Stress

• 2.3 million Americans suffer from “Anxiety Disorders.”
• 1/3 of the population make a New Years resolution to begin a stress management program.
• 80 percent of health care dollars are spent on stress related disorders.
• 46 percent of the American population say they feel highly stressed.
• More than 2,000 self-help books are published each year, producing sales of over $500 million.
• Americans buy 1/3 of all anti-anxiety pills sold worldwide each year, while they make up only 5% of the world’s population.
• 60-80 percent of industrial accidents are due to stressed out workers.
• The word stress entered the American vernacular in 1956, when Hans Selye published ”The Stress of Life.”

Stress has been with us since the beginning of time. Every era has faced its share of threatening situations. Today, the stress of careers, deadlines, conflicts, and the demands on our time and money, take a huge toll on our health.
Just as a chain tends to break at its weakest link, we seem to exhibit stress and strain in the weakest areas of our bodies. For some, it’s an upset stomach. For others, recurring headaches, back pain or muscle stiflness. Still others respond with nervous twitches, allergic reactions, or sensitivities to chemicals.

Regardless of your particular response, the function of your nervous system is involved. That’s why chiropractic can be so helpful.
The chiropractic approach to stress is to help normalize the function of your nervous system by removing interferences caused by the Vertebral Subluxation Complex. Finding the “weak links” in your spine (the major communication pathway of your nervous system) and helping restore better function, can make a profound difference in your response to stress.
It may not be possible to remove the stress from a busy life. However, with the help of your chiropractic doctor, you can respond better to the unique challenges you face.

7 Ways to Chase Away Stress

1. To help relax, take deep breaths, pray or meditate. Relaxation lowers blood pressure, respiration, releases muscle tension and eases emotional strains.

2. Keeping a sense of humor during difficult situations is an effective mechanism for stress management. Laughing releases the tension of pent-up feelings and helps you keep your perspective.

3. Try to find exciting, challenging and satisfying forms of exercise that are convenient. Brisk walking and swimming are excellent choices providing a great cardiovascular workout. Avoid vigorous training regimens that will take more time and commitment than you can afford, as half of those who start such a routine will drop out within one year.

4. Leave work on time and try not to work at home. Keeping a separation between your professional and private life is essential to managing stress. If you must work beyond your regular hours, try to go to the office early when the phones are quiet and you are fresh from a good night’s sleep. People tend to be more productive and focused in the morning than in the evening.

5. Lower demands you put on yourself. Make realistic goals that give you the opportunity to succeed. Unattainable goals usually lead to feelings of failure even when you have had a productive day. Make a list of things to do for the following day. Re-list the items you don’t get to because details you think you will remember the next day are often forgotten.

6. Take care of taxing tasks in the morning to get them out of the way. Large or tedious projects that you schedule for the afternoon will often get put off due to the events of the day.

7. Look at large projects as a series of steps to complete one by one. Don’t worry about the enormity of a project. Section jobs into manageable portions and take them on individually. Organization is the key to successful project completion.

Funny Fact: Baboons pick through one an others’ fur, a behavior known as social grooming, to relieve stress.

Stressed Out?

• Feel pressured or overwhelmed?
• Have problems getting along with others?
• Experience changes in behavior such as temper outbursts, unexplained anger or crying for no reason?
• Have erratic sleep patterns including too much or too little sleep?
• Have difficulty communicating with others?
• Feel impatient?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, review these ways of managing stress and visit your chiropractor for an adjustment!

Chiropractic is a very important part of helping your body deal with stress. If you would like further information on how Chiropractic helps in stress reduction or to schedule a consultation, please contact the office.