Everyone has stress and feels its effects. Short-term effects of stress include headaches, shallow breathing, trouble sleeping, anxiety and upset stomach. Long-term (chronic) stress can increase your risk for heart disease, back pain, depression, constant muscle aches and pains and a weak immune system.

Chronic stress can affect your emotions and behavior. It makes you grouchy, impatient, less enthusiastic about your job and depressed.

To keep stress at a minimum and reduce its effects on your life, research shows it is helpful to find and practice healthy ways to manage it. Try these methods to see what works best for you.

Take a Breath

Start by sitting up straight. Breathe in so your rib cage expands, and then breathe out slowly. Breathing in this way relaxes muscles. This helps to reduce tension. It also reduces the likelihood of muscle and back pain.

You can focus on a word, a mantra or even your breath by focusing on your nostrils. Feel the breath coming in and going out. What you're trying to do is put the focus on something other than your problems. Do this for 10 to 20 minutes, twice a day.

Relax Slowly

Sit or lie down, if you can, and close your eyes. Starting at your head, tense your face by clenching your teeth and furrowing your brow. Hold the tension for five seconds, then release it.

Next, tense your shoulders by bringing them up to your ears. Hold for five seconds, then release. Tense your arm muscles and hold for five seconds, then release. Continue to tighten and release each group of muscles in your body until you reach your toes. Focus on the warmth and heaviness of your body as you relax. Breathe gently for a few moments, and then open your eyes.

Visualize

Sit or lie down and close your eyes. For five to 10 minutes, imagine you're in a place you love. This may be the beach, the mountains or the house you grew up in. Breathe slowly and deeply as you imagine what you see, feel, hear, taste and smell in your special place.

Get Massage Therapy

Massage therapy is a medically proven method for supporting health and wellness. When you need to relax, a state-licensed massage therapist can offer a variety of therapeutic massage techniques to reduce muscle tension, increase blood and lymph circulation and relieve pain.

At Aultman North, your massage therapist will complete a quick evaluation to determine the best techniques to support your massage therapy goals.

“Getting massages on a regular basis will help maintain the fluidity in your muscles as well as regulating blood pressure and lowering anxiety levels," says Lorraine Berardi, LMT, MA, MBA, licensed massage therapist at Aultman North.

Benefits of massage therapy also include improved flexibility, increased circulation, improved quality of sleep, relief from chronic pain and decreased irritability.

Seek Reiki Treatment

Reiki is a hands-on technique, based on Japanese principles, where a practitioner can transfer “universal life energy” to you, activating the natural healing process to encourage physical and emotional well-being. At Aultman North, Reiki sessions are provided by a Reiki practitioner trained in the Ursi method.

Reiki can promote relaxation and a sense of well-being, reduce stress and anxiety and decrease the physiological reaction of the fight-or-flight response.

“The greatest benefit of having a Reiki session is the calming effect the energy has on the mind and body,” says Danielle Dragomire, PTA, Reiki master. “The comment I receive the most after working with a Reiki client is, they can't believe how relaxed they feel."

For more information on massage therapy or Reiki, visit Aultman’s Integrative Therapy page or call 330-244-8113 to set up an appointment.

Be patient with yourself in managing stress. It's important to find a method that works for you on an ongoing basis, not just when your life is out of control. Doing this regularly can give you a place of calm to return to when the going gets rough.

Sources:

The StayWell Company, LLC
The Aultman Health Foundation