- Stress and Relaxation
The most frightening of Andrew's symptoms was the tightness across his chest. When it happened he felt as though there was a steel band wrapped around his body which got tighter and tighter. The discomfort was not the worst part of it. The frightening thing was the fact that he seemed to have no control at all over what was happening to him.
Andrew's doctor noted that his blood pressure was a little high and prescribed some medication for that, but recognized that stress was producing the problem in the first instance. Management of this stress was needed if Andrew was to feel better again. Besides, the blood pressure medication was playing havoc with his sex life, since he tended to fall asleep almost as soon as he had finished his evening meal. This was not a very happy state of affairs for a happily married family man in his mid thirties. Relaxation training seemed a good idea.
After three or four practice sessions Andrew was able to relax very deeply indeed. The tightness in his chest disappeared after the first session. He began to realize that he could control his body in important ways after all, and encouraged by this success changed other elements of his life style that contributed to his stress symptoms. He was soon able to discontinue his medication.
Not everyone who suffers from stress has the symptoms that Andrew showed. Sometimes the main problem is persisting headaches, or high blood pressure, or constant stomach upsets, or even a complete loss of interest(or capacity) for sex. The reason for the diversity of symptoms is that stress affects the body's central arousal processes which influence many different body functions. The stress response is sometimes called the "flight or fight response" because systems are activated which prepare the body for rapid and powerful action. Sometimes this can be pretty useful. For example if we find ourselves in battle or in the thick of a sporting contest. However, unlike the trained athlete, few of us ever learn how to regulate these processes, and given sustained stress experiences, the arousal response can become chronic, and health threatening. Like Andrew we can feel powerless victims of automatic body functions.
Learning to relax involves more than simply acquiring the specific skill of deep relaxation. It also involves changing the way you approach your day to day life - changing your lifestyle. The stress response becomes habitual or chronic because there are not enough day to day experiences which counter this pattern. There is not enough "balance" in the body's experience. It's not so hard to get into balance really. Physical recreation can help, so can the use of regular time out periods from normal routines. One of the simplest strategies is to go for long walks. The combination of physical activity and taking oneself away from problems seems to help many people. The essential ingredient is to take yourself away, physically or psychologically, from stress.
A first step in becoming more relaxed is to pay more attention to your body's reactions. If you can begin to do that, it is then possible to work out what kinds of things produce your stress response. The sorts of thing to look for are:
*Increases in heart rate, especially feelings that your heart is racing or pounding.
*Tightness in the chest, or noticeable changes in breathing, like gasping for breath.
*Queasiness in the stomach, and problems with digestion of food.
*Coolness in the skin, even while perspiring. This is often felt in the hands or feet, or in the face. Most people have experienced a "cold sweat" at some time.
*Tenseness, or soreness in the muscles, especially stiffness around the shoulders and neck.
*Headaches, and feelings of tightness in the head. People with stress often wake up in the morning with a headache.
*Feelings of unease or panic, that seem to come out of the blue.
Often these kinds of symptoms are accompanied by an increase in blood pressure which must be dealt with promptly. Allowed to go unchecked, high blood pressure can threaten the kidneys, the heart, and the brain. If it is diagnosed, your doctor will probably prescribe medication immediately, though relaxation training and the life style change that should accompany it, may be appropriate for long term management of mild stress related blood pressure problems.
The powerful effects of the "relaxation response" have been exhaustively researched. Herbert Benson's work has shown that deep relaxation produces significant decreases in oxygen consumption, in respiration, in heart rate and blood pressure, in muscle tension, and in blood lactate(a substance suspected of producing anxiety attacks). The changes produced are often dramatically superior to those found in sleep. For instance, during sleep oxygen consumption (an indication of the body's activity level) gradually decreases to reach a low after about five hours, and then slowly returns to normal. But in deep relaxation reductions of more than double these levels are achieved within minutes and sustained as long as the relaxation continues.
There are many places where you can learn to relax. Many of the yoga classes that are held for the general public provide excellent training in relaxation at very little cost. You can go along with a friend too, which may help you to keep at it. There are organizations everywhere these days that teach forms of meditation which produce suitable relaxation effects. Hypnosis, particularly where the individual is taught how to manage the process unaided, is another source of learning. Some Psychologists teach "deep relaxation", and at the same time can provide support for specific lifestyle changes that will help in reducing stress.
Usually people learn relaxation more effectively in one of these contexts, though it is quite possible to acquire the skill at home.
More readings will be added to my blog from time to time. Have a quick look now to see the first posting on my blog PSYC1PLUS