Health and Well-being
A balanced approach to health will help you look better, feel better and enjoy improved function in your everyday life. The tightly scheduled business traveler may use work time efficiently but not include time for relaxation or pleasant, nutritious meals. He or she may feel in control about work but deprived and out of step with the enjoyable aspects of a balanced life. Developing strategies and taking positive actions in all areas of health give you the balance that helps enhance and maintain health and wellness.
| Potential Stressful Events |
Pat's response (stressed) |
Chris's response (relaxed) |
7:15 a.m.
Alarm clock didn't go off. Overslept and got up late for work. |
Thoughts:
This is going to ruin my whole day. I have meeting with my boss and I'll never make it on time.
Actions:
Rushed around. Left without eating breakfast. |
Thoughts:
I can call my boss and say I'll mbe a little late.
Actions:
Called boss. Got dressed quickly and ate a light breakfast. |
8.10 a.m.
Traffic jam - a car is broken down in the passing lane. |
Thoughts:
Why didn't that jerk move to the side of the road? Now I'll be really late.
Actions:
Wove in and out of traffic. Swore a lot. |
Thoughts:
I can't do anything about this. I'm not going to let it aggravate me.
Actions:
Turned on the radio. Drove slowl until got past the back-up. |
Whether your body reacts with the physical stress response or not depends on how you view the events in your life - not necessarily the events themselves - and how much "stress" you are already dealing with. Consider how these two people responded to the same situation.
Benefits of Positive Stress
Change is a process, not an event. it is a journey - you start in one place and move to another through a series of steps and stages. In any journey, it's important to know where you want to go. Then you can take the actions that will get you there. Decisions about timing and pace are yours to make.
The items below indicate when you enjoy the benefits of positive stress in your life.
- when meeting deadlines at work
- when participating in athletic competitions
- when working as part of a team
- when playing as part of a team
- when involved in interesting activities
- when involved in fun activities
- when doing things for the people I love
- when doings things I love
- when involved in physicallly challenging activities (sailing, skiing, mountain climbimg)
- when involved in mentally challenging activities (solving problems, mastering new ideas)
- when involved in creative activities (drawing, painting, writing, playing or composing music)
- when feeling in control
- when invloved in activities that contribute to feeling physically fit
- when doing your personal best
Strategies for Managing Stress Effectively
Most likely, you already do many simple things to manage stress everyday - take a quiet walk, phone a friend, work out with a punching bag, get a massage, listen to music, or write your troubles away. These are great strategies for "blunting" the impact of a hard day or for feeling a sense of renewal. But if you want to develop ongoing stress-management strategies, you will need to take more focused actions.
Attention to breathing is one of the most common methods for focusing the mind. In particular, diaphragmatic breathing can help you elicit the relaxation response. Even though you breathe in air about 20,000 tillles a day, you may often use your chest wall muscles rather than your diaphragm muscles to take in air. Chest breathillg is shallow and mainly draws air into the upper and middle sections of the lungs. because most oxygen exchange takes place in the lower portions of the lungs, chest breathing makes you work harder to get the oxygen you need. Deep inhalation can create a diversion fronl the intensity of a stressful situation. Breath retention raises carbon dioxide levels and promotes mild lethargy, while slow exhalation reduces tension in the body. This technique can be used alOlle or at the beginning of any relaxation technique.
Diaphragmatic breathing is easy to learn and is very efficient at bringillg in all the oxygen you need. Follow the simple steps below to try it out:
- Assume a comfortable position. Relax and close your eyes. Keep your back straight, your chin slightly in, and your shoulders back but loose.
- Place your hands around the sides of your lower ribs and let your fingertips point toward your belly.
- Slowly inhale through your nose. As you breathe in, your fillgertips should feel the lower ribs lllove out to the side. The upper part of the chest will push out shortly after.
- Breathe out slowly through your mouth. Each time you exhale, allow some tension to leave your body and relaxation to enter.
Whell you focus attelltion on your breathing, a natul-al
breathillg process emerges. Diaphragmatic breathing requires
less energy expenditure and will cause the body to retunl
to its natural breathing rate. Efficient breathing ensures
that you will have all the energy you need. Generally, respiratory
rate and depth of breath will decrease-as will the rate of
other bodily functions. Slow, deep breathing can help you
feel more relaxed and less stressed.
With practice, this can beconle your normal breathing pattern.
For best results, practise this for 5-10 minutes, 1-2 times
per day. You can use it to reduce anxious feelings during
stressful situations or to elicit the relaxation response.
Deep Muscle Relaxation
This technique involves tensing specific muscle groups
and then relaxing them. For each muscle group, a method is
described that creates first tension, then relaxation. This
technique is sometimes called progressive muscle relaxation.
The key is to learn the difference between the tensed and
relaxed state of the muscles - awarenessof this difference
is critical. This technique can also be used to elicit the
relaxation response.
Assume the position for relaxation (eyes closed, sitting in
a chair or lying on the floor, keeping a passive attitude).
Go through the instructions that follow for each muscle group.
If you'd like to use the exercise yourself, either tape your
voice reading the instructions or ask someone to lead you
through them until you can remember each step. Remember to
give yourself each instruction twice. Hold each movement for
five seconds.
| Muscle |
Method |
| Forehead |
Wrinkle your forehead. Raise your eyebrows toward your hairline for five seconds. Relax. |
| Eyes & nose |
Close your eyes as tightly as possible for five seconds. Relax. |
| Lips, cheeks & jaw |
Draw the corners of your mouth back and grimace for five seconds. Relax. Feel the warmth and calmness of your face. |
| Hands |
Extend your arms in front of you. Clench your fists tightly for five seconds. Relax. Feel the warmth and calmness in your hands. |
| Forearms |
Extend your arms out against an invisible wall and push forward with your hands for five seconds. Relax. |
| Upper arms |
Bend your elbows. Tense your biceps for five seconds. Relax. Feel the tension leave your body. |
| Shoulders |
Lift your shoulders up to your ears for five seconds. Relax. |
| Back |
Arch your back off the floor for five seconds. Relax. Feel the anxiety and tension disappearing. |
| Stomach |
Tighten your stomach muscles for five seconds. Relax. |
| Hips & buttocks |
Tighten your hip and buttock muscles for five seconds. Relax. |
| Thighs |
Tighten your thigh muscles by pressing your legs together as tightly as you can for five seconds. Relax. |
| Feet |
Bend your ankles up toward your body as far as you can for five seconds. Relax. |
| Toes |
Curl your toes under as tightly as you can for five seconds. Relax. |
Helpful Stress - Management Strategies
Outlook skills
- I recognize what I can change and what I can't change.
- When I make mistakes, I remind myself that no one is perfect and then look at what I can learn so I don't do it again.
- When I need to, I step away from a problem for a while to clear my head.
- I replace my negative self-talk or thoughts with more positive and realistic ones.
- I look for the positives in difficult situations.
- I look for and see the humour in difficult situations.
- I accept my own and others' limits.
Time - Management skills
- When I'm feeling overwhelmed, I take things one step at a time.
- When I have too much to do, I set priorities and a realistic schedule.
- I plan carefully and set goals to determine how to best use my time.
- When I find myself procrastinating, I ask myself questions to determine what may be stopping me (Is the task still a priority? Do I have enough information to move forward?).
Personal - Care skills
- I exercise regularly to stay fit and reduce my tension (aerobics, tai chi, yoga, etc.).
- I try to get enough sleep so I have the energy I need for my day.
- To keep up my energy level, I try to eat regularly during hectic times.
- I meditate or use deep-breathing techniques to relax.
- I treat myself well by including things and people I enjoy in my weekly activities.
- I balance my work and leisure time.
- I use alcohol only in moderation when I am feeling stressed.
- I take frequent time-outs when I am feeling overwhelmed.
Relationship skills
- When I have a problem, I talk it over with a friend or relative.
- I openly tell people my feelings instead of bottling them up inside or exploding later.
- I stand up for myself when there's something I don't like.
- When I don't want to do something, I say no and set limits.
- When I'm not sure how to handle a problem, I ask someone for help.
- I ask for and show caring and affection.
, a pounding heart or a dry mouth. What causes these stress reactions? It depends. It could be a traffic jam that makes you late for work, amisunderstanding with a close friend or spouse, a death in the family, or fear of failure at work. But all these events are not necessarily stressful. They are potential stressors - situations, thoughts or feelings that can trigger the stress response. This stress response is your body's physical reaction to events that you interpret as threatening or challenging.