{"id":25416,"date":"2014-09-23T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T15:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=25416"},"modified":"2017-07-21T13:24:39","modified_gmt":"2017-07-21T20:24:39","slug":"5-facts-about-stress-and-17-ways-to-deal-with-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/5-facts-about-stress-and-17-ways-to-deal-with-it-0923145","title":{"rendered":"5 Facts about Stress (and 17 Ways to Deal with It)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"yogaAmericans are famous for being a hard-working bunch, taking the fewest paid vacation days off. I, for one, spent the summer studying advanced yoga therapy<\/a> techniques on weekends, and working during the week, especially during the months of June and August. But I made sure to take some time off at the beginning and again at the end of the season so I could relax a bit, and I\u2019m glad I did. Studying ways to help people relax is hard work, and it can be pretty stressful!<\/p>\n

What did I learn at yoga school? I studied what happens to your body when it is subjected to relentless stress<\/a>, and the importance of learning how to relax and let go. The stress response works great if you\u2019re running away from a hungry tiger, but prolonged stress is bad for you because it weakens the body and the brain.<\/p>\n

This is why:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Your adrenal glands<\/a> pump adrenaline, which raises your heart rate, your blood pressure, and increases the amount of sugar in your blood. Your adrenal cortex sends out cortisol<\/a>, part of the stress response. This helps you run fast when you\u2019re escaping the tiger, but when it becomes habitual and there aren\u2019t any tigers to run away from, it is destructive.<\/li>\n
  2. Stress kills brain cells; a calm environment permits their growth. It is not true that brain cells stop growing when you\u2019re an adult, they just grow more slowly. So help them out and give them a nice place to live.<\/li>\n
  3. Stress is associated with depression<\/a> and anxiety<\/a>. No fun.<\/li>\n
  4. Your immune system doesn\u2019t work as well as it should. Ah-choo!<\/li>\n
  5. The right amount of stress is beneficial, but too much is deadly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n\t

    Find a Therapist<\/a><\/h2>\n\t
    \n\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\tAdvanced Search<\/a>\n\t<\/form>\n<\/div>\n

    That\u2019s why relaxation<\/a> is as important as eating well and getting enough exercise and should be part of your regular health routine. It\u2019s a way to take care of yourself<\/a> and show yourself some love. So if it\u2019s not a part of your usual day, you might want to think about adding it to your program. Don\u2019t have much time? I bet you can find five or 10 minutes to call your own if you look hard.<\/p>\n

    Maybe your family is demanding. Make some demands of your own in return. You need a break just as much as anyone needs anything.<\/p>\n

    Working hard for a tyrannical boss? Find a way to make your work environment more pleasant. Look around and see if there\u2019s some small thing you can do to make things better for you\u2014adding a foot rest, for example, if your seat is too high for you, or wearing really comfortable shoes if you spend a lot of time on your feet.<\/p>\n

    One powerful relaxation technique is restorative yoga. Like all yoga, the sequence is based on bending forward, backward, sideways, and twisting. The difference is that these poses are held for a long time\u2014five or even 10 minutes. You place yourself in a pose, child\u2019s pose, for example, but your body is supported by bolsters so that you are in complete and absolute comfort.<\/p>\n

    I invite you to try the restorative version of child\u2019s pose. Start child pose the usual way, but with the short end of a bolster in front of you, and then fold over it lengthwise so your body is supported by the bolster. There are many such adaptations of yoga poses you may already know. You can get DVDs that will show you how, but I think if you are able, it\u2019s best to visit a class or two and learn directly from a teacher.<\/p>\n

    Finally, if you absolutely can\u2019t stop the worried, anxious chatter in your brain and you\u2019re always wired, consider seeing a therapist<\/a> for some help.<\/p>\n

    Below are some of my favorite ways to relax. Like everyone, I need time out for myself, even if it\u2019s only a few minutes. I don\u2019t always feel like I have to respond immediately to help other people. I need to take care of myself first, and you do, too.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Take warm, relaxing baths.<\/li>\n
    2. Go for a walk in the park.<\/li>\n
    3. Water and admire your plants.<\/li>\n
    4. Fill the room with a lovely scent.<\/li>\n
    5. Take a yoga class, or give yourself one.<\/li>\n
    6. Meditate.<\/li>\n
    7. Read.<\/li>\n
    8. Listen to music.<\/li>\n
    9. Have a nice visit with someone.<\/li>\n
    10. Watch television.<\/li>\n
    11. Go swimming.<\/li>\n
    12. Breathe.<\/li>\n
    13. Give yourself enough time to do things, so you\u2019re not always rushing.<\/li>\n
    14. Laugh. This is very important. Among other things, laughter opens up the airways and pumps fresh air into your lungs. Also, it\u2019s fun.<\/li>\n
    15. Dance.<\/li>\n
    16. Jog.<\/li>\n
    17. Pet the cat, dog, or other pets.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      I bet you have many other favorite ways to relax, things you enjoy doing. The secret is to remember to do them. Helping others helps with your stress, by the way, so why not post your favorite ways to relax and give us more ideas? (If you feel like it, that is!)<\/p>\n

      References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Berzin, R. (2014, July 20). 10 Reasons Why Stress Is The Most Dangerous Toxin In Your Life. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.mindbodygreen.com\/0-14560\/10-reasons-why-stress-is-the-most-dangerous-toxin-in-your-life.html<\/li>\n
      2. Krantz, D., Thorn, B., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. (2013). How Stress Affects Your Health. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.apa.org\/helpcenter\/stress-facts.pdf<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Stress is associated with a number of physical and mental health issues, making it imperative that we find time for relaxation. Is it a priority in your life?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":526,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[31,25,27,47,239,377],"class_list":["post-25416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured-articles","tag-psychotherapy-practice","tag-psychotherapy-issues","tag-psychotherapy-models","tag-self-care","tag-stress","tag-yoga-therapy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/526"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25416\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}