Stress Free for Good

I just heard on KQED radio today that a researcher doing a study for Nature Health found that stress has an enormous impact on how we metabolize fatty and sugary food. In fact, the doctors found that in mice who were given fatty, high sugar diets and exposed to stress (cold water and/or alpha male mice) had significantly more weight gain than the mice who had the same diet and no additional stress.

Time will tell but, it seems that they were able to "melt away the fat" by injecting the mice fat cells with a naturally occurring substance the counter-acts the chemical produced by the nervous nervous system.

In his book Stress Free for Good Standford doctors Luskin and Pelletier outline a treatment plan they have used successfully in patients who suffer from a wide range of illnesses including heart disease, depression, and many others.

The premise is simple, if you can reduce stress in your life your body will be more healthy. Luskin and Pelletier characterize best... simple but not easy life skills are stress busters.

I took this book very seriously when I first picked it up about a year and a half ago. Being very stressed myself and seeing the affects of stress on my family I took it upon myself to create a story hour around this book once a week.

On Sunday evenings after a family dinner at my folks house we would take turns reading a chapter out of the book and then discussing how we thought we could apply the skill highlighted in that particular chapter. In the weeks that followed we would talk about how we were able to apply that skill in our daily lives.

Sounds dandy doesn't it. Well not really. I found my family to be very resentful participants in my experiment and we barely got through the book before they abolished family story hour all together. Despite the clear and well documented connection between stress, health and happiness... they were just not willing to change their behavior.

Ironically, the one of last skill of the book is acceptance... accept what you can not change. Which is much harder than it sounds and has taken me considerable effort over the last year and half to make some modest progress on this front.

Back to the book. I recommend this book to family and friends because it is practical and easy to ready. In honest truth, it is one of those books that does nothing for you if you don't follow the principles.

Here they are briefly.. as you will see they are all common sensical. Simple but, not easy.

• Breathe from you belly
• Using the breath, deep and slow... triggers the sympathetic nervous system allowing you to trick you brain and body into relaxation. This allows you to turn off the stress hormones that are ready to burst through your body causing all kinds of havoc
• So much to appreciate
• Expressing gratitude is very powerful. Those who are more grateful for what they have tend to suffer from less depression and stress
• Tense to Relax
• This one never really worked for me.. but, the premise is that you can know what it feels to relax by fully tensing the body and then letting go
• Visualize success
• This is really the antidote of pessimism. By visualizing something going well you convert anxiety into anticipation. Even if it is unrealistic, visualizing success turns off the stress hormones. Visualizing success is also a principle that is aligned with the teachings of 'The Secret.'
• Slow down
• Sounds pretty simple but, when you are blow drying your hair and brushing you teeth at the same time.. you know it is time to S-L-O-W D-O-W-N and observe the moment. Eckart Tolle writes about the amazing transformative power of being present in the moment. It is very difficult to be stressed when fully present.
• Appreciate yourself
• An opportunity to counter balance all the beatings you give yourself on a daily budget. Try giving yourself a compliment for once. This is not vanity, it is healthy self esteem and does wonders for your stress levels.
• Smile because you care
• We are all in service to others as caregivers, parents, children, and friends. It is easy to get burnt out. Taking time to consider why you do all the things you do will likely fill your heart with joy and love... its all worth it.
• Stop doing what doesn't work
• A little self reflection and looking at things from another angle may reveal an easier way of doing things. Also a great opportunity to observe destructive patterns... like criticizing/blaming/nagging others. Objectively observe behavior and the outcome. If you are not getting what you want... try something else.
• Just say no
• This is a hard one for those of us that just love to please others. It feels good to make others happy and like you because you are helpful. The balance is thrown out of whack when you are doing more than you can do and at the expense of your own sanity.
• Accept what you cannot change
• Yes it sounds familiar... but dang this one is hard. Accepting what you cannot change is accepting others as they are! We can't really change others... they have to want it for themselves. This is by far the most important and difficult practice for me.
• No time like the present
• Providing the perspective that we live in the moment... not in the future or in the past. Also, it is very clear that we can always start fresh... each moment is a fresh start and an opportunity for transformation.

I love the activities / exercises that Luskin and Pelletier provide. I think a nice addition would have been discussion points that could be used with friends and partners.