11 Tips to Lower SuperStress

Got Stress? Ease It with These Tips

By Roberta Lee M.D.

Think of stress as either acute or chronic. Acute stress is what I consider the "good" kind -- it is the "fight or flight" evolutionary trigger that helps us dodge the oncoming bus in the same way our ancestors outran the saber tooth tiger! In a short-term emergency, the physiological changes (the rapid release of neurohormones) do very little harm to the body -- we use up more vitamins and calories but we can recover quickly from the damage.

The problem comes when this response is triggered over and over with no time for rest, as it does for most of us almost every day. You dodge the bus but then are late for work; your report is due but you get a call from your child's day care and have to leave work early to pick her up -- you stay up late that night to finish the report and start again the next day with less sleep than you really need. This is chronic or SuperStress -- you lurch from one stress to the next without a break! Unfortunately, your brain can't tell the difference between the danger of the oncoming bus and the "danger" of your deadlines. The physiological response is the same, and over time, the cumulative result isn't pretty: your digestion gets out of whack, your blood sugar surges, pushing the body into a near diabetic state; your immunity becomes compromised and with that, a myriad of serious medical conditions.

So how can we keep the many, many stresses in our lives from accumulating and becoming Super-sized instead of acute and manageable incidents? Here are 11 important strategies for reducing the impact of inevitable stress.

Roberta Lee, M.D., author of The SuperStress Solution, is vice chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine, director of Continuing Medical Education, and co-director of the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel's Continuum Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Lee attended George Washington University Medical School and is one of the four graduates in the first class from the Program of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona conducted by Andrew Weil, M.D.

For more information please visit www.superstresssolution.com.

Eat Right

Steer clear of junk or highly processed foods. Your body needs nourishment when under strain so choose whole grains, fish and lean meats, veggies and fruits. But don't do without chocolate! Chocolate is rich in magnesium and potassium, two minerals that help promote the "relaxation response," as well as iron and zinc, which are minerals that many people don't often get enough of during the course of the day. Chocolate also contains a good amount of selenium, which enhances immune health.

The ideal cocoa mass is 75% or more -- this will be clear on the label and is most often found in dark chocolate -- and the ideal portion is 1 ounce (about 1/3 of an average bar or roughly the size of the palm of a woman's hand).

Try This Meditation

To reduce stress, and avoid SuperStress, try this today:

Simple as it sounds; focused breathing -- during which you think about your breath as you inhale and exhale -- is a very effective stress-management technique. A slow, full breath triggers physical and cognitive changes that promote relaxation. Deep breathing helps release tension and anxiety and is a great energizer because the deeper the breath, the more your body is flooded with life-fueling oxygen. A full breath begins with the diaphragm pushing downward so that the stomach extends out. As your lungs fill with air, your chest expands. When you exhale, the reverse occurs -- your chest settles first and then your stomach.

-- When anxiety strikes or you find yourself focusing on negative thoughts, immediately exhale through your mouth.

-- Now, open your lungs, and breathe in through your nose, drawing in a fresh, cleansing air to the count of four.

-- Exhale again slowly to the count of five.

-- Repeat four times.

5 Tips for Coping with Anxiety in the Moment

You’re in public and you can feel your heart racing. Do you know how to stay relaxed? Read next feature >