What a week of stress! I have always thought of myself as being able to handle a lot of stress and have thrived with a little stress in my life. Wrestling with my expectations and setting deadlines while keeping life at a high pace often creates and magnifies my stress. My career goals, educational endeavors, family obligations, community volunteering, committees, friends, and the continuous news coverage of every pothole, celebrity burp, and political view have become more stressful than I have been able to simply shrug off. What has happened over the past few months? Have I gotten older and less able to adapt? Is it the political climate and our economy, or are the stressors in my life creating all the chaos?
The phenomenon of chaos has become something I enjoy studying and exploring. I think it is important to realize that each of us reacts or responds to chaos and stress in different ways. What is stressful or chaotic for one person might be a walk in the park for someone else. Also, it’s important to be sensitive to those around us who are experiencing stress. Give support to those closest to you when they are experiencing high levels of stress. Sometimes all it takes to bring calm to the chaos is caring enough to give a different perspective and share experiences.
We have all heard the proverb: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” During times of stress, there are no truer words. Learning to identify the triggers of stress and avoid them is the first line of defense against becoming overloaded, overextended, and frustrated. Sometimes learning to say “no” to one more committee, church project, extra shift at work, or family obligation and taking the time to relax would be enough to keep stress at bay. However, sometimes even with the best intentions of avoiding stress, we still find ourselves stressed and out of control.
Few things in life are free, but relaxation is free and full of benefits to those who master the techniques. Relaxation techniques are kind of like fire prevention—it’s too late to prevent the fire once the house is ablaze; you may also find the techniques frustrating and difficult to master if you wait until you are in a crisis to learn them. Practice makes perfect, so set aside 30 minutes to an hour of your day to experiment with different techniques to find the one that works best for you.
Progressive muscle relaxation: In this technique, you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. This helps you to focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation. You become more aware of physical sensations. One method is to start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and progressively working your way up to your neck and head. Tense your muscles for at least five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds, then repeat.
Guided meditation: In this technique, you form mental images to take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation. During visualization, try to use as many senses as you can, including smell, sight, sound, and touch. If you imagine relaxing at the ocean, think about the smell of salt water, the sound of crashing waves, and the warmth of the sun on your body.
I have only mentioned two examples of relaxation techniques but there are many techniques available, including but not limited to yoga, laughter, music, exercise, and Tai Chi. There are several resources on the Internet: the Mayo Clinic at www.mayoclinic.com; The Anxiety Community at www.anxietyhelp.org; and the Preston Medical Library at library@utmck.edu or call 865-305-9525. These are free community resources available to you no matter where you live. I encourage you to take advantage of them whenever possible.
Don’t let stress get the best of you; laugh a little more and relax. Stress can affect your health in many ways— if you find that stress is overwhelming you, talk with your healthcare provider; don’t go it alone!
Howard Baker, RN BSN
For questions, comments, or suggestions on topics you want to read about please e-mail me at: howard@howardsbaker.com
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