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National Stress Øut Week
November 9–15, 2009
Everyone experiences stress and anxiety, so it’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms and learn some skills to cope. National Stress Øut Week is a good time to consider how stress and anxiety affect your life, and what you can do to reduce their impact.
Mind-Body Connection
This year National Stress Øut Week highlights the benefits of mind-body practices to reduce stress and anxiety. One such practice is coherent breathing, according to Richard P. Brown, MD; Patricia L. Gerbarg, MD; and Philip R. Muskin, MD, the authors of the book How To Use Herbs, Nutrients & Yoga in Mental Health Care.
Describing it “a modern adaptation of the ancient practice of breathing at approximately five breaths per minute,” the authors recommend this type of breathing to reduce anxiety, insomnia, depression, and other disorders. Coherent breathing is safe for everyone—children, older adults, people with medical illnesses, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
A well-known and often popular mind-body practice is yoga. Many people who take yoga classes report improvements in mood and well-being, according to the authors. Yoga, they explain, “reduces anxiety, overreactivity, and sleep difficulties.” It helps people “learn how to master anxiety through self-soothing,” which they say often leads to reduced dependence on therapy or medication.
In addition, the authors discuss how different methods of meditation have helped adults reduce stress and negative emotion, as well as manage insomnia, unwanted thoughts, and pain.
>> Read more. How To Use Herbs, Nutrients & Yoga in Mental Health Care, by Richard P. Brown, MD, Patricia L. Gerbarg, MD, and Philip R. Muskin, MD, (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., Inc., 2009)
>> Learn more. Listen to the podcast Mind-Body Practices in the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders.
>> Visit yogadownload.com to find yoga classes online, including a free 20-minute session.
Everyday Stress and Anxiety vs. Anxiety Disorders
Stress—even a lot of it—is different from an anxiety disorder. How so? Stress and anxiety are normal and healthy reactions when they keep you or loved from harm, motivate you to prepare for an event, or are a response to threatening news.
But some 40 million adults in the United States live with persistent, irrational, and overwhelming anxiety that often interferes with their daily lives. If this is what you’re experiencing, you may have an anxiety disorder.
Take a look at the difference:
Everyday Stress and Anxiety |
Anxiety Disorder |
Worry about paying bills, landing a job, a romantic breakup, or other important life events |
Constant and unsubstantiated worry that causes significant distress and interferes with daily life |
Embarrassment or self-consciousness in an uncomfortable or awkward social situation |
Avoiding social situations for fear of being judged, embarrassed, or humiliated |
A case of nerves or sweating before a big test, business presentation, stage performance, or other significant event |
Seemingly out-of-the-blue panic attacks and the preoccupation with the fear of having another one |
Realistic fear of a dangerous object, place, or situation |
Irrational fear or avoidance of an object, place, or situation that poses little or no threat of danger |
Making sure that you are healthy and living in a safe hazard-free environment |
Performing uncontrollable repetitive actions such as excessive cleaning or checking, or touching and arranging |
Anxiety, sadness, or difficulty sleeping immediately after a traumatic event |
Recurring nightmares, flashbacks, or emotional numbing related to a traumatic event that occurred several months or years before |
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