Learning to relax
could add years
to your life Stress can kill
increased risk of heart attack and stroke.”
Stress also raises blood pressure, increases
heart rate and blood flow, and results in
the release of cholesterol and triglycerides
in the body.
High cortisol also impairs immune function and makes it harder to fight off infections. In addition, cortisol increases blood
sugar levels, and boosts the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Research also shows that chronic stress
makes us reach for comfort foods, contributing to the growing obesity epidemic. Stress is
also a common trigger for tension and
migraine headaches, along with anxiety and
depression, and it contributes to gastrointestinal problems like irritable bowel syndrome,
heartburn and acid reflux.
Breaking the stress cycle
Often we don’t deal with stress until
it’s overwhelming. But if you learn strategies
to identify and handle stress right away, you’ll
feel better faster and improve your health. “By
learning to recognize the
thoughts and feelings of
stress early,” says
practices can help.
Accept the way
things are.
Mindfulness means
focusing on the
present moment in a
nonjudgmental way.
Instead of complaining
and wishing this moment
were different, pay attention to your breath going in
and out, and experience the
now. “Thoughts will come
and go, but you don’t need to
resist or believe them,” says
Winner. “Most thoughts are
just opinions.”
Assume the superhero
stance. Researchers at the Harvard
Business School found that the levels of the stress hormone cortisol fell
sharply when students adopted a
Wonder Woman—arms akimbo—“power
pose” for just two minutes. Participants indicated that they also felt more confident. “The
power pose changed body chemistry in measurable ways,” says Christine Carter, author of
The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at
Home and Work (Ballantine Books, 2015; not
available at Costco).
Look up. “When your mind is feeling
cluttered, overwhelmed or exhausted, head
outside for some fresh air,” says Larissa Hall
Carlson, the dean of the Kripalu School of
Ayurveda at the Kripalu Center for Yoga &
Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. “Just a
few minutes of sky gazing can provide the
mind with the space it needs to refresh and
reset.” Find a comfortable place to sit or lie
down for a few minutes, and look up.
Massage your ears. “It stimulates the
same stress-reducing energy points used in
acupuncture,” says Carlson. Just close your
eyes and take a few deep breaths. Now firmly
PHOTOS: © CHUTIMA CHAOCHAIYA / SHUTTERSTOCK
SWIRLS: © MILOJE / SHU T TERSTOCK
for your health
By Chrystle Fiedler
STRESS IS MAKING us sick. Common
medical problems that are affected
by stress include heart disease, Alzheimer’s
disease, diabetes, depression, headaches,
gastrointestinal problems and asthma.
“Stress doesn’t only make us feel awful
emotionally,” says Dr. Jay Winner,
founder and director of the Stress
Reduction Program for the
Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara,
California. “It can also exacer-
bate just about any health
condition you can think of.”
Stress actually increases
the rate at which our cells
grow old, making us more
prone to age-related dis-
eases such as heart dis-
ease and diabetes.
In fact, a study published
in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America (2004) showed
that telomeres—part of the chromosome that
protects genetic data—in the cells of chronically stressed women had the equivalent of an
additional decade of aging.
The stress-disease connection
When stressed, the body releases stress
hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.
“When stress becomes chronic, cortisol
makes you gain weight around the belly,” says
Winner, a Costco member. “This visceral fat
is associated with cardiovascular disease and
