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Health

Exercise, relax and learn to say no

By SALLY ANDERSON, Special to the Times
Published October 31, 2006

Are you running on stress overload? Do you give permission to fears and negative thoughts to continually invade your mind?

It is estimated that at least 60 percent of doctor visits are related to stress. According to Dr. Sonia Lupien of Montreal, a specialist in neuropsychology, people produce stress hormones in three kinds of situations: when they lack control over the outcome, when they feel a threat to their ego, or when they are in a new situation and don't know what to expect.

The word stress is derived from the Latin stringere, to draw tight. And that is what occurs when stressors attack, whether we are driving in traffic, dealing with conflict at home, have financial concerns, are ill, learn of the death of someone close.

Some people develop anxieties that can lead to panic attacks, which is basically a strong feeling of being out of control. When we allow uncontrolled stress to enter our lives, the brain activates the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system, resulting in an increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure levels.

In turn, practically every system in the body can be negatively impacted, causing such symptoms as headaches, lower back pain, upset stomach, muscle spasms, irritability, insomnia and chronic fatigue.

The good news: We can control how we react to what creates these stressors. Our interpretation of events, not only the event itself, determines the effect stress will have upon us. There are even times when we may want or need to call upon a small dose of stress - to spice up a performance when competing in sports events, presenting reports, taking exams or performing before an audience. This type of positive stress is referred to as eustress.

"Every day brings a chance to practice stress or practice peace," clinical psychologist Joan Borysenko writes in her Inner Peace for Busy People (Hay House, 2001).

Here are effective stress busters that can help you to practice that peace and make you feel more in control of your life:

-Exercise helps to burn stress hormones. Studies have shown that physically fit and active people manage stress more effectively than persons who are inactive.

- Meditation helps to diffuse tension buildup that results from the mental chatter within you. By learning to focus on one thing at a time, you gain control of your thoughts.

- Learn to say "no" in an honest and pleasing way. Continuing to say "yes" when your schedule is already full is a stress enhancer.

- Get outside. Just walking can relax you. "The rhythms of the outdoors force us to slow down," says Geoffrey Godbey, a leisure studies expert at Pennsylvania State University.

- Try a massage; it releases a natural relaxation response, softening tense muscles and slowing down the nervous system.

-Try a yoga, tai chi, stretch or Pilates class. They all will work with breathing and relaxation exercises.

- Develop hobbies; they provide a mental timeout.

- Enjoy a sense of humor.

Health tip:

See your doctor

If you are 50 or older and have not been exercising, check with your physician before beginning any exercise program.

Write to Sally Anderson at Life Times, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.

[Last modified October 30, 2006, 19:42:01]