The “Best of” Our Blogs: On Stress Relief
In celebration of our two years of blogging and updating our book, we’ve chosen a few of our past blogs to “replay.” In a followup of yesterday’s topic, here are some ideas about relieving your stress.
Tuesday 14 Apr 2009
April is Stress Awareness Month:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy May Be What You Need To De-Stress
Spring is here and stress is in the air. There are worries over the economy, unemployment, and the state of healthcare (among other things). There are ways that each of us deals with stress -both consciously and unconsciously. Some people get sick (not a great solution);others overeat; still others drink too much alcohol. But many people have learned to work it out in a healthy way using things like exercise, meditation, yoga, and talk therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
CBT is a process that looks at a person’s beliefs, and helps to change negative thought patterns.It is like teaching people to look at the cup as half full, rather than half empty.A recent study has found that ten sessions of CBT significantly improved worry in older individuals with generalized anxiety disorder.CBT has also recently been shown to have an impact on depression and health outcomes in those who have undergone cardiac bypass surgery.
If you are stressed out, you are not alone.We suggest that you look to healthy ways to deal with stress and worry.If you feel you need help and would benefit from talking to someone, you might want to find a therapist who does CBT.And of course, you can always exercise too! Are you sick of hearing that from us yet?! Robin Miller
Thursday 14 Jan 2010
STRESS RELIEF CAN HELP WITH WEIGHT LOSS
One of the things that can cause us to hold on to weight is the continuous release of stress hormones. It is therefore important for all of us to de-stress. Exercise can help. It releases endorphins that can improve our sense of well being and to lose weight by improving our level of fitness! Here are some more suggestions:
1. There is a simple, cheap way to reduce stress. It can be done anywhere at any time and requires little to no equipment. The stress reducer I am referring to is meditation. Some of you fellow boomers learned transcendental meditation in the seventies. If you have never done it, there are great beginner CD’s that can give you a short guided meditation to get you started.
2. There are many pleasant ways to reduce stress. Massage is one of these ways. Many of us feel guilty having a massage, but no need. Regular massages can reduce your stress hormone levels. By reducing your stress hormones, massage can actually help you to lose weight. Try it, you’ll like it!
3. Guided imagery is another great way to reduce stress and thus help us to lose weight or keep us from gaining weight. It will relax you and can help you lose weight.
4. Find an exercise that you like that can also relieve stress. Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong are just a few that you could check out. If you have pain in your knees aqua tai chi is a great choice and may be available in pools near you. Robin Miller
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