Stressbusters

Written by Colin Brennan, medical journalist



Skydiving out of a plane and falling thousands of metres at breakneck speed or juggling a few coloured balls are both ways of relieving or creating stress, depending on your perspective.

All our lives become stressful at some point and any of us can suffer stress overload. More than one in five of us feel stressed at work, and stress has outstripped the common cold as the main reason for taking time off.

Certain life events put additional pressure on us, never more so than in today's fast moving and ever-changing world.

It is how we choose to cope with stress that makes the difference between whether we feel it is good or bad. As long ago as the first century AD, the Greek philosopher, Epictetus, said: 'Man is not affected by events but his perception of them.' And for each person, what pushes us over the edge will be different.

Dr Robert Schapira, consultant psychiatrist at the Florence Nightingale Hospital, London, says there is a fine balance between our internal resources and the external demands on them. 'To beat stress you can either reduce the demands on yourself or increase your resources. Your doctor can help you with antidepressant medication, or you can have cognitive behavioural therapy, to change patterns of negative thinking, or go to workshops.'

Relaxation

Dr Malcolm Vandenburg, who is the co-author of 'Positive Under Pressure' and presents seminars on coping with stress, encourages people to use creative right-brain thinking by meditating, drawing or listening to music. You can alter your mental state by meditation and your physical signs by progressive relaxation.

The two main principles of physical relaxation are purposely tensing the muscles to recognise the feeling of tension, then relaxing them letting the tension flow out of the body. Sit on a supportive, straight-backed chair, with feet flat on the floor, hands resting in your lap, and eyes closed. The room needs to be quiet, dim, and free from interruptions. A full session of progressive relaxation takes around 20 minutes.

Breathing

Stress often leads to over-breathing, or hyperventilation. If you take more than 10-12 breaths per minute you should try reducing your breathing rate by practising a slow breathing exercise four times a day. Hold your breath and count to five (do not take a deep breath). When you get to five, breathe out and say the word relax to yourself in a calm, soothing manner.

Breathe in and out slowly through your nose in a six second cycle. Breathe in for three seconds and out for three seconds. This will produce a breathing rate of 10 breaths per minute. Say the word relax to yourself every time you breathe out.

Warning signals

Learn to recognise your stress warning signals before you get stress overload. Is it headaches, backaches, irritable bowel syndrome, drink, drugs, food bingeing, bulimia, sex problems, temper tantrums, sulks or withdrawal? Get your partner to help you identify the signs so that they can warn you to let up.

Talking

Professor Cary Cooper, of Manchester University's Institute of Science and Technology, advises self-diagnosis. 'Talk to a trusted friend who you know will be honest about why you might be unhappy - is it the boss, a colleague, conflict between home and family? Think about this and meet again to talk through the options: there is always a choice. Do you confront the overpowering boss, or keep out of his or her way and stop worrying? Or do you change jobs?' The aim, he says, is to stay out of the stress danger zone.

He advises cutting down pressure by switching off your mobile phone and leaving your laptop behind when you leave work.

Exercise

Each week, incorporate an exercise into your life to become a habit. Aerobic exercise, three times a week, improves mood and lowers blood pressure and stress symptoms. Swimming keeps Professor Cooper calm, even though he is in his office at 7.30 every morning.

Top stress-busting tips

Learn to say no to demands and to delegate tasks.

Smile inwardly when someone is nasty to you. Think of their hurtful words as their problem, not yours.

Treat yourself regularly - go to the theatre, the movies, a yoga class or have a massage.

Make time each day to switch off with family and friends.

Always have something special to look forward to - a romantic weekend or holiday.

On Friday evening go out, enjoy yourself, instead of slumping in front of the TV.

Get to bed by midnight.

Don't oversleep - keeping a regular schedule preserves energy levels.

Farm out the kids for a few hours and keep the time for yourself.

Wear colours to complement your mood - bright oranges or yellows are energising, white, purple and green are calming.

Watch your diet.

By all means, have a relaxing drink but take equal measures of water.

Change your ratio of negative to positive thoughts. Think of a wonderful experience you have and relive it.

Take full responsibility for how you feel rather than blaming other people. Don't say: 'You are annoying me.' Say: 'I feel annoyed when you repeatedly tap your pencil on the desk.'

Be positive - imagine that your glass is half full, not half-empty.

Beating stress means changing the habits of a lifetime. The hardest aspect of this is setting time aside for you. The benefits of lowering stress levels are enormous, you are less susceptible to illness, and your skin and hair will improve. You'll relax, sleep better, have more energy and feel positive again.

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