Stress Management

• Stress Management is an integral part of all Treatment Programmes
• Some problems have their basis in stress/tension, and for clients, stress/tension is often a contributory factor in their problems
• All clients are taught to work with an easy to learn and highly effective Relaxation Exercise at the beginning of their Treatment Programme and then later on this is enhanced by learning Self-Hypnosis
• All clients work with a Relaxation Recording between Sessions as part of their Programme
• This is an important and essential first Component of the Programme and through its use clients are not only starting to work on reducing and eliminating unnecessary Anxiety but are also working on establishing some processes and programming as they work through the Treatment Programme

What is Stress?

You will most likely have heard these types of comments before:

"I am so stressed"

"I am suffering from stress"

"I am taking medication for stress"

"I am stressed out"

"I am in a very stressful situation"

"I have a very stressful job"

Stress is not a condition that people are "suffering from", what they are suffering from are the results of stress.

Here is a statement you might find interesting:- "Stress is not the problem" Stress is necessary, for without a challenge, nothing is accomplished. So if stress is not the problem, what is? The real problems that people have in their pursuit of health, happiness and success, is not stress, but rather the results of stress and the stress factors that they experience. Stress Factors could be classified as:- Force-Pressure-Strain

When we are rested, our body is in a state of equilibrium, until we are confronted by some challenge that puts Force, Pressure of Strain, on our body and mind.

Stress factors are those things that cause us to react or do something and that something produces tension in the body and mind.

There are two types of stress factors:

• Positive Stress Factors
• Negative Stress Factors

It is important to differentiate between these two types of Stress Factors.

Positive Stress Factors

Can you imagine what life would be like if everyone existed in a state of equilibrium all the time?

If everyone existed in a state of equilibrium nothing would ever be accomplished and no one would ever experience the fun, excitement and enjoyment of being taken out of the equilibrium state.

Here are some examples of Positive Stress Factors:-

• Watching an exciting movie
• Watching an exciting sports event either in person or on television
• Taking part in a sporting activity
• Attending a concert

With Positive Stress Factors, once the event is over, the tension fades away, and there is no residual tension remaining in the body and mind.

Negative Stress Factors

Negative Stress can occur suddenly or can be long and enduring.

Here are some examples of Negative Stress Factors:-

• Bereavement
• Injury through an accident
• Relationship difficulties
• Problems at work or at home
• Financial issues

Whatever the Negative Stress Factor is, there is always residual tension, remaining in the body and mind, once the event or experience is over.

The residual tension adds to the residual tension, already existing in the person.

How Stress Affects the Body and the Mind

Tension produces reactions in the body and mind. When experiencing tension, the body and mind are in a heightened state. We are not designed to exist in a heightened state for long periods of time. This heightened state, if persisted in, can cause breakdowns in body and mind systems. Whatever happens in the mind causes an immediate reaction in the body and whatever happens in the body causes an immediate reaction in the mind.

It is impossible to experience tension in the mind alone or in the body alone, for the mind and the body are inherently linked. We are in essence a Body/Mind or a Mind/Body.

Affects of stress can have an influence on:

• The Mind - difficulty with memory, impaired judgment, issues with decision making, problems concentrating
• The Body - strain on heart and other organs, higher blood pressure, bowel and bladder issues, disrupted sleeping patterns, impaired immune system
• Performance
• Sleep
• Decision making
• Relationships
• Sexuality
• Drugs, alcohol and smoking
• Appetite