Stress and Relaxation

by Lela Lake

One of the reasons for many modern health problems is directly related to the daily stress that many people face but do not have a proper way to relieve. Establishing a daily relaxation routine is a proven way to improve your overall health, since unrelieved stress compromises the body’s ability to heal itself.

Of course, some types of stress are good for us; it’s good to be very alert in an important meeting or to be ready to run at the beginning of a race. The health issue arises because of the excessive, unnecessary stress that builds up and needs to be eliminated on a regular basis to maintain optimum health.

So is stress all in the mind? Clinical research shows that stress and tension create actual physical changes in the body. This is because one of our most powerful instincts is the ‘fight or flight’ response that is a basic survival tactic that says when you are faced with a threat you should prepare to fight with it or to run away from it. Our problem is that in modern 21st century life, we constantly prepare ourselves for emergencies that never happen...so we literally stress out our bodies because there is no release of the accumulated tension. We simply can’t hit a bad telephone call or run away from a traffic jam. So having no one to fight and nowhere to run causes stress to build up and the body gets agitated but has no way to let off steam.

When faced with a stressful situation, the body releases adrenaline into the bloodstream which causes our reactions to speed up, our digestion to halt and our blood to heat up as it moves towards the major muscles to give us the power to move fast. Our nervous system, however, does not differentiate between a threat to our ego and a threat to our physical self…and that is what causes the ‘fight or flight’ instinct to start, but it doesn’t get finished properly.
What is the best way to counteract the effects of stress? One of the first steps is to recognize that along with our natural 24 hour cycle of sleep and wakefulness, our daily lives have another shorter cycle that is ‘rest and alertness.’ This cycle is called the ultradium rhythm. About twice a day, we experience a slight slowing down in our thinking which makes our minds wander and causes us to feel sleepy.

As a result of this natural cycle, we often feel like pausing and resting briefly. Most people try to override this, but this is not a healthy response. Although we don’t need to respond to every cue for an ultradium break, we can integrate a routine that allows us to relax thoroughly at least once during our waking hours. This habit has a noticeably positive effect that increases efficiency and energy levels.

Unfortunately, in a busy modern life we often think we don’t have time to pause, so the tension is allowed to build up. Many people respond to it by having another cup of tea or coffee or chocolate or a sugary snack or a cigarette…all of those things are stimulants, exactly the opposite of what we need.

The long term effect of stress is ill health and discomfort, so by ignoring its release, we become less effective and more stressful. In a state of relaxation, the body takes the energy we usually use in the outside world and does its “housekeeping” to keep our bodies working in health and comfort.  Developing an easy daily routine to facilitate full body relaxation will solve many stress related health issues.

The Shakti Mat, a Swedish innovation based on acupressure, has been demonstrated to alleviate stress related symptoms including chronic pain, insomnia, fatigue and poor circulation. Use the Shakti Mat to reduce your stress level and increase the level of wellbeing you experience.