by Kirby Lindsay,
originally posted 3 October 2014
October 10, 2018 is World Mental Health Day. This column, on the importance of rest and relaxation, gives advice about ways to avoid mental ill-health. It is being reposted now to share this information, for your consideration.
Next week, October 6th – 12th, marks the 2nd Annual Naturopathic Medicine Week. In celebration, the Bastyr Center for Natural Health, on Stone Way, will host a free open house, from 9a – 1p on October 11th, with blood pressure readings, 10% off purchases in the Bastyr Dispensary, coupons for free appointments and more.
Another way to mark the week, and this season of the year, is by taking a personal assessment. With the rapid approach of the flu and cold season, it’s a good time to think about the steps you will take to protect yourself and your family this year.
Bastyr University Associate Professor Dr. Brian Riedesel, from the Counseling & Health Department of the Natural Healing Arts & Sciences School, offers another way to protect your health – long-term – by lessening the adverse effects of stress.
Stress Will Not Go Away
“I’m not a physician,” Dr. Riedesel pointed out when we talked. Instead, he works with patients, and teaches his students, on ways our minds and emotions affect our health. “The environment, not just the physical but the social and psychological environment, can react with our immune system,” he explained, “in general, it’s true that stress suppresses the immune system. It’s made worse by chronic stress.”
“The body is not separate from everything else,” Dr. Riedesel observed. Studies are revealing, in every science from biology to psycho-neural-immunology, that severe or chronic stress can damage our health, short-term and long-term. “It’s amazing how resilient people are,” he remarked, based on work he’s done with people who underwent trauma. And our reactions to trauma, to stress and the effects on our health, Dr. Riedesel said, “it’s so individual.”
“We’re not going to make stress go away,” Dr. Riedesel acknowledged, “It’s part of life.” He also noted that sometimes avoiding stress – and stressful experiences – can make their impact more debilitating when they do appear. “The fear gets worse,” he stated, “A little bit of stress can make us more resilient.”
Dr. Riedesel suggested that perception, and shifting our perception, can fight some negative feelings of stress. “It’s in our perception of the world,” he observed, whether we feel safe or not in many situations. He suggests a 70/30 ratio – be optimistic 70% of the time, and realistic 30%. “We don’t want to be Pollyanna’s,” he explained, but some time spent looking at the bright side, and the full half of the glass, can actually avoid stress.
Practical Ways To Ease Stress
As to practical ways to ease the effects of stress – and avoid having it suppress our immune systems and make it harder to fight off influenza and head colds – Dr. Riedesel suggested:
- Get Enough Sleep
- Get Regular Exercise
- Find Non-Chemical Ways to Relax Deeply – getting drunk, or taking sleeping pills, doesn’t have the same profoundly relaxing effect as listening to music, meditation, spending time with friends, etc.
- Culture Relationships With Other People – Nurture relationships with people that help cultivate the 70% optimism, and drop or limit exposure to toxic people that cause stress; including ‘relationships’ on social media… “Manage your exposure,” Dr. Riedesel observed, “it would be nice if we could delete the memories of previous experiences as easily as we can the posts on Facebook.”
- Have A Consistent Self-Care Program – Running, massage, meditation, or any activities that make you feel good need to be given priority in your regular routine. Maybe replace get-togethers with toxic people with self-care rituals.
- Don’t Lose Your Sense Of Humor – “A healthy sense of humor,” Dr. Riedesel recommended, and create a little distance, see yourself in a new light, and make you feel a little lighter.
Dr. Riedesel also observed that studies have shown that, “those in a healthy relationship with your higher power are healthier.” Every person reacts differently under stress, and it can take up to 2 or 3 months to make a change into a routine, but every effort towards relaxation and restoration brings benefits.
Finding Your Brake
There is distress, and then there is ‘Eu-stress’, named after the feelings of euphoria and euphony it creates. A time of great challenge, but one where we are coping right at our capacity, can create a sense of euphoria. Yet, all stress, regardless if it’s distress or eu-stress, requires a balance: activity and rest; day and night; yin and yang. Stress can give us a shot of adrenaline, where “we mobilize, we cope and then we have restoration,” Dr. Riedesel said, “or we die. Adrenaline is the accelerator, but restoration is the brake.”
For those who can no longer find their brake alone, and want some help, Dr. Riedesel recommended seeking professional help. “If you feel stressed, and don’t feel you can’t deal with the symptoms,” he said, “or come in and learn how to manage stress,” the Bastyr Center can connect you with a professional. Counseling at Bastyr can provide a healthy person with insights on how to control symptoms, and develop new skills that give extra support, when needed.
Find out more about the Bastyr Center during the Open House on Saturday, October 11th from 9a – 1p. Enjoy healthy refreshments and get information on what Bastyr can do to keep you and your family healthy during the cold and flu season. Also, from 10:30a – Noon, take in a free lecture on ‘Finding the Right Supplement For You’ by Stephen Phipps, ND, PhD, for even more ways to stay healthy this season.
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©2014 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.