Stress Reduction

Mindful Living Reduces Stress and increases the Relaxation Response so we can live in a state of inner peace. If we undergo a particularly stressful time, we know how to manage the stiff current.

Sometimes we don’t recognize stress as stress and call it other things.  How many times have we had that WOW response when we realize that we are all keyed up about something?

Here is a terrific definition of stress taken from The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook 4^th edition Davis, Eshelman and McKay:New Harbinger Publications

Stress Responses – Emotional, Cognitive, Physiological

Stress responses can be simple or clinical. Symptoms become clinical if they are severe, if they last beyond a reasonable length of time or if they are too frequent.

Emotional Stress 

• Feeling afraid
• Feeling on edge – jittery
• Worry
• Feeling lonely or isolated
• Feelings of embarrassment
• Feeling rejected
• Feeling angry
• Feeling sadness, grief or loss

Cognitive Stress (Negative thinking)

• I can’t
• I might make a mistake or make a fool out of myself
• People are watching me
• I feel helpless to create a change
• I feel trapped
• Why did he/she do that
• What if that happens

Physiological Stress

• Hot flash not produced by medical condition
• Butterflies in the stomach
• Rapid heart beat
• Holding of the breath or hyperventilating
• Feeling dizzy
• Shaking
• Feeling confused
• Memory problems
• Aches and pains and sore muscles
• Tight muscles
• Sleep disruptions….too little or too much
• Fatigue

Physiological Stress continued

• High blood pressure
• Headaches
• Backaches
• Indigestion
• Ulcers
• Chronic constipation or diarrhea
• Obesity
• Weakness

Adapted from:

Anxiety Symptoms Checklist: Shirley Babior LCSW www.stressrelease.com

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook 4^th edition Davis, Eshelman and McKay New Harbinger Publications