When you are under stress your muscles tighten, your heart beats faster, your breathing becomes rapid and shallow, and your brain becomes more alert. In small doses, stress can improve your performance in situations such as sport or work, but if excessive or prolonged it can harm your health. You may also feel anxious , irritable, unable to concentrate, tired, sad, or depressed. Stress tends to build up when the normal pressures of life become too much for you, or may be triggered by an upsetting event such as a bereavement.
PRACTICAL TECHNIQUE
Deep breathing This exercise helps to calm your body and mind. Deep breathing using the diaphragm and abdominal muscles is the basis of most relaxation methods. Find a place where you won’t be interrupted, take the phone off the hook and/or switch off your mobile phone, and practice these exercises for 10-20 minutes each day.
* Wear loose clothing and sit or lie in a comfortable position .Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Breathe in slowly through your nose, hold your breath for a moment ,then breathe out slowly. Try to breathe using your abdominal muscles so the lower hand moves more than the upper one.
* Once you know that you are breathing from your abdomen, place your hands just below your ribs, Feel your hands move as your abdomen rises and falls. When you feel more relaxed, let your hands drop down by your sides and simply enjoy the relaxation.
What you can do yourself
People react differently to stress depending on their personality and the support they have around them. Although you can’t always control difficult events in your life, you can adapt the way in which you react to everyday stresses and learn how to avoid some of them.
* Get adequate sleep; if you are tired you are more likely to feel stressed.
* Eat regularly to keep your energy levels constant during the day. Never miss breakfast. Include fresh fruit, cereal, wholemeal bread, pasta, and rice in your diet. Cut down on foods such as cheese, eggs, red meat, and butter that are high in fat .Reduce your intake of sugar and salt.
* Cut down or cut out caffeine by limiting your intake of coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate.
* Take regular exercise, especially if you have a sedentary job. Exercise produces “feel –good” chemicals in the brain that increase your sense of well being. Try 15-30 minutes of brisk walking, or go swimming or cycling.
* Set aside a regular time each day specifically for relaxation : do not wait until you feel exhausted. Go for a regular walk; listen to music; or try meditation or yoga.
* Imagine that you are in a place where you feel warm ,relaxed, and comfortable, such as lying on a sunny beach. Try to imagine all the colours, sounds, smells, and feelings.
* Practise deep, controlled breathing with exercises that can be used whenever you feel tense (see PRACTICAL TECHNIQUE)
* When you are in the middle of a stressful situation, try to have a few minutes alone. Go for a brisk walk or sit somewhere quiet to help you relax.
* If your muscles have become tense, try to relax them at will (see PRACTICAL TECHNIQUE).
* Try to control self-criticism. To counteract it, remind yourself of your good points and the successes you have had in the past.
* Don’t bottle up your worries; it usually helps to share problems with family members and friends.
* Don’t try a short-term “fix” by turning to alcohol or illicit drugs. In the long term they will only add to your problems.
PRACTICAL TECHNIQUE
Relaxing muscles Learn to recognize when your muscles are tense, as this will help you to control stress reactions. This exercise will enable you to relax problem areas consciously. If time is short, it may help to use the exercise on just one group of muscles, such as your shoulders. Keep your eyes closed throughout, and breathe slowly using your abdominal muscles.
* To prepare for the exercise, be aware of how your muscles feel in their relaxed state and when they are tense. Try to imagine the tension fading away as you relax each muscle.
* Yawn, then relax. Clench your jaw, and release. Frown, scrunch up your eyes and nose, then let go. Raise your eyebrows, then relax all the muscles in your face.
* Lift your shoulders up to your ears .Hold for a few seconds, then lower again. Repeat 2-3 times. To free the neck muscles ,rock your head gently from side to side.
* Tense and relax your stomach muscles, then each buttock in turn. Clench and release your right fist, then all the muscles in your arm. Repeat the process with your left arm.
* Tense the muscles in your right foot, hold for a few seconds, then release .Tense and release the calf ,then the thigh muscles. Repeat the process with the left foot and leg.
PREVENTION
Limiting stress If you have a great deal of stress, the following steps will help you identify the causes, deal with them and feel healthier as a result.
* Over 2-3 weeks, make a note of the situations in which you felt under stress and whether stress made you perform better or worse than normal. Think about how you might have responded differently to feel more in control. Ask people close to you how they react in similar situations.
* Accept that there are some things you can’t control, such as traffic hold-ups on the way to work.
* Organize and prioritize your time. Do what is important first. Anticipate deadlines and reduce your other commitments around these times.
* Identify tasks seem too big to cope with all at once. Use a checklist and tick off tasks as you complete them.
* Have realistic expectations .Don’t commit yourself to tasks that you feel unable to do or don’t want to do; delegate when you are able to do so. Don’t feel demoralized or guilty if things go wrong.
* Take regular breaks through the day ,even if it is only to look out of the window, Have lunch breaks.
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