How to Handle Stress Just Like An Expert (PART 1) ~ Bloggerin Info

How the pross take the heat

ACCORDING TO the American Institute of Stress, as many as 90 percent of visits to general practitioners are stress-related. Adults, children and apparantely even pets are susceptible. No one is immune to the ill effects of stress - not even scientiests schooled in how to prevent it.

Stress results when our bodies react to a challenge - mental or physical - by increasing metabolism, elevating blood pressure, boosting heart and breathing rates, and pumping three to four times more blood to the muscles than normal. This fight-or-flight response works fine when we do just that - fight or flee.

But, most often, we do neither. And that's what gets us into trouble. A surplus of unused adrenaline coursing through our bodies can lead to a host psychological and physical problems.

Unless, that is, we learn to handle pressure like a pro. Here, leading stress authorities tell us how they do just that.

The EAT (Energy-Action Team) Plan

Susan Mitchell, a registered dietitian and co-author of "I'd Kill for a Cookie: A Simple Six-Week Plan to Conquer Stress Eating"

"My No, 1 stress-less strategy is to graze," says Mitchell. "When I'm anxious, I can't stomach big meals. But when I eat small snacks, I feel better, my energy level improves, and I can better deal with any stress."

Several years ago the stress of a divorce and the death of several family members left Mitchell with no appetite. But, using her experience as a nutritionist, she and colleague Catherine Christie ultimately devised positive ways to deal with situation. The result is their EAT (Energy-Action Team) Plan, a multi step approach to minimising stress that includes eating health-fully (to boost energy, immunity and mood) and exercising regularly (to burn kilojoules and increase endorphins).

Ironically, Mitchell notes, the grazing approach works equally well for those of us who overeat when we stressed. "If you eat small portions throughout the day, you're not as hungry as you would be otherwise," she says. "So, you're less vulnerable to your cravings."

The Immunity Connection

Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, director of the health psychology division of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus

It isn't just the traumatic that taxes our immune systems and can make us sick, but also the mundane - say, a bad workday or a minor tiff with your mate. Thankfully, though, Kiecolt-Glaser has uncovered strategies to help you protect yourself from the negative effects of stress --- one of which is to surround yourself with good friends. "Across our studies, close personal relationships are strongly associated with better immune function," she says. "They provide a buffer in times of stress. So, if I've had a bad day, the first thing I do is talk to my husband."

Besides finding a confidant, you can counteract stress's influence on your resistance to illness by getting ample sleep, exercising and eating well. "People under stress tend to have poor diets---they consume more junk food, caffeine and alcohol --- at the very time when good nutrition is more important," she says.

The Sollitude Solution

Peter Suedfield, psychology professor at the university of British Columbia in Vancouver

"When you're alone and quiet," says Suedfeld, "negative decreases while alertness increases. As a result, you might find that solitude and reduced stimulation restore your ability to think clearly, be creative and maintain an emotional calm."

Some people seek solitude behind closed doors, while others take solitary walks. Suedfield prefers to read, he sometimes takes a quirkier route: relaxing in a flotation tank in total darkness. "For me, it's a good method of decompressing," he says.

Suedfield believes social support can help ward off some kinds of stress. "But overlead requires solitude," he says.

to be continued