Stress hits each of us differently. Some of us feel it in our bodies. Others just can't stop worrying.
Whichever type you happen to be, knowing how you experience stress can help you find the most effective methods to relax.
Back when I was doing research at Harvard, we called the kind of stress that expresses itself in the body "somatic": things like getting butterflies in your stomach, or indigestion, a racing heart or the jitters. But some people are prone to experiencing their stress mentally, for the most part.
The stress that you feel in your mind -- like worrisome thoughts that keep you up at night or that continually intrude into your focus during the day -- is "cognitive" stress.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School used the scale for cognitive and somatic anxiety that we devised at Harvard to sort patients who were being taught a variety of stress-fighting methods, including mindfulness meditation and yoga. The bottom line: Not everyone will benefit from a body-focused relaxer like yoga, just as meditation may not be the most effective way to fight stress for every person.
When we calm down from stress, we are shifting our nervous system from physiological arousal to the relaxation and recovery state known as parasympathetic activity. In this state, our minds are more open and clear, our heart rate slows and pressure lowers, and our muscles release tension.
But there is no single best way to get there -- each of us has our own path.
You don't have to take a psychological test to find out which methods will work best for you -- you can make the match most precisely through simple trial and error -- after all, you are the final judge of what will help you. But once you find a relaxer that you enjoy and that leaves you feeling less tense, try to find a time -- even just 10 or 15 minutes -- in your routine when you can practice it daily. The more you practice, the easier it will be for your body to get into that relaxed state in even a few minutes of applying your relaxation method.
Even more helpful: If you have strong daily practice, you'll be able to call on it to help you calm down when you need to the most -- right after those hassles that get you so tense in the first place.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario