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WOMEN'S HEALTH
Extracts from David W. Sifton’s “Women’s Health” contributed by Acharn Siriporn Jataputra of the Nursing Faculty.
Coping With Stress
To alleviate your stress related problems you must first understand your personal reaction to stress. Each woman has her individual stress threshold. What pushes one woman to distraction may be ignored – or even welcomed – by another. For example, a high powered woman executive might find a vacation away from the office extremely stressful. Even the absence of stress can be stressful. Many middle-aged women have a particularly hard time coping with the “empty nest” syndrome that hits when children grow up and leave home.
Stress can be, if not a silent killer, at least, a silent challenge to peaceful, healthy living. Still, it’s worth remembering that stress has its good points too. It can work as and alarm system to protect you against serious damage. Highly stressful situations can even add spice, dimension, and excitement to your life. Most important, keep in mind that life’s most joyous occasions—the birth of a baby, college entrance, a wedding, a new job or a promotion – can all create stress that strains your psyche, yet still be well worth the strain.
To cope with stress you must first recognize your own limits. Know what stressors disturb you and if you experience a few major stressful events within a short period of time, be extra gentle with yourself.
Acknowledge that you’re going through a difficult time. Try to gain control of the situation by asking yourself, “How can I change this?” Make time to rest and relax. Adopt a program of healthy eating and exercising. Choose the coping strategies that suit you best.
Diet
There’s no substitute for a well-balanced diet to help your body handle the ravages of stress. While researchers have yet to prove a connection between psychological stress and the need for vitamin supplements, nutritionists often recommend a diet high in vitamins C, E, and B.
Whether you take these supplements or not, follow these tips for a healthy, stress-fighting diet.
Inculde….
- Raw fruits and vegetables.
- Complex carbohydrates (new dietary guidelines suggest 6 to 11 servings a day)
- More fish and poultry.
- A good breakfast every day.
- Low-fat foods
Be sparing with….
- Refined sugar.
- Salt
- Alcoholic and caffeinated beverages.
- Fatty and fried food.
Coping Strategies
The best way to manage severe or chronic stressis to treat yourself tenderly.
Acknowledge that you’re going through a difficult time, then reward yourself. Self-indulgence isn’t selfish, it’s essential to your well-being. Choose from this list of personal rewards - - or add your own - - when you’re stressed-out:
Take a….
- Walk
- Vacation
- Break
- Nap
- Course (in something not job-related)
Make time to….
- Play
- Garden
- Go shopping (the window variety will do)
- Read
- Laugh
- Cry
- Make love
- Watch a movie, a play, TV - - or the sunset
- Exercise
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is an ideal way to learn how to manage moderate to severs stress. It is a painless, electronic process that takes in and processes information about your body’s involuntary response to stressors, then relays it back to you so you can learn to modify these previously unwitting reactions. Though it sounds complicated, biofeedback is a simple way to help you learn how to relax.
Biofeedback has been found to be particularly helpful for dealing with migraines, muscle tension and spasms, teeth grinding, and stress-related effects on the circulatory system.
Relaxation Exercises
When you feel caught in a particularly stressful situation, try this special breathing exercise:
- Sit as comfortably as possible in a chair or on the floor. Dim the lights if you can.
- Inhale deeply, through your nose. Expand your lungs with air as fully as possible. Visualize the air coming-through the top of your head, down all the way to the bottom of your lungs,
- Breathe out slowly through your nose. Visualize the air rising slowly up through your body and out through the top of your head.
- Repeat until calm
Meditation
Meditation is way of relaxing and emptying the mind of all outside stimuli. It has been practiced for centuries, and is frequently recommended today as an excellent way to ease stress. There are many techniques. One approach you might want to try is called the Benson Relaxation Response.
Before you begin :
- Plan to make meditation a regular part of your daily routine. Set aside 10 to 20 minutes each day at the same time, if possible. Before breakfast is a good time.
While you meditate :
- Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
- Eliminate distractions and interruptions during the period you’ll be meditating.
- Commit yourself to a specific length of time and try to stick to it.
- Pick a focus word or short phrase that’s firmly rooted in your personal belief system. A nonreligious person might choose a neutral word like one, peace, or love. Others might use the opening words of a favorite prayer from their religion.
- Close you eyes.
- Relax your muscles.
- Breathe slowly and naturally, repeating your focus word or phrase silently as you exhale.
- Assume a passive attitude. Don’t worry about how well you’re doing. When other thoughts come to mind, simply say, “Oh, well,” and gently return to the repetition.
- Continue for 10 to 20 minutes. You may open your eyes to check the time, but do not use an alarm. After you finish: Sit quietly for a minute or so, at first with you eyes closed and later with your eyes open. Do not stand for one or two minutes.
- Plan for a session once or twice a day.
You may try some of the other stress-reducing techniques and therapies that many find effective. They include visualization, yoga, dance and art therapy, and massage.
Listening to Yourself
Many people under stress make matters worse by telling themselves things like “I’ll never make it,” Take time to sort out what you’re really thinking. If your reactions are self-defeating or causing additional stress, make a deliberate effort to change them. Tell yourself “I’ve gotten through tough situations before, and I’ll get through this one.” Though it may seem unlikely that this will make a difference, some people find that it really does help them cope.
If All Else Fails
There is no rule that says you must deal with stress single-handedly. If a major problem like a chronic disease is causing you stress, seek out a support group or a workshop. And if you feel overwhelmed by multiple stressors, remember that there’s nothing wrong with seeing a good doctor or therapist.
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