Being a chiropractor in the Woodbridge, Dale City Virginia
area I see my fair share of stressed out people. With I 95 constantly being under construction
leaving my patients who work in the DC area guessing if their commute is going
to be 40 minutes or 2 hours I can see why they get to my office with their
shoulders pinned to their ears! Those
are the days when I crank the electrical stimulation up to 20 and quietly leave
the room! The ACA has put together a
great list of ways to help cut the stress… or at least make it manageable!
Think Positively
“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress
into positive,” said Hans Selye, author of the groundbreaking work around
stress theory. When optimism is hard to muster, cognitive-behavioral therapy,
which trains people to recognize negative thinking patterns and replace them
with more constructive ones, can also help reduce the risk of chronic stress
and depression.
Get Out and Enjoy Nature
While modern civilization has made our lives more
convenient, it has deprived us of an essential source of stress
relief—connection with nature. Studies show that interacting with nature can
help lessen the effects of stress on the nervous system, reduce attention
deficits, decrease aggression, and enhance spiritual well-being.
“Smell the Roses” for Better Mood
Aromatherapy, or smelling essential plant oils, recognized
worldwide as a complementary therapy for managing chronic pain, depression,
anxiety, insomnia, and stress-related disorders, can help you unwind. Orange
and lavender scents, in particular, have been shown to enhance relaxation and
reduce anxiety.
Relax with a Cup of Tea
During stressful times, coffee helps us keep going. To give
yourself a break, however, consider drinking tea. Research shows that drinking
tea for 6 weeks helps lower post-stress cortisol and increase relaxation.
Habitual tea drinking may also reduce inflammation, potentially benefiting your
heart health.
Laugh It Off
Humor relieves stress and anxiety and prevents depression,
helping put our troubles in perspective. Laughter can help boost the immune
system, increase pain tolerance, enhance mood and creativity, and lower blood
pressure, potentially improving treatment outcomes for many health problems,
including cancer and HIV. Humor may also be related to happiness, which has
been linked to high self-esteem, extroversion, and feeling in control.
Build a Support System
Relationships are also key to health and happiness,
especially for women. Women with low social support, for example, are more
likely to increase blood pressure under stress. Loneliness may also contribute
to stress in both men and women, also leading to poorer outcomes after a stroke
or congestive heart failure. On the other hand, active and socially involved
seniors are at lower risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Social support
also helps cancer patients to boost the immune system and maintain a higher
quality of life.
Employ the Relaxing
Power of Music
Music, especially classical, can also serve as a powerful
stress-relief tool. Listening to Pachelbel’s famous Canon in D major while
preparing a public speech helps avoid anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure,
which usually accompany public speaking.
Singing and listening to music can also relieve pain and
reduce anxiety and depression caused by lowback pain. Group drumming also
showed positive effects on stress relief and the immune system. Music therapy
can also elevate mood and positively affect the immune system in cancer
patients and reduce fatigue and improve self-acceptance in people with multiple
sclerosis.
To help people deal with stressful medical procedures, music
can help reduce anxiety before surgery. When played during surgery, it can
decrease the patient’s post-operative pain. Aiding recovery, a dose of calming
music may lower anxiety, pain, and the need for painkillers.
Calm Your Mind
In recent decades, many forms of meditation have gained
popularity as relaxation and pain relief tools. Focusing on our breath, looking
at a candle, or practicing a non-judgmental awareness of our thoughts and
actions can help tune out distractions, reduce anxiety and depression, and
accept our circumstances. In cancer patients, meditation-based stress reduction
enhances quality of life, lowers stress symptoms, and potentially benefits the
immune system.
Guided imagery, such as visualizing pictures prompted by an
audiotape recording, also shows promise in stress relief and pain reduction.
Based on the idea that the mind can affect the body, guided imagery can be a
useful adjunct to cancer therapy, focusing patients on positive images to help
heal their bodies.
Enjoy the Warmth of Human Touch
Just as the mind can affect the body, the body can influence
the mind. Virginia Satir, a famous American psychotherapist, once said that
people need 4 hugs a day to help prevent depression, 8 for psychological
stability, and 12 for growth. While asking for hugs may not work for some,
massage can help us relieve stress and reduce anxiety and depression. Massage
has also been shown to reduce aggression and hostility in violent adolescents,
to improve mood and behavior in students with ADHD, and to lead to better sleep
and behavior in children with autism.
Massage has other therapeutic properties, as well. Regular
massage may reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension and may lead to
less pain, depression, and anxiety and better sleep in patients with chronic
low-back pain. Compared to relaxation, massage therapy also causes greater
reduction in depression and anger, and more significant effects on the immune
system in breast cancer patients.
Give Exercise a Shot
To get the best of both worlds, affecting the mind through
the body while getting into good physical shape, try exercise. In one study, a
group of lung cancer patients increased their hope due to exercise. Exercise
can also reduce depression and improve wound healing in the elderly. Tai chi,
which works for people of all ages, may enhance heart and lung function,
improve balance and posture, and prevent falls, while reducing stress.
3122 Golansky Blvd, Ste 102
Woodbridge VA 22192
703 730 9588
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