Martha Ayres Presents a Simple, Common-sense Plan for Stress Relief

“If you’re looking to achieve long-term health and well-being, you need to focus on basic stress relief techniques,” advises Jungian psychotherapist Martha Ayres. Stress literally changes our body chemistry. While it’s true that these changes—including the release of neurochemicals and hormones—aid in the fight or flight response, these same substances also reduce our body’s supply of disease-fighting immune cells. The result? Our immune system is compromised, making us—and keeping us—sick.

Martha A. Ayres, M. Ed., Diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association, certified Kripalu yoga teacher, and Jungian psychotherapist working in private practice with individuals, couples and groups for the past 35 years, has found that going back to the basics is the best solution. She offers these five proven ways to reduce stress and enjoy improved long-term health.

1. Be sure to get sufficient sleep.
   Sleep restores and rejuvenates the body’s systems. If you’re having trouble getting to sleep, read a book in bed, listen to music, or practice meditating, and be sure to avoid consuming beverages or foods with caffeine for six or seven hours before you go to bed. A glass of warm milk or an apple provides calming chemicals and both are good choices as before-bed snacks. If you awaken during the night, use the same techniques to soothe the body into a more relaxed state.
2. Get regular exercise.
   Exercise releases mood-enhancing chemicals like endorphins, the mind-body’s natural painkiller and mood calmer. Physical activity also burns off excess adrenaline that often serves to fuel feelings of anxiety and stress. If you’re just starting an exercise regimen, 30 minutes of activity three to five times a week is ideal, and you’ll want to consider including yoga, walking, swimming, biking, dancing, and/or aerobics. Research shows that individuals who practice yoga experience a substantial reduction in risk factors for heart disease, including lower blood pressure and reduced cholesterol levels. Exercise effectively enables stress management by providing a way for the body to release tension, anxiety and frustration. It can also help to stave off depression, which can result when stress levels become high.
3. Eat a balanced, healthy diet.
   Think twice before you make the choice to pursue weight loss. The wise action is to do what’s right for the health of your body—in other words, don’t allow someone else’s conception of the ideal body size to impact your self expectations. Before deciding on a nutrition program, speak with your healthcare provider for a professional’s perspective. A poor diet will result in general poor health, which will produce anxiety. It’s generally recognized that we thrive on a wide variety of fresh foods, without much sugar or refined flours. Eating nutrition-dense, high-fiber foods and eating smaller, more frequent meals can reduce stress symptoms. And remember, too, that too much caffeine causes shakiness, restlessness and irritability, all of which increase feelings of anxiety.
4. Try the restorative qualities of meditation.
   While both Yoga and Tai Chi are forms of meditation, there are far less physical forms that can be practiced by anyone—meditation can be as simple as sitting in quiet contemplation. Focus on your breathing, a specific sound, or a simple, peaceful thought: meditation is a private activity involving disciplining the mind to concentrate on peace and tranquility. It can provide effective relief from chaotic, stressful thoughts and feelings, and has been shown to have many healing, relaxing effects on the body.
5. Keep a journal.
   Writing things down helps to put everything in perspective. By putting your worries into words you are better able to organize and manage stress, rather than letting it manage you. Keeping a journal helps you identify and pinpoint issues of concerns and make plans for addressing them. Recent research shows that writing about traumatic or very stressful experiences allows us to form them into coherent narratives, thus making them more manageable. The process of writing about traumatic events on a regular basis helps to relieve tension and boost immune function.
   
   For centuries, folk wisdom has told us that a healthy spirit results in a healthy body. As recently as two decades ago, the immune system was believed to be separate from the brain. But links between the brain—the central nervous system—and the immune system have been proven: researchers have mapped out the connections between the areas of the brain that generate thoughts and feelings with the areas that control immunity. What people have always known intuitively—that fatigue and stress can make you sick and that serenity and harmony can keep you healthy—is now a scientific fact.

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