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Stress Research
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Bust stress. Stress actually kills brain cells. You must manage your stress to live a healthy, active, truly productive life. Keep up on the most important current stress research findings, and make every single day stress free.
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Saturday, November 05, 2005 |
In this edition of the Stress Cops PodCast Radio Show we bring you a quantum-self stress research report about the relationship between internal stress and happiness. It seems that regardless of the absence or presence of stress creating events outside us, our internal stress that results from not satisfying three basic personal needs can be so stress producing we cannot achieve happiness.
A Quantum-Self Research Report
A low level of stress is a key feature of what we call happiness. But the sort of stress imposed on us by outside events is not necessarily the strongest stress we encounter on a daily basis. And it is our daily experiences that determine the quality of our lives and ability to experience happiness.
But perhaps even more stress producing is the internal stress that comes from our daily personal decisions.
Researchers looked at how daily fluctuations in happiness relate to how well people satisfy three basic needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Their definitions included:
* Autonomy = doing what you want to without being controlled by others.
* Competence = the ability to meet the challenges you face.
* Relatedness = having positive relationships with others.
The Research Investigation
At the University of Rochester and the University of Missouri, sixty-seven undergraduate students were randomly selected for the study. Following an initial testing session, they filled out a daily questionnaire designed to measure their autonomy, competence and relatedness. The questionnaire also captured information for each day regarding their level of happiness, and any illness-related symptoms for that day.
The research team found a strong relationship between the degree to which daily activities helped people meet the three basic needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and how happy they reported being. A closer analysis reveled that the more closely these needs were met, the happier the subjects reported being.
The researchers also found that the more a subject’s autonomy and competence needs were satisfied, the fewer illness-related symptoms they experienced.
The Conclusion
You may be able to live happier, less illness-prone life by paying closer attention to satisfying your autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs more completely in your daily life.
This could involve engaging in more activities that are not controlled by others, going after challenges that match your abilities, and participating in positive relationships.
The Research:
Reis, H. T., Sheldon, K. M., Gable, S. L., Roscoe, J., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 419-435.
By Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler
© 2005 All Rights Reserved
The author, Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler, is a pioneer brain/mind researcher, doctor of psychology, author, life adventurer, and international executive advisor. You will find more of her stress management and stress reduction articles at Quantum-Self.com -- the Self Discovery Community, and in the Quantum Brain Gym -- the webs first complete online brainwave training center.
The Stress Cops Radio Show
Where we always talk stress management and stress reduction.
2:20:01 PM 
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In this edition of the Stress Cops PodCast Radio Show we bring you a quantum-self stress research report about workplace stress and innovation, and the surprising evidence that an innovative work environment is actually far more likely to be stress free ? regardless of whether or not a stress management program is in place.
Working in an innovative environment? You have a lower probability of job related stress, with or without following a formal or personal stress management or stress reduction program.
Quite a bit of past research has shown that innovation is associated with such factors as: goal clarity, feedback, and communication. Stress, however, has been somewhat neglected in most research on innovation in the workplace.
A group of researchers in Finland recently published the findings from a study in which they investigated whether occupational stress is associated with innovation.
The researchers surveyed almost 1800 employees from the health care, metal and retail industries. The results showed that increases in stress are associated with decreases in innovation.
Although the study was not designed to determine whether occupational stress influences innovation in the workplace, it nonetheless demonstrated that the two are related. Evidently, an innovative work environment is not a high-stress work environment.
In most work situations, however, stress management programs are more important than ever because of the fast pace business operates under today.
If you have a challenge managing your stress, you may want to do some mental re-programming to improve how you respond. Your stress response is a habit. And like any other habit, it will only go away if replaced with other behavior patterns.
Over thirty years of research have proven that brainwave training is the fastest instant stress reducer. Instant stress management is great. But a regime of alpha/theta (A-T) brainwave training has an even bigger payback -- it trains your brain to easily order your mind and body to relax on its own, and makes you far more creative.
The Research: Länsisalmi, H., & Kivimäki, M. (1999). Factors associated with innovative climate: What is the role of stress? Stress Medicine, 15, 203-213.
By Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler
© 2005 All Rights Reserved
The author, Stress Cop Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler, is a pioneer brain/mind researcher, doctor of psychology, author, life adventurer, and international executive advisor. You will find more of her stress management and stress reduction articles at Quantum-Self.com -- the Self Discovery Community, and in the Quantum Brain Gym -- the first online brainwave training center.
The Stress Cops Radio Show
Where we always talk stress management and stress reduction.
1:19:30 PM
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In this edition of the Stress Cops PodCast Radio Show we bring you a special article about stress, stress breathing, and how to control your breathing for immediate stress reduction and longterm stress management.
The Problem
Ever notice that stress makes you breathe different. Stress instantly changes the flow of oxygen into your body. Stress related rapid, shallow breathing is a primitive survival mechanism to help prepare you to fight or run.
This is great if you are being chased by a tiger. But it is not so great when it becomes part of chronic high stress . Breath control is a key to instant stress reduction, and is an excellent stress management tool.
You can survive for several weeks without food, and for days without water. But life ends in minutes without oxygen. You have an estimated 75 trillion cells in your body, and each of these tiny cells needs a supply of oxygen to do its work.
You normally breathe between twelve and sixteen breaths a minute. But when you are experiencing high stress, your breathing may become so rapid you might even start to hyperventilate. In some cases, your breathing may even stop momentarily to give your body a chance to recover.
Here is what you need to know: When you become caught up with such rapid breathing, you are only using the uppermost portions of your lungs. This can only result in very rapid shallow breathing, and often becomes hyperventilation.
Shallow breathing triggers a vicious cycle in which your stress level will become even higher. Shallow breathing can even cause distressing chest pains simulating those connected with heart attacks.
Continued shallow breathing causes your anxiety levels to rise, your physical and intellectual performance to diminished, and your sleep to become disturbed. Even your vision can become disrupted vision, creating hallucinations and sensations of unreality.
Shallow breathing is a primitive mechanism for survival, and gives us the ability to prepare to fight or run. But since we rarely actually have to run or fight, we do not use up the adrenaline and noradrenalin being released into our bloodstream. This causes our physical tension to become chronic.
The Solution
The bottom of your lungs have the most blood flow, so it's important to get as much air down to the bottom of the lungs as possible. Slow deep breathing gets air to the plentiful blood vessels in your lower lungs, and gets balanced gases into your bloodstream.
This helps your brain stimulate the production of the mood-boosting endorphins that help control your emotions, moods and motivation.
The author, Stress Cop Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler, is a pioneer brain/mind researcher, doctor of psychology, author, life adventurer, and international executive advisor. You will find more of her stress management and stress reduction articles at Quantum-Self.com -- the Self Discovery Community, and in the QuantumBrainGym -- the web's first online brainwave training center.
© 2005 All Rights Reserved.
The Stress Cops Radio Show
We always talk stress management and stress reduction.
http://radio.weblogs.com/0148642/
9:36:06 AM
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