Stress Management
Let your stress float away.
Do things that make you laugh.
Express your creative side. Write. Paint. Do a hobby.
Stretch muscles to relieve tension.
Take deep breaths. Meditate.
Relax with soothing music, a warm bath or shower, etc.
Escape to a place (or picture a scene) where you feel calm, happy, and secure.
Sip a cup of warm tea.
Share your feelings with others.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
WORK LIFE
With mindfulness-being focused and fully present in the here and now-you can replace multitasking habits with more directed practices to reduce stress and increase productivity,” said Dr. Romie Mushtaq, a neurologist with expertise in mind-body medicine. The result? You’ll be sharper, more efficient, and more creative.
To clear away distractions and live in the moment, Dr. Mushtaq offers these tips for practicing mindfulness in a multitasking business:
Focus on a single task for an allotted amount of time.
You might say, “For 15 minutes, I’m going to read through my emails, and then for one hour, I’m going to make my phone calls.” If your job comes with constant interruptions that demand your attention, take several deep breaths and then prioritize them. Resist the urge to answer the phone every time it rings-unless it’s your boss. If someone asks you to drop what you’re doing to help with a problem, it’s okay to say, “I’ll be finished with what I’m doing in 10 minutes, then I’m all yours.”
When you get “stuck” in a task, change your physical environment to stimulate your senses.
Sometimes we bounce from one task to another because we just don’t have the words to begin writing that strategic plan, or we’re staring at a problem and have no ideas for solutions. That’s the time to get up, take a walk outside and look at the flowers and the birds or turn on relaxing music. Offering your senses pleasant and different stimulation rewires your brain for relaxation and reduces the effects of stress hormones, which helps to unfreeze your creativity center.
Delegate!
We often have little control over the external stresses in our life, particularly on the job. Have compassion for yourself, and reach out for help. If you can assign a task to somebody else who’s capable of handling it, do so. If you need to ask a colleague to help you out, ask.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
First Aid
Hyperventilation is breathing too deeply and faster than normal. This causes too much carbon dioxide to be exhaled. As a result, levels of carbon dioxide in the blood and brain tissue drop.
Signs & Symptoms
* Your heart pounds.
* It feels like you can’t get enough air.
* You feel tingling and numbness in the arms, legs, and around the mouth.
* You feel a sense of doom.
* You may pass out.
Symptoms usually last 20 to 30 minutes, but seem to last hours. Though scary, hyperventilation is not usually dangerous.
Causes
* Anxiety is the most common cause.
* Panic attacks.
* Central nervous system problems.
Treatment
Self-care may be enough to treat hyperventilation. If it persists or occurs with other symptoms, seek medical care.
Questions to Ask
Self-Care / Prevention
* Open up a small paper bag. Loosely cover your nose and mouth with it. Breathe slowly into the bag. Rebreathe the air in the bag. Do this about 10 times. Set the bag aside. Breathe normally for a couple of minutes.
* Repeat the steps above for up to 15 minutes.
* Try to breathe slowly. Focus on taking one breath every 5 seconds.
{Note: If you still hyperventilate after using Self-Care / First Aid, call your doctor.}
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
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Part 6
Ways you can deal with anger, without eating:
* Count to ten at the first twinge of anger. Then count back down to zero.
* Take three or four slow, deep breaths. Picture the angry impulse passing you by.
* Take a walk until you can calm down. Or, do some other form of exercise. If you cannot exercise right away, plan to do it as soon as possible. Look forward to this opportunity to blow off some steam.
* If someone says or does something that bothers you, discuss it calmly or wait until you feel you can discuss it calmly. Use assertive communication tools.
* Distract yourself. Do a task that has to get done today or in the near future.
* Repeat to yourself or out loud, “I’m angry because: ____.” List what is making you angry. Ask yourself, “Are these rational thoughts?”
* Listen to music. Make a playlist of songs you know help to calm you down. Or, turn to a radio station that plays soothing music or music you can sing to.
* Help someone in need.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
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Part 6
Anxiety is a feeling of dread, fear, or distress over a real or imagined threat to your mental or physical well-being. Avoid eating as a way to cope with anxiety. Try the strategies listed below.
Strategy
* Take a long, warm bath or shower. Or, go for a swim.
* Focus on relaxing through exercise, soothing music, helping others, etc.
* Connect with people. Visit or call someone who will listen to you and support you.
* Drink a warm cup of decaf coffee or tea – avoid caffeine, which can make anxiety worse.
* Practice mindfulness and other relaxation techniques.
Wash, Peel & Chop Away Anxiety
Get your meal prep done and work away anxious feelings at the same time!
Gently wash fruits and vegetables. Chop foods slowly and evenly. Prepare all of the ingredients for a meal neatly before starting to cook.
Take your time to cook. Clean as you go, keeping your space tidy. Slowly wash and dry dishes by hand. Take breaks if you need to.
Other Causes of Anxiety
Anxiety could be a symptom of low blood sugar. Other symptoms of low blood sugar include shakiness, feeling faint, headache, rapid heartbeat, and sweating. In this case, you will need to have something to drink or eat, such as orange juice, a piece of hard candy, or crackers. Anxiety can also be a symptom of an anxiety disorder or other health condition. Check with your doctor if the symptoms above happen often.
Take a Step Back
Write down what you are anxious about. Step back and look at your concern from an outsider’s point of view. Imagine how others might handle these issues. You can also use this technique to look at your job or family duties. Ask yourself these questions:
* What can I expect of myself in this situation?
* Are my expectations realistic, given my abilities, strengths, and weaknesses?
* What do others expect of me?
* What ideas would others have for me? When you imagine how someone else might respond to a situation, you may come up with helpful ideas!
If you struggle to answer these questions, wait at least an hour or sleep on it. When you come back to this worry, you may see things in a different way and feel more ready to address the issue.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
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Part 4
Seeing the worst possible outcome for a situation can lead to anxiety and racing thoughts. Avoid focusing on the negative aspects of a situation or how it could be even worse. The unknown future can seem scary and full of negative potential. Dispute each irrational thought with a rational one. Challenge your “worst case scenario” with a “best case scenario” and options in between.
* What is statistically likely in this scenario?
* How might this situation turn out better than expected?
* What can I do to reduce the chances of the situation getting worse?
Think of a “mountain” that you build out of a “molehill.” Challenge your thought with rational thinking. Complete the following chart with two examples of your own.
Catastrophic Thought
Example: The more weight I lose, the more I am going to gain back later. I am better off staying overweight.
Alternative Thought
Losing weight will help my health now and in the future. I can learn tools to maintain my weight loss. Even a small weight loss will have a big impact on my health.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
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Part 6
An increased amount of oxygen allows your heart rate to slow down. This produces a calming effect.
1. Sit in a chair, arms at your sides, with your legs uncrossed. Or, lie down on a comfortable surface, like a bed or couch.
2. If you are able, close your eyes. Do not close your eyes while driving or operating machinery.
3. Note any tension in your muscles.
4. Slowly inhale through your nose, expanding your abdomen first. Fill your lungs next.
5. Hold your breath for 2 to 4 seconds.
6. Slowly exhale.
7. Repeat this exercise for several minutes.
Your chest should feel less constricted. You should feel less stress and tension physically and mentally. Problems haven’t gone away, but you may feel more ready to tackle them or cope with a negative emotion.
Practice Deep Breathing: Take a Rest from Your Emotions
Detach yourself from your thoughts and emotions. Imagine sitting on a hill and viewing your thoughts and feelings at the bottom of the hill. Observe your thoughts as they pass by. Or, you can stop and think about them. Tell yourself: “I have control over when and how I think about a situation.”
Put your emotional reactions to a situation or issue to rest for awhile. This helps your mind use logical thinking.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
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Part 6
Use relaxation techniques to manage emotional eating triggers.
Learn These Four Skills to Relax
1. Relaxation Reflex: Get rid of muscle tension.
2. Mindfulness: Be fully present in the moment.
3. Deep Breathing: Feel relaxed by breathing in more oxygen.
Plan Relaxation Time
Plan 15 minutes during the day to intentionally relax. You can also do relaxation exercises as needed throughout the day. Practice these techniques before eating or to cope with an emotion that is triggering you to eat. Relaxation techniques can help reduce stress-related health problems, such as high blood pressure, headaches, and pain. These tools also help you to have greater mental and physical control and improve your response to negative emotions.
How the mind can control the body:
* It can slow brain wave patterns.
* It can reduce heart and breathing rates.
* It can increase blood flow to the limbs.
* It can relax muscles.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
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Part 6
This skill relaxes four basic muscle groups. Tightening and relaxing these muscles produces a soothing effect that helps you relax. Take slow, deep breaths, drop your head, and place your shoulders forward to add to the effect.
Practice every day for about 5 to 10 minutes. Divide the body into 4 muscle groups. Tense each group for 5 seconds, then release.
1.Arms and Hands– Lift your arms, bending them at your wrists and elbows. Make fists and tighten your upper arms.
2.Face and Neck– Squinch your eyes, nose, cheeks, and brow. Stretch your mouth and grit your teeth. Point your chin down toward your chest.
3.Middle Torso– Push your shoulders back. Tighten your stomach and the middle of your back.
4.Legs and Feet– Lift your legs off the floor and hold them straight out. Point your toes toward your face. Tighten your thighs.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine
SUCCESS OVER STRESS
Often it’s frightening. Sometimes it’s deadly.
Road rage-where flaring tempers mix with two-ton machines-continues to be a problem on America’s highways. Sometimes this problem leads to accidents, assaults, and even murder. It’s a puzzling problem in part because it can happen at anytime and anywhere that roads and vehicles are involved. Yet specific statistics on how often it occurs are hard to come by.
The biggest triggers are drivers who are texting, tailgaters, left-lane hogs, slow drivers, and drivers multitasking, according to an Expedia report.
When you come across an aggressive driver, you don’t want to engage him or her, said Scott Morofsky, author of the books The Daily Breath: Transform Your Life One Breath at a Time and Wellativity: In-Powering Wellness Through Communication.
Head off your own road rage or avoid the rage of others:
*Don’t turn that ignition.If you are feeling stressed and anxious before you even start your trip, then take time to calm down now, not after you are on the highway. Take that deep breath you always heard would work. You might even try counting from 1 to 10, inhaling on 1, exhaling on 2, up to 10 and back to 1 again.
*Stop right there.If you are already driving, and you feel your anger is starting to impact your judgment, pull over for a few moments. Is any problem important enough to risk lives?
*Don’t react or retaliate.You can’t control those other drivers, but you can control how you react to them. If someone is tailgating you, flipped you off, or is just infuriating you with bad driving habits, ignore them.
© American Institute for Preventive Medicine