www.womanthismonth.com 93 May 2015 blood pressure, cardiac trouble, hormonal disturbances etc,” warns Dr Puja. UNLEASH THE FEEL-GOOD FACTOR When the brain perceives any kind of threat, our bodily systems make significant changes to gear up to tackle it. For instance, the brain releases endorphins to relieve pain. Muscle tension increases to prepare for quick action. Heart rate increases, pumping more blood to the extremities so you can fight or run. Breathing gets shallow and faster to supply more oxygen to the muscles and body tissue. “These physiological effects of stress are meant to be short term. Once the danger passes, the body should return to its natural state of internal equilibrium, functioning in perfect balance,” says Dr Amy Bowzaylo, clinical director and CEO of Intouch Integrated Chiropractic Spine Center. But what if stress is a constant companion, wreaking havoc to the body and mind? The answer is exercise. “Exercise decreases stress hormones like cortisol, and increase endorphins, your body's ‘feel-good’ chemicals, giving your mood a natural boost,” explains Dr Amy. She says that exercise helps release built-up tension in the body and is a platform for releasing emotional tension. It helps promote overall health and wellbeing, which can also lessen the experience of stress. Besides all the physical ‘wow’ effects of exercise, some forms of exercise boost selfesteem and enable you to be more social, which can also be a great stress buster. Dr Amy Meditation is the art of being aware of what is. We become more skilful at being aware of our thoughts, filtering the ones we keep from those we let go of advocates massage therapy as an effective way to deal with stress. A massage relaxes tight and painful muscles, increases the range of motion in the joints and improves circulation, thereby diminishing stress levels. STILL THE MIND Yoga brings together the mind, body and spirit. Besides stretching and toning the body, the deep breathing in all yoga postures helps reduce heart rate, blood pressure and tension in the body resulting from mental stress and creates a general feeling of wellbeing, says master yogi Weam Zabar, of Namaste Bahrain. Elaborating on the importance of breathing techniques, Weam says: “Yogis noticed that animals with longer breaths (such as turtles, elephants and pythons) live longer than animals with short breaths (like dogs and rabbits). The breath and the mind are connected. When you're stressed you'll notice that your breath is shallow and restricted, as opposed to longer, fuller breaths when you are relaxed or sleeping. So, by lengthening the breath in times of distress, you will find your mind calming down. When you focus on your breath, you bring your attention to the present moment and you begin to disconnect from the worries that the mind creates. On similar lines, meditation is said to stave off stress and bring on inner peace. Weam says: “Meditation is the art of being aware of what is. We become more skilful at being aware of our thoughts, filtering the ones we keep from those we let go of.” Bad posture is another fall-out of frequent stress, and comes with its own aches and pains. When we ‘stress out’ and hold tension in the body, then that stress is stored in the body and remains there until we work through it and release it. Weam concludes that we need to stop taking life so seriously, spend more time doing things we enjoy and be able to laugh at ourselves, especially when things don't go our way. By keeping our hearts and minds open we will be able to fully enjoy the gifts life brings as they come. g
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