Dealing With Stress

Almost everyone have heard the hit single 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' by Bobby McFerrin. The song has a very catchy way of conveying its message of being happy to everyone. Bobby Mcferrin's simple message surely made a lot of people by telling them not to worry.

Living a happy, resilient and optimistic life is wonderful, and is also good for your health. Being happy actually protects you from the stresses of life. Stress is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke.

We've asked some of the top experts in the U.S. to share their thoughts.

The best stress reducers are sometimes the simplest to apply, et are often the last considerations. When we are overly stressed our bodies need nuturing, and more than usual. So the quickest way to reduce stress both physically and emotionally are to follow these three tips:

1. Eat right- well balanced and nutritious to keep your body fueled.

2. Sleep well- between 6-8 hours per night and preferably on a regular schedule.

3. Take just 10 minutes a day in meditation, prayer or quiet time to reflect, refocus.

DeeAnna Merz Nagel, LPC

Here are some tips for stress:

When you feel stressed, it has an immediate impact on your body. Because stress is intimately felt through our bodies, we need to reduce stress using somatically oriented methods. Energy Psychology includes various methods of accessing the body where we store emotions, trauma and stress. The following method works quickly and is easily done as often as may be needed. This method is called the “Three Thumps” and comes from Donna Eden’s Energy Medicine book. First tap several times right under the collar bone on both sides (K 27 points). Next, tap or thump on your thymus point. This is located between the breastbones. Last, bring your hands up under your arms and tap on the sides of your rib cage. These meridian points will often be somewhat sore. Repeat the entire process until you feel your level of stress minimized if not released. I show my patients how to do this to use with panic and anxiety as well.

Feeling the stress of having too much on your plate? Use this imagery with your breath. Close your eyes, and breathe. Now, take your breath to the tight places (neck and shoulders) and imagine you are massaging those muscles with your breath. Keep your breath on these spots until you feel it release, then move to the next place on your body. Or try this tip: No matter where you are, close your eyes, take several deep long breaths. Imagine you are on a beach, lying in the warm sand. Imagine you can feel the warm sand on your feet and hands; hear the waves of the ocean, and the sound of birds, children playing. Make this as real as you can. Your subconscious doesn’t know that you are perhaps at work, or somewhere other than the beach. It takes what you think and feel as what is real. This is why we can use the power of the subconscious mind to install imagery that helps our autonomous nervous system.

These three tips can be used anywhere when you need them the most.

Constance S. Rodriguez PhD

Best Ways to Reduce Stress

Here are my three top tips for how to reduce stress when "positive" approaches like meditation, breathing or relaxation are out of the question.

1. The 3% rule. Remember that you only need to enjoy life 3% of the time. Take the pressure off yourself to be more positive. Struggling is part of life. A big part. Relax into it.

2. Count the Minutes. Counteract the helplessness that accompanies stress by marking time, whether it is counting seconds in your head through a tough interaction, or marking hours or days off your calendar through a more trying time. Time progresses forward with every breath we take. Better times will come.

3. The Negative Mantra. Stressful situations and people generate negative feelings, and nobody likes to feel mean and negative. Counteract this stressful conflict with a negative mantra repeated over and over that confirms and strengthens your feelings, like "this is so awful, this is so awful" or "she's so awful, she's so awful."

Claudia Luiz, Ed.M., Cert. Psya.

Think mind, body, spirit, environment.

Mind-- give yourself a break, eliminate the words "should" and "shame.". Feed yourself only positive thoughts and think of stress as a motivation for useful behaviors. Relaxation tapes and meditation lower blood pressure.

Body-- Move that body! Get outside and walk or keep weights in the office and pump a little iron to destresss.

Spirit-- have a larger world view. Get in touch with your religious beliefs! Talk to a spiritual leader. Keep in mind the big picture and where the daily stressors of life fit.

Environment-- keep it free from negative people and places. If friends create stress, talk about it or limit contact. If you are unhappy with your physical environment, try to improve it with decluttering, cleaning and fresh air. Clutter in the home or office create stress.

Be your own counselor and when you have some negative stressors then ask yourself: "what would I tell my best friend."

Carolyn Kelley North, LCSW

Here are my top 3 tips for reducing stress:

Top stress reducing activities one can find immediately benefit from would include:

The first tip is getting regular exercise. While this might seem so intuitive, it is often overlooked by so many people. Unless you have a medical condition that prohibits exercise or your doctor says "no", getting exercise has almost instant stress relieving properties. My favorite kind of exercise is anything that is fun! Just make sure its 30 minutes or longer and cardiovascular. The second tip is sleep. Sounds easy right? Not really. Lack of sleep causes irritability and a decrease tolerance to stressors. Most adults need about 7-8 hours a night. Last tip is watching what you eat. Most Americans drink way to much caffeine for example. Caffeine is like adding fuel to the fire when we are trying to reduce stress. It mimics the stress response in the body and reduces our ability to tolerate normal situations. By watching our caffeine intake we can greatly reduce the physical and psychological symptoms of stress.

Ari Novick, Ph.D.

TIPS FOR REDUCING STRESS

1. Rate your Stress – When you are experiencing stress, mentally rate it on a scale of one to ten, with number one being barely noticeable and ten being unbearable. Then rate the importance of the stressful situation on a scale of ten. For example, you are stuck in traffic and rate your stress level at eight, but you are not actually late for any appointment, and there are no serious consequences to your situation. The importance of this stressor is low, so you may rate it at two. This technique allows you to realize that you are overreacting to the stressor, and should take steps to reduce your stress level.

2. Belly Breathing - The best way to immediately reduce stress is through the belly breathing technique. When we are feeling stressed, our breathing becomes shallow and therefore oxygen consumption is reduced, which actually increases stress levels. This can be easily reversed by consciously breathing slowly and deeply, so that the belly expands with each breath, rather than the chest. Forcing the breathing into this pattern results in an increase of oxygen intake, and will begin to neutralize the body’s physiological stress response.

3. Progressive Relaxation – Beginning with your forehead, tighten your facial muscles and hold the tension for a count of five, and then relax. Repeat this procedure with all of your major muscles, moving from head to toes. The neck, chest, abdomen, and limbs should all be tightened, held and released in turn. The technique should be repeated two or three times for best results.

Dr. Andrew Nichols, Psy.D.

Top Tip for reducing Stress Quickly

Stress results from negative emotions that you are unable to resolve or off load. This is accompanied by a build up of adrenalin, the stress hormone, in your body. To successfully clear the adrenalin, and the stress; do the following: - Have a small pillow, large enough to cover your face and mouth close at hand. Next, stand with your feet about two feet apart. Bend your knees. Close your eyes. Now, let your arms hang loosely at your sides and bounce keeping your feet flat on the floor. Bounce for 60 seconds.

Now open your eyes, put the pillow in front of your face and scream as loudly into the pillow as you can for 30 or more seconds. Let this be your HATE SCREAM. Close your eyes and bounce again for a second minute. Then repeat with your ANGER SCREAM. Bounce. Then your FEAR SCREAM. Bounce. And a final SADNESS SCREAM. Take a few deep breaths and the stress will be completely gone in less than 10 minutes.

DoctorJeffrey www.theNewParenting.com