4 EASY STRESS-BUSTERS
Where there’s caregiving, there’s stress. Here, some proven ways to get relief.
BY:MARY ELIZABETH TERZELLA
Where there’s caregiving, there’s stress—that muscle-tensing, stomach-churning feeling that comes from having too many demands on your time. But suffering with the symptoms of stress is the least of it. Chronic tension suppresses your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness. Recent research comparing caregiving spouses to others who didn’t have the same burden found that caregivers’ stress hormone levels were 23 percent higher than those of their non-caregiving counterparts. They also had lower levels of disease-fighting antibodies. This is why it is crucial to find ways to take stress-relieving breaks.
Here, some proven ways to get relief that can fit into your schedule:
Meditate Over Cake. Anything that takes your mind off your worries can be calming—even savoring every bite of chocolate cake that you eat slowly. Bonus: The scent of chocolate causes brain activity similar to that of a highly relaxed state, according to British research.
Make Time for a Hobby. There’s no need to feel guilty for taking time to have fun. Consider a hobby a tonic for your health. Paint a picture, knit a sweater, strum a guitar or hit a few golf balls. “Anything that brings you pleasure engages the nervous system and stops the stress response,” says Caral J. Charnetski, PhD, professor of psychology at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and coauthor of Feeling Good Is Good for You (Rodale, Inc., 2001).
A Natural High. When you want to leave your worries behind, go outside and experience nature. Studies at Texas A&M University show that being outdoors—or even just looking at photos of nature—can help you recover from stress much more quickly. Researchers found that people who spend time outdoors have lower blood pressure, less anxiety and feel less pain than those who don’t. So go for a walk in the woods, feed the birds in the park or simply sit in your backyard. “Within five minutes of being outside, you’ll begin to reap the benefits,” says researcher Roger Ulrich, PhD.
Try the Tennis Ball Trick. “Our research shows that massage lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and self-massage is an easy way to get the soothing benefits of touch,” says Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami. “For a quick mood boost, I roll a tennis ball over tight muscles. But make sure you use a firm pressure—a light stroke stimulates instead of calms.”