Let’s face it: we live in a stressful time. There are myriad factors that contribute to our stress: work, family, bills, and our special treat this year: politics. Some stress is good, like the excitement before receiving an award or the upcoming wedding of your child. The problem really stems from chronic stress and our inability to come down from it. High blood pressure and trouble sleeping are two physical effects of chronic stress, but it does have another effect as well: the amplification of pain.
Stress amplifies pain not by intensifying the signal itself, but by making the perception of pain more noticeable in the brain. Much like we become irritable to stimuli that would normally be ignored, stress removes our ability to ignore pain signals. If the pain becomes overwhelming, it might trigger muscle spasm or a migraine. This, in turn, may increase stress! It can become a vicious cycle.
The following techniques may help you manage stress more effectively. They can be done anywhere, but would be most effective in a quite place where you won’t be disturbed.
- “2 to 1” breathing. This simple breathing technique is typically taught in yoga. It’s simple to explain but often requires practice to do correctly: When you inhale, simply count how long it takes you to breath in, then, try to take twice as long to breath out. So, if it takes you three seconds to breath in, take six seconds to breath out. This engages your diaphragm, the muscle that helps you draw air into your lungs. By slowing down the movement of the diaphragm, we activate the parasympathetic division of our autonomic nervous system. The parasympathetic division is responsible for “down time activities,” such as eating and sleeping, as opposed to the sympathetic division, commonly referred to as “fight or flight.”
- Visualization. Imagine yourself in the most relaxing environment you can think of. For some it’s a tropical beach, for others it might be a mountain stream. Close your eyes and visualize yourself there, without any cares or concerns. Let any worries pass as quickly out of your head as quickly as they come. Not letting stressful thoughts infiltrate your mental vacation is the most difficult aspect of this exercise. It’s a discipline to turn your brain off to the outside world, but it’s well worth practicing.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation. This is a stress management classic. Starting at either the top of your head or the tips of your toes, you will contract and then relax more and more of your muscles. For instance, if you start at your toes, contract just your toes for a few seconds, squeezing as much as you are comfortable with and then completely relaxing them. Next, contract and relax the muscles of your toes and your feet. Then, do the toes, feet, and ankles. Continue until you reach the top of your head. PMR makes you aware of where you are already tight, and what it actually feels like to relax.