Stress for success any age. Whenever you are stressed, remember that you are feeling stressed because you care and are challenging your- self. Become aware of what you’re feeling. Master mindfulness Mindfulness strategies o;er a way to stop and notice how you are feeling in the moment. Grace Bullock, a research sci- entist, psychologist and author, suggests
that you pause for a moment each day
and ask yourself, “How stressed am I
really feeling?”
Once you acknowledge the feeling,
focus on your ability to address the situa-
tion. Mindfulness strategies help you cope,
because they teach you how to focus your
attention in the present moment, where
you may actually solve the problem.
Mindfulness practice is essentially the
simple decision to pay attention to where
you are, what you are doing and what you
are feeling in the present moment. One
research study found that washing dishes
in a mindful way—paying attention to
the bubbles and the scent, for
instance—reduced stress levels.
Research with MRIs shows that
mindfulness practices change the neu-
rological structure of the brain. People
who practice mindfulness strategies
become more adept at managing stress,
are better able to regulate di;cult emo-
tional experiences and have lower levels
of anxiety, depression and chronic pain.
Other techniques
Mindfulness strategies can be e;ec-
tive even after extreme life-or-death
stress. Costco member Nicole Lovald, life
coach and owner of Spirit of the Lake
Yoga and Wellness Center in Excelsior,
Minnesota, serves as regional director for
the Veterans Yoga Project. According to
Lovald, practicing yoga teaches “resil-
iency by calming the nervous system,
helping veterans to reconnect with their
bodies and minds, and regain their abili-
ties to self-regulate. [It] can help them feel
more comfortable in their own skin.”
Your new story: You’re strong. You’re
resilient. You’re comfortable in your own
skin. You are good at stress. C
Kimberlee Bethany Bonura’s course,
“How to Make Stress Work for You,”
will be available via DVD and digital
streaming in February ;;;; (drkimber
leebonura.com).
BY KIMBERLEE BETHANY BONURA
STRESS CAN LEAD to a range of health
issues, like high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, insomnia and anxiety. You
may have tried to reduce your stress, and
ended up stressed about stress itself.
New research shows that, rather
than reducing your stress, you need to
transform your relationship with
stress. If the story you tell yourself
about stress is that stress is bad for
you, your health will su;er.
One large analysis of longitudinal data by researchers at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison
found that people with high stress
levels who believed stress was
unhealthy had an increased risk of premature death. The people who had high
stress levels and believed that stress was
a normal part of life actually had a
reduced risk of stress-related death compared to people with lower stress levels.
Collaborative research from Florida State
University and Stanford showed that people with higher levels of stress report
more meaningful lives.
Shift your perspective
Absorb that as your new story about
stress: Being stressed means your life is
meaningful. You are feeling stressed
because you care about the people and
activities in your life.
Consider the perspective that Costco
member Nina Spadaro, licensed psy-
chologist and a faculty member at
Walden University, teaches in her par-
ent-child kung fu classes in Bellingham,
Washington. Spadaro has noticed that,
for children, stress often comes from
fear of failure. She encourages parents
and children “to treat mistakes as oppor-
tunities for celebration of a child really
trying to do something challenging.”
This shift in perspective is helpful at
Rede;ning
your relationship
with stress
OUR DIGITAL EDITIONS
Click here for a lesson in “square
breathing.” (See page 14 for details.)
SPECIAL SECTION
FOR YOUR HEALTH
©
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