5 Ways to Give Stress a Rest.
Your body and mind are meant to be whole and connect through a network feedback loops. In other words, the body collects information from the environment and reports to the mind. Th
e mind listens and responds. Make no mistake, every cell gets the word about something stressful and it’s expressed in chemical reactions in the form of hormones instead of words. Real or imagined, the messages come through loud and clear. When it comes to managing stress, awareness is the key.
People with heart health concerns should be especially mindful about managing stress. The bodys natural response to stress increases heart rate and raises blood pressure. Stress also forces the heart muscle to work harder.
The American Heart Association suggests that acute and chronic stress may also affect other risk factors such as:
- high cholesterol levels
- sleep disorders
- smoking
- urge to overeat
- excessive alcohol/drug consumption
- lack of interest in physical activity
Robert Ostfeld, MD, M.Sc. at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, adds that stress can put a strain on blood vessels and predispose a person to heart disease, or exacerbate a pre-existing condition causing more complications. Here are some techniques that can help reduce the stress of a situation or just the rigors of daily life.
Recognize Your Stress Triggers
Learn to identify the things in your life that trigger stress: job security, frustrating relationships with family or friends, driving in traffic, and fear revolving around health and well being. Be aware of such triggers to better cope with them. I suggest 5 ways to counteract emotional upheaval and restore inner balance. They are meditation & breath control, releasing negative thoughts and feelings, diet, exercise, and time management. Remember, awareness is the key to the realm of equanimity. So take these tools, see what works and go relax.
Your Excellent Tool Box
1. Meditation and breath control
2. Releasing negative thoughts & feelings
3. Diet
4. Physical exercise
5. Time management
Meditation. At one time meditation seemed mysterious, but science has finally caught up with this 7,000+ year old practice. Neuroscientists found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex. Brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety. There is also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.
There are many types of meditation, but they all share the same goal of inner peace. Ways to meditate include:
- Guided meditation sometimes called guided imagery, conjures forms mental images of places or situations found to be relaxing. Using as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights, sounds and textures, the meditator is led through this process by a guide or teacher.
- Mantra meditation. In this type of meditation, the repeating of a calming word or sacred sound is a tool to focus the mind from distracting thoughts. Transcendental meditation is a type of mantra meditation in which a deep state of relaxation evokes raised states of awareness.
- Mindfulness meditation is based on being sensitive or internally aware. An increased awareness and acceptance of being in the present moment is the focus and what is experienced during meditation. Noticing the flow of your breath, observing thoughts and emotions without getting caught up in the drama. Here the practitioner is a witness and lets each thought pass without judgment.
- Yoga is performed as a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises and promotes a flexible body and a calm mind. Moving through poses that require balance and concentration encourages focus and takes the mind off the busy day.
Elements of Meditation
Different types of meditation may include features to help the meditation process. Some of the most common methods are:
- Relaxed breathing. Focusing on the breath is an integral part of meditation. The deep, even-paced breathing uses the diaphragm muscle to expand lungs and contract the abdomen. The purpose is to slow and lengthen the breath. Taking in more oxygen eases the use of the neck and shoulders.
- Focused attention is bringing the mind to a one-pointedness. It means focusing the attention on one specific thing; inviting the mind to mono-task. It is what helps free the mind from the many distractions that cause stress and worry. Focus on a specific object such as a pinpoint of light at the eyebrow center, a mantra, or even the flow of breath. Better yet, use all these tools when the mind has trouble settling. Dont fret when it wanders though, just return to your one-pointed focus of attention.
- A quiet location. As a beginner, practicing meditation may be easier in a quiet spot with few distractions. Leave the phones or devices. A more skilled meditator may be able practice meditative techniques in situations like traffic jam, a work meeting or a long line at the grocery store and find relief.
- A comfortable position. Practice meditation sitting, or lying down. Even if youre walking, be aware of your posture and get the most out of it.
Everyday Ways to Practice Meditation
Dont let the thought of meditating the right way add stress. Though attending meditation classes is good, practice meditation whenever. Meditation can be as formal or informal as you like and whatever suits your lifestyle and situation. Some people build meditation into their daily routine with an hour of meditation. But a few minutes of quality time is fine.
Focus your love and gratitude. Weave a sense of love and gratitude into your meditation.
Building Your Meditation Skills
No judgment or expectations while practicing meditation. Wherever you are in your practice is perfect for the present moment. Meditation takes practice and stressing about it is counterintuitive. Keep in mind that its common for the mind to wander during meditation; no matter how long youve been practicing. When meditating, if the mind deviates and your attention wanders, just return to the object, breath, or movement and relax back into it.
Experiment and find out what meditation work best. Remember, theres no right way or wrong way to meditate. What matters is that the meditation calms the mind.
For students of yoga, Breath Training is a preparation for asana, pranayama and for deepening meditation. It involves learning to recognize the sensations that accompany diaphragmatic breathing and gradually becoming accustomed to breathing deeply and smoothly.
The quality of the mind is tied to the quality of the breath. Spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD. says, “shallow breathing accesses only a shallow level of the mind. Just as the body requires nutritious food, the mind requires a nurturing breath. A deep, smooth, and even breath without noise, without jerks, and without pauses nurtures the mind and enhances its ability to concentrate.
Conversely, an unhealthy breath fails to provide nourishment to the body and mind. An under-oxygenated body does not have enough strength to properly support the functions of the mind. As a result, the mind is vulnerable to distractions and disturbances.
Anatomy of the Breath
As you now know, breath training is an integral part of meditation and a meditation all on its own. Even paced breathing described as relaxed breathing or diaphragmatic breathing slows the breath, takes in more oxygen and reduces the use of sho
ulder, neck and upper chest muscles that are often bothered by tension and stress. Practicing relaxed, diaphragmatic breathing is refreshing and restful. It calms the nervous system, and because breathing is a constant, breath awareness is a self-management tool that is useful even during the busiest times of the day.
Doctor of clinical psychology, Rolf Sovik says that it surprises people to learn that the lungs are not muscles. Without help, the lungs cannot move air in and out of the body. This fact lies at the heart of breath instruction. Questions about how to breathe are really questions about which muscles to use in order to expand the lungs and draw air into them.
Soviks article on Diaphragmatic Breathing puts it succinctly: There are choices regarding the muscles used for breathing. The muscles of the neck and upper torso results in bringing small amounts of air. The isolated use of these muscles for breathing, called clavicular breathing, is most commonly seen in people who have lung disease, such as emphysema that limit the ability of a deep breath.
The bands of muscle (the intercostal muscles) that lie between the ribs account for about 20% of normal breathing. Because these muscles surround the lungs, it might seem natural to breathe with them. In fact, after strenuous exercise nothing is more satisfying than to breathe deeply with the mouth open and heaving the chest. But in normal circumstances, chest or thoracic breathing simply rise and fall with the inhalation and the exhalation.
Although there is a certain logic to breathing with the chest muscles, it is not helpful to use these muscles as the primary tool for everyday breathing. Breathing with the chest is meant to arouse the s
ympathetic nervous system, the “fight or flight” response. It elevates tension as well as increasing susceptibility to emotional disturbances when not used in physical activity. Overusing the chest muscles for breathing is a subtle but major cause of physical and emotional duress.
Elements of both clavicular and thoracic breathing are found in normal breathing, but the muscle naturally intended for expanding the lungs is the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that lies horizontally inside the torso, dividing it into two separate chambers, the chest (thoracic) cavity and the abdominal/pelvic cavity. The chest contains the lungs and heart; the lower chamber of the torso contains the organs of digestion, assimilation, elimination, and reproduction.
The actual look and feel of diaphragmatic breathing varies, depending upon one’s body posture. Nonetheless, the basic principles of breathing remain constant. Contracting the diaphragm causes the lungs to expand and air to flow in. Relaxing the diaphragm allows the rib cage and lungs to contract and air to flow out.
The aim of breath training is not to become obsessed with these mechanics, but to use them as a framework for feeling the nurturing qualities of good breathing. With just a small investment of time, you can lay the groundwork for good health and an advancing yoga practice.
The rewards of this training are quite remarkable. You will find that you have a tool to maintain your equilibrium in situations where you used to become tense and uncomfortable. Your everyday level of internal tension will lessen, allowing you to move your body and concentrate your mind with greater ease. As you continue on the path of yoga, diaphragmatic breathing will serve as a foundation for many other practices. And when fears seem overwhelming in the course of daily living, you will have an internal friend to comfort your mind. All in all, as you improve the quality of your breathing, you will improve the quality of your life.
Diaphragmatic Breath Practices
Releasing Negative Thoughts and Feelings
If a continued gravitation towards negative thoughts is causing distress, another way that offers a simple system to control emotions and negativity is the Sedona Method. This popular self-improvement program revolves around simple questions to ask yourself based on the idea that “you are not your feelings; therefore you can let them go.” The focus is on helping individuals discover peace, contentment and success through a process of releasing limiting and unwanted feelings. There are seminars, retreats, books, and online courses.
Listen to Hale Dwoskin talk about letting go.
Diet
It’s a fact that “you are what you eat.” With a well-balanced meal and skipping junk food, physical well-being and emotional health can be vastly improved. Whole vs. refined foods and organic (clean) meat is the way to go. Let’s take it a step further and look at the body balance of the Ayurvedic system. Based on an individual’s constitution or Prakriti, and life forces called doshas, an understanding of these concepts can help identify foods that fine tune homeostasis. Refining the quality of one’s sustenance promotes natural energy and internal calm.
The term Ayurveda combines the Sanskrit words ayur (life) and veda (science or knowledge). Thus, Ayurveda means the science of life. The purpose of Ayurveda is to distill lifestyle choices based on one’s Prakriti and doshas, then nourish, cleanse, treat, and reestablish harmony and inner balance.
Like the breath, it’s not necessary to get caught up in the details of the doshas, just eat well, notice how you feel and adjust. Strive for balance. Being aware of your Prakriti and doshas can help affirm sensations you’re already recognizing.
The doshas are known by their original Sanskrit names: vata, pitta, and kapha.
The Principles of Ayurveda’s 3 Doshas
Each dosha is made up of two of five basic elements: ether (the upper regions of space), air, fire, water, and earth.
Each person has a unique combination of the three doshas, although one dosha is usually prominent. Doshas are constantly being formed and reformed by food, activity, and bodily processes.
Each dosha has its own physical and psychological characteristics.
The vata dosha combines the elements ether and air. It is considered the most powerful dosha because it controls very basic body processes such as cell division, the heart, breathing, discharge of waste, and the mind. Vata can be aggravated by fear, grief, staying up late at night, eating dry fruit, or eating before the previous meal is digested. People with vata as their main dosha are thought to be especially susceptible to skin and neurological conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, anxiety, and insomnia.
The pitta dosha represents the elements fire and water. Pitta controls hormones and the digestive system. A person with a pitta imbalance may experience negative emotions such as anger and may have physical symptoms such as heartburn within 2 or 3 hours of eating. Pitta is upset by eating spicy or sour food, fatigue, or spending too much time in the sun. People with a predominantly pitta constitution are thought to be susceptible to hypertension, heart disease, infectious diseases, and digestive conditions such as Crohns disease.
The kapha dosha combines the elements water and earth. Kapha helps to maintain strength and immunity and to control growth. An imbalance of the kapha dosha may cause nausea immediately after eating. Kapha is aggravated by, greed, sleeping during the daytime, eating too many sweet foods, eating after one is full, and eating and drinking foods and beverages with too much salt and water (especially in the springtime). Those with a predominant kapha dosha are thought to be vulnerable to diabetes, cancer, obesity, and respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
Take the Dosha Quiz (some spam but not unpleasant)
Exercise
The human body is built for physical activity. As a hunter-gatherer, life was marked by intense physical exercise walking on an average of 5 to 10 miles a day just to be able to eat.
In the context of stress, the great paradox of the modern age is that there is not more hardship, just the torrent streaming of flashing screens and digital technology. It keeps the brain flying and the body sitting still. It’s easy to see how today’s lifestyle is even more stressful and dangerously sedentary.
For e
xercise, I recommend yoga asana. Not only is it adjustable to your own level of strength and flexibility, but it can be outright gymnastic depending on the style. Breath control, mindfulness and developing skills in focus are built in as an added bonus. That said, choose an activity that you enjoy and do it regularly. From ancient genes to life as we know it, the body and brain thrive on the physical life. You ARE built to move! Be sure to check with your physician before starting any exercise regimen.
Time Management
In a culture where multitasking is the mark of the metropolitan creature, it has also been found to cause physical and emotional strain. Cramming more tasks into less time has proven to compromised attention. Giving undivided attention to someone or just to the moment at hand is a prerequisite to being alive. This is because you have to be able to pay attention to things in order to experience them fully. By managing time with awareness, stress can be minimized and the quality of life greatly improved. Here are a few suggestions:
Plan your day, write a to-do list, and prioritize. Keep a schedule of daily activities to minimize conflicts and last-minute rushes.
Say no to nonessential tasks.
Limit distractions. Make an appointment for big projects and turn off your phone and e-mail.
Take the time you need to do a quality job. Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but correcting errors takes more time overall.
Break up time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. Practice the 10-minute rule. Work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day. Once you get started, you may find you can finish it.
Be aware of how youre spending your time. Keep a mental note of how youre spending prime time and look for ways to reduce waste. For example, limit devouring trances on Face Book or personal email. Could you arrange to get enough sleep and still wake up a little earlier to meditate and/or exercise?
Get sleep, live with a healthy diet, and exercise. Sound familiar? A holistic lifestyle can improve your focus and concentration, which will help improve energy efficiency so work is completed within your estimated parameters –or less!
Take a break. Pushing too hard to make a deadline can be derailing. When you need a break, take one. Keep a yoga mat within eye shot or do some quick stretches at your workstation. Take a walk. When you’re finished, take a whole day to recover if need be.
On the other hand, if Procrastination inflicts a gap between your agenda and the deadline, time to intervene. When that familiar feeling of resistance starts to well, observe it and give yourself permission to let go of the mental opposition. This is a great oppotunity to release unwanted limitations that are outlined in the Sedona Method. Align your thoughts with your goals and forge ahead.
Ask for Professional Help
If it’s too frazzling to think about trying any of these tips, ask for help. Contact your employee assistance program at your workplace, discuss the situation with your guidance counselor, or see a doctor.
Being aware of emotional triggers is the first step to managing stress. Having a handy first-aid kit for the unavoidable and sometimes uncontrollable way the enviornment bumps up against us is the next step. Your excellent tools: meditation & breath control, releasing negativity, diet, exercise, and time management can greatly restore the quality of life. Cultivating peacefulness and tapping into your true nature augments relationships with others and culminates in a sense of greater understanding and well being. Awareness adds to a deepened sense of the greater good.
Give stress a rest and let your true nature shine.
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