Stress Reducer Blog

Clearly this reporter doesn’t grasp what mindfulness really is…being present to whatever is going on, not pushing stuff to the side. Yikes!

Other than that, however, the article is quite good and makes a good case for meditation in general and mindfulness meditation specifically when it comes to stopping anxiety and reducing stress.

Read more of ‘Mindfulness therapy pushes the bad thoughts to one side‘.

Want to learn more about mindfulness meditation, get Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Full Catastrophe Living

Technorati Tags: Alternative Treatments, Stop Anxiety, Stress Reducer, stress reduction

How are you on this fine day in October? The sun is finally coming out here in southern New England.

Recently I’ve been thinking about anxiety and stress. Well I’m always thinking about it, and therein lies the problem for many of us who are feeling stressed, overwhelmed and anxious.

To stop anxiety and stress, one of the most effective things you can do is stop thinking and start doing.

Here’s the cycle as I see it…something happens or we’re afraid of something happening and that triggers anxiety and stress.

Rather than immediately kicking into fight or flight we take a middle road…paralysis. Just like a rabbit caught in the headlights, we freeze.

In that state all we can do is ruminate about whatever it is that triggered our reaction in the first place…and we spin around and around in it. The more we think about it the more the anxiety and stress escalates. Sound familiar?

It is imperative to break the cycle, and the best way I know is to take action. In my experience it doesn’t even really matter if it’s the best action. What matters is that we DO something.

So try this to stop anxiety and reduce stress…

1. Stop

2. Don’t try to talk yourself out of it (doesn’t work and it’s counterproductive).

3. Ask yourself what small step you could take to solve or prevent the problem that’s causing stress and anxiety.

It doesn’t have to be the full solution, just one small step in the direction of a solution.

If you don’t know what direction, just take your best shot because it really doesn’t matter. In my experience even the wrong action breaks the log jam of emotion, which in turn, frees us to think more clearly and take more effective action.

4. Do it. Take action. Take that one small step.

5. Then notice how you’re feeling. Better?

Hope that helps,

Susan

Technorati Tags: Stop Anxiety, Stress Reducer

Did you read the New York Times article, Understanding the Anxious Mind, yesterday? Pretty interesting, but was it helpful for the stressed among us?

One of the points I found particularly interesting was…

ANXIETY IS NOT fear, exactly, because fear is focused on something right in front of you, a real and objective danger. It is instead a kind of fear gone wild, a generalized sense of dread about something out there that seems menacing — but that in truth is not menacing, and may not even be out there. If you’re anxious, you find it difficult to talk yourself out of this foreboding; you become trapped in an endless loop of what-ifs.

Fear can be stressful but if we look at fear as a real response to real danger, it’s safe to say it is not a chronic condition because it passes once the danger passes.

Fear is a call to action. We need to respond in order to get out of a dangerous situation. What makes anxiety and stress so debilitating is how chronic they are. We are ‘flight or fight’ mode all the time. Yes it does go up and down, but for most of us, there is a constant undercurrent of anxiety and stress which over time is damaging to our emotional and physical health.

The article was actually quite hopeful in looking at how even with a temperamental inclination, environment can play a big role in mitigating the effects of temperament. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the research, as yet, does not show us the best way to stop anxiety in children who exhibit ‘high reactor’ tendencies. What they do say is this…

The best outcome, however it happens, is to rear a child who learns to wrestle his demons on his own. Some children figure out themselves what works best.

So what do you think? How can parents help their ‘high reactor’ children? Were you a ‘high reactor’ growing up? What helped you or hindered you in dealing with your temperament?

Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Take care,

Susan

Technorati Tags: Stop Anxiety

Are we wired to worry? Current research as reported in today’s ‘New York Times Magazine’ would suggest that the causes of anxiety (as opposed to fear) are temperamental. The research also shows that temperament is not the whole story if you want to stop anxiety.

The tenuousness of modern life can make anyone feel overwrought. And in societal moments like the one we are in — thousands losing jobs and homes, our futures threatened by everything from diminishing retirement funds to global warming — it often feels as if ours is the Age of Anxiety. But some people, no matter how robust their stock portfolios or how healthy their children, are always mentally preparing for doom. They are just born worriers, their brains forever anticipating the dropping of some dreaded other shoe.

Read more of Understanding the Anxious Mind

Technorati Tags: Causes of Anxiety, Stop Anxiety

If there was ever an age of anxiety, I’d say this is it, and this book has some great answers.

I have been recommending this book to clients since it first came out in 1997 because it embraces the whole range of anxiety from toxic to sacred. His “A+ Formula: Turning Anxiety into Awareness and Action” is a very similar to the model I use for solving any problem, and it’s extremely effective.

It’s a pretty easy read too. My cousin read my copy over Thanksgiving weekend…cover to cover.

Just so you know, Finding Serenity in the Age of Anxiety appears to be out of print at the moment (I expect it will be back because it’s just too good) and that means there are some terrific deals to be had. Right now you can get a copy for less than $10 including the shipping.