The Path to Wellness

Top 10 Stress Reducers Podcast
Transcript

Shala:  Welcome to the first episode in our podcast series "The Path to Wellness," sponsored by The Anxiety & Stress Management Institute in Atlanta, GA.  I'm Shala Nicely, the Institute's Community Liaison, and today I'm pleased to welcome Dr. Becky Beaton, the Founder of The Anxiety & Stress Management Institute, as our first guest on our program.  Dr. Beaton, thanks so much for being here today!

Dr. Beaton:   Thanks, Shala, it's great to be here, and thanks to everyone for tuning in to our podcast series, "The Path to Wellness." This series is focused on bringing you information that you can use to take an active role in improving your mental health and wellness.  Some episodes, like this one, will give you information you can use on your own, and some episodes will give you more information about how therapists can help you work through particular issues you may be facing.  We want to empower our listeners with information that will help them know potential next steps they can take to improve their mental health and wellness.   

Shala:  I think the topic that will be discussing today will be of great interest to all of our listeners, as it's about how to reduce stress.

Dr. Beaton:  Yes, and stress is definitely universal. We actually need some stress in life to keep ourselves motivated and to give us that boost we need to do our best.  But too much stress can be detrimental.

Shala:  Why is it damaging to have too much stress?

Dr. Beaton:  When we are under stress, our bodies go into what's called the "fight or flight" response.  Our brain sends out stress hormones, such as cortisol, that tell the body to get ready to either run away or fight off a predator.  This release of chemicals leads to several physical symptoms, such as a racing heart, shortness of breath or sweating hands, which are all part of getting us ready to physically deal with a threat.  But, while this reaction is helpful if you are actually dealing with a threat, too much of these stress hormones over time can take a toll on your body.

Shala: So it's extremely important to learn how to handle stress on a day-to-day basis to both prevent short-term and long-term stress-related damage.  So I'm glad you're here today, because you're going to share your top ten tips for reducing stress that people can begin to apply right this minute, while they are listening to the podcast.

Dr. Beaton:  Exactly.  So let's get started, Shala, with a big, deep breath for our first tip.  It might sound silly, but people actually forget to breathe.  It's important to remember to breathe – especially deep, slow diaphragmatic breathing. Slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing actually changes your blood chemistry – reducing your heart rate, lowering your blood pressure, and activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the opposite of the flight or fight response. 

Shala:  So now that I've taken a nice, deep breath, let's move on to the second tip, which has to do with how we talk to ourselves.  We can make ourselves more stressed, encouraging the fight or flight response, with our self-talk.

Dr. Beaton:  Yes, pay attention to your self-talk.  Research has indicated that our inner dialogue for most of us is 77% negative.  People tend to focus on the negative in an attempt to survive all the "what ifs" in life, but we end up spending more of our lives worrying than actually living.  I love this quote from Mark Twain.  He said, "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles – but most of them never happened."

Shala:  That is a great quote.  Worrying about the future, and not living fully in the present, can increase our stress, which is why the next 2 tips are so useful.

Dr. Beaton:  These next two ways to reduce stress are interconnected.  One is, learn to meditate.  Even if that just means taking time to intentionally relax, people who take time to meditate or relax on a regular basis have been shown to weather daily stress more successfully and with better overall health. And the second tip is to take time to be mindful, just be focused and present in your everyday moment. 

Shala:  The next tip is something we all know to do, but with our busy lives we can easily forget and end up adding to our stress.

Dr. Beaton:  This is true and that is that we need to make sure to get plenty of enough sleep, eat well, and drink plenty of water. I know it kind of sounds like three tips, but it really is about taking care of your overall physical health. Most Americans are truly running a deficit on all three of these, and they are critical to mental and physical well-being.

Shala:  Our listeners won't be surprised to hear that along with getting enough sleep it's crucial to exercise.

Dr. Beaton:  Shala I can't tell you how important exercise is. It's one of the best ways to burn off stress hormones and improve overall mood.  Not only is exercise great for reducing stress, it's an excellent stress preventative.   You don't even need any special equipment or facilities to exercise—just taking a brisk walk can be extremely helpful. 

Shala:  And we shouldn't try to do all this alone right?

Dr. Beaton:  Right.  People who have healthy relationships with friends or family have fewer stress-related illnesses.  There's plenty of research on this. Also, just petting an animal actually lowers your blood pressure! So, maintain relationships with humans and pets. 

Shala:  In our culture today we all feel the pressure to do things faster.  How does that affect stress?

Dr. Beaton:  Well, rushing actually triggers a stress response in our body, that fight or fight response I mentioned earlier…rushing triggers it, producing all the harmful stress hormones that alter mood negatively and may eventually turn into illness.  Therefore, it's important to allow extra time for projects or even just to get ready in the morning.  Allowing for a little extra time can go a long way.

Shala:  Your final two tips go back to our initial discussion about the fight or flight response.

Dr. Beaton:  Yes, it's really important to listen to your body's signals. Our body tells us what's going on.  And if we don't pay attention to our emotional and mental stress, physical issues begin to emerge.  The longer you wait to listen to your body, the louder it will have to speak to you.  And, finally, remember what I call "the cortisol question" in order to keep the bigger picture in mind. The reason is that increased levels of stress hormones in our brain, such as cortisol in our brain, actually cause our brain's seat of long-term memory to atrophy.  So, the next time you're stressed-out, ask yourself the cortisol question, "Is stressing out over this really worth shrinking my brain?" It will help keep things in perspective.

Shala:  I do think that's a great question to remember.  And these are great tips, Dr. Beaton, and things that people can begin to do right away.  So let's recap these top ten stress reducers for our listeners. 

Dr. Beaton:  Sure: 

  1. Remember to breathe – especially deep slow diaphragmatic breathing. That can lower your blood pressure and your stress, right there.
  2. Pay attention to your self-talk.
  3. Learn to meditate or just focused relaxation of some kind.
  4. Do your best to live in the present and practice mindfulness.
  5. Be sure to get plenty of sleep, eat well, and drink plenty of water.

Shala:  The last five tips are:

  1. Exercise or take a brisk walk.
  2. Maintain relationships with both humans and pets.
  3. Allow extra time for projects or even just to get ready in the morning.
  4. Listen to your body's signals.
  5. My favorite:  Remember the big picture and the cortisol question.

Dr. Beaton, thank you so much for being here today and sharing your expertise with our listeners on how they can reduce stress, beginning today, in their day-to-day lives.

Dr. Beaton:  It has been my pleasure

Shala:  To our listeners, thank you for joining us today.  To learn more about stress reduction and for a transcript of this podcast, please visit our website at www.stressmgt.net and select Podcasts.  For those of you in the Metro Atlanta area, to set up an appointment with one of our licensed therapists who can help you develop your own personalized stress management plan, or to join our ongoing mindfulness group, please contact our Intake office at 770.980.9229 or email us at info@stressmgt.net.  Stay tuned for the next episode of "The Path to Wellness," and don't forget to reduce your stress level today—take a deep breath, pet your dog, and remember the cortisol question!