Stress is a a six letter word that makes many people cringe at just the thought of it. It creates havoc in people's lives, diminishes moods, and over works the internal mechanisms of your body. It is also completely natural and something that human's need in order to survive. Stress induces the popular (or not so popular) "Flight or Fight" response in your body and your mind controls whether or not to allow those hormones to keep flowing or cut them off and resume to normal levels. As we get settled into April (which happens to be National Stress Awareness Month) it is important to take some time and discover ways to manage your stress levels in a productive and proactive approach.
Finding research studies and information on stress is not a difficult task. Check out a great resource put together in honor of stress awareness month by Huffington Post here. In the report the popular site gathered 10 important research facts that were discovered this year about stress: a connection between work stress and an increased risk of a heart attack (by 23%) was discovered by researchers at University College London. A group of researchers from Ohio University found that "dwelling" on a stressful situation can have a negative effect on the body - when asked to think about a stressful situation the researchers discovered that a person's C-Reactive protien levels (which are connected to the inflamatory response) goes up.
Columbia University medical center researchers discovered that a person's heart attack risk goes up when they believe they are in a stressful situation. Another study published in the journal Annals of Behavioral medicine shows that people who are anxious and stressed over every day life are more likely to heart problems, arthritis and other chronic issues over a decade afterwards. In a survey from the American Psychological Association shows that people from age 18 - 33 experience a higher average (5.4) on a ten point stress scale (the national average is 4.9 and the biggest stressors are job stability and work stress.
And we are not done yet, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University found that long-term stress seemed to impair a person's ability to regulate inflammation which can increase the risk of a person getting sick. The National Institute of Health researchers discovered that still born risk (in pregnant mothers) is 2.5 times higher for women facing major stressful than for women who are less stressed.
Research into the area of managing stress has been going on for many years. In another study from the University of Hawaii published in 2011 it was found that stress can be as contagious as the common cold (have you passed your stress onto others?). These are just a few of the facts researchers have discovered about stress over the last year or two.
Combating stress is easier than one thinks but it takes time to learn the effective tools that can make a huge difference in your life. Some of the more obvious tools are learning to smile and laugh, relaxing, enjoying the company of a pet, and learning coping mechanisms to help with anger or negative self talk.
The Journal of Psychological Science published a study this past year that states a genuine smile can reduce your heart rate after a stressful situation (that coupled with solid breathing/relaxation techniques can make a huge difference). A study from the University of California , Davis reinforces how big of an impact mindfulness meditation has on the levels of Cortisol (a stress hormone) which can be read about in the journal Health Psychology. Another study published in the Journal of Stress and Health reinforces that mindfulness meditation (along with art therapy) can be helpful in reducing stress in breast cancer patients (it also shows that it can effect survival rates).
The International Journal of Workplace Health Management published a study where researchers discovered that bringing your dog to work can lower stress levels and boost employee moral (of course, you will need to check with your workplace policies before trying this one - most work places will not allow you to bring your pet to work). While many places may not allow you to bring your pet to work perhaps you can find a way to spend more time with your pet. If you live close to work it may be an option to go home and spend lunch with your pet.
There are many more tools available to help you reduce stress from: journaling, meditation, hypnosis, energy tapping, NLP, progressive relaxation, time management, anger coping skill and so much more.
Spirit and Mind Connection and Coronado Hypnotherapy has joined forces and created a great five week workshop designed to teach participants tips and tricks to managing and even reducing stress.
- Week one is a detailed focus on breathing techniques, mindfulness meditation, and progressive relaxation techniques. You will also be taught to create a stress awareness journal which will be used in future workshop sessions.
- Week two they will teach you Emotional Freedom techniques designed to help you reduce stress and create calm in your life.
- Week three is a focus on popular Neurolinguistic Programming techniques like Anchoring to help create more centering, calmness and relaxation in your life.
- Week four they will help you focus on and identify negative self talk and doubt and devise effective ways to help you combat these major stressors.
- Week five is about helping you put the techniques you learned together with effective time management skills that can help you create more time in your life and less stress over deadlines and pressures.
The workshop is scheduled to begin the end of April. Check out their websites below for more details and give them a call to secure your spot. The cost is only $29 a workshop session in advance or $40 at the door. They also offer the entire five week workshop for only $125 (prepaid in advancce). That is a $25 savings.
Some of the other workshops they offer are:
- Rekindling your relationship and intimacy
- Quit smoking without gaining weight
- Weight loss workshops (the focus is not just on the dieting but also on what causes you to make the choices you make in regards to weight management)
It is time to take control of the stress in your life. Spirit and Mind Connection is a hypnotherapy and coaching service company located in Phoenix, Arizona. Coronado Hypnotherapy is a hypnotherapy company that also offers energy tapping based off the Emotional Freedom Technique developed by Gary Craig.
Comments