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You are walking down the road and suddenly a large bear is lumbering towards you. Without conscious thought your body instantly prepares itself to fight the bear or run as fast as possible in the opposite direction. This is called the “fight or flight” response, which in our caveman days evolved as a selfpreservation mechanism, but when not channelled into its intended use translates into ‘stress’. Family Health Diary reports.

WHAT IS STRESS?
Stress is not all bad and in the right places can be motivating. But it’s how we manage stress that has important implications for our health and wellbeing.

Take a modern-day equivalent of the lumbering bear; you are in your car, stuck in a traffic jam, late for an important meeting and immediately your body reacts as though the bear is coming for you.

Your adrenal glands release large amounts of the stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, which shoot a burst of glucose and fatty acids into your blood for energy, increase your heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure; blood rushes to the larger muscles, reducing blood supply to the stomach, bowels, skin and extremities; your blood thickens (to stem any bleeding from injury) and your immune and digestive systems shut down (if you survive the bear, then you can eat and fight infection again).

Problem is, without the bear to fight or run away from, the stress hormones are not used up in a burst of physical activity (dumping your car and running the rest of the way or punching the driver in front of you aren’t socially acceptable alternatives) and you’re left with a feeling of stress and tension.

DO YOU NEED HELP? Anything from financial worries, being a single parent, unemployment, gambling or drinking can lead to stress. Long-term illness, grief and trauma can also be sources of severe stress. Any one of these situations may lead to more serious problems and you may want to look at ways you can help yourself cope better. There is a thin line between our response to a stressful situation and a continued feeling of anxiety and depression. If you find that negative feelings persist, then you should probably seek some form of help. Other symptoms of stress that you may need help with include… Aggravation of skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. Gastrointestinal problems, such as diarrhoea. Prolonged feelings of sadness, fear or worthlessness Panic attacks. According to Associate Professor John Read of Auckland University Department of Psychology, “there has been a recent increase in the prescribing of medication for a whole range of life problems.”

He suggests that “the most effective and safest treatments are social and psychosocial”, such as support groups, community activities, and counselling, using antidepressants only when necessary.

HOW TO REDUCE STRESS

• Improve your nutrition 

Eat more whole foods, less processed foods and cut down on caffeine and alcohol, to help keep your body resilient to the effects of stress.

• Exercise

A burst of vigorous exercise pumps that wonderful natural feel-good factor, endorphin, into your body. All exercise reduces levels of stress hormones, gets your heart pumping oxygen around your body, speeds up your metabolism, enhances the immune system, clears your mind, and improves your general wellness.

• Meditation

Meditation is considered a healing art because it can help you focus on relaxation and stop the mind “chattering”, eliminating negative thoughts and evoking positive affirmations. Meditation can take the form of simply being on your own in a quiet room and breathing slowly with your eyes closed until you feel your heart rate slow down and begin to relax; or you may prefer to join a class using guided meditation, talking you softly through the process, helping you first to clear your mind then keep it in the here and now. After a meditation session you will feel calm and relaxed and more able to cope.

• Yoga

Yoga is a combination of controlled breathing, stretching and holding poses that will help you reach a state of peacefulness in mind and body. It improves both mental and physical wellbeing by reducing stress, anxiety and muscle tension.

• Tai Chi
  

Originally developed in China as a form of martial arts, Tai Chi is now practised, like yoga, to combine physical movement and mental stillness. Using gentle flowing movements with controlled breathing, it is sometimes referred to as meditation in motion.

• Massage Therapy
  

Massage is not a luxury, as some may think, it is an investment in your health and wellbeing, says Wendy Forte of Serenity Massage, because by working with the body’s primary sense of touch, massage can release physical and mental tension caused by stress and restore harmony to the mind and body.

• Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis is when your body is in a deeply relaxed state, your conscious mind is aware and in control but your subconscious mind is receptive to positive suggestion. A similar state of mind happens spontaneously when you daydream and just before going to sleep, says clinical hynotherapist Jeannine Dawson from 4thway Associates Limited, who uses the healing state of hypnosis to help people overwrite negative behaviour patterns that can be at the root cause of their stress and anxiety. Jeannine first helps her clients identify the stress-causing situations or events in their lives and then defines helpful behaviours and responses, which are reinforced by the hypnosis process.

Just breathe...
One of the first things that happens when we begin to feel stressed or anxious is that our breathing becomes faster and more shallow (chest breathing), causing an imbalance between oxygen and carbon dioxide.

If you allow yourself to breathe using your diaphragm you will take in more oxygen and your breathing will inevitably slow down (diaphragmatic or abdomen breathing).

Breathing awareness is a very simple and effective practice that will relax you very quickly. Try it:
1. Count the number of breaths you take in one minute (one inhale and one exhale per breath).
2. Sit down, close your eyes, place your hand on your abdomen and focus on your breath…
3. Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your belly to expand...
4. Pause and then exhale slowly through your mouth.
5.Wait until your body signals tell you that you need another breath and then inhale again through your nose.

If you practice breathing awareness you will reduce your breathing rate from an average of 12 breaths per minute to around four or five and you will inevitably feel relaxed.

...and laugh
Laughter has been shown to reduce the levels of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline and increase endorphins. In doing this, it provides an emotional release, reduces blood pressure, releases tension and strengthens the immune system. If you want to share this wonderful form of stress therapy, join a laughter club; they are springing up everywhere.

STRESS HEARTBREAK How often have you heard the term heartbroken when referring to someone suffering from grief or loss? Bereavement is a well-established stressor and there is accumulating evidence that extreme emotional stress may be related to heart disease. Research also shows that people under work strain, suffering depression or with type A or “angry” personality, are more likely to develop heart problems. STRESS AT WORK Stress rates in New Zealand are increasing, along with the diagnosis of clinical disorders such as depression and generalised anxiety disorder, of which 45% were found to be related to workplace stress. According to a recent Dunedin study, published in the British Journal of Psychological Medicine, high levels of psychological job demands, such as long hours, pressure or lack of clear direction are causing mental illness in 14% of men and 10% of women in their early 30s, regardless of the nature of their job. This study, headed by Professor Richie Poulton, is the first to establish a link between workplace stress and mental illness, independent of other related factors, such as personality type and socioeconomic status. A sense of loss of control appears to be particularly relevant and evidence suggests that if this is restored, job-related stress can become exhilarating rather than debilitating.

ARE YOU STRESSED?
This stress test was devised by the British Heart Foundation and posted on the BBC website. Answer yes or no to the following:
Feeling sweaty and shivery Pounding heart or palpitations Needing to go to the toilet a lot more than normal Feeling sick in the stomach (having butterflies) Dry mouth Exhaustion Odd aches and pains Smoking or drinking more Frequent aches and pains Working yourself to exhaustion Headaches No time for hobbies any more Being irritable at everything Thinking “I can’t cope with this any more” Loss of appetite for food, fun or sex Eating too much or too little Loss of sense of humour Loss of interest in personal appearance Loss of interest in other people A feeling that everything is pointless Tearfulness Forgetfulness Difficulty sleeping, disturbed sleep and waking up unusually early.

If you said yes to…
- 5 or less, you may have low stress levels.
- 6 or more, stress may become a problem for you.
Look at the yes points and try and do something about them.