Advice

Stress is a Double Edged Sword

Date: January 7, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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One standard medical text estimates that 50 – 80% of all diseases have their origins in stress. Stress has both negative and positive effects on the body. It is positive when physical activity strengthens the heart and muscles. Exercise is a form of stress that produces positive physical and psychological results. The negative effects of stress are evident in diseases that originate from poor diets, lack of exercise, pollution and increased amounts of social stress. Emotional stress is more likely to cause disease than physical stress.

Disease is a long term effect of stress. Short term effects include elevated blood pressure, accelerated heart rate and loss of appetite. Stress can also alter a person’s brain wave activity, endocrine and immunological balances. Stress can cause sweaty palms (among other types of perspiration), dilated pupils, and difficulty in swallowing, which is often characterized as a ‘lump in the throat’. A person under stress may feel a tightness in the chest, and when the stress is relieved, the person says it is like ‘getting a load off the chest’. The stomach is also in danger from stress. Acid is pumped into the stomach during extreme stressful situations, creating an ideal environment for an ulcer to form. Many skin diseases result from emotional stress as well. The prolonged exposure to stress can also lower the body’s resistance to infection.

Stress has a tremendously negative effect on our ability to fight illness and disease because it suppresses our immune system’s capacity to produce and maintain lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.

There are two factors responsible for illness or disease: an invading foreign substance and a lowered resistance. Stress can alter and may even shut down the immune response. This lowers our resistance and leaves us susceptible to attack from everything from the common cold virus to cancer cells. One cancer theory is that everyone at some point in his or her life develops a cancer. The difference between those who are afflicted and those who aren’t is their immune system response, which is controlled by stress. Cancer victims are the ones whose natural killer cells were weakened or made inactive by stress and therefore could not control the damaging cells.

The body responds to stress in three stages. Stage one is called the alarm stage. In this stage the body prepares to fight or flee when confronted by a stressor. Hormones are released from the endocrine glands and cause an increase in heartbeat and respiration, elevation in blood sugar level, increase in perspiration, dilated pupils and slowed digestion. At this point the body has a burst of energy that can be used to either fight or flee the stressor. It is during this stage that the resistance of the body is reduced.

Stage two is called the resistance stage and is used to repair any damage caused by the stress. Resistance can occur only if the stressor is not too powerful. Body adaptation develops to fight back the stress or possibly avoid it.

If the stressor remains consistent, the body is thrown into stage three, the exhaustion stage. Stage one symptoms reappear at this point. This is the most dangerous stage because disease can develop if the stress persists. If the stressor does not let up, the person may experience migraine headaches, heart irregularities or even mental illness. The body can even run out of energy and may even shut down its basic functions.

This three stage process is called the General Adaptation Syndrome. The resistance stage is dangerous in that we adapt to the stressor. In other words, we become adjusted to a higher level of stress without noticing it. We feel good, unaware that our body is still in a state of stress resistance.

Our body works overtime during this stage to keep us healthy, but at the same time it loses its ability to keep up with the demand the stress puts upon it. The General Adaptation Syndrome is thought to be the reason stress is becoming such an abundant source of health problems. Today’s society is becoming more complex, offering increased demands and new challenges we must constantly face at a faster and more intense pace. By changing the way our body normally functions, these stress challenges disrupt the natural balance crucial for well-being. Stress can virtually eliminate our chances for extending and improving life. It does so by breaking down resistance and increasing the odds that all our bodily functions will eventually give out and fail us.

To understand what physiological processors take place during stress, we must look at the brain. When stress occurs, the nerve impulses reach the brain and stimulate the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus does two things. First, it sends nerve impulses to the adrenal glands located on top of our kidneys, and second, it sends a chemical message to the pituitary gland located at the base of the brain.

Stimulation of these glands is what prepares the body for the fight or flight response mentioned earlier. This process causes three more reactions: a surge of adrenaline, a discharge of cortisol and a release of endorphin. Adrenaline causes the heart rate to quicken, which increases blood pressure and blood flow. This brings extra oxygen – nature’s purest fuel – to every cell in the body. Adrenaline also increases glucose or blood sugar necessary for extra energy needed during stressful encounters.

Cortisol causes an increase in blood amino acids as well as an increase in blood sugar. Protein is made up of amino acids, and because stress leads to tissue damage, proper recovery depends on cortisol being released by the adrenal gland.

Endorphin is released by the brain in any stress situation. It is several hundred times more potent than morphine and works as a natural tranquilizer. Exercise causes endorphins to be released, and therefore a regular exercise program will heighten one’s ability to combat normal daily stressors. People who do not exercise are more susceptible to the negative effects of stress reactions.

Good versus Bad Stress: The Difference can Help or Hurt You

Although the stress response is basically the same in all of us, the degree to which it affects us depends on how we handle stress as individuals. Stress can be either good or bad depending on how we perceive it. We can become more stress tolerant by changing our attitudes and conditioning ourselves to look at it in a new way. We need to change our response to stress from negative and harmful to positive and beneficial – to view it as something constructive rather than destructive.

To achieve this shift in attitude we must be highly internally motivated. The internally motivated person feels that he or she is in control of events that occur – that they are masters of their own fate. We commonly refer to these people as self made individuals, who, in spite of the odds against them, pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps.

On the other end of the spectrum is the external person, who feels that ‘no matter how hard I try, the deck is stacked against me’. In general, good stress results from situations we can control and bad stress results from situations we have no control over. This internal/external view of life determines whether an individual feels control over stressors. External people are stress prone because they feel powerless to control or influence the events around them.

Stress Prone Personalities

A more common identification of internal/external personalities is Type A and Type B people. A type A personality is someone who is hard driving, excitable, volatile, and success and career oriented. These people rush from appointment to appointment. They’re continually bombarded with short term stress and create dangerous health situations because they allow no time for relaxation. They are the prime candidates for a heart attack.

Type B personalities are just the opposite. They’re relaxed and unhurried, patient, non competitive, non aggressive, and are not under severe time constraints. But being at this end of the spectrum is not necessary healthy either. Selye theorized that some people suffer from too little stress – something he called hypostress. These people actually need more external stimuli and more activity into their lives. They become addicted to drugs or alcohol due to a lack of motivation and the stabilizing effect of constructive goals. This does not mean that all type B personalities are unmotivated or spend all of their time meditating. It’s just a factor that must be considered when weighing the pros and cons in each type of personality.

It’s possible for type A people to modify their behavior by changing their outlook on stress and breaking some of the long term stress habits they’ve acquired over the years. Certain exercises, called Type B Behavior Exercises, can help a type A person achieve a new approach to stress. These exercises include: putting down your knife and fork between bites at meal time, forcing yourself to do more recreational activities, spending the entire day without your watch, and turning your frowns into smiles even when it hurts. The idea is that once people recognize themselves as type A, they can then modify their behavior.

Utilize, Eliminate & Transform Your Stress

Date: January 7, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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In these days, up to 40% young people to 80% workers report stress. Where does the stress come from? One time, a friend of mine complained of feeling stressed. Then he pointed out how loud his girls were speaking. To me, that was perfectly normal. Stress can come from external world as well as our own beliefs, standards, perceptions and health.
Stress can also be a good motivator, and let us fly to the moon. This mechanism helps some people recover from severe injuries since stress can increase blood flow to 300% to 400% in the brain, lungs and muscles. It takes skills to keep a good balance, not to get over strained, nor age fast.
Stress costs U.S. corporations $300 billion annually in medical costs, turnover and absenteeism (American Institute of Stress 2006), and makes 52% companies struggle to retain their top employees (Watson Wyatt 2007). In addition, stress can disable our clear thinking, the key to solutions and productivity.
Stress relievers at work, such as plan for the unexpected and yoga in the conference room, and stress-relieving workouts, like biking and brisk walking, are important. It would be better if we can increase personal control, and look into the underlying problems while having a personal relaxation hierarchy to relax efficiently from airline delay to Second War World II.
There was an article about stress management for a disabled lady who lived on second floor and had a hard time to get out. While she could benefit from many relaxation exercises, her deep problem remains — isolation, physical and psychological, which made her more vulnerable to stress. Stress is the most severe when an individual has high demand and little control, proven by research. What she needs most is an easy access for her wheel chair, so she would have more control and enjoy more outdoor activities. Volunteering for charity can help her further.
Having a good insights of self and others can not only eliminate the stress created by our own, but also save a lot of future stress. A high school principal in New York disciplined one student who was then sent to prison. After he got out of jail, the student went back to school to revenge the principal. The principal answered the student’s hot button push, unfortunately, lost his control and put his career in jeopardy.
Sometimes, an “unconventional” solution just works better. A huge family “mess” stressed out an attorney. One big issue was that his sister sued them. His parents favored him over his sister, and gave him nearly 90% of the inheritance. The sister filed one lawsuit after another to fight for her share. No family fund had been set up, which could spare usually 20-45% of parents’ assets when they died. If they could give her part of the estate tax, the sister would be happy to drop all the lawsuits. The legal solution is the simplest way here to alleviate their stress, and make it easier to look into the underlying problem. The attorney was speechless.
An extra piece of knowledge can be the most powerful stress switcher. A poor man ran into an abusive officer who loved to gain her pleasure “legally” out of his misery because his social class and gifts were “superior to hers.” He had tried several ways and failed. At the end, he lost his sleep and appetite once he knew her coming. The poor man was pleased with his finding after I raised the question of “territory” and quickly moved out of her “jurisdiction.”
To eliminate stress may be hard but possible. One physician suffered a sever head injury that every expert predicted 100% and permanent disability. Cognitive ability to an MD is like running ability to a Marathon athlete — life or death. None of the stress relievers, from deep breathing, to painting, to horseback riding, to massage … could spare the pain or stress permanently, but bought her the time and mind to try everything that we could possibly find. At the end, the doctor fully recovered, and did excellent in her practice. For someone who would rather die than be disabled,to recover fully is the only solution. Her will and personal relaxation hierarchy helped to find her the tools to eliminate her deep stress.
We can also “artificially” eliminate the stress. A CEO suffered newly onset insomnia due to her business. Neither her personal relaxation methods nor sleeping pills could work — it was the feeling of insecure stressed her most. Sleep is very important to productivity, wellness and beauty. However, she would not have the “real” sense of security until her business thrived. She chose self-hypnosis over several ways and placed her faith as “the sense of security” directly into her unconscious. From the day of the installation, she could sleep like a log at night. Her business has grown bigger and bigger.
Stress can also be transformed. Here is my favorite case. A physician could not overcome severe depression two years after he lost his wife. Dr. Viktor E. Frankl, the author of Man’s Search for Meaning, asked the doctor what would have happened if he had died first, and his wife had had to survive him. The doctor said that would be terrible to her to suffer. After Dr. Frankl told the patient that it was his suffering that had spared his wife’s, the patient said nothing but shook Dr. Frankl’s hand and left calmly. Nobody could revive the patient’s wife, but the meaning that Dr. Frankl had found transformed the stress into something worth bearing. Bad things can happen to good people. The stress can be a door opener if we can find its good meaning.
The above are sample cases used at The Prince Synergy. You can tell that stress can come from external worlds as well as our own mind, health and our relations with external and internal world. We can utilize stress, prevent stress, relax well from stress, and ultimately handle stress efficiently at different stages. We don’t have to let stress govern our life. Furthermore, we can reduce medical costs, turnover and absenteeism, yet enjoy better work/life balance, look and feel young.

Symptoms of Stress – Warning Signs of Stress

Date: January 6, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Stress Introduction

Stress is something that has become synonymous with our everyday life. Though everybody has problems, tragedies, challenges, and frustrations, being stressed for long time, and habitually can drain you out physically, as well as mentally. A stressed mind requires you to make certain adjustments in your attitude, your priorities, your life style, your habits and the way you respond to certain situations. However, when you fail to do so, for one or more occasion, you are stressed. Gradually, it becomes a part of your life and as medical practitioners say, stress is a disease that becomes chronic over a period of time.

Stress adds misery to your life, making you pessimist and negative in perception, and reacting negatively to different situations. The specific signs and symptoms of stress may vary from person to person; however, all symptoms are harmful for your health. It also affects your emotional well-being, and your relationships with others. Generally you can see and tell whether a person had been leading a happy and healthy life style or has been leading a stressful life. There are some common symptoms that are seen in most of the people who are under stress. Symptoms of Stress

The symptoms of stress are seen in one’s body language, physical health, behavior and habits, and one’s mindset as to how one responds in certain situations. One category of symptoms is related to one’s intellectual self. The patient may experience memory loss, inability to make decisions, not able to concentrate, and the person is always in confused state of mind. You lose your power of judgment and are not objective in your approach to life.

Stress can lead to emotional drain of a person. Since you might have lost your judgment and ability of objective analysis of situations, you tend to be emotional. An emotionally stressed person becomes moody and hypersensitive to situations. Depression overpowers you and you are often angry. You lack confidence and are always looking for sympathy from near and dear ones. Since people with high level of emotional stress are moody, you may tend to laugh or cry in such situations where it is not required at all.

Apart from the mental effects, stress also weakens you physically. A person who is stressed and remains tense is not physically healthy. One of the most common symptoms of stress is frequent headache. You may have improper digestive system and a weak immunity. Your body loses strength to fight diseases and you can not sleep properly. Over a period of time, your body loses energy and you are easily fatigued. You may lose weight, or you gain weight astonishingly quickly, even without any change in your diet. Many a times, it develops into some serious disease such as chest pain, breathlessness and irregular heartbeat as well. You blood pressure will rise to above normal will stagnate there, almost permanently. This may lead to life threatening situations.

Stress leads to anxiety disorders and behavioral problems. You may suddenly notice yourself eating too less or eating too much. Same with you sleeping disorder; either sleeping too much, or not sleeping at all. Such patients like to remain isolated, and they overreact to emotional and confrontational situations. You may get used to alcohol or using drugs, thus further affecting your health. You get short-tempered. The situation where you are not comfortable or when you are nervous, nail biting and jaw grinding becomes a habit.

There can be some external factors that contribute to stress. If you notice a few of these symptoms of stress, consult a good doctor and communicate your behavioral changes. It is the job of your physician to identify the core reason of your stress and to guide you out of the situation. Why Symptoms of Stress Vary

Different people respond to same situations in different ways. Even if many people feel stressed because of same situation, the effects on them may vary – physically, mentally, and psychologically. For example, one can feel frustrated because one is not able to convince the colleague or spouse, and is stressed. The other may avoid conflict and still can be stressed. You can be stressed because of your relationships, some issue at your workplace, your neighbor, some social issues that you can not avoid, financial problem, handicap or a prolonged ailment. Stress symptoms vary because of one’s education, upbringing, and the kind of social support system that one gets.

When you tend to avoid conflict because of stress, you develop withdrawal symptoms. You dislike social gatherings, parties, functions and meetings for the fear of conflict. However avoiding the situation further aggravates the problem. People around you should make an effort and support you to come out of this shell. First of all, it is important to understand that this is a medical problem. Next, one should try to understand the reasons that cause stress and then figure out options to overcome that.

Detecting Stress

Date: January 5, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Are you suffering from stress? Have you been lately feeling low about anything that’s happening in your life? Is stress the main reason behind all the negativity you suffer from?

A lot of people suffer from stress these days. However, only few of these people actually come to know that they are stressed out.

There are a lot of things you can do to remove stress in your life. However, to make certain efforts and getting relief from the stress you are suffering from, you need to know that you have been attacked by stress.

Here are some symptoms that would indicate that you are stressed out.

a) Memory problems

This is one of the major problems suffered by people who are stressed out.

b) Indecisiveness

Most of us are indecisive at one point in our lives. However, if this becomes a regular affair then take it seriously. There is something wrong. This is one of a strong indication that you are undergoing a lot of stress.

c) Inability to concentrate

When suffering from stress, you are generally not able to focus. It becomes almost impossible to concentrate on one thing.

d) Trouble thinking

One is unable to think clearly when stressed out.

e) Poor judgment

Most often, we are not able to judge properly. Most of our judgment goes wrong. This is due to the stress we face in our life.

f) Negative approach

Experiencing a lot of stress can put negative impact in our lives. You tend to take every single thing in a negative manner.

g) Anxiety

When under stress, you tend to show a lot of anxiety. You may also suffer from racing thoughts of either past or what’s going to happen in future.

h) Constant worry

Stress makes an individual worry constantly about different things in life.

i) Loss of objectivity

This is another strong sign of stress. One tends to feel that he or she does not have any object in life.

j) Fearful anticipation

Nothing seems to go right when one under goes stress. Stress makes one feel that something wrong has happened or something wrong is going to happen. Thereafter one tends to think about the bad consequences.

k) Short temper

Stress can affect one’s temperament. One tends to get very short tempered. So, if you feel that you have become unusually short tempered or tend to lose temper easily, you need to do something about it. You are suffering from a lot of stress.

l) Depression or general unhappiness

When under stress, one tends to feel depressed or get unhappy without any reason.

m) A sense of loneliness

One may feel lonely, is unable to retain a relationship or make friends. This is due to the stress one is facing.

n) Unable to sleep

A lot of stress makes it difficult for an individual to enjoy sound sleep.

Other major symptoms of stress include the following:

• Feeling overwhelmed

• Chest pain; Rapid heart beat

• Skin breakouts

• Loss of sex drive

• Frequent cold

• Nervous habits; Overreacting to unexpected trouble

• Picking fights with others without a good reason.

• Teeth grinding

Remember that in order to remove stress from your life, you need to recognize stress.

Stress Management: is Necessity the Mother of Good Inventions, Bad Inventions, or Whatever Getsyou Through the Night

Date: January 3, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Stress Management: Is Necessity The Mother of Good Inventions, Bad Inventions Or Whatever Gets You Through The Night 

 

 “Stress” and “stress management” are terms that roll off our tongues as if understanding them is second nature to us all.  To make sure we are all on the same page let’s start with a working definition of stress courtesy of Dictionary.com.

 

1)An applied force or system of forces that tend to strain or deform the body, 2) The resisting force set up in a body as a result of an extremely applied force and 3) A physical or psychological stimulus that can produce mental tension or physiological reactions that may lead to illness. 

 

If  you can’t relate to the language used in these definitions just pay attention to the fact that all three definitions speak define stress in negative terms.   This is as far from the truth as me telling you that coins have one side to them.  Stress exists along a continuum.   There is for each individual and each activity an optimum level of stress that enhances performance and stimulates growth producing adaptations.  One person pushed to perform in school may respond with excellent test scores.  Another may either become anxious and have difficulties concentrating,  go blank or even worse get so anxious as to not to show up for the test.   Due to the interplay of genetics, learning, and accidents of fate different people may respond very differently to levels of stress applied in different situations. 

 

For instance, Tiger Woods is more likely than most professional golfers to perform at his best when internal and expectations rise during the major golf championships.  He is now playing for his ranking in golf’s pantheon of immortals.  Many of his peers will be his equal for 1, 2, or maybe 3 rounds only to lose their cool on Sundays during the final rounds of major tournaments with victory on the line.  If they are playing in The Hartford Open instead of The Masters many will manage the stress of the moment very differently.  Others depending on their longevity on The PGA Tour might have identical degrees of difficulty no matter what the prestige level of the tournament.  How Tiger Woods was trained by his father to compete under pressure has been widely publicized.  Was he blessed with extraordinary athletic gifts?  This is probably a safe bet.  Clearly, his competitive fires burn at just the right temperature.  If  Tiger and his peers get themselves worked up into a frenzy like football players getting ready to wage their proverbial Sunday wars, their fine motor skills that translate muscle memory to well executed shots might very well abandon them.  They would not have the violent outlets to modulate and control their states of heightened readiness.  Football players and golfers have different levels of optimum stress to ready themselves to perform at their bests.      

 

 

Optimum levels of stress promote optimum performance.  To illustrate this accepted notion let’s take for example, aerobic exercise. This stressor to our systems is known to be a mood elevator, and an anxiety reducing activity.  Whether your activity of choice is swimming, cycling running, dance or time on the step master in the gym, there are countless health benefits of a sensible exercise regimen.  Your heart and lungs, bones and muscles will grow stronger if the stress to your body is such that during intervals of rest and repair, the organ systems responsible for physical performance grow stronger.  This will translate to being able to perform more work at lower levels of exertion.   Other benefits include being more resistant to muscular skeletal injuries.  Studies have indicated that people who exercise regularly have healthier immune systems that are more resistant to illness, and a healthier cholesterol profile that points to a lesser likelihood of a premature build up of plaque in their arteries.  Exercisers tend to lose excess weight as exercise burns calories during exercise and at a higher than normal rate for hours after the exercise has stopped.  The rise in the blood sugar is also an appetite depressant.  I’m not just air brushing the warts on this profile of stress, I am emphasizing that optimum levels of stress are catalysts for growth and development.  The complete absence of stress would severely curtail our abilities to succeed.  We would not evolve and actualize our potential as people as quickly as we do if we would do so at all.  Necessity is the mother of invention. 

 

Too little stress on our bodies during exercise will not stimulate growth in our capacities to perform work.  To much stress may produce a host of negative consequences to our health and well being that are every bit as worrisome as the aforementioned benefits were wondrously encouraging. Too much exercise combined with and/or too little rest may strain our bodies and or minds setting off a cascading deterioration of mind/body level of functioning.  I have been around enough runners in my time to have learned first hand that this activity not unlike a pack of cigarettes should come with the warning: “Running may be hazardous to your health.”  If we are tired or sick and have become too dependent on the release of endorphins from the pleasure center of your brains to feel good,  you may continue this activity long beyond the point of diminishing returns and become deaf to your bodies screaming to you that you need to rest. 

 

Over use syndromes can lead to a host of muscular skeletal injuries, and fatigue syndromes that leave people feeling like they have the flu.  A immune system compromised by physical exhaustion may lead to symptoms of depression which may in turn further compromise the immune system and leave the door open to a host of physical maladies.  To feel compelled to exercise to discharge stress from our bodies and experience “the runners high” may leave runners anxious and over time depressed.  When we feel out of control of ourselves the potential to lose our cool and engage in mindless and impulsive actions is a strong human tendency.   Furthermore, in addition to the potentially shame producing, self esteem eroding reactions to losing control of ourselves, we may begin over time to feel hopeless and helpless to steer ourselves as we see fit unless, we can consciously connect with and exercise authority over these impulses, feelings and beliefs.  Teaching people how to regain control of themselves is what psychotherapists like myself do.  

 

Negative stress is compounded by an over reliance or unhealthy dependence on unhealthy stress management strategies; activities that may cause us to ignore our needs to address stressful problems in our lives.  We call such unhealthy dependencies addictive relationships.   If a loved one is pressuring us with expectations that feel overwhelming or are simply expectations we do not wish to meet we may choose to address the matter directly or we may seek to escape our dilemma and go for a long run or bike ride hoping to feel significantly different about the problem.  We may “feel better” temporarily discharging tension in our bodies however, we will not have moved any closer toward the resolution of our problem.  In fact, the more we run away from any problems the bigger the albatrosses they become around our necks.   Look what happens to those of us who do everything they can to rationalize staying away from the dentist’s office.  That intermittent tooth pain we wish to minimize may actually disappear for awhile and at some point resurface only to express itself one morning as a raging infection that blows one side of our face up to the size of a grapefruit.  The more we minimize and deny the existence of the necessity to cope with rather than to pursue temporary band aids on problems, the less capable we feel to cope with the problem and the more stressful the problem becomes.  This is both due to allowing a small problem to become a larger problem due to neglect, and also because like muscles that go unused and are permitted to atrophy; stress management strategies that we don’t use we lose. 

 

Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It simply changes form.  This concept of energy conservation elegantly explains why energies trapped in our bodies lead to illness.  If we are able to think about emotional energies that may get trapped in our systems and make us sick then, we can channel these energies creatively and/or harmlessly discharge them like environmentally friendly steam by talking them out.  “Go ahead and let some steam off responsibly”  is far more desirable than holding it in so that you get a back ache or a stomach ache.  The logic that explains why some people’s vulnerabilities to stress leave them anxious, depressed, substance dependent or headache sufferers is a complex and sometimes impossible mystery to unravel.   We have learned nonetheless, that if the stress is discharged in constructive ways the symptoms will lessen if not disappear.  

 

We know that energy dynamics is the physical principle that governs these processes.  Whether or not an environmental pollutant stresses a body to the point that the inhabitant develops a form of cancer is determined by many factors some of which have to do with their willingness and ability to manage the impact of such a stress on their systems.  If such a person is overweight, depressed, and sedentary he may be more vulnerable to an environmental toxin however, we don’t know for sure why he will or will not develop a life threatening disease.  We do know however, that how he manages or defends against the environmental toxin and other environmental stresses will have an impact on the body’s vulnerabilities to disease producing processes.

 

If you take yourself seriously then, you will take stress in your life very seriously as the levels of stress in your life and how you manage them will go a long way to determine your health and welfare.  Stress management strategies complement each other.  After reading this article you may consider managing stress on your own and/or in combination with professionals like myself to modulate your levels of stress and learn to discharge stress in healthy ways so to keep your mind and body in balance and to have the energy available to achieve meaningful results in your lives. 

 

Is Everyday Stress Making You Underperform?

Date: January 3, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
Comments: Leave a reply

Every day seems the same.You never seem to have enough time to relax and take time for yourself. If it’s not the kids and their hectic schedules, it’s the pressures of work. Are you constantly striving to balance your domestic responsibilities with the high demands of the work place?Sometimes you are irritable and restless thinking about those unpaid bills, the kids needs, your partner’s needs, and the demands of your boss.

If your answer is yes, you have something in common with nearly half of all Americans today–stress.

What is Stress?

Stress is a combination of psychological, physiological, and behavioral reactions that we experience in response to events that seem to threaten or challenge us. As defined by the famous stress researcher Hans Selye, “Stress is the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it.” These demands may be physical or emotional in nature and the perceived threat/challenge can be real or imagined. However, it is the perception of threat that triggers the response.

During a stress response, the body experiences increased levels of cortisol, adrenalin and other hormones that produce an increased heart rate, quickened breathing rate, and higher blood pressure. Blood is shunted from the extremities to the large muscles, preparing the body to fight or flee. This is also known as the fight-or-flight response.

The stress-response system is self-regulating. It decreases hormone levels and enables your body to return to normal once a crisis has passed. However, due to our hectic lifestyles, many of the stressful circumstances tend to be prolonged. As a result, you may be on the fight-or-flight reaction longer than is necessary. During this time, you may often end up feeling overwhelmed, tense, and frustrated. What is good for your body during a short-term crisis could be quite harmful over long periods. This long-term activation of the stress-response system can disrupt most of your body’s processes, and may lead to other long-term complications.

What Causes Stress ?Leading Causes/Sources of Stress:

 

Stress may be linked to external factors such as:

 

Stress can also be a result your own:

 

How does one recognize stress?

It’s not always easy to recognize stress, especially when you are experiencing the symptoms of stress as part of your daily life. Reportedly, women and men exhibit stress differently. While women confess feelings of nervousness, lack of energy, or wanting to cry, men talk about trouble sleeping, or feeling irritable and angry.

The most common symptoms of stress are:Emotional: Worry, anger, irritability, anxiety, frustration, and impatiencePhysical: Fatigue, headache, back pain, jaw pain, trembling, cold hands and feet, and muscular stiffness.Digestive: Heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, and fullness.Vital sign: Rise in blood pressure; rapid heartbeat.Mental: Confusion, inability to concentrate, indecisiveness, nervousness, occasional sleep problems, and blankness.

How can stress affect you?Stress affects performance of daily duties and responsibilities, resulting in negative lifestyle changes including relationship challenges, career dissatisfaction, deteriorating health, complacency, and substance abuse. It not only steals vitality, health, and energy, but also undermines our ability to perform at our best.If the cause of your stress is temporary, the physical and psychological effects of stress are usually short-term as well. Normally, our bodies rest when stressful events cease and life gets back to normal. However, stress becomes dangerous when it interferes with the ability to live a normal life for an extended period of time.Recent studies suggest that stress and anxiety contribute to a majority of illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, dyslipidemia, obesity, lung ailments, allergies, sexual problems, cancer, and psychological disorders.In some cases, stress may result in short term memory loss, poor mental ability, lack of focus, poor concentration, poor judgment, difficulty making decisions, and depression.

Further, stress has been reported to affect the vitality and reproductive systems in both males and females, and is linked to some of the leading causes of death.

Stress Management:

Meditation,

Yoga,

Natural Supplements.

Though hundreds of natural products claim safety, I personally feel,we need to bother about efficacy first and safety next. I came across very few clincally tested natural products which are available over the counter/online in United states.Please go for that, they work.

Drugs:

 

            

 

Simple Ways to Reduce Your Stress and be Happy

Date: January 2, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Stress can be a good thing. Do I have your attention? Does that statement sound contrary to everything you have ever heard about stress? Well, too much of anything is bad for the health and a small amount of stress is actually good, as it could actually help you function at your best. However, as we all know, too much stress can take a serious physical toll as well as a mental toll on your body. As with many things in life we need everything in moderation and this is especially so for stress which should be recognized, evaluated and managed carefully.

So how should you manage that stress? The following sections are some very simple and easy to apply tips and advice to help manage your stress.

Stress Tip 1: Write it out, schedule it out.

You can help reduce your stress by making lists and writing things down. It is best to write down everything that seems to be overwhelming stressful. People under stress often find a things-to-do-list is much easier to manage than having errands all crumpled up in your head. You have enough to worry about without stressing about little things. Writing down the tasks, and putting a specific schedule and time to do them, helps you manage activities one item at a time. Also, the task of crossing out an activity that has you have accomplished is very rewarding as you see items coming off your list can really relieve stress as you see more goals completed.

Stress Tip 2: Complete one task at a time works.

You may cause yourself a lot of stress by trying to focus on many things and tasks at once. Focus and put all your attention and effort on one task at one time until it is complete. It does not help to feel stressed about the other undone or to-do tasks. Thinking about other tasks while undertaking another only adds unnecessary stress and could even hamper in doing the task you are attempting to accomplish at present.

Stress Tip 3: Take it slow and relax!

Just like the Rabbit and the Tortoise in the fable, “Slow and steady wins the race”. At least, try not to expend too much energy on activities that are currently not priorities. Prioritizing tasks and realizing which ones are less important can really alleviate stress. When we stress on too many things at once and realize some of these items are not absolute priorities it leaves us mental focus to deal with the tasks that really are important. This way you have the energy for the tasks you must do now and the easier or less important tasks can either be tackled later or dealt with in another way. This latter point leads into our next tip…Stress Tip 4: Delegate, delegate, delegate, and if you can, delegate

You can really help your stress by realizing you do not have to do everything all at once or by yourself. If you need help to get something done then get help, or pay for help. When you are stretched too thin and getting stressed you are not able to perform at your best so if needed hire someone to mow the lawn or get a sitter for your children. The stressful feelings of being pushed to finish something on time will somehow be eliminated if tasks are delegated. This stress relief takes a load off unnecessary worry and anxiety. Moreover, it is easier checking up on other people’s progress than worrying yourself and stressing over doing everything on your own, all at once.

Stress Tip 5: Give yourself a reward, you earned it.

One of my favorite anti-stress tips is to acknowledge your accomplishments, no matter how big or small. This is something you need to do before getting on to the next tasks and activities as it places a mental smile in your thoughts and gives you a fresh feeling before you move on. It reduces stress and could even make you happier in doing the next task.

Stress Tip 6: Take a break.

Everyone needs a break or mental rest occasionally to be more productive. A ten to fifteen minute break during your work is absolutely necessary. Go visit a nearby cafe, take a swift, brisk walk, or do anything to take your mind completely off work, at least for a little while.

This is necessary to refresh your mind and recharge your batteries. If there is no way you can leave your stressful environment, you can also stay where you are and simply close your eyes as you visualize a peaceful landscape or a relaxing scene. This frees the stress from your muscles and your mind. If you have an iPod or mp3 player you can also download plenty of peaceful music tracks to drown out the noise around you to help you relax.

Stress Tips Conclusion

There are many other great guides available online that can really help you reduce stress and anxiety. You should check them out and see which ones really address your needs so you can find the complete road to minimal stress

Effective Stress Management

Date: January 1, 2010
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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It happens to all of us and sometimes, we feel there is no way out. I’m talking about stress which is one of the leading challenges that the human kind is constantly grappling with trying to understand and deal with it effectively. There might be simple words to describe stress and sometimes it does not need any definition because we all go through it. Experts have been working on effective stress management methods which would seek to remedy all harmful effects that stress is associated with and eradicate it all together. So far, some models have been devised and, they might hold the key to deal with stress and they include the following.The first model in effective stress management is the transactional model. The first thing it seeks to do is to explain what stress is. This model was designed by Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman who defined stress in the following way. According to them, stress is simply an imbalance between the resources that are in possession of a person and the demands that they have to meet every day . Usually, when one has to offer more than they have, the next logical thing that will happen is that they will be drained out. Therefore, the imbalance can be viewed from this perspective. Their explanation of stress, further seeks to suggest that one will not have stress when they have enough resources to cope with the demand.Their perception on stress also implies that stress is not a direct result of a stressor. The traditional view of stress is pretty different because there is a belief that a specific cause or stressor has to be present for stress to be conceived. Therefore, the transactional model has been designed to identify the factors that will predispose a person to shortcomings in regard to their resources. The methods of effective stress management in this model root from the external factors that are unique to each individual and hence the solution to their stress problem will be formulated to act effectively for their case.Finally, in this model, there is a very interesting suggestion which is that if people felt confident enough or resourceful enough to deal and cope with the demand, then the severe stress aspect might be non existent. Therefore, people who constantly choose to feel under pressure will find themselves more stressed. Pressure can therefore act as a stressor although the model creators do not base their model on stressors. The second effective stress management model is the health realization model which is also called innate health model. This model highly banks on the source of a thought and its ability to shape your actions and perceptions.According to this model, stress is only a by product of what an individual chooses to perceive of themselves and others. The thought process when affected by negativity, insecurity and other factors, will obviously produce stress. Therefore, this model will seek to help individuals equip themselves with initial positivity which will also be the outcome, escaping stress. After analyzing the above models, it is clear that there are causes of stress or specific sources whether external or internal and one thing that will help you manage your stress problem, is realizing what the problem is and working towards the betterment of your general well being.

To Work and Live Without Stress

Date: December 31, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Too much of stress is bad for our health. And I believe the stress is not coming from the work or environment. It is coming from our thinking. I mean, it is generated by our own mind.  

 

Many people think that stress is coming from the work( or your boss ), environment or certain situition. It is not. When we are facing something, our mind is generating the stress. It is also saying that, we have the choice not to generate the stress, if we can adjust our mind.

 

We may work without stress. It is all depends on how we think when we are facing something. One of my regular jobs( on credit card system ) is to solve or to find out the cause of system problem. The System Support department always keep telling me that “The problem needs to be solved fast”. For me, I won’t tell myself or keep emphasizing that “I need to solve it fast”. I will tell myself, I just need to do whatever I need to do now and I don’t need to care about other things, just concentrate on looking for the cause of the problem. By this way, the stress does not exist at all. I just doing whatever I need to do now. This is the most important part. I have to know what should I do now. And the concentration is the first entity that making the stress does not be generated at all. If I don’t waste my time and always be trying my best, eventhough I pass the due date or due time, I won’t feel guilty. But most of the time, if I really concentrate on my work, I am able to deliver fast.  

 

If you keep telling yourself that “I need to solve it fast”, then you can’t be concentrate on your job. When time goes by, you will be sweating and feel the stress. And sometime, how you handle the job is important. For example, we received some orders or directions from our boss or supervisor which is not clear. We have to ask for the clarification instead of starting the job blindly. This is common when we are a technical staff and our boss is a management staff. Terms used by management staffs usually are different from terms used by technical staffs. As a technical staff, we have to get the correct definition from our boss. When we know very well what should be delivered, then there won’t be any stress. You won’t generate the stress.

 

I fix my lunch time. Everyday I go out for lunch at the exact time. I will forget about my work temporary and fully enjoying my lunch time very much, no matter what I did during the working hour. I may say, this is also a kind of concentration, I concentrate on my lunch. In other words, balance between work and privacy is important. I am also saying that I never bring the job back to my home. I seldom talk about my work with my wife, unless it is a happy event happened during working hour. When I am at home, I will be doing my own job( on music ). This making me no time to think about my work at office. I am the kind of person, if you give me 25 hours a day I will still telling you that it is not enough for me. I have no time to feel boring. Where is the stress? It is not generated at all by my working style or my thinking.

 

If you think you are facing too much of stress, please think deeply and ask yourself, where does the stress come from. You may practise what I do everyday. It is just a habit of thinking. It is not difficult to practise it. The most difficult part in our job probably is when we work together with somebody who does not know very well their own job function. Some staffs may not know what should they do and could not be taking their own responsibility. They may affect us. Stress may be generated from there. If everybody knows very well what should they do, there should not be any stress.

 

If you are given a responsibility to complete a job within a time frame, and if you can’t complete it before the due date, as I said, stress won’t be generated with my mentioned working style. There is another possibility that you totally can’t proceed with the job. I believe you have to report it to your boss or supervisor, asking for help. Stress is still won’t be generated. If the job is totally owned by you ( you are the boss ), then you are generating the stress for yourself. By adjusting your mind, stress is also won’t be generated. Just like my music business. I own Double Melodies. I try to get more traffic to my website. I keep learning. Where is the stress? I won’t generate the stress on myself because I know what should I do for the moment and I keep trying.

 

Does the game or competition gives us the stress? Allow me to tell you my story. I play bowling every week with my wife. I joint some bowling tournaments. When I come to the tournament, I won’t tell myself “I have to win”. Everytime I will keep reminding myself to hold the ball firmly, to swing the ball consistently and keep staring at the target( the arrow ) even after ball releasing. If I follow all the rules which I set for myself, I usually play well. The most important thing is, I may play well without stress and pressure. You will have the stress if you keep thinking that everybody is hoping you to play well. You will have the pressure if you think everybody is looking at you. I believe, for all kinds of games and competition, they are part of psychology game. If you are not prepared mentally, you will lose the game. What does it means by “prepared mentally”? It is just what you think and what you can’t think before the game.       

 

Does the traffic jam gives us the stress? If we start our car engine early( spare some time for the traffic jam ), we have done our best. When we are caught in the jam, we can’t do anything to improve the traffic flow. If you think you have the stress, then the stress is generated by your own mind, not by the traffic jam. If you say, the stress is generated by the jam, how come I don’t have the stress? I enjoy driving in the jam. There are a lot of beautiful scene you may enjoy at the jam. If you worry that you will be late, then you are not live at the moment. You are at the future. You can’t do anything on your future because you cannot control your future. What you can control is the current moment. Please come back to the current moment and enjoy the current moment, which is the jam. And concentrate on your driving.

 

When you keep guessing on what will be happened, stress will be generated. Guessing on what will be happened is a harmful thinking habit. This is refer to what you can’t change and control. This is different from your planning. If we really live at the moment, enjoy the moment, stress won’t be generated. So, have I prove that stress is generated by your own mind?

 

No matter what you are doing, please enjoy the process. Don’t keep thinking of the destination. We may think of the destination only when we are doing our planning. And the best way to live without stress is to avoid generating the stress, not to keep thinking on how to handle the stress after it is already exists.

Health Benefits of Bio-accoustic or Sound Therapy

Date: December 31, 2009
Author: Penny Pettman
Categories: Advice
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Bioacoustics Therapy or sound therapy in general terms, is a technique in at involves the analysis of sound waves produced during vocalization combined with presentation of low frequency analog sound to promote healing. Human bioacoustics therapy originates from the observation that brain-wave frequencies are electrical impulses that fluctuate rhythmically in distinct patterns, clearly seen and measured by an electroenencepalogram.

 Within the broad category of sound therapy, the use of sound vibrations and frequency for therapeutic effect, bioacoustics therapy is a subcategory. Other subcategories of sound therapy include music therapy – the use of rhythm, melody, and harmony through singing, dancing, and instruments to achieve relaxation and creative states of awareness, psychoacoustic therapy – the study and use of sound perception, and Hemi- Sync. The therapeutic use of binaural beats in audio patterns.

Bioacoustics therapy is distinguished from other sound therapy subcategories by the use of human voice analysis as a representation of the person’s state of health. Voice analysis detects frequencies the person emits, known as a “signature sound”, which represents vibrational energies of the body and its functions. Sound frequencies emitted by all animals vary with their state of physical and emotional health. Physical functioning, genetic and environmental factors all influence these frequencies which can be detected with bioacoustics equipment. Once the altered vibrations are detected with voice analysis, the body’s energy field is harmonized by listening to one’s personalized corrected sound frequencies. These frequencies support health and enable healing.

 

. The spontaneous otoacoustic emissions coming from people are a function of the auditory nerve fibers in the central nervous system and sensitivity of the basilar to one specific frequency. “Signature Sound” which seemed to be coming from their ears. That these sounds are known as otoacoustic emissions, a sound which is generated from within the human. Research at the Ohio University Speech and Hearing Department in Athens clearly demonstrated that human speech creates complex waveforms. Earlier research conducted in 1988 by Susan Alexander and bio-molecular engineer Dr. David Deamer measured the vibrational frequencies of the four DNA base molecules, translating each into a unique sound.

Sound was thought to be the principle tool in healing by the ancients, including the Egyptians, who used chants and sounding instruments to manipulate energy fields and bring about balance in the body. Pythagoras thought that sound Was a creative force and music held therapeutic benefits to the body. Sound vibrations apparently were associated with creation weather of the world or individual life patterns. A study of ancient cultures reveals that Chinese healers used ‘singing stones’ in their rituals. Thin jade plates were used to generate different sounds. The Sufis consider ‘HU’ to be creative sound. Tibetans consider the notes of A, F sharp and G to be powerful sacred sounds. The sound of ‘AUM’ is the main primal sound in the beginning of each sacred chant. Amen is associated with the creative principle of the universe. Ancient mystery schools associated with rhythm with the body, melody with emotions, and harmony, lifted consciousness to spiritual awareness. For therapeutic purposes, laurel Elizabeth Keyes, a Denver author and lecturer, has developed a system of voices to bring balance to the body called ‘toning.’ nearly all our actions and reactions result from words and our thinking is limited to them. Beneath the words are vibrations of the tones upon which they travel. Tone is the underlying force operating in our lives. Jim Gimzewski, a nanotechnologist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Andrew Pelling have discovered the sound of yeast cells is clearly distinguishable from mammalian cells.  From planets and super massive black holes to cells and DNA, to the human voice, everything vibrates and creates sound.

 

Mrs. Keyes, who has studied under a number of eastern and western teachers, found that toning burst through mental restrictions and released tensions and soon discovered  that  each time she toned, her body felt exhilarated; there was feeling of wholeness and extreme well being. When she let the tone pass out , with no attempt to control it, it seemed to cleanse the entire body, releasing tensions in the congested areas.

 

Resent scientific theories developed along a line of field theory have substantiated. her concept is that every living thing has a field containing a pattern of perfection for manifestation. The pattern for a flower in a seed, of the bird within the egg. Interference with the field will change the pattern, and illness or malformations will result. She explains that as tone goes out, it collects substance from the word around it forming very tangible manifestations.

Whining voices attract negative condition. By getting a person to change his tone of voice, he begins to change his life. By releasing tension and stimulating circulation and nerve energy in the body, Mrs. Keyes says she finds toning is a natural process of healing. It releases a pattern of perfection within each person.

Our body is colloidal in nature and colloids are clusters of energies and easily can be influenced by external energy vibrations. Toning, chanting, verbal prayer will give needed positive change to the colloidal surface in the person. One will find there is a tone which resonates with the pain. Place a finger to your nose and hum directing the sound to the spot and notice the sensation. Every pain has a companion tone and by pulsating the tone softly for a time will be relieved from pain. Let the sound sweep down flushing trough the body.

To practice toning, stand erect, feet several inches apart, stretch the arms high and let them drop back, shoulders swinging on the spine in perfect balance. The eyes must be closed. Then begin to look inward and feel. To counteract the usual tendency to cave in and bend forward, the torso must ride on the pelvic structure, with the hip bones protruding a little. Standing erect should cause no strain but give an easy relaxed feeling.

Relax the jaws so that the teeth are slightly parted. Let sound come up from it; not down upon it , but up, from your feet. Let the body groan. Encourage it to be vocal. Always start with low groans, let the body groan as long as it likes. You may think you have nothing to groan about, but you will be surprised. All the hurts you have received are buried in your subconscious, and groaning offers them to release. Once the door is opened, repressed feelings begin to flow out. The groan may burst into protests or the voice may sore off into bird like singing or spontaneous outbursts of worship or prayer.

What ever happens, don’t let the mind influence it. Make the sound obedient; be still, watch, learn something of the host of the body in which you, as the consciousness, are only a guest.

The session may last only ten minutes but, when he body feels cleaned, a sigh will be released and you will know the body-voice is satisfied. The involuntary sigh is the signal. You feel good, as though something has been accomplished and you have brought yourself together into a harmonious whole. As soon as the sigh is released and cleansing for that time is complete, something must be offered to fill the emptied cup. Simply relax by listening to good soothing classical music, or by strolling in a garden.  It is better if the body is subjected to higher state of universal cosmic energies as the body responds well in absorbing cosmic energies after the voice cleansing.

The most effective bio-acoustic and powerful sound is ‘AUM’. the whole cosmology is believed to be vibrating with the sound of ‘AUM’ and is responsible for creation and manifestation of  the universe. Chanting AUM which is some what resonates with ‘OM’, will attune the body to these cosmic forces and uplift your conscious level and awareness.

 Sit in a comfortable position, preferably in Padmasana posture and start uttering AUM in lower octaves in a natural way. The pronouncing should resonate with ‘OM’. The method of uttering can be as; OOOOOOOUMMMMMMM,. Start with the beginning of  full inhalation and continue till end of exhalation. Start feeling the vibrations and focus on it mentally and go on varying the pitch slightly up and down, keeping the sound at lower frequencies. It is important to very the frequency of the humming sound at lower frequencies until you find at some frequency level, resonance effect is observed wherein the vibrations are felt strongly in the chest area. After a few days of practice, start feeling the resonance in different parts of the body at upper torso level, by directing the resonating sound mentally, preferably on abdomen and throat portions. This is the fundamental concept of science that maximum flow of energy takes place wherever there is resonance between two states of energy entities and they in turn are in harmonic state. A string in a violin will start vibrating to the sound frequencies in the ambient frequencies of harmonic sound. 

Speaking in the terms of scientific way, the brain perceives sound and delivers these frequency patterns to the body via nerve pathways, the sound wave pulses serve as directives along the electromagnetic field lines of the body, The laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus nerve, innervates laryngeal muscles which create vocal sounds by oscillating the vocal cords. This direct conduit from the brain and body to the vocal cords suggests a message pathway, supporting the theory that frequencies in the voice are representations of activity in the autonomic nervous system.

 Bioacoustics therapy researches these patterns for specific clues regarding the health of the speaker, and the relationship between discordant patterns and symptoms of disease and distress. When discordance is identified, low frequency analog sound formulas are delivered as a means of balancing the disharmony, promoting the body’s innate ability to self-heal through entrainment additionally; the frequency patterns are studied for their relationship to a predictable mathematical matrix used to formulate sound frequency interventions.