Tuesday 11 October 2016

Stress management

Stress management

Stress is a feeling of being too much under emotional or physical pressure.
Pressure turns into stress when you feel unable to cope. It can occur in specific situation or even over a period of time. Stress is inevitable. We all experience it. Our stressors are different, as are our techniques for dealing with it. Most people deal with stress without thinking of it. They may talk a problem out or go for a jog.

Stress is a part of life and can be a component of our success. If you are too complacent about a situation, it may never  drive you to change it. However, most can be detrimental to your health and quality of life.
" Stress is very often a root of many people's problems, whether they recognize it or not," according to Paul Chek.

If you look at the Figure below, you can see how stress can lead to not just a problem in one organ, but how it can manifest itself through the entire body.

Relaxation technique for stress management



> Lie down on your back with your legs slightly apart and your arm a few centimeters away from your body.
> Softly close your eyes.
> Focus your attention on your breathing.
> Take several deep breaths, calming your body with each breath.
> Breathe in deeply and then let your breath out fully, exhaling until you cannot exhale any more.
> Count your breaths and say the number of the breath mentally as you let it out ( this helps you stay in the moment)
> Perform this breathing technique until you feel calm and relaxed




Sizwe Gumede is a full time Personal Trainer and a yoga teacher with over 10 years of experience. He works with males and females over the age of 45 who want to manage stress levels, stay fit as they age, have less or no musculoskeletal pain, have good quality sleep, improve the quality of their lives and feel great about themselves.