E r a s e
s t r e s s
f o r
g o o d
F e e l i n g a l i t t l e .
. . o n e d g e ? T r y s h a r p e n i n g
y o u r s e r e n i t y s k i l l s . A s y o u ’l l d i s c o v e r , t h e
s e c r e t s t o r e a l c a l m a r e w r i t t e n w i t h i n .
BY JENNIFER MATLACK
I
PHOTOS KATHRYN GAMBLE
W
h e n l i f e g i v e s
y o n l e m
o n s ,
m
a k e l e m
o n a d e .
T h e n u s e
l e m
o n a d e t o
w
a s h d o w
n X
a n a x .
Funny stuff
on a bumper sticker, but as a
com m entary on Am erica’s epidem ic
o f stress and anxiety? A little too
close for com fort. Fact is, stress is
a serious problem for us right now.
In a recent survey com m issioned
by the American Psychological
A ssociation (APA),
7 5
percent
o f adult respondents said they
had experienced m oderate to high
levels o f stress throughout the
previous year. And w om en were
far more likely than men to develop
tension-induced sym ptom s such
as lethargy, sadness, irritability,
and overeating. Naturally, there’s
a bum per sticker for that, too:
“ S t r e s s e d ” s p e l l e d b a c k w
a r d s i s
“ d e s s e r t s . ”
Clearly we know how stress
makes us feel em otionally—
stressed!—but it also m anifests
physically. Stress triggers the
release o f horm ones such as
adrenaline and cortisol, which
prime the body for action by
accelerating heart rate, tensing
major m uscle groups, and even
thickening blood. If that system
stays in code red, health takes
a hit. "We’ve found that over
tim e, cortisol can wear down the
protective ends o f DNA,” says
Elissa Epel, Ph.D., a psychiatry
researcher at the University o f
California in San Francisco.
"This ages the im m une system ,
heightening a person’s vulner-
ability to cardiovascular disease
and a host o f other illnesses.”
It’s not always possible to
make life less hectic, but not to
worry: Experts say the real trick to
achieving greater calm and better
health is to change how you
r e s p o n d
to stress. Read on for three simple
strategies, and get ready to breathe
a sigh o f relief.
A
YOUR BEST YEAR EVER
6
8
. 8 %
of BHG readers say reducing stress would
help make 2011 their best year ever.
1 1 6
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
JANUARY
2011
BHG.COM
