Stress. In the modern
world it’s
hard
to avoid it. Wherever you live, there are things that may cause you
stress. But when you live in a city, there seems to be more stressful
surroundings:
crowds,
pollution, noise,
crime and
traffic jams. All of that can make it hard to relax.
You may not be able
to get rid of the
crowds, but you can reduce stress in your life.
Too much
stress is actually dangerous to your health. Many serious medical
conditions are caused by too much stress. Stress can literally be a
killer.
That’s why it’s very important to do something about the stress in your
life.
According to Niall Cooper, a qualified massage therapist based in London,
people who live in cities
build
up a lot of stress. ”There’s so much to do, and everybody wants
to do it all,” he says. ”City people are always busy and they build up
tension without knowing it.” Cooper should know. He tries
to undo
the damage of stress every day. ”Stress
shows up
in the body
as
‘muscular tension’,” he says. ”It usually
targets
the upper back, shoulders and lower back - the areas surrounding the
spine.
This can lead to severe health problems.”
Cooper recommends a few simple
stress-relieving
stretches. Breathe deeply to get the full relaxation benefits from
these stretches. ”It sounds simple, but it’s something many people forget.
The body relaxes when you breathe out,” he says.
NECK STRETCH
Lock fingers behind head. (Your neck should be in a relaxed forward
position.) The weight of your arms and hands increases the stretch.
Do not pull.
LOWER
BACK STRETCH
Head down. Arch back up. Change to
sitting on heel position.
Return to starting position. Change back to sitting on right heel. Bring
arms toward left. Repeat changing to left heel, arms to right.
Exercise is another good
way to reduce stress. Janie O’Brien, a fitness trainer in Sydney,
Australia, suggests strength training and weight training. ”One of the
great things about weight training is that you can take your
anger and tension
out on the weights, instead of on the people around you,” O’Brien says.
One of the benefits of strength training is that it produces
endorphins
which are groups of proteins that have strong relaxing properties.
Endorphins occur naturally in the
brain.
O’Brien says that exercise
releases
physical stress in the muscles and
makes you
stronger. And a healthy body gives you more protection from serious
stress problems.
Christopher M-H Kim, MD, a
New Jersey-based
stress specialist, says that when a person is in a stressful situation,
the body releases certain hormones. These hormones slow the digestion and
increase the
heartbeat,
respiration and
perspiration. When the tense situation
is over,
the body fixes the damage that was done. If the stress continues, the body
can’t fix the problems, and the problems
get worse.
Stress can lead to very
high blood
pressure,
ulcers, indigestion, constipation and anorexia. Anorexia is
especially dangerous. When a person has anorexia, generally they refuse to
eat. This can cause high blood pressure, and it can lead to a
stroke.
These conditions can be fatal.
The most important thing you can do is to recognize stress and try to
reduce it. If you
suddenly
find yourself in a tense situation -
no matter where
you are, stop for a minute, close your eyes, breathe and do a few simple
stretches. If you realize stress has become a constant part of your life,
do something about it. For example, you can go to a gym and take out your
tension on a
boxing punching bag or with weights. You can also go to the park
(in the daytime) and take a
brisk
walk or run.
Dr. Kim also strongly recommends meditation. Take 15 minutes before bed
to relieve
your mind of thoughts and problems. You will have a better night’s sleep.
This is very helpful
in lowering
your stress. If you find that stress is hurting your health, see a doctor
for help immediately.
|
hidden killer:
silent causal agent (silencioso agente exterminador)
hard to avoid it:
difficult to cope with (difícil de evitar)
crowds: large numbers of people (aglomeraciones, multitudes)
crime: law-breaking acts (delitos)
you may not be able: here, "may" expresses possibility (es posible
que no puedas)
to get rid of: to do away with (sacarte de encima)
too much: excessive or unreasonable (demasiado)
killer: causal agent resulting in death (agente exterminador)
build up: develop (genera)
to undo: to cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect (de
anular)
shows up: appears, becomes visible (surge, aparece)
as: having the condition of (como, con la forma de)
targets: aims at (apunta a)
spine: backbone (columna vertebral)
stress-relieving stretches:
exercises designed to extend the limbs and muscles to their full extent so as to
relieve stress (estiramientos para aliviar el estrés)
do not pull: do not apply force to move (no hagas fuerza)
sitting on heel position: sitting on your heels (posición de
sentado/a sobre los talones)
anger: strong emotion usually oriented toward some real or supposed
grievance (ira, rabia) |
endorphins: neurochemicals (endorfinas)
brain: a part of the central nervous system (cerebro)
releases: frees, liberates (libera)
makes you stronger: strengthens you (te fortalece)
New Jersey-based: located in New Jersey (con base en Nueva Jersey)
heartbeat: the rhythmic contraction and expansion of the arteries
with each beat of the heart (ritmo cardíaco)
perspiration: sudor, sweat, the process of the sweat glands of the
skin (transpiración)
is over: ends, is finished (finaliza)
get worse: become inferior in quality or condition (empeoran)
high blood pressure: high pressure of the circulating blood (presión
arterial elevada)
ulcers: inflammatory lesions on the skin or an internal mucous
surface (úlceras)
stroke: a sudden loss of consciousness (ataque)
suddenly: all of a sudden (de pronto, repentinamente)
no matter where: wherever (no importa dónde)
boxing punching bag: an inflated ball or bag that is suspended and
punched for training in boxing (saco de arena para boxeo)
brisk: quick and energetic (rápida y reconfortante)
to relieve: to alleviate, to provide physical relief (para aliviar)
in lowering: in making lower (para bajar) |
|