Sunday, December 19, 2010

Dealing with Stress Dr. Oz 7 Stress Relieving Tips

One of your New Year’s Resolutions might be dealing with stress. Did you know that exercising or sleeping can actually bring on more stress? You may want to start an exercise program, but taking the time to work out means less time for your job or your family. The more you add to your daily life, even if it is something good for you like diet, exercise, sleep or even trying to stop smoking can add stress. The brain is set to ramp up stress by processing your daily experiences and work its way back to joy. How can you balance your life without adding stress?

First you need to know your stress level. By being aware of your emotions before they get out of control you can actually avoid secondary stress meaning you won’t get stressed out about being stressed. Recognizing that you are stressed try taking a step back, count to 10 and take a deep breath you may feel a sense of relaxation and a surge of pleasure rush through your body.

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When you try to relieve stress you may express it by negative feelings, such as anger, but anger only adds to your stress level. Anger turns to sadness because you are feeling guilty about what you have said or done. Talking about why you’re stressed while remaining calm can allow you to explain your feelings without fear, sadness or guilt. This allows you to clear away the stress and let the positive emotions emerge. So if you are feeling sad that you are sick, guilty about taking time away from daily responsibilities or afraid that you can’t pay the bills talking about it openly with your partner or family member can help you work through these feelings. Remember that “two heads are better than one” will show you another perspective on things, but you might also have to except some constructive criticism.

When trying to do something good for yourself and it adds stress to your life it is because our brain triggers our survival circuit. This survival circuit makes us overspend, overeat or over indulge in something that makes us feel good even if only for a moment. We associate these over indulges with good feelings and that is why it is estimated that 60% of Americans who make New Year’s resolutions break them within three months. Because we just don’t want to …you need to in order to relieve stress. Of course when we get something we have told ourselves we can’t have makes us want it more, so how can we retrain our brain to rewire this survival circuit? The first thing we need to do is STOP judging or controlling our behavior. Remind yourself that you don’t need it and if you stick to your New Year’s resolution you will feel better about yourself. Make these short term daily goals to keep your resolution(s) a more intense “good” feeling and then you can override the “I need it” survival circuit altogether. Emotional brain training is not an instant fix, but takes practice and eventually will become a habit that you won’t even have to think about. You can learn to conquer it without being stressed.

Staying positive about your life often is better when we can picture someone else in the same situation. If you can imagine someone else being able to lose weight, balance their budget or stop smoking this can give a rise to our competitive nature meaning, if they can change for the better, we can too!

Dr Oz 7 Stress Relieving Tips

TAKE MORE RESTROOM BREAKS

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There's a reason it's called the restroom: It's the one place—at work or at home—where no one will bother you. If you're overwhelmed, steal away for a five-minute meditation break. Inhale deeply into your belly and try to focus on your breathing. You'll emerge calmer, and maybe even more productive. Research shows that meditation can improve your ability to concentrate.

SHOW UP FIVE MINUTES EARLY

Everyone knows the feeling: You're running late, stuck in traffic, glancing at your watch every 30 seconds in frustration. Give yourself extra time to get wherever you need to go. Being an early bird will kill stress by giving you more control over your day and your commitments.

CHANGE YOUR STRESS EATING

The best stress-quashing foods are made by Mother Nature, not Baskin-Robbins. Berries are naturally rich in vitamin C, which helps fight increased levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. A handful of pistachios can lower your blood pressure, which means less of a spike when you get that next rush of adrenaline.

AND QUIT STRESS DRINKING

Yes, a few cocktails can relax you, but alcohol also prevents your brain from entering stages of deep sleep. And sleep and stress are bound together: Chronic stress can keep you up at night, and a lack of sleep can also lead to further stress. Limit yourself to no more than one drink a night.

GET YOUR HEART PUMPING

Stress makes your body spew out two hormones: cortisol and adrenaline. These chemicals put your body into fight-or-flight mode, ratcheting up your energy level and causing your heart to pound and your muscles to tense. Exercise gives you an outlet to release some of that tension. A good workout also increases your levels of "feel-good" chemicals called endorphins.

MAKE IT A COMEDY NIGHT

Researchers say that merely anticipating a laugh can jump-start healthy changes in the body by reducing levels of stress hormones, which have been linked to conditions like obesity, heart disease, and memory impairment, to name just a few.

ENJOY THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS

Socializing releases oxytocin, a chemical that can help combat stress hormones and lower your blood pressure. Whether it's spending time with dog lovers, book club buddies, or siblings—whatever group you like—just knowing you're not alone can go a long way toward coping with stress.

Getting rid of stress can help you sleep easy at night. More information about stress and sleep see: L-theanine Promotes Relaxation and Deep Sleep. The content in Dealing with Stress Dr. Oz 7 Stress Relieving Tips is for information purposes only, intended to raise the awareness of different solutions for your sleep problems and should not be considered medical advice. For medical diagnosis and treatment, please see your qualified health-care professional. Tell your doctor before taking any supplement like GABA see supplement alternative in: Bananas have GABA that Reduces Stress and Anxiety to Ease Sleep , as it may have an interaction with other medications or health issues.
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