How does my EAP work? Take these steps toward help
	Screening tools & information Tools to help you identify the problem
	Helpful articles, links & resources A library of online and print information
	Work-life services A healthy balance in a complex world
	Toolkits Managing stress and creating balance
	Return home Return to the Aurora EAP employee home page

Less stress, more energy

A few simple changes can make lasting improvements in your physical and emotional health

Stress is a universal condition of being human. For our earliest ancestors, the stress response was an adaptation necessary for survival, a “warning system” that allowed them to avoid or escape life-threatening situations.

Although baby boomers didn't invent stress, today's workers are facing sources of stress that our parents and grandparents never imagined. Stress is said to be responsible for more than half of the 55 million workdays lost annually because of absenteeism. The frenetic pace of life today, balancing work and family responsibilities, technology that keeps us “connected” 24 hours a day, and our own performance-centered expectations and values—all contribute to a society where elevated stress levels are the norm. Rather than insuring our survival, however, unmanaged stress can do serious damage to our health and well-being.

The body and mind automatically generate energy or adrenaline to handle stressful situations, then release that energy when the stressful situation passes. Tension that remains in the body or mind when the stressful situation is over can contribute to a host of short and long-term physical problems, ranging from headaches, insomnia and muscle tension to heart disease, back pain, hypertension, digestive and respiratory disorders, lowered resistance to illness and susceptibility to addictive behaviors such as smoking, overeating, and drug and alcohol abuse.

Change begins with awareness

The good news is we don't have to be helpless victims of unrelenting stress. We can learn how to take control of our stress reactions and minimize the damaging effects. One of the simplest models is the Stress Solver, developed by Don Norum, MSW, a psychotherapist with Aurora Behavioral Health Services. Norum's approach, originally developed for people with chronic medical problems, is based on the principle of “mindfulness,” a highly-focused awareness of oneself and one's surroundings. By practicing such awareness, individuals can recognize the beginning signs of a stress reaction and prevent the harmful effects of accumulated negative energy. 

“Stress begins with our negative judgments about situations and events,” says Norum. “Muscles tighten, breathing becomes rapid and shallow, and adrenaline levels rise. While there are some situations where these reactions are useful (such as the split-second action we take to avoid an accident), most stress reactions do nothing to change the situation that triggered them (being stuck in heavy traffic, for example) and can be extremely destructive over the long-term. By simply being aware of how our bodies are reacting, we can consciously slow our breathing, relax our muscles, and free up energy to solve the problem at hand, rather than wasting energy on useless anger and frustration.” 

While the concepts are simple, it requires practice and patience to make mindfulness a habit. After years of shallow breathing, or holding tension in our jaws or shoulders, learning to breathe slowly and release tight muscles takes time and repetition to master. Suspending judgement and looking at one's surroundings with openness and curiosity run counter to how many of us are accustomed to viewing ourselves and the world. “It's important to be patient and non-judgmental with yourself as you practice incorporating mindfulness into your everyday life,” says Norum. “The goal is not to try and block negative thoughts or distractions, but notice them and let them go, as if they are passing by on a conveyor belt.”

It's been said that events don't cause stress; it's our response that's the problem. “Being told to ‘change your thinking' sounds simple, but it's a very difficult thing for many people to do,” says Norum. “Changing life-long patterns of thought, and making those changes permanent, is challenging. Focusing on the body and the physical reactions that signal stress is a more concrete, achievable task, and once mastered, it opens the door to changing how we think and feel.”

Since too much to do and too little time is one of the major contributors to rising stress levels, Norum's approach is a realistic one that can be incorporated into everyone's life. “If you have time for 30- or 45-minute meditation sessions, that's great. But many people don't or can't commit to that much time every day. We can all be more aware of our bodies, however, and ‘check in' with ourselves for 30 seconds or so several times a day.” With practice, you'll become more aware of your own “stress centers”—whether it's the jaw, neck, shoulders, or back—and releasing tension naturally follows this awareness. Breathing through your nose will naturally lead to deeper, fuller breaths and more efficient delivery of oxygen throughout the body. 

Over time, these small changes will become natural and effortless, and will lead to a healthier, more balanced body and mind and a greater ability to handle the pressures of life. To find out more about the Stress Solver stress management program, visit www.Stresssolver.com.

Call your EAP at (414) 257-2124 or 1-800-236-3231.