Heavy Weather Podcasts

With another exciting school year upon us, who of us would turn down the chance to have less stress and more energy? It makes sense that those who can control their stress are healthier. Those who are healthier experience greater productivity and clearer decision-making. It is also true that stress is a real part of your job, even though you won't find it listed in your job description. So, how do teachers, principals, superintendents and other educational staff take charge of their stress while still meeting the many challenges of their job? The truth about stress As a general rule, it is better to release, rather than store, anger, frustration, anxiety and worry. Science has proved that stress actually sabotages the immune system by producing poisonous chemicals within the body. In fact, recent research has found that up to 75 percent of doctor visits are for health problems complicated by stress and tension. It is also true that stress is an essential part of our lives. So, the trick is learning to manage our stress. Physiologically, when a person feels excessive or prolonged stress, the overactivity of his nervous system taxes the adrenal gland and creates a lack of responsiveness in the body's self-healing capacity. The immune cells are unable to get clear direction when the adrenal is overactive or deficient. This leads to greater risk of cancer and other immune-deficiency disorders. And if that wasn't bad enough, stress actually builds tension in the circulatory system, elevating the risk of heart attack or stroke. So what do we do? Take a moment and relax Let's take a breath and relax. Sound too simple to be effective? Actually, the connection between breathing deeply and relaxing is quick and powerful. When you begin to relax, dozens of positive physiological mechanisms are triggered. Relaxation reduces pressure within the circulatory system by expanding the size of the capillaries, which prevents stroke, relieves heart pain and reduces the risk of circulatory problems. This increases the surface of the blood vessels, allowing for more effective delivery of the blood, rich in oxygen and nutrition, into tissue, organs and glands. In other words, relaxation can resolve or neutralize the negative effects of stress on the body and help heal disease. How long does it take to relax? Well, let's see. Each deep breath lasts about 10 seconds. If you take six breaths to help relax, that is only one minute of your valuable time. Surely, even the busiest of us can set aside 60 seconds to improve our health. Breath by breath Have you taken a deep breath lately? Have you taken much time to really notice your own breath? Isn't each of your breaths rather shallow? We enact this nearly unconscious gesture of breathing between 500 million and 630 million times in our life span. Now, try again, but this time, take a really deep breath. Didn't that feel better? When attention to the breath rhythm is altered, dramatic physiological and even emotional changes can occur. That is because the breath is a powerful link to the most profound medicine that we produce within us. A deep breath pumps the lymphatic fluid, triggers relaxation and initiates the release of numerous neuropeptides from the breath center in the brain. Right now, breath-by-breath, you can take charge of your stress and begin to influence your own personal health and vitality. First, simply decide to relax. Then, take a deep breath. Now exhale and relax. It's that easy. You can take a deep breath in your classroom, while sitting in your office, or just about anywhere. How to breathe deeply Adjust your posture so that your lungs, as well as your chest and abdomen, can expand freely. This can be done standing, sitting or even lying down. Focus your attention on your breathing. Take a deep breath through your nose, filling the lower portion of the lungs first. This will cause your abdomen to expand as the diaphragm drops down and compresses the internal organs. Then allow the upper lobes of the lungs to fill. This will expand the ribs and chest cavity. Now begin to enjoy the tremendous sense of satisfaction when your lungs are completely full. Then exhale slowly through your nose. Repeat as many times as you wish. Don't be surprised if it takes some time before your body gets a complete full breath. After all, you are not used to breathing deeply except when you exercise strenuously. It just takes a little practice. Take the next step Get some regular exercise at your aerobic level. When you exercise in response to stress, you are allowing your body to do what humans have evolved to do over the last 10,000 years be physically active. That's right. Your body and brain are designed for physical movement. Exercise not only quells the feeling of stress by making you feel calmer, it allows nerve cells to repair themselves. In other words, exercise leaves our body more resilient and able to better handle future stressful situations. Dr. John J. Ratey, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, in his recent book, "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Education and the Brain," draws together emerging findings from biomedical, neuroscientific and educational research about aerobic exercise that suggests many related benefits, including improving attention and reducing stress. So, what are you waiting for? Get to your local gym, bike trail, or running track! You are in control With each deep breath, the level of stress you used to feel will become less and less. You will be in charge! It doesn't mean you won't find yourself in stressful situations, but you will have a way to control how you feel. You will have the ability to relax more and respond from a position of personal health and empowerment. As your health improves, your ability to focus will improve. As you become calmer, you will be happier and you will have an increased capacity to understand and meet the needs of those around you. Richard Durborow has worked as an educational leader for more than 20 years, including teacher, principal and superintendent. He is currently the principal of Piru Elementary. read less