MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT
March 9, 2001
"I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack
me at once." - Ashleigh Brilliant
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The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative
http://www.facct.org/cahmi.html
Visitors to this site will find data on teen health and children with chronic conditions,
news briefs, and links for parents and consumers. The Web site is sponsored by the
Foundation for Accountability, working in collaboration with other agencies, such
as the American Academy of Pediatrics, Children Now and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
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May 20-22: Michigan Association of Infant Mental Health Annual Meeting,
Ann Arbor, MI This 25th annual conference, titled "Hand in hand:
multidisciplinary approaches to supporting relationships and early development"
will focus on issues that affect infants, families, professionals and agencies
working with families. Contact: Penny Tully, University of Michigan
Conference Management Services, Room G121 S. Quad, 600 E. Madison,
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1372; (734) 764-4276; Fax: (734) 764-1557; Email:
ptully@umich.edu
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The Association for Women in Psychology is seeking empirical, theoretical and
applied papers and books for its 11th Annual Women of Color Psychologies
Award. Manuscripts must be written by and about women of color.
Deadline: April 1. Contact: Jeanette Hsu, PhD, VA Palo Alto Health
Care System, 3801 Miranda Ave., 116B, Palo Alto, CA 94304; (650) 493-5000,
ext 67915; Fax: (650) 852-3445; Email: Jeanette.Hsu@med.va.gov.
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MANAGING STRESS
Individuals can learn to manage stress adaptively and
to enhance wellness. Life can be enjoyed as a
challenge, rather than being viewed as a threat.
The brain centers which trigger the alarm response
can also slow these processes through the relaxation
response, returning the body to a natural, balanced
state.
There are four general ways in which stress can be
reduced. Each involves some practice as well as a
personal committment. These are techniques for stress
reduction. They do not purport to eliminate stress
nor to totally mitigate all aspects surrounding
disaster-related or traumatic or post-traumatic
stress. Those are topics for another article.
SYSTEMATIC BREATHING
Breathing is an act performed thousands of times each
day without much attention paid to how it is done.
However, breathing too fast or too slow causes the
body to have trouble working properly. It causes
uncomfortable feelings, dizziness tiredness or
depressed feelings. The general stress reaction
causes the breathing process to accelerate. Over
time it can contribute to the stress symptoms
discussed above. But, it is also possible to use
breathing as a method for reducing the effects of
stress by maintaining a good oxygen balance and
making the way clear for relaxation to take place.
There are two types of breathing techniques which
can be used to help relieve immediate tension. Both
can be applied in any situation in which one begins
to feel tense and anxious. They are PAUSING BREATH and
REGULATED BREATHING.
PROCEDURE FOR PAUSING BREATH
1. Before taking a Pausing Breath, you should make
sure that your posture is as good as you are able
to make it under the circumstances. Your back
should be straight and your shoulders squared but
slightly elevated.
2. Focus as much attention as possible on the
breathing process itself. Then, breathe in through
your nose deeply and steadily until your lungs are
as full as possible.
3. Hold the breath in your lungs and count slowly to
three. Gradually and evenly, release the air
through your nose until your lungs are completely
empty. (Another way is, after holding your breath
to a count of three, let it out in three equal
exhalations through your mouth, blowing slightly
between your lips while exhaling.)
Practice the Pausing Breath four or five times a day
until you are able to do it almost automatically.
Then each time you feel the symptoms of a stress
reaction starting, pause to breathe.
The advantage of the Pausing Breath is that it can be
used in just about any situation, even when there are
other people present. It accomplishes two things:
1) It gives the body an extra shot of oxygen, and
2) it gives you a specific moment in which to
consider why you are beginning to experience a
stress response. The Pausing Breath gives you a
chance to stop the reaction before it has actually
begun.
REGULATED BREATHING
This technique is often used as part of relaxation
training. Its purposes are to ease tension and allow
you to rid yourself of the effects of stress. Regulated
Breathing is something that needs to be done in a
quiet place, by yourself. One of the reasons for
using this technique is to allow you to get away
from it all.
1. Place yourself in a relaxed, comfortable position.
The best position is lying on your back with a
pillow under both head and knees. However, there
are still beneficial effects to the process even
if you are sitting in an easy chair. The location
you choose should be as quiet as possible and free
from other disturbances.
2. Using your nose, inhale a slow, deep breath which
completely fills your lungs.
3. Count silently to three, and then exhale the
breath slowly through your nose until your lungs
are empty.
4. Count to three again, and then repeat steps 2, 3,
and 4 over and over.
People who use Regulated Breathing often do so during
a lunch break, as soon as they get home from work, or
at some other time when the effects of stress are
likely to be greatest. The key to is to create a
rhythm which becomes almost automatic and will let
you concentrate on relaxing and reducing tension.
It is important to let the three count control the
rhythm of breathing, at least until the Regulated
Breathing technique becomes a habit. It is also
important to count during the starting period to
avoid hyperventilating.
Practicing Regulated Breathing once or twice a day
for at least 10 minutes will result in it becoming
easier and easier to relax during the period. Many
people report that Regulated Breathing is particularly
useful either right before or right after, a stressful
activity (e.g. an important meeting or before a
disaster-related activity), because it keeps their
tension level down.
RELAXING YOUR BODY
There are many ways to relax. When most people think of the word
Relaxation, it brings to mind a vacation in the mountains, or at
least a week getting away from it all. The type of relaxation
discussed here is similar - getting away from daily problems and
stressful situations, but lasting for a much shorter time than
most vacations.
FULL BODY RELAXATION is a means of reducing tension and
overcoming the effects of stress. Body Relaxation involves
learning to relax skeletal muscles completely by thinking about
each part of the body in turn and making an effort to relax it
piece by piece. This is one of the surest ways to achieve a
relaxed state in a short period of time. With some practice,
the entire procedure can be accomplished within 20 minutes.
The best results are probably achieved if Body Relaxation is
practiced at about the same time, twice a day, for about half
an hour. The times should be chosen carefully so there will be
a minimum of interference, and so that a schedule can be
followed.
This technique is designed to loosen the tension in your
muscles and totally relax the body. It should be done lying
down, without any restrictive or tight clothing on, and is
excellent right before going to sleep at night.
Beginning with your toes, you are going to direct your attention
to the different areas of your body, tensing them, releasing the
tension, and relaxing completely. Tense the toes and feet, point
the toes up or down, feel the increase in tension, take a deep
breath, then exhale and let the tension go.
Direct your attention to your lower legs, knees, and thighs.
Tense these muscles, feel the tension, take a deep breath, then
exhale and let the tension go completely.
Continue in the same way by directing your attention to
the buttocks, lower back, upper back and shoulders, each
time tensing the muscles, feeling the tension, inhaling,
then exhaling completely and releasing the tension.
Direct your attention to the hands and fingers, lower arms,
elbows and upper arms. Tighten the muscles by making
a fist with your hands, stiffening the arms and raising them to
about a 45 degree angle. Feel the tension, take a deep breath,
exhale and release the tension completely.
Continue in the same way to direct your attention to your
abdomen, stomach and chest muscles. Tense each muscle group,
feel the tension, inhale deeply and then exhale and release
the tension.
Be aware of the muscles in your neck, head and face. Tense
these muscles, stiffening the neck and making a big grimace on
the face. Feel the tension, inhale, then exhale and release the
tension.
Now tighten every muscle in your body, imagining that you
are becoming stiff and rigid like a board. Feel the tension
all over, inhale and increase the tension, exhale and release
the tension completely.
After completing the above, spend a few moments just enjoying
the relaxation and release from tension before resuming your
other activities.
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For further information on this topic and to purchase books online, go to the following
and use the search engine to find books on this and other topics. Begin by trying the
following descriptors in the search: stress management, body relaxation, stress management
and breathing, systematic breathing, tension and stress reduction, etc.
https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/searchbooks.html
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Contact your local Mental Health Center or check the
yellow pages for counselors, psychologists, therapists,
and other Mental Health Professionals in your area for
further information.
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George W. Doherty
O'Dochartaigh Associates
Box 786
Laramie, WY 82073-0786
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT Online: https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/news
