Stress Management - Fight Stress: Stress Management by Conditioning Mind and Body - the Right Way

Rather, the latest research reveals that revving up your body with exercise may be the most effective antidote. In lab studies, when scientists at Princeton put animals on a six-week aerobic conditioning program, then compared their brain cells with those of a group that remained sedentary, they found that the "brains on exercise" morphed over time into a biochemically calm state that remained steady even when the subjects were under stress.

The nonexercising group's brain cells continued to react strongly to anxiety-inducing situations. This breakthrough discovery has scientists now saying that cardio workouts may actually remodel the brain to make it more resistant to stress hormones. The power of exercise to protect against stress is encouraging news for women, who are more likely than men to experience certain harmful health side effects from feeling chronically maxed out, including a higher risk of depression and autoimmune diseases. Moreover, scientists at the Connors Center have discovered that anxiety-inducing situations can actually lead to different hormonal changes in women's brains than in men's.

Yet while they're more susceptible to stress on the one hand, women also appear to have a unique, built-in ability to alter their stress response. When scientists monitored the brain activity of a group of healthy men and women looking at disturbing images, women at the beginning of their menstrual cycle showed an emotional reaction similar to men's, but a lower stress response during ovulation.

Tapping into that natural capacity, more and more research suggests, begins with regular exercise. When Pamela Epstein, a year-old account manager at a public relations firm in New York City and self-described "perfectionist," ended a six-year relationship last fall while simultaneously starting a new job, she felt her stress levels soar sky-high and stay there. Suddenly living on her own for the first time, Pamela worried about making ends meet, carving out a new social life, and keeping up at work.

She began seeing a therapist, who prescribed antianxiety meds but also insisted that Pamela start following a regular exercise regimen that would include at least an hour of cardio three times a week. In a study from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, doctors put patients who had been diagnosed as clinically depressed on an exercise regimen.

After four months of consistently working out three times a week, researchers found a significant improvement in 45 percent of people who had been previously diagnosed with major depression. Part of the long-term relief is due to the unique way exercise helps build up a resistance to stress.

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It works like this: Cardiovascular activity helps the heart pump more blood to the brain. More blood means more oxygen; more oxygen leads to better-nourished brain cells. Recently scientists discovered that a vigorous workout causes brain cells to become more active and boosts the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF. The protein's role, among other things, is to fortify brain cells to prevent them from breaking down when exposed to stress. As we age, brain cells die off. Scientists used to think that the loss was permanent, that the brain couldn't make new cells to replace the dead ones.

With higher BDNF levels, we can preserve the brain cells we have and help make new ones. To maintain the effects, you have to keep working out. Other research shows that yoga and even strength training can be beneficial in producing chemicals that protect your brain from stress. Perhaps the biggest perk for those who stick with a fitness program is that consistency is rewarded.

In Fleshner's study, animals who were put on a regular exercise program for six weeks all showed a drop in anxiety levels because of changes in the stress response, including changes in the serotonin system. She believes the results would be similar for people. Just go and go until all I can think about is right foot, left foot, right foot. I find the steady rhythm soothing.

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The instructor plays great '80s music and is super high energy. Consequently, one person's reaction to a particular workplace pressure is likely to be very different from another person's reaction to the same pressure. One person may handle a given pressure with ease and even enjoyment; whereas another person, perhaps already anxious or depressed about other matters e. In this respect, 'stress' does not refer to pressures that a person can cope with, and which to people seek and use as a driver or spur for heightened performance and achievement. So, there are clearly strong economic and financial reasons for organisations to manage and reduce stress at work, aside from the obvious humanitarian and ethical considerations.

If you are suffering from stress yourself the stress management guidelines here are just as relevant. Stress and stress management are directly related to personal well-being and specifically to workplace well-being. While these ideas can certainly be beneficial for serious levels of depression, serious depression warrants much more serious attention and remedial actions. So please bear that in mind - we are initially addressing stress before it becomes clinical depression. If you are stressed, do one or all of these things, in whatever order that takes your fancy. The key to de-stressing the moment is getting away from or removing yourself from the stressor.

In this modern world, it is difficult if not impossible to change stressful situations.

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What we can do however is change and reduce our exposure to those stressful situations. These stress reduction ideas and techniques are based on that simple principle. These tips won't change the situation causing the stress, but they will, more importantly, enable you to change your reaction and relationship to the stressful situations.

And in keeping with the tone of this stress tips section, and since colour is regarded by many as a factor in affecting mood, the calming shade of green is used for the headings. Humour also gets your brain thinking and working in a different way - it distracts you from having a stressed mindset. Distraction is a simple effective de-stressor - it takes your thoughts away from the stress, and thereby diffuses the stressful feelings. Therefore most people will feel quite different and notice a change in mindset after laughing and being distracted by something humorous.

Even if you've seen them a hundred times before.

Stop Stress for Good: Exercise to Fight Stress

As you start to smile and chuckle the stress begins to dissipate. On your way out keep saying to yourself out loud and to anyone else you see, in that daft way people say "Elvis has left the building.. You can of course use other mantras or chants, depending on what you want to do and how far you want to get away from the stress causes, for example:. Of course this is daft, but the daftness reduces the stress by removing you from the stress in mind and body. Doing something daft and physical - and reinforcing it with some daft chanting - opens up the world again.

Most of us fail to drink enough water - that's water - not tea, coffee, coke, 'sports' drinks, Red Bull or fruit juice All of your organs, including your brain, are strongly dependent on water to function properly.

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It's how we are built. If you starve your body of water you will function below your best - and you will get stressed. Offices and workplaces commonly have a very dry atmosphere due to air conditioning, etc. This is why you must keep your body properly hydrated by regularly drinking water most people need glasses of water a day. You will drink more water if you keep some on your desk at all times - it's human nature to drink it if it's there - so go get some now.

When you drink water you need to pee. This gives you a bit of a break and a bit of exercise now and then, which also reduces stress. When you pee you can see if your body is properly hydrated your pee will be clear or near clear - if it's yellow you are not taking enough water. This will also prompt some amusing discussion and chuckling with your colleagues "Nature calls - I'm off to the bog again You do not need to buy expensive mineral water. Tap water is fine. If you do not like the taste of tap water it's probably because of the chlorine aquarium fish don't like it either , however the chlorine dissipates quite naturally after a few hours - even through a plastic bottle - so keep some ordinary tap water in the fridge for hours and try it then.

If you want to be really exotic add a slice of lemon or lime. Kiwi and sharon fruit are nice too So now you are fully watered and guffawing and exercised up to the max, read on for ideas for how to prevent stress as well as reduce and manage it. It's obviously essential if you are driving while tired, but a quick sleep is a powerful de-stressor too. A lunchtime snooze is very practical for home-workers - it just requires the realisation that doing so is acceptable and beneficial when we are conditioned unfortunately to think that sleeping during the day is lazy, rather than healthy.

At some stage conventional Western industry will 'wake up' to the realisation that many people derive enormous benefit from a midday nap. Tell that to the many millions in the Mediterranean countries who thrive on a mid-day siesta.

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People in the Mediterranean and Central Americas take a siesta every working day, and this is almost certainly related to longer life expectancy and lower levels of heart disease. If your work situation is not quite ready to tolerate the concept of a daytime nap then practise a short session of self-hypnosis, combined with deep breathing, which you can do at your desk, or even in the loo.

In the summer of course you can go to the nearest park and try it alfresco that's from the Italian incidentally, al fresco, meaning in the fresh air - which is another good thing for stress reduction.

Fresh mint is wonderful, and excellent for the digestive system. Nettles are fantastic and contain natural relaxants. Orange zest is super use one of those nifty little zester gadgets. Ginger root is brilliant. Many herbs, spices, fruits and edible plants make great flavoured tea, and many herbs and spices have real therapeutic properties. Use a 'base' of green tea leaves - about half a spoonful per serving - plus the natural flavouring s of your choice, and freshly boiled water.

Be bold - use lots of leaves - experiment until you find a blend that you really enjoy. Sugar or honey bring out the taste. Best without milk, but milk is fine if you prefer it. Making the tea and preparing the ingredients take your mind off your problems, and then smelling and drinking the tea also relaxes you. There is something wonderful about natural plants and fruits which you can't buy in a packet. Use a tea-pot or cafetiere, or if you are happy with a bit of foliage in your drink actually brew it in a big mug or heatproof tumbler.

Put all this into a teapot or cafetiere and add boiling water for cups. Allow to brew for a minute or two, stir and serve. This is enough for mug-sized servings:. Alter the amounts to your own taste. The recipe also works very well without the orange and ginger, which is effectively the mint tea drink that is hugely popular in Morocco and other parts of North Africa.

Dried mint can be substituted for fresh mint. The Moroccan tradition is to use small glass tumblers, and somehow seeing the fine colour of the tea adds to the experience. Not much is known about the physiology of crying and tears, although many find that crying - weeping proper tears - has a powerful helpful effect on stress levels. Whatever the science behind crying, a good bout of sobbing and weeping does seem to release tension and stress for many people. Of course how and where you choose to submit to this most basic of emotional impulses is up to you.

The middle of the boardroom during an important presentation to a top client is probably not a great idea, but there are more private situations and you should feel free to try it from time to time if the urge takes you. It is a shame that attitudes towards crying and tears prevent many people from crying, and it's a sad reflection on our unforgiving society that some people who might benefit from a good cry feel that they shouldn't do it ever - even in complete privacy. Unfortunately most of us - especially boys - are told as children that crying is bad or shameful or childish, which of course is utter nonsense.

Arguably only the bravest cry unashamedly - the rest of us would rather suffer than appear weak, which is daft, but nevertheless real. Whatever, shedding a few tears can be a very good thing now and then, and if you've yet to discover its benefits then give it a try. You might be surprised. While not a scientific gauge and not measuring serious stress health problems, this gives some indication as to how prevalent work-related stress is.

UK HSE work-related stress statistics suggest that work-related stress affects men and women in equal numbers, and that people in the retirement age suffer more than younger people. More socially-based USA research suggests that the following American social groups are more prone to stress this therefore not limited to work-related stress: Combined with the factors affecting stress susceptibility detailed below , it's not difficult to see that virtually no-one is immune from stress.

The threat from stress is perceived so strongly in Japan that the Japanese even have a word for sudden death due to overwork, 'karoushi'. Data is sparse and confused stress statistics are also complicated by metal health reporting in the UK , but the statistics do indicate certain growth. Working days lost per annum appear to have been about 6. Greater awareness of the stress ailment in reporting no doubt accounts for some of this variance, but one thing's for sure: Stress is caused by various factors - not all of which are work-related of course, which incidentally doesn't reduce the employer's obligation to protect against the causes of stress at work.

Causes of stress - known as stressors - are in two categories: From the above, it is easy to see that work can be a source of both external and internal stressors. The working environment can generate both acute and chronic stressors, but is more likely to be a source of chronic stressors. Stress is proven beyond doubt to make people ill, and evidence is increasing as to number of ailments and diseases caused by stress.

Stress is now known to contribute to heart disease; it causes hypertension and high blood pressure, and impairs the immune system. Stress is also linked to strokes, IBS irritable bowel syndrome , ulcers, diabetes, muscle and joint pain, miscarriage during pregnancy, allergies, alopecia and even premature tooth loss.

Various US studies have demonstrated that removing stress improves specific aspects of health: The clear implication for these ailments is that stress makes them worse. Stress significantly reduces brain functions such as memory, concentration, and learning, all of which are central to effective performance at work. Some health effects caused by stress are reversible and the body and mind reverts to normal when the stress is relieved. Other health effects caused by stress are so serious that they are irreversible, and at worse are terminal.

Stress is said by some to be a good thing, for themselves or others, that it promotes excitement and positive feelings. If these are the effects then it's not stress as defined here. It's the excitement and stimulus derived by one who wants these feelings and can handle them from working hard in a controlled and manageable way towards an achievable and realistic aim, which for sure can be very exciting, but it ain't stress.

Stress is bad for people and organisations, it's a threat and a health risk, and it needs to be recognised and dealt with, not dismissed as something good, or welcomed as a badge of machismo - you might as well stick pins in your eyes. A person's susceptibility to stress can be affected by any or all of these factors, which means that everyone has a different tolerance to stressors.

And in respect of certain of these factors, stress susceptibility is not fixed, so each person's stress tolerance level changes over time:. At a clinical level, stress in individuals can be be assessed scientifically by measuring the levels of two hormones produced by the adrenal glands: Managers must therefore rely on other signs.

Some of these are not exclusively due to stress, nor are they certain proof of stress, but they are indicators to prompt investigation as to whether stress is present. You can use this list of ten key stress indicators as a simple initial stress test: How did I do? Life's short enough as it is; illness is all around us; why make matters worse? Commit to change before one day change is forced upon you. If you recognise signs of stress in a staff member, especially if you are that person's manager, don't ignore it - do something about it.

It is your duty to do so.

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If you do not feel capable of dealing with the situation, do not ignore it; you must refer it to someone who can deal with it. You must also look for signs of non-work-related stressors or factors that increase susceptibility to stress, because these will make a person more vulnerable to work-related stressors. These rules apply to yourself as well Stress relief methods are many and various. There is no single remedy that applies to every person suffering from stress, and most solutions involve a combination of remedies. Successful stress management frequently relies on reducing stress susceptibility and removing the stressors, and often factors will be both contributing to susceptibility and a direct cause.

Here are some simple pointers for reducing stress susceptibility and stress itself, for yourself or to help others:. Note also that managing stress does not cure medical problems. Relieving stress can alleviate and speed recovery from certain illnesses, particularly those caused by stress, which depending on circumstances can disappear when the stress is relieved ; i. Importantly, if the stress is causing serious health effects the sufferer must consult a doctor.

Do not imagine that things will improve by soldiering on, or hoping that the sufferer will somehow become more resilient; things can and probably will get worse. If appropriate this may involve removing the person from the situation that is causing the stress. Counselling may be necessary to identify the cause s , particularly if the sufferer has any tendency to deny or ignore the stress problem.

Acceptance, cognisance and commitment on the part of the stressed person are essential. No-one can begin to manage their stress if they are still feeling acutely stressed - they'll still be in 'fight or flight' mode. This is why a manager accused of causing stress though bullying or harassment must never be expected to resolve the problem. The situation must be handled by someone who will not perpetuate the stressful influence. Removing the stressor s or the person from the stressful situation is only part of the solution; look also at the factors which affect stress susceptibility: This particularly and frequently involves diet and exercise.

The two simplest ways to reduce stress susceptibility, and in many situations alleviate stress itself although not removing the direct causes of stress itself are available to everyone, cost nothing, and are guaranteed to produce virtually immediate improvements. They are diet and exercise. It's widely accepted that nutritional deficiency impairs the health of the body, and it's unrealistic not to expect the brain to be affected as well by poor diet. If the brain is affected, so are our thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

We know that certain vitamins and minerals are required to ensure healthy brain and neurological functionality. We know also that certain deficiencies relate directly to specific brain and nervous system weaknesses: The Vitamin B Group is particularly relevant to the brain, depression and stress susceptibility.

Vitamin B1 deficiency is associated with depression, nervous system weakness and dementia. B2 deficiency is associated with nervous system disorders and depression. B3 is essential for protein synthesis, including the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is necessary for maintaining a healthy nervous system. Vitamin B6 is essential for neurotransmitter synthesis and maintaining a healthy nervous system; B6 deficiency is associated with depression and dementia. B12 deficiency is associated with peripheral nerve degeneration, dementia, and depression.

Vitamin C is essential to protect against stress too: Vitamin C speeds healing, which contributes to reducing stress susceptibility. Vitamin C is associated with improving post-traumatic stress disorders and chronic infections. A UK 18 month study into violent and anti-social behaviour at a youth offenders institution provided remarkable evidence as to the link between diet and stress: Around inmate volunteers were divided into two groups.

Vitamin D helps maintain healthy body condition, particularly bones and speed of fracture healing, which are directly linked to stress susceptibility. Adequate intake of minerals are also essential for a healthy body and brain, and so for reducing stress susceptibility. A properly balanced diet is clearly essential, both to avoid direct physical stress causes via the brain and nervous system and to reduce stress susceptibility resulting from poor health and condition.

Toxins such as alcohol, tobacco smoke, excessive salt, steroids, other drugs and other pollutants work against the balance between minerals, vitamins mind and body. Obviously then, excessive toxins from these sources will increase stress susceptibility and stress itself.

Useful information about salt and steroids. The rule is simple and inescapable: If you are suffering from stress and not obeying this simple rule you will continue to have be stressed, and moreover you will maintain a higher susceptibility to stress. Irrespective of your tastes, it's easy these days to have a balanced healthy diet if you want to - the challenge isn't in knowing what's good and bad, it's simple a matter of commitment and personal resolve.

You have one body for the whole of your life - look after it. We have evolved from ancestors whose sleep patterns were governed by and attuned to nature. We are born with genes and bodies which reflect our successful evolutionary survival over tens of thousands of years. Our genes and bodies do not reflect the modern world's less natural way of life. Only in very recent generations have the modern heating, lighting, communications and entertainment technologies enabled and encouraged people to keep daft unnatural waking and working hours.

Such behaviour is at odds with our genetic preferences. Resisting and breaking with our genetically programmed sleep and rest patterns creates internal conflicts and stresses, just as if we were to eat unnatural foods, or breathe unnatural air. Napping during the day is also healthy. It recharges and energises, relaxes, and helps to wipe the brain of pressures and unpleasant feelings. Evidence of the relevance and reliability of this logic is found for example in the following research by Androniki Naska et al published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on 12 February , and summarised here:.

We have undertaken an analysis based on a sizable cohort with a high frequency of napping and information on potentially confounding variables including reported comorbidity, physical activity, and diet The research studied 23, adults for an average of 6. The study found the correlation strongest among working men. While the study did not measure stress per se, it is reasonable to make at least a partial connection between reduced fatality due to heart disease and reduction in stress, since the two illnesses stress and heart disease are undeniably linked.

Exercise increases blood flow to the brain which is good for us. Exercises also releases hormones, and stimulates the nervous system in ways that are good for us. Exercise produces chemicals in the body such as beta-endorphin, which is proven to have a positive effect on how we feel. For many people, serious exercise produces a kind of 'high'. It's arguable that it has this effect on everyone, but not since so many people never get to do any serious exercise they'll never know Exercise of all types muscle-building and stamina-building relaxes tense muscles and tight connective tissues in the body, which directly contribute to stress feelings and symptoms particularly headaches.

Try this next time you get a stress headache - one that comes up the back of your neck into the back of your head: You can actually feel your shoulders warming and loosening, then feel your neck muscles warming up and relaxing, and then feel the relaxing feel beginning to take the edge of the pain in the back of your head.

And that's after just sixty seconds of exercise!