Stress Relief Therapy Through Stress Knowledge and Stress Testing

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Some years ago my wife and I conducted research into students who had significant reading disabilities. We were worried that there might be a positive correlation between reading underachievement and elevated stress levels. This seemed to be an area that no one had bothered about in their research. The connection between a reading disability and emotional well-being, specifically stress, seem to be an obvious one. We identified a cohort of fourth graders who had a serious reading disability and we measured their stress levels using a ‘self-report’ system, that is, a pencil and paper survey.

This was one research study with a socially positive outcome. We were delighted to find that at least in this sample of boys in this particular school that while the boys were significant underachievers in reading, their stress levels were normal and no stress relief program was necessary.

I firmly believe in careful and frequent measuring of stress levels in my patients. How else can I know if my stress relief therapy is working? I don’t know anyone who does not want to relieve their stress? Do you think your results would be accurate using a self-report instrument? The answer is – ‘Yes’. You can measure your own stress levels just as easily and reliably as you can tell a psychologist how well you feel, your level of depression and anxiety and so on. When people start to understand themselves and become attuned to the variations in their ‘wellness’, they CAN report reliably. After all, emotional well-being is a personal and subjective business, don’t you agree?

There other physiological stress testing programs – urine and blood analysis. Both require medical analysis and the chemical of interest is cortisol. There seems to be substantial evidence that cortisol levels increase with psychological stress. There is little doubt that as your stress levels rise, there are increases in physiological responses too. These include elevated heart rate, blood pressure, flushing, skin changes and so on. For many people there are also headaches and even migraines and associated aura.

If you want self-report stress tests – go online! There are plenty of online tests of nearly anything. Unfortunately, you would never know how reliable these tests are. I use a 10 item Stress Test to understand how my clients feel about their levels of stress and anxiety. If we use this test several times over a period of months, we can both track the client’s changes in mood. To meet the challenge of managing stress I have to check that my stress relief therapy is working.

When I assess patient stress before introducing stress relief programs, I ask whether people have been feeling worried and upset, if they have noted changes in sleeping or eating, whether they feel refreshed after sleep, able to relax, feel physically ill, are inattentive and unproductive and have mood swings. These responses can be grouped under four main headings: Physiological and Physical Responses; emotional responses, inter-personal responses; and cognitive responses.

I think it is important to know my patients’ levels of stress. The more you know, the easier it is to manage the stress and anxiety. I believe that we should know and understand ‘the enemy’. High levels of stress, being stressed out, experiencing burnout are all symptoms of a system that is disordered and unproductive. Small amounts of stress can be very helpful to us but excessive stress levels are seriously disabling. So we need information on stress. We need to know how stressed we are. We need to be able to identify the stressors.

To get the best out of stress relief therapy, we need to know how to respond to stress. I have identified 15 ways that people typically respond to stress. The trick is to choose those responses and stress management strategies that work best and fastest. Life is too short to waste valuable time being miserable.

Unfortunately, stress often interferes with relationships because we feel tense, anxious and worried. The sad part of this is that the best form of stress relief is social support. Being able to share our feelings with a friend or loved one reduces stress and tension. And this costs nothing. A trouble shared is often a trouble halved. Of course sometimes the issues are much more difficult to manage. A good case in point is the current problems many people are experiencing in regard to home loans and mortgage foreclosures. These and other more serious stressors require professional help.

It is my hope that this information on stress and stress relief is helpful. Naturally, these short articles are like icebergs – we can cover a small amount of the issue but much remains under the surface and requires deeper reading and investigation. My final point is that the more you know about your personal psychology, mental health, stress levels and anxiety, the more YOU can take charge of your life, successfully relieve and manage stress.

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Source by Dr Jeff Bailey