424 stress relief reading

Cathy Carr, a 43 year old doctor,
starts her day with putting on her make
up, nukking oatmeal for her three kids
and dashing out the door. By 7:30 am
she’s rushing around the Indianapolis
hospital where she works, dealing with
heart attacks and miscarriages.
Evenings are no better:” My
purse isn’t off my shoulder when I hear,
“What’s for dinner?” she says.
Carr’s remedy for the building
stress? Every few months, she and a
friend check in to a hotel and treat
themselves
todismiss
a quiet aday
While
skeptics
lot of
of room
this,
serviceclaims
and sesame-oil
massages.
Wicken
she can lower
her anxiety
But,a this
is the wrong way to deal
in less than
minute.

with stress. So says a growing body of
that millions of us
2.research
TAKE Awhich
DEEPsays
BREATH
manage
stress
out
Sitting
atincorrectly-stressing
a desk increases stress.
all day,
then
deferring
relaxation
to
How?
Most
people
raise their
shoulders
isolated
time likeand
evening
when
they blocks
sit at aofcomputer
they yoga
classes

and weekend
begin
to breathe
more getaways.
shallowly says Erik
There is a of
problem
with this
Peper, a professor
San Francisco
approach
to
stress
management:
State University. He recommends The
constantslowly
exposure
daily, chronic
breathing
and to
regularly.
anxiety is the
form
Researchers
findmost
thattoxic
this is
oneof
of the
stress.ways

The to
body
releases
chemicals
fastest
trigger
the body’s
under high
stress that can damage the
relaxation
response.
immune system, increase the risk of
damage your memory and can
3.illness,
GET SNACKING
lead to
attacks. And
youare
eat to
Itsheart
late afternoon
andifyou
cope, it
you
fat. machine. Go
staring
atcan
themake
office
vending

ahead - give in to temptation!
MIT researcher Judith Wurtman
says your body is looking for stress
relief. Eating carbohydrates triggers
production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter with a calming effect.

Your exposure to stress isn’t
managed by having an evening bubble
bath or vegging in front of the TV. It is
how you spend your days that matters.
The latest research examines how some
people glide through stressful
situations while others wind themselves
tighter.
Researchers have found a
number of coping strategies that can be
described by one word - resilience.
Resilient people recover quickly,
physically and mentally when faced with
stress.That
It is isn’t
how they
breathe
and how
an excuse
to binge
on
often theybars.
laugh,
a set

subtle
chocolate
Eat
yourofway
to a calmer
behaviors
them
ease in and out
state
withhelps
low fat
carbohydrates
likeof
`stress mode`.
pretzels
or popcorn. The effect can be
We about
need to
how we react
felt after
20change
minutes.
to stress, as it happens with these four
strategies:
4,
STEP BACK
Many stress coaches try to teach
1.clients
PLUG one
IN key skill: perspective.

their
Notice
when you
are University
stressed by
What
Pam Pecke
of the
of
signals
like
fast
breathing
and
tight
Maryland calls the “ability to see things
muscles,
in your jaw or
from
ten especially
paces back.”
shoulder
muscles.
Thenusalter
yourstressful
Experts
advise
to rate
breathing (deeper
is better),

drop
your
situations
on a one-to-ten
scale
(with
10
shoulders
and relax
your muscles
being
something
catastrophic,
likeand
death).
change
what
you
are problems,
thinking. Imagine
This
helps
put
minor
like being
you are
a beach or somewhere
late,
intoonperspective.
And gaining

relaxing. Do helps
whatever
you need
do to
perspective
you cope
with to
more
return without
your body
to a state
of stressed
calm.
stress
becoming
more
This is what stress resistant people do
out.
naturally.
Article adapted from
The Wall Street Journal
By Jane Spencer


1. What is the main idea of this reading?
a. You should go on a holiday or get more down time if you feel stressed
b. People who are stressed should eat more carbohydrates to calm them
c. Everyone should develop their resilience to stress with coping
strategies
d. Stress causes toxic chemicals to be released into the body

2. Write summaries of the coping strategies suggested:
1.______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2.______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
3.______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
4.______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________