ssqvyehefo

Stress Management on the Road

Weve all been here. Youre driving down the road, on your way to an appointment, meeting, or special rendezvous when suddenly your mouth goes dry, your heart races, you frantically search your purse or briefcase, while trying to concentrate on driving. Youve forgotten those important documents at home. Youre over half way to your destination, now what are you going to do?

Second scenario Youre on vacation, travelling into a city for the first time, its rush hour, construction surrounds you, and youve already put in a big day of driving. Youve just passed your exit sign to get off the highway, and the detour looks forebodingNow what?

Where in our life manual do we learn to cope with moments like these? How do you typically handle sudden inconveniences? Are these situations mountains or molehills, when it comes to communicating with your travelling partner? Does the conversation typically turn into one of whose fault it is that details were missed and documents got misplaced or forgotten? Who decides what the next step is.do you have a calm discussion, or does someone dominate and angrily decide for the everyone?

Lets look at Stress Management on the road. How you handle the unexpected when you are out of your familiar surroundings can impact your health for years to come.

Most of us are familiar with the Serenity Prayer. Its a simple tool to help you focus on this very issue:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

The way in which you handle the bumps in the road of life is paramount to staying healthy. Im a fan of using the technique of self check-in, so lets do it! In times of stress do you:
a)Yell, get mad, get into conflict with your partner
b)Go silent, then steam
c)Breathe deeply, then allow logical resolutions and discussion to emerge

If you choose either strategy A or B, these results may seem familiar:
-Compromised reasoning and decision making: this can be dangerous, especially when driving
-Reduced immune function, which allows for disease to set in, and may cause less attention or ability to taking safety precautions while travelling. It will certainly impact your ability to get full enjoyment from your trip
-Physical and mental exhaustion, which promotes opportunity for higher incidence of accidents
-Increased personal costs, such as family breakdown, errors in judgment, etc.

During short term stress a.k.a. Fight or Flight Response, the body reacts to protect itself in dangerous situations:
-Cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones) increase to boost muscular strength
-Vision & hearing increases
-Digestion slows or shuts down
-Brain activity & heart rate increases

During chronic stress, you may experience:
-constricted blood vessels, and a pounding heart which may lead to high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke
-enhanced susceptibility to disease, such as long term infection, some forms of cancer
-poor healing ability
-exhaustion
-infertility

In the face of a stressful situation, if you choose to breathe deeply, collect your thoughts, and logically choose the next step, you will always be in a healthier place. When you consider the holistic viewpoint of Mind, Body and Spirit, the reasons become clear. Within your physical body, when you breathe deeply, the oxygen supply to the brain increases, which allows your mind to function with more fuel, more clarity and more focused energy. Physically, your heart rate slows, your blood pressure decreases, and the release of cortisol and adrenalin gradually decreases. Deep breathing allows for a reduction in muscular tension within the body, and thereby allows ease of movement. Within your heart centre, or soul, there is a sense of calm, peacefulness and serenity. It is usually from this place that a person may consider all options before jumping to conclusions, or making decisions which may have unfortunate, long term consequences.

So, as you travel and enjoy this wonderful world of ours, whatever path you are on, wherever you find yourself situated, consider the following simple, but not always easy, tips to manage your stress:
-Change your Situation
-Change your Attitude
-Take care of Yourself
-Establish your priorities
-Look for ways to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine. Every little bit counts.
-Practice saying the word no. And say NO to guilt!!!
-Be firm and do not apologize for problems that are not your own.
-Drink more water to flush toxins from your body, and eat wisely
-Identify your own personal time thieves and evaluate why you say yes to their repeated demands for your time.
-Have a family meeting to discuss household duties and allow others to choose what tasks they wish to do each week. Review and adjust as needed.
-LAUGH!!!! Find humourous ways to enjoy life!

Carolyn Wiens is a certified Lifestyle Coach, Corporate Wellness Trainer and Yoga Instructor. She owns Sunrise Lifestyle Coaching & Yoga Studio in Simcoe, ON and can be reached at http://www.sunrisecoaching.ca or at 519-426-1118 for a FREE coaching session. Sunrise Lifestyle Coaching's mission is to inspire people to live with passion to their fullest potential.

posted by allzq @ 5:23 PM