STRESS AND RELAXATION Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the ever-increasing demands of life. Surveys show that many experience challenges with stress at some point during the year. In looking at the causes of stress, remember that your brain comes hard-wired with an alarm system for your protection. When your brain perceives a threat, it signals your body to release a burst of hormones to fuel your capacity for a response. This has been labeled the fight-or-flight response. Once the threat is gone, your body is meant to return to a normal relaxed state. Unfortunately, the nonstop stress of modern life means that your alarm system rarely shuts off. Thats why stress management is so important. Stress management gives you a range of tools to reset your alarm system. Without stress management, all too often your body is always on high alert. Over time, high levels of stress lead to serious health problems. Dont wait until stress has a negative impact on your health, relationships or quality of life. Start practicing a range of stress management techniques today. Relaxation techniques are an essential part of stress management. If youre an overachiever, you may put relaxation low on your priority list. Dont shortchange yourself. Everyone needs to relax and recharge. Relaxation is invaluable for maintaining your health and well-being, and repairing the toll that stress takes on your mind and body. Almost everyone can benefit from learning relaxation techniques. Relaxation techniques can help to slow your breathing and to focus your attention on the here and now. Common relaxation techniques include meditation, tai chi and yoga. But there are more-active ways of achieving relaxation. For example, walking outdoors or participating in a sports activity can be relaxing and help reduce stress. It doesnt matter which relaxation technique you choose. What matters is that you select a technique that works for you and that you practice achieving relaxation regularly. MayoClinic Staff.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 13:11:35 +0000
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