Reducing Stress in Four Steps...

Stress happens year-round, not just during the holiday season. Still, there is so much going on during holidays, from deadlines to people you must see, plus budget worries and even the pressure to have fun (yes, pressure). Stress is also a huge contributor to the nation’s #1 killer: Heart disease (studies have found it to be related to 80% of all diseases). Let’s face it, stress is not going to completely and miraculously vanish from our lives, but we can learn to reduce and manage it successfully.

Here’s a four step approach created by cardiologist Dr. Robert Benson, Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute, and Mind/Body Medical Institute Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Eileen Stuart, cardiac nurse specialist:

1. Stop - Before your thoughts escalate to worse possible scenarios (“awfulizing”) and your emotions overwhelm you to the point of illness, just STOP. The simple act of saying “STOP!” to yourself can help break your pattern of automatic response and interrupt the Negative Stress Cycle at the onset.

2. Breathe – Right after you STOP, BREATHE deeply and release physical tension. Use your diaphragm, which will evoke the physiology of the relaxation response, and while you concentrate on it, your attention will momentarily divert from the stress. Many people actually hold their breath at times of stress – do the opposite.

3. Reflect – Once you stop awfulizing your thoughts and begin breathing deeply, focus your energy on the problem at hand and REFLECT on the cause of the stress. Appraise the situation, identify the stressor and the problem, understand where your automatic thoughts and reaction are coming from, and also identify the irrational beliefs and cognitive distortions that underlie these thoughts. This part requires mind work but the rewards will be inner harmony, peace and a good night’s sleep.

4. Choose - Once you have analyzed, and identified the root of the problem, it’s time to choose how to deal with the problem (stressor).
We invite you to evaluate your priorities, balance your “shoulds” and “wants”, and, most of all, organize and create the schedule of your life.

Is stress ruling your world?