Practical Relaxation for the Working Professional Presented By: Jessie Taylor

Agenda The impact of stress on health & performance Benefits of relaxation for health & performance Relaxation techniques for home & work

Stress… … a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.

Perceived Stress & Conditioning Stress comes from fear and is meant to warn us of danger Stress can become conditioned –Pavlov’s Dog Sensory triggers can cause a cascade of stress: –Sounds: alarm clock, traffic horns –Sights: traffic, , certain people –Other…

How Do You Experience Stress? Headache Grinding the teeth Jaw clenching Breath holding Tense in shoulders Tightness in chest Heart palpitations Butterflies in the stomach Upset stomach Irregular bowels Low back pain

Stress Impacts Performance

Chronic Stress Impacts Your Health “Fight or Flight” Response - a series of mechanisms throughout the nervous system aimed at immediate survival. Increases breathing, blood pressure & heart rate Suppresses the immune system Decreases bone formation Inhibits Digestion, Reproductive Hormones, Memory, Increases cholesterol and sugar in blood for energy Increases Inflammation –Aggravates arthritis, cancer, asthma, diabetes, heart disease Anxiety and depression

Chronic Stress Impacts Your Health

Long-term Effects of Stress Stress Associated Disorders: PTSD, Insomnia, Anxiety, Mental Health, etc. Immune Function Diminished Inflammatory Conditions: Heart Disease, Arthritis, Cancer, Diabetes, and others.

The “Relaxation Response” Herbert Benson, Ph.D., Harvard Incompatible with Stress Response –Supports Immune System –Improves Memory –Improves Digestion –Promotes Healing –Improves Mood Many Mind-Body Therapies elicit the R-R

Physiology of the Relaxation Response Serotonin levels increase- “happiness hormone” Endorphin levels increase- “pain relieving hormone” Melatonin levels increase- “sleep hormone” Adrenalin levels decrease- “action hormone” Norepinephrine levels decrease- “fight or flight hormone” Hormonal levels rebalance Immune function enhanced

Mindfulness & Relaxation Techniques Deep Breathing Imagery Progressive Muscular Relaxation Meditation Self-hypnosis Yoga Relaxation tapes Prayer

Deep Breathing A key factor in most relaxation techniques. Triggers the Relaxation Response.

Yoga Moving meditation, good for the Mind and Body. Many different types: anyone can do yoga!

Progressive Muscular Relaxation Helps release long-held or persistent tension.

Imagery Uses an image of a place or person as focal point to calm the mind. Use your 5 senses to imagine every aspect of the image.

Meditation Many types, but all use a focal point to focus and calm the mind, promoting the R.R. With practice, the “techniques” are no longer needed and practitioners are able to calm the mind at will. Recent clinical research has even proven that Meditation reverses the aging process, helps fight disease, and even changes the structure and biochemistry of our brains!

Relaxation CDs or MP3s Useful when on-the-go. An up-to-date approach is to listen to hypnosis MP3s, for example on an iPod ( HypnosisDownloads.com ) Tapes and CDs: e.g., – –relaxation-tapes-music.com

Relaxation Exercise Which technique will you try? Deep Breathing Yoga Progressive Muscular Relaxation Imagery Meditation Relaxation tapes

Further Resources Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr Meditation for Health- Introduction, by Deborah Norris, Ph.D.

Thank You!