The next three months will be filled with holiday fun, numerous activities to attend, and A LOT of family time. Sounds wonderful, right? Let’s talk about the common denominator… STRESS.
Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat as protection. Too much, or uncontrolled stress can be damaging to your physical and mental health. It can weaken your immune system, trigger asthma, exacerbate your allergies, cause skin rashes, headaches, ulcers, back pain, digestive problems, anxiety, and burnout. Stress is also linked to overeating and problem drinking which can lead to heart attacks and hypertension. How you cope with stress will, ultimately, impact your quality of life.
Here are some SMART (Self-Management and Rational Technique) exercises for coping with stress:
(Block out a period of time when you’ll have no interruptions. Find a quiet place that has a comfortable temperature, loosen any tight clothing and de-stress.)
- Muscle-Tensing Techniques. Clench your fists tightly and curl your toes. Hold for a count of two, then release. Tense the muscles in your forehead by raising your eyebrows as high as you can. Hold for a count of ten. Try to recall how your hands, feet and forehead muscles felt when tensed and when relaxed. Learn to recognize when your muscles are tense; this is the first step in learning how to relax.
- Imagery. Negative psychological “pictures” often can result in stress. Positive imagery can help eliminate stress. Close your eyes. Picture yourself on a warm beach, in a hot sauna or a heated pool. Allow your mind to take you to that special place that makes you feel warm and comfortable. Actually, experience the warm bodily sensations that you feel. Now, intensify this experience, making the temperature become increasingly warmer. Practice this exercise until you actually control the temperature in your hands.
- Controlled Breathing. Take a deep breath, then exhale completely. As you exhale, relax your entire body, then take another deep breath and hold it for 15 seconds. Each time you repeat this exercise, increase the length of time that you hold your breath, up to 30 seconds. Repeat this exercise and allow your body to become more relaxed each time you exhale.
- Reducing Stress Headaches. There is a relationship between cold hands and headaches. Your goal is to eliminate (or at least reduce) the intensity of these headaches without the use of prescription drugs. Open your eyes as wide as they will go. Stare all the way up. Now, repeat the exercise, this time staring all the way to the left. Then shift your eyes down, then to the right. Don’t twirl your eyes around; take time to focus up, left, down and right. Breathe deeply during each movement. Do this exercise 10 times.
Your health insurance plan likely addresses stress through wellness. To learn more about the various plans available to your business and/or employees, click here.
