Dr. Keith Karren defines stress as “the mental and physical response of our bodies to the changes and challenges in our lives.” Good stress, called eustress, is helpful and gives us focus and motivation. Distress, on the other hand, is harmful and causes worry.
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| The Yerkes-Dodson Model |
Therefore, this workshop was purposefully not titled "Stress Elimination" but "Stress Management". The goal of stress management is not to eliminate stress, but to “limit the harmful effects of stress while maintaining life’s quality and vitality” (Greenberg, p. 14).
Fight or Flight
When we experience stress, our body prepares for action. This response is popularly known as the "Fight or Flight response". The CDC describes it well:
“Stress sets off an alarm in the brain, which responds by preparing the body for defensive action. The nervous system is aroused and hormones are released to sharpen the senses, quicken the pulse, deepen respiration, and tense the muscles. This response (sometimes called the fight or flight response) is important because it helps us defend against threatening situations. The response is preprogrammed biologically. Everyone responds in much the same way, regardless of whether the stressful situation is at work or home.” (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/99-101/)
Muscle Tension Activity
“FREEZE. Don’t move a bit! Now pay attention to your body sensations and position. Can you drop your shoulders? If so, your muscles were unnecessarily raising them. Are your forearm muscles able to relax more? If so, you were unnecessarily tensing them. Is your body seated in a position in which you appear ready to do something active? If so, your muscles are probably unnecessarily contracted. Can your forehead relax more? If so, you were tensing those muscles for no useful purpose. Check your stomach, buttocks, thigh, and calf muscles. Are they, too, contracted more than is needed? Unnecessary muscular contraction is called bracing. Many of us are guilty of bracing and suffer tension headaches, neck aches, and bad backs as a result. Take a moment for yourself now. Concentrate on just letting as many of your muscles relax as possible.” (Greenberg, p.7)
Do you find yourself bracing? For example, it can be easy to brace your shoulders while you work on the computer. Become aware of your posture and focus on relaxing your muscles. One way to do this is by a technique called Progressive Muscle relaxation. click here for more about progressive muscle relaxation
Why is Stress Management important?
Daily hassles can keep your body in a constant, chronic state of “fight or flight” response. This is hard on your body. In a “Stress At Work” NIOSH report , the CDC says:
“Short-lived or infrequent episodes of stress pose little risk. But when stressful situations go unresolved, the body is kept in a constant state of activation, which increases the rate of wear and tear to biological systems. Ultimately, fatigue or damage results, and the ability of the body to repair and defend itself can become seriously compromised. As a result, the risk of injury or disease escalates.”
When you think about it, our body's physiological response to stress is amazing. Our hearts pump faster, our respiration increases, our muscles tense for action. We are biologically programmed to rise and take on challenges and threats. However, many of our 20th century stressors tend to create a chronic stress response, which is why stress management is an important part of good health. The good news is that you have more control over this stress response than you think! This is because the stress response all begins with your perception.
Perception & Stress
Stress does not start until there is a cognitive interpretation of the stressor. A situation can be stressful or not-- it depends on your perception of the event. As the Hardiness Theory states, you will experience less stress in your life if you can perceive potentially stressful situations as a challenge instead of a threat.
The Stress Model
Life Situation -->
Perceived as Stressful -->
Emotional Arousal -->
Physiological Arousal -->
Consequences
Live In the Moment
Participate in the moment and enjoy life as it comes. Although it is important to plan for the future, it is not good to dwell and worry about it. Worrying will not ease your stress of tomorrow, but instead drains your strength of today. Sometimes it helps to just take it one day at a time and live in the present. As dear Edna Mode (from the Incredibles) wisely suggests, “Never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.”
“The past is behind, learn from it.
The future is ahead, prepare for it.
The present is here, live it.”
There are many different techniques and ways to manage stress, but in our workshop we focused on 3 areas: Time Management, Humor, and Meditation.
Time Management Tips- Assess how you spend your time
- Set goals (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)
- Prioritize your goals and activities
- Create your schedule
- Know when to say “No”
- Delegate
- Evaluate Tasks Once
- Limit Interruptions
- Invest Time
The quadrant to the right helps us prioritize our daily tasks. Ask yourself: Is this urgent or not urgent? Is this important or not important? By prioritizing your “to-do” list, you can better manage your time and avoid stress.
Humor
The average child laughs 300 to 500 times a day while the average adult laughs only about 15 times a day. We can learn from children’s example to find joy in even the little, daily experiences.
When life gets stressful, sometimes it is just good to laugh! Laughter has beneficial physiological effects on the body-- supporting the old saying that “laughter is good medicine.”
“Humor results in both physiological and psychological changes. Laughter increases muscular activity, respiratory activity, oxygen exchange, heart rate, production of catecholamines, and endorphins. These effects are soon followed by a relaxation state in which respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension rebound to below normal levels. Psychological effects include the relief of anxiety, stress, and tension; an outlet for hostility and anger; an escape from reality; and a means of tolerating crisis, tragedy, and chronic illness or disabilities” (Greenberg, p. 184).
Meditation
“When you get into a meditative, prayer-like, contemplative frame of mind, the metabolism slows down, the immune system is refreshed, blood pressure and heart rates subside, blood lactate level falls, and oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production are diminished. A lot of changes happen, the result of which is that the body becomes healthier.” --Dr. Keith J. Karren
Take some time today to just relax and meditate. Research has shown that meditation has many wonderful physiological effects, including:
- reduced pain perception
- decreased respiration
- decreased muscle tension
- decreased heart rate
- better able to cope with stress & more stable autonomic nervous system
- positive effects on blood pressure
- lowers baseline cortisol
- better brain function, ability to control thoughts and focus
- improves sleep behavior
(Greenberg, p. 245)
Our last Positive Attitude Development Workshop is Tuesday, February 18th. We will be discussing the health benefits of gratitude, humor, and having a positive attitude. Hope to see you there!
Additional Resources:
References:
Greenberg, J. S. (2013). Comprehensive Stress Management (13 ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.