Take a moment to reflect on last week. How did it go for you? On a level of 1-7; 1 being completely relaxed to a 7 being extremely tense how would you rate yourself? And what techniques did you use? Did your number decrease after using one?
Your missions for this week:
-to understand the causes and consequences of stress-related depression.
-to learn three new stress coping techniques: physical activity, expressive writing, and guided imagery
Stress can cause depression by affecting our brains. It involves chemical changes in cells of the brain, as well as the way we think and feel. When we experience stress we can also experience having trouble thinking clearly and focusing, become depressed, and you may lose the ability to remember at a younger age.
When your brain releases SRA (stress reactive areas) your mind/body can benefit in different ways...*more frequent feelings of calm *more patience *less anger *fewer temper outbursts *improved interpersonal communication *more restful sleep *improved sense of well-being *improved ability to manage difficulties *improved self-confidence during stressful situations * improved ability to concentrate *greater enjoyment of life *increased resilience
There is a relationship between depression and stress, but what is it exactly. Depression is caused by constant elevated stress (chronic stress). High levels if not dealt with healthy coping can increase the odds of becoming depressed as an adult.
To avoid you should recognize some common signs:
-chronic feeling of sadness -no longer finding pleasure in activities you once enjoyed -lack of interest in usual sexual relationship -always feeling tired, lacking energy -sleeping too much or too little -changing eating habits along with weight loss/gain -difficulty making decisions -excessive crying -feeling worthless/hopeless -frequent irritability -difficulty concentrating/remembering -chronic aches/pains that do not get better when treated. There are always health risks associated with depression. This can cause an increase in heart disease, heart attack (which includes increased risk of death from heart attack), & stroke. Do you see how this is all linked together...chronic stress is the risk factor for lots of chronic diseases. All of these diseases can further increase your risk for other chronic disorders.
So how can you cope with chronic stress. What will decrease your chances? One way is physical activity. It helps lower the concentration of the hormone which causes you to become depressed. It offers a quality of life. Walking is a great way to start, it helps get your heart pumping, muscle groups working, and calories burning. If you are choosing to use physical activity it is suggested that you use "FIT"
Frequency: how many days of the week will you start walking?
Intensity: referring to how fast you will be walking.
Time: set yourself a time.
If you start with walking it will not only decrease your chances of diseases but it can also have an impact on your to start making other healthy changes like quitting smoking or eating healthier. Start with the small changes first to build yourself up for a bigger goal you may have in mind. Also, if you start to walk regularly you will produce fewer stress hormones in response to perceived stress. And your immune system will work better.
Another way to help cope with stress is expressive writing: to be honest I am not really a writer, it was never my strong point in school, but I really think I want to try and give this a shot. Writing things that seem to bother you can bring you calmness, relaxation, and increased enjoyment of life. It can also reduce anxiety. This is different than a daily journal or diary you may have. This is used to write about things in which have bothered you for years or that just happened yesterday. It is a simple coping technique but the effects of this can bring up all sorts of emotions. Here is how it is done....take a piece of paper and pen. Go to a quiet place and set your timer for 15 minutes. Think of something and this will be your writing subject. You are going to continually write for those 15 minutes, do not focus on grammar or spelling. If you run out of things to say on your subject, keep writing over and over what you have already written. **Do not read what you already wrote** When you are finished your tear up what you wrote and toss it out so no one can see. This is suppose to help get all your emotions out and then you let go for tearing the paper up.
Another way may also be a gratitude journal. Day in and day out we are always on the run with our busy lives that we always focus on the bad. Why don't we start focusing on the good in which is around us. So, every morning or night before you go to bed. Focus on three good things in which you are thankful for or good things that happened to you today. Or write things down as they happen to you. This allows to you to be grateful for things around you and appreciate things more. Then you can pull this journal out when you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed out.
Guided imagery is another technique that is often used. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Think of a word that makes you smile when you need it most. Once you do so, you take deep breaths in and out. When you exhale you say this word quiet in your head. This helps relax your mind and focus your attention on the word rather than all the thoughts running through your head on a daily basis. This can also calm your nervous system down.
Try some of these new techniques we just learned about. See which works and which doesn't. Which one do you find most helpful? We also talked about S.M.A.R.T goals. Set a goal in which you want to achieve this week. it may be trying to walk 3times a week for 10minutes a piece. Or trying expressive writing two times a week. Whatever it is write it down and hold yourself accountable. Start small and see what works.
As always I hope you have a wonderful week. :)
Week One of our Stress Less Class is well under way and I must say Session one was a success reading on my own. I really went into this class with an open mind just hoping to learn a few techniques to help deal with stress and even hoping to see what causes stress. And for being week one I caught myself reading a paragraph ad being like hmmm. It's really interesting.
This class is going to be eye opening. This weeks "missions" are:
1.to understand the nature of stress
2.to explore the links between stress and disease
3.to learn a quick coping technique: deep breathing
Definitions you should know....
Stress-the body's response to a perceived threat or demand.
Stressor-any event or experience that triggers the body's stress response.
Acute stress-stress that is triggered by an event or experience that is unexpected, comes on quickly, and doesn't last long.
Chronic stress-stress that is triggered by daily, ongoing events or experiences.
Distress-stress that results in negative mental, emotional, and physical effects; "bad" stress.
Coping-thoughts and behaviors used to manage stress and its effects
Resilience (or stress hardiness)- the ability to stay calm and function well when exposed to stressors.
Stress will come and go. Everyone is bound to have some sort of stress during their life. Two key points & take aways.... *stress is a response *triggered by your perception. Every day you are going to experience pleasant & unpleasant events, but it is your mind that decides which is going to cause you stress and which one will cause you pleasure. The greater you perceive an even, the greater the amount of stress hormones will be released. If they stay long enough and are high they can cause damage to your body.
Here are some COST of living a stressful life:
- Experts say that 80% of all chronic disease may be related to stress.
- One third of Americans report that they are living with extreme stress, and nearly half of Americans believe that their stress has increased over the past five years.
-Almost half of Americans report that they overeat or eat unhealthy foods because of feeling over stressed. More than one third said they have skipped a meal because of stress during the last month.
-Two thirds of smokers report that they smoke more when they feel stressed.
-Half of all Americans recognize that stress has had a negative impact on their personal and professional lives.
Did you know that there is more than one type of stress symptoms??
1. Behavioral- bossiness, short temper, tendency to criticize, eating too little/too much
2. Emotional- easily bothered, annoyed, defensive, emotional outbursts, depressed
3. Mental- forgetfulness, trouble thinking clearly, constant worry, self-criticism
4. Physical- dizziness, muscle tension, migraines/headaches, cold hands/feet, stomach aches, ulcers
So how do you cope with stress? There are healthy ways and unhealthy ways. Most people tend to choose the unhealthy route because it is what we know. We overeat, drink heavily, smoke more than we normally do, etc. These ways are self-destructive. You are harming your body in more way than one. The only reason why people choose to harm themselves more is because they do not proper ways to handle their stress or get it under control.
Quick Coping Techniques:
-Deep Breathing
-Chanting
-Humor
These are good sources because they can be done anywhere and there is no special preparation, takes less than one minute to do, helps you calm down quickly, think clearly, and stay focused, and rapidly decrease the amount of stress hormones in your blood.
Our first week in class we did the deep breathing exercise. And I was actually weary of doing it in front of everyone as a group, but we did it together and every ones eyes were closed. Feeling stressed?? Let's try a little bit of deep breathing together now.
First get a blank sheet of paper on the top write: date & time, Pre & Post tension score, score difference, technique used, describe physical & mental state before practice and the practice setting/conditions, and describe physical & mental state after practice, with regard to relaxation & tension.
What are tension scores?? At the bottom of your page write:
1-completely relaxed
2-very relaxed
3-somewhat relaxed
4-neutral
5-somewhat tense
6-very tense
7-extremely tense
These are your numbers you are going to be using to describe your pre/post tension score!
Warm up exercise:
-Find a comfortable position either lying down or sitting upright.
-Put one hand on your belly, right over your belly. Put your other hand on the center of your chest.
-Breathe normally through your nose if you can do so comfortably, or through your mouth if not.
-Continue breathing normally. Notice how your hands are moving, and notice which hand is moving more.
-After a normal inhalation, blow out all the air you can when you exhale. Do this twice in a row.
What do you notice??
Deep Breathing Exercise:
-Uncross arms and legs.
-Allow your face and jaw to relax (your teeth should separate a little while your lips stay together).
-Relax your neck, drop your shoulders, and let your back "melt" into the floor or chair.
-As you inhale through your nose, imagine that your belly is a balloon slowly filling up with air.
-Pause for a second.
-Exhale slowly and completely through your nose; keep your belly relaxed.
-Pause for a second at the end of the exhale, and repeat, inhaling through your nose.
-Do this three to five times- but not more than five deep breaths.
-Breathe normally for about a minute before moving around and getting up.
How do you feel? Do you notice anything different? Now once you are done, rate your post tension score and take the difference. Make sure you are also describing how you feel. Deep breathing may not be for you. Everyone is going to find a different technique that works for them. If that doesn't work try something else. I learned that other people like to go take a walk/physical activity, take a bath, read, or just sleep as stress reliever techniques. Maybe even a chat with a friend is just what you need? Whatever works for you is RIGHT!
Check back for week 2 updates and more information!!!! Have a stress free week!
