Stress by Linda Mackenzie

STRESS
by Linda Mackenzie, C.H.T., Ph.D. (c)

Stress Today
• We are under more stress than ever before.
• Some stress good - it helps us grow and keeps us motivated. In fact, every action or reaction that we have comes from stress.
• Too much stress causes emotional breakdowns, illness and even premature death. In fact, 60% of all physicians cases are stress related. In the workplace, Stress is rated in the top 10 of health hazards and over $150 billion a year is lost for absenteeism, low productivity, accidents and medical coverage due to stress.

The early warning signs of stress of when you are having too much stress
a. Physical - Pain, illness, energy level changes, different body sensations
b. Emotional - Anger, fear, hurt, sadness, uneasiness
c. Mental - Either an overactive or inactive mind
d. Behavioral - Overdoing or underdoing, avoiding, developing clutter, being pushy or unpredictable, increased whining and swearing.
e. Intuitive - dreams, queer inner feelings

Human Reaction to Stress
Our reaction to stress is the same today as it was for the caveman. When in danger (e.g. animal attacking) the caveman reacts in "Flight or Fight" mode. He would either run away or would fight the animal. We have the same reaction today.

There are 4 types of stress -
a. Physical - e.g., illness, lack of sleep, viruses
b. Nutritional -e.g., food allergies, vitamins/minerals deficiencies & improper digestion
c. Emotional - e.g., negative emotions like anger, frustration, grief or guilt
d. Environmental - e.g., inside (e.g., prescription or recreational drugs, alcohol) or outside pollutants(e.g., smog, insecticides)

Stress Management
1. Decide which stress or combo of stresses is affecting you. Example: Imagine you have an upset stomach. Is it because of one or more of these reasons.......
a. You got food poisoning (physical stress)
b. Your body doesn't have enough enzymes to digest food (nutritional/physical)
c. The side effect of your prescription drug causes upset stomach (environmental)
d. Or your boss told you that your job is in jeopardy (emotional)

2. Once you determine which stress (es) are affecting you
a. Acknowledge that you are under stress
b. Now Feel where the stress is accumulating in your body. Is it your neck, your shoulders, your stomach, your lower back. Where do you feel tense?
c. Now take a deep breath and consciously tense that spot even more Hold it for a few seconds and as you breathe out, release the tension from that spot.

So what is Stress?
I believe that All stress is self-imposed negative emotion based on the fear of change. Because stress is associated with the fear of change let's look at the anatomy of change. Let's start by looking at the sources, control and movement of change:

There are 10 sources of change:
Self-Initiated - Break off relationship
Anticipated - Retirement
"Good" - Being Promoted
Timely - Child goes to College
Making A Decision-Deciding to Move
Forced - Getting fired from a job
Unexpected - Heart Attack
"Bad" - Car Stolen
Untimely - A young child dying
Taking Action - Firing an employee

How do we control change?
These are the 10 ways that we usually control change.

By Replacement	By Formula	By Growth	By Metamorphosis	By Magic
(Repair TV)	(Dieting)	(Child grows Up)	(Baby's Birth)	(Win Lottery)
By Disposal	By Mistake	By Decay	By Death	By Disaster
Throw Away TV)	(Burn Dinner)	(Tooth Cavity)	(Pet's Death)	(Tornado)

In some cases like replacement or disposal you have more control over what you do, on the opposite end of the spectrum like magic or disaster, you have little or no control over the change.

Movement of Change
1. We know change is constant. Nothing stays the same. But it's interesting to note that change moves in a cyclical upward motion. Like a Spiral to the sky. Also you will never experience the same change in exactly the same way. There will always be something different because we are constantly moving. So if change is constant that means we are always in some transition of change.

Here are the 4 transitions:

Transition Time	Signs	Tasks	Detours
Flourishing	confidence, clarity abundance	savor success celebrate & play	changing goals, worrying, waiting for end
Shifting	news of change wanting, worrying	acknowledge shift review options get support	denial, Jump at 1st option, Not getting help
Adaptation	tired, looking for new insights, things are not going as usual	Give yourself time Be open to new ideas Sweep out old ideas	staying too busy Doing what you have always done
Action	Energy Burst Minor setbacks	Trust your own timing Prepare and take Action	Make no movement Ignoring your own wisdom

Now we have learned about the sources, control and transitions of change we come to the most important part. How do we handle change?

How do you view change?
Is it a Failure or Opportunity? Is it an Ally or Enemy?
How do you feel about change? What if you lost your job?
Do you fear? Have you failed? or do you welcome it and the new
opportunity that it brings. You can look at it either way but which way do you think brings less stress?

Change is Always Positive!
When you welcome change and make it your friend several things happen:
1. you experience less stress on all levels
2. you spend less time in crisis
3. you have more time to develop more choices
.
Now here are some keys to reducing stress:
• Physical Stress - Get enough sleep and exercise - 3X a week 30 minutes a day
Optimal health helps the body, mind & spirit.
• Nutritional Stress- Eat right, the right vitamins, minerals, enzymes & supplements
• Environmental - No caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, recreational drugs and limit
prescription drugs.
• Emotional Stress - Remember that in most cases you can't control external circumstances but you can control your reaction through Humor, Positive Thought, Positive Affirmations, Meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, Breathing, Creativity,
Hypnosis and my favorite form of Self-Hypnosis -Visualization.