Robin Boudette, Ph.D.

Articles by
Robin
Boudette, Ph.D.

Transform Unhealthful Eating Habits

Mindful Eating

Stress, the
Silent Epidemic

Eating Disorders are a Peril for Vulnerable Young People

Stress, the Silent Epidemic:
Part Two, the Calm Within

Reprinted from Princeton Packet, January 2003

Many people consider stress a fairly constant and troubling aspect of their lives. It doesn't have to be. There are a number of things that you can do to manager stress and maintain your health.

There is an undeniable connection between mind and body. Many experts believe that positive thinking can enhance the natural healing powers of the body. After all, the mind does not differentiate between perceived and real danger.

“The body requires a state of relaxation to heal and it is within your power to elicit this state.” - Robin Boudette, Ph.D., psychologist, Women's Wellness Program the Medical Center at Princeton

The mind/body approach to stress integrates modern medicine, psychology, nursing, nutrition, and exercise physiology. The good thing about it is its inherent accessibility. Once you learn how, you can practice highly effective stress reduction techniques without leaving home or office. Breathing, which acts as the trigger for the autonomous nervous system, can be used to elicit the relaxation response and protect the nervous system.

Developing an awareness of breath, body, mind and the stress cycle will enable you to mater your response to stress.

Stress results when we believe that either our physical or psychological well-being is being threatened and that we cannot cope with this perceived threat. The stress response is the body's automatic, involuntary reaction to stressors in the environment and the physiological changes include an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, breath rate, and muscle tension. To counteract this, we must learn the relaxation response and voluntarily induce it.

Techniques that elicit the relaxation response include deep breathing; yoga stretches; mindful mediation; progressive relaxation, and a body scan.

1. Stop what you are doing and bring your awareness to your breath.
2. Exhale completely.
3. Inhale slowly and deeply into the abdomen to the count of four.
4. Exhale slowly to the count of six.

Recognizing the sources and symptoms of your stress, interrupting the negative stress cycle and creating balance are all part of unlearning the typical stress response.

Relaxation is difficult for many people. We are conditioned to be “on” all the time. If you have trouble, reflect on why you cannot relax. Do you experience somatic anxiety, meaning that you cannot sit still and must always be on the go? If so, yoga would be quite helpful in reducing your stress level. Or is your experience of stress more cognitive in nature, where your mind has trouble shutting down? If so, visualization might work better for you.

Different techniques work for different people. Find one that works for you. Breathing works for all situations.

What are your stress signals? Are they physical, emotional or spiritual in nature? Here are some indicators to help you identify your stress signals:

• Physical stress signals include insomnia; indigestion; headaches; frequent fatigue; low sex drive; poor concentration; changes in appetite; back aches; frequent illness; restlessness; dizziness; racing heart; frequent injuries; and/or memory problems.
  
  
• Emotional stress signals include anxiety or depression; irritability; low self-esteem; lack of self-care; conflicts with others; social isolation; feelings of inadequacy; apathy; unhealthy coping; compulsive behaviors, and/or fear of loss of control.
  
  
• Spiritual stress signals include loss of hope; no joy in life; feelings of meaninglessness; inability to connect with life, and/or absence of pleasure.

For physical and emotional healing to take place, you cannot be in the “flight or fight” mode. The body requires a state of relaxation to heal and it is within your power to elicit this state. Keep in mind that the relaxation response is not automatic, but is learned and should be practiced daily.

If you seek medical treatment for gastrointestinal problems, back pain, headaches or other stress-related illness, be sure to mention stress reduction to your physicians, as it is a wonderful, complementary source of healing.

Robin Boudette, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist, facilitates groups in the Women's Wellness Program
 at Princeton House, the behavioral health unit at the Medical Center at Princeton. This article was prepared in collaboration with Lorraine Searbrook.