syndrome,
    diarrhea, heartburn, or even gastroesophageal reflux disease.
   Increased inflammation in the coronary arteries can lead to heart
    disease.
   A weakened immune system can lead to increased risk of
    infections, colds, flu, and other communicable diseases.
  Stress Free for Good
10 Scientifically Proven Skills for
     Health and Happiness
Dr. Fred Luskin and Dr. Kenneth
            R. Pelletier
                  1. Just Say No
   “I need a few moments (days, weeks) to think about
    this. Can I get back to you in a little while?”
   “I’ve thought about this and unfortunately I’m not
    going to be able to help you this time.”
   A direct and maturely stated “No” clears the air much
    more quickly than a passive “Yes, I guess I have to”
    that you then resent and rebel against by
    procrastinating.
   Practice! Practice! Practice!
                  Remember . . .
   You have choices, including the option of saying no.
   You don’t have to do something just because someone
    asks you to.
   Give the answer you want to give.
   If you’re not sure what answer you want to give, ask for
    time to think it over.
   Reflect on whether you are tempted to say “yes” in
    order to make up for feelings of low self-worth.
   Resist the temptation to say “yes” in order to please or
    to look good.
    Blessed is the Woman who Knows
                Her Limits
   Part of our craziness is not recognizing that we have
    limits and then not knowing when we reach them.
    Many of us may see having limits as an indicator of
    inadequacy. We cannot forgive ourselves for not being
    able to carry on even when we are exhausted.
   Recognizing that we are approaching our limits and
    accepting those limits is the beginning wisdom.
   Remember, every human being has limits, and I am a
    human being.
        2. Breathe from the Belly
   Inhale slowly and imagine that your belly is a big
    balloon that you are slowly filling with air.
   Place your hands on your belly while you slowly inhale.
   Watch your hands as they rise with your in-breath.
   Watch your hands fall as you slowly breathe out, letting
    the air out of the balloon.
   As you exhale, make sure your belly stays relaxed.
   Repeat several times, making sure you keep your
    attention on the rise and fall of your belly.
The Autonomic Nervous System
   Sympathetic                    Parasympathetic
   Helps us deal with stress      Helps us to relax
   Activates the fight-or-        Gives us the ability to
    flight response                 unwind
   Gears us up to respond         Allows our body to calm
    to danger and deal              down after being stressed
    aggressively with life’s       Marked by deep, slow,
    challenges                      regular, abdominal
   Marked by fast, shallow         breathing
    breathing
           More Good News . . .
   The proper regulation of the sympathetic and
    parasympathetic nervous systems is the gateway into
    our optimal performance zone.
   Whenever we experience Type 2 stress, we have an
    effective tool for dealing with it.
   We can choose to breathe slowly ad deeply and enter
    the optimal performance zone.
   When we do so, we shut down the stress response and
    save wear and tear on our nervous system and heart.
             The Breath of Life
   The scriptures associate breathing with spirit and
    life.
   Brigham Young said, “I want to see men and
    women breathe the Holy Ghost in every breath
    of their lives, living constantly in the light of
    God’s countenance” (JD 9:288-89).
   Is Brigham Young suggesting that the Spirit is
    really a form of energy that can nourish us
    physically?
   I don’t know. But what if I didn’t analyze it but
    just turned my mind to do it? What if I were to
    take thought many times a day to “breath in the
    Holy Ghost” and saw myself living in the light
    of God’s countenance; his face smiling at me as
    I consciously tried to receive his Spirit, his will,
    his nature? (M. Catherine Thomas, Spiritual
    Lightening, p. 102)
               3. Tense to Relax
   Take two slow belly breaths.
   On the third inhalation, tighten your right fist and arm
    from your shoulder to your hand.
   Hold tightly for two or three seconds.
   As you exhale, relax fully and let your arm drop.
   Repeat the with the left fist and arm.
   Continue tensing and relaxing all sets of muscles.
   Repeat a relaxing affirmation such as, “I have all the
    time in the world.”
     4. Slow Down (Mindfulness)
   Slowing down means doing whatever you’re doing with
    attention and care.
   Slowing down means doing one thing at a time.
   Slowing down means doing everything, no matter what
    it is, as if that task is important.
   Slowing down means taking time to smell the roses.
   When you slow down, you put less strain on your body,
    therefore, you have more energy to accomplish your
    task.
    Are you too rushed and unfocused?
   Have I recently had a conversation with someone and
    moments later, forgotten what we talked about?
   Have I recently eaten my food so fast I had a queasy
    stomach afterward?
   At the end of the day do I wonder what I accomplished
    in the preceding hours?
   When talking to people am I often thinking about
    things I have to do rather than listening?
   Do I often feel I am missing something even when
    doing things I enjoy?
              Use this skill . . .
   When driving – drive in the slow lane.
   When waiting in a line in the grocery store.
   When you feel impatient.
   When eating, so that you taste and enjoy the
    flavors of what you’re eating.
   When you feel tired or bored.
   When cooking or doing house work.
     Being Present to the Moment
   Miracles are constantly occurring around us.
    Serendipities abound in daily life. The issue is
    not that these miracles are absent. The issue is
    that often we are absent. We are standing on a
    hill of diamonds and we are looking for the gold
    mine beyond the next ridge. As we reclaim
    ourselves, we begin to notice the
    extraordinariness of the ordinary. We quit
    thinking about being present and we start doing
    it.                   -- Anne Wilson Schaef
                   5. Gratitude
   Practicing gratitude is the simple act of noticing
    the good in your life, noticing the positive, not
    taking for granted the routine blessings, being
    able to marvel at simple things and seeing your
    beautiful surroundings.
   When you pay attention to these positive things,
    you’re sending your body the message that life is
    good and it can relax.
   Stress lowers the effectiveness of your immune system.
    In contrast, thinking of someone you really care about
    gives your immune system a boost.
   Stress makes your blood pressure rise. Thinking fondly
    of a loved one you’re about to see lowers your blood
    pressure.
   Stress causes your heart rate to rise and your stomach
    to churn. Remembering a kindness done to you lowers
    your heart rate and calms your stomach.
   Stress causes your thinking to become narrow and
    focused on the problem. Remembering how much you
    appreciate someone or something makes you mind
    more creative.
   Rehashing an old argument triggers the fight-or-flight
    response. Remembering a day at the beach shuts down
    fight-or-flight in about six seconds.
Many good things
happen to your body
when you count your
blessings, see the
goodness in your life, or
think positive thoughts.
       During a stressful time . . .
   Take two slow, deep belly breaths
   When inhaling for your third breath, think
    deeply on one of the following: someone you
    love, a beautiful place, an act of kindness done
    for you.
            6. Appreciate Yourself
   What would the world lose if you stopped doing all that you do?
    What would be missed?
   At the end of the day, think of one or two things you did that
    were helpful or that you were good at.
   Acknowledge yourself for your talents and willingness to help.
   Think about how much your care about the people you do
    things for – and smile.
   Realize that offering kindness, support, a listening ear are all
    positive choices you make because you love and care about
    people.
   Be aware today of what you have accomplished
   Learn to see clearly your unique character and gifts.
          Appreciation Self-Talk
   One of the most important aspects of our lives
    is that they are our lives. No one else could live
    them exactly the way we are living them.
    Everything that happens in our lives is an
    opportunity for learning. Those moments of
    frustration often turn into moments of joy and
    creativity.
   Accepting who I am and what I have to offer is
    empowering to me.
              Trust Meditation
   Believing in our hearts that who we are is
    enough is the key to a more satisfying and
    balanced life.
   What a relief I feel when I just sit with the
    possibility that I am enough.
   Today I will sit with this feeling of being enough
    and let it be with me today.
7. Accept What You Cannot Change

   Grant me the serenity to accept the things I
    cannot change,
   The courage to change the things I can,
   And the Wisdom to know the difference.
                        Practice
   Take two slow, deep belly-breaths
   Think of a particular situation that’s causing your stress
    – assess whether you have alternatives or if there is
    something you can do about the situation.
   Ask yourself, “If I can’t change this situation, what can
    I do to make peace with it?”
   Stop trying to change a situation that isn’t in your
    control and focus on what you can do that might make
    a difference.
   Accept the things you cannot change.
            8. Regular Exercise
   Over time, regular exercise (two to three 20-30
    minutes aerobic workout weekly) increase alpha
    waves (electrical energy patterns in the brain
    associated with calmness), lowers blood
    pressure, relaxes muscles and raises endorphin
    production.
   Exercise is especially effective for the quick
    wind-down after any adrenaline-pumping
    incident.
                   9. Meditation
   Withdrawing from problems and calming your mind
    can calm the body, blunting the adrenaline surge. For
    centuries, Eastern religions have emphasized
    meditation as a way to drop below the minds’ surface
    agitation for deep relaxation. Modern science has
    found that it quiets the sympathetic nervous system,
    causing stress-hormone levels, heart rate and blood
    pressure to drop; breathing to slow; muscles to relax;
    and brain waves to enter the alpha – indeed, even the
    theta (most relaxed while still awake state). Practicing
    meditation can be like taking a tranquilizer without the
    side effects.
                     We are all so busy with our
                     mundane pursuits which pull
                     us this way and that. We all
                     need, the whole world needs,
                     the opportunity to meditate
                     and reflect on the things of
Gordon B. Hinckley   God and to listen to words
Ensign, Nov. 2003    that inspire and help.
Attachment to stress has detrimental affects on
spiritual practices. Spending time in quiet, receptive
openness is an essential part of prayer, meditation,
and most other spiritual practices. In such settings,
even mild addiction to stress becomes rapidly and
painfully evident. The simple matter of taking time
for daily prayer can become a battle of will. The
mind can generate wondrous excuses to do
something instead of just being open and present.
The struggles that go on between being and doing
can become awesome.
Issues of control and willpower, surrender and defeat
rage with all the drama of true spiritual warfare.
There are many things all of us might rather avoid in
prayer; we might rather not relinquish our sense of
self-mastery; we might rather not hear what God
might ask of us; we might rather avoid the self-
knowledge that comes to us in quiet. Now, in
addition, increasing numbers of us are discovering
that we would rather not experience the discomfort of
being peaceful. (Gerald May, Addiction and Grace,
p. 89)
 We have to give ourselves quiet time.
Solitude is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
            10. Nourish Yourself
   Soaking in a bath or standing in a stream of water
    guarantees a reliable period of rest and privacy. (“It’s
    the only place I can count on to be alone and quiet for
    20 minutes.”)
   Saunas relax tense muscles and may raise brain
    chemicals that produce a sense of well being, as well as
    lower the effects of stress on the body.
   Studies of sleeper’s brain waves indicate that slumber
    becomes more restful after a sauna or hot bath.
I do not understand how anyone can live
without one small place of enchantment
to turn to – Mary Engelbreit
Let’s see if we can
care enough about
ourselves to make
room in our lives for
those things that
nourish us.
When you discover something
that nourishes your soul and
brings joy, care enough about
yourself to make room for it in
your life.
The Nature Connection
          The Nature Connection
   Rainbows, sunsets, full moons
   Gazing at a fireplace
   Pets
   Aquariums
   Walking through a park
   Sitting by a stream
   Viewing branches of trees from a window
   Listening to rain pound on a skylight
   (All of these have a calming effect in the body)
                    Warning
   The stress we feel from being women who do
    too much cannot be dealt with through stress-
    reduction techniques. We must beware of trying
    to reduce stress so we can tolerate more.
    “Our busyness is a subtle form of
    procrastination that keeps us away from what we
    really need to be doing” (Anne Wilson Schaef,
    1992).
Nothing suits the devil better than to become
a silent partner with us. He knows that we
have agency and are at liberty to make choices
for ourselves. He also knows that while in
mortality we are subject to time. If by his
subtle means he can become our silent
partner, he can then influence us to make
wrong choices that use up our time unwisely
and prevent us from doing that which we
should.
I have learned that it is very difficult, if not
impossible, to un-clutter one’s life by starting
at the top of the pile with the idea that the
solution is to just get things sorted and better
organized. It is nice to get better organized,
but that is not enough. Much has to be
discarded. We must actually get rid of it. To
do this we need to develop a list of basics, a
list of those things that are indispensable to
our mortal welfare and happiness and our
eternal salvation.
This list must follow the gospel pattern and
contain the elements needed for our
sanctification and perfection. It must be the
product of inspiration and prayerful judgment
between the things we really need and the
things we just want. It should separate need
from greed. It must be our best understanding
of those things that are important as opposed
to those things that are just interesting. It
should have nothing to do with trying to stay
in the fast lane.
With an un-cluttered life, you will not be so
busy doing terrestrial things that you do not
have time to do those things which are
celestial. God’s plan is a plan of simplicity. It
involves being obedient to simple laws, laws
that have within them an automatic blessing
and happiness for obedience and an automatic
punishment and unhappiness for their
disobedience.
Don’t let the subtle influences of Satan take
away any part of your life. Keep it under your
own control and operated by your own agency.
This life is a probationary period. It is a
marvelous gift of time during which we can
learn to be like our Heavenly Father by
following the teachings of His Son, Jesus
Christ. The path He leads us on is not a
cluttered path. It is simple and straight and
lighted by the Spirit.
William R. Bradford, “Unclutter Your Life,”
Ensign, May 1992, 27
                     Your capacity is greater than you
                     can possibly imagine. Satan will try
                     mightily to discourage you.
                     Initially he will encourage you to do
                     many worthwhile things, but not
                     the essential ones . . . Order your
                     life more effectively and eliminate
                     trivial, meaningless detail and
                     activity. They waste the perishable,
Richard G. Scott,
Making Right         fixed, and limited resource of time.
Choices, CES         Choose to emphasize those matters
Fireside, Jan. 13,
2002
                     that have eternal consequence.
The End