Learning to Live with the Inevitable: An New Look at Your Relationship with Stress

Feb. 4, 2010 - PRLog -- Written by Linda Ivan, MSW,RSW  

I took a cab recently and after the usual chat about the weather, the driver asked me what I did for a living.  He then told me that he has been driving a taxi for a long time, and what he has noticed is that passengers are becoming more and more irritable, demanding, anxious, and stressed.  In fact, he said the “nice ones” were now becoming the minority.  The World Health Organization has predicted that depression will be the number one illness in 2020.  It is currently ranked fourth.  There are many risk factors as to why an individual develops a mood disorder, but one reason, almost without exception, is stress.  As a psychotherapist I am most familiar with mental illness; however, almost every single physical illness or disease known to humans lists stress as a risk factor whether it be heart disease, cancer, arthritis, or psoriasis.  In his powerful book When the Body Says No: the Cost of Hidden Stress , Gabor Mate, a Canadian medical doctor, summarizes the latest scientific findings about the role that stress and emotional makeup play in an array of diseases including, besides the ones already mentioned, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, ALS and multiple sclerosis..  

It is critical, therefore, that we learn how to be with our stress in such a way as to promote good health and to continue to be the “nice ones”.  Learning to accept ourselves and accepting others for who they are,  can be as important as self-care for one’s health.   By self-care I mean proper nutrition, exercise, good sleeping habits, fun, healthy relationships, and having a sense of purpose. If you think about it, a lot of our stress is that we are wishing that we, or someone else, or a situation, might somehow be different.  Acceptance, by the way, does not mean complacency and, in fact, suggests action.  Stress is also subjective.  What I find to be stressful can be totally different than what you believe to be stressful.  Why?  We have different histories, perspectives, personalities, resources, beliefs, support systems and so on.  However, this does not mean that how we experience stress is fixed and permanent.

At the end of March, Dr. Randy Knipping and I will be offering a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction group to be held on Wednesday evenings for seven weeks plus a one full-day retreat on a Saturday.  This group is based on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn who initially offered this group for clients who had various health issues including chronic pain.  One of Kabat-Zinn’s underlying beliefs is, “we assume from the start that as long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than there is wrong, no matter how ill or how hopeless you may feel.” (from the introduction of Full Catastrophe Living).
Mindfulness is about paying attention, being in the moment, awareness without judgement, acceptance, and ultimately compassion.  And, no, it is not a linear process.

We look forward to your participation in our group.  For those of you who cannot attend the group, and are interested in exploring mindfulness and/or are interested in meeting with me individually, please note that I do see clients for individual sessions.  Whether your issues stem from your childhood, trauma (recent or past), or the result of a recent loss or something else, I would be more than happy to meet with you.  If you are interested in either the group or seeing me individually, please contact Gina at 416-253-9769 for more information or to arrange for an appointment.

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Affinity Health offers an all-encompassing, personalized approach to health and well-being. Featuring the DRX9000 Spinal Decompression System. Our clinic offers comprehensive, team-based medical and preventative health care services and non-surgical treatments using the latest in technology and procedures. At Affinity Health, we can accomplish in two days what commonly takes up to weeks and months at other diagnostic centers.
www.AffinityPainandStress.com