A New Kind of Stress

January 4, 2010

Interview with Roberta Lee, author of the book The SuperStress Solution

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Mike Carruthers:
We all know that too much stress in life is a problem but it turns out the problem is getting worse.

Roberta Lee:
In other words we’re looking at a whole new different kind of stress that is compounded by the lifestyle that we’re living now which is very different from when our grandmothers were living. 

Dr. Roberta Lee, author of the book The SuperStress Solution …

We have Blackberries, we have cell phones, we have deadlines, we’re obligated to communicate 24/7... In other words, life is more frenzied. So when you add anything that might be just a little bit stressful is has a much more magnified reaction in the body.

But the good news is there are little things you can do that can really counter act the stress.

Like maybe a breath exercise which may take 30 seconds to do and that can actually take down the stress response by let’s say 10%. What it’s doing is it’s re-educating your nervous system, reminding your nervous system of your capacity to truly and effectively relax.

Getting more sleep, improving your diet, and exercising can all help fight off the effects of stress. And Dr. Lee says one clue that you are super-stressed is that you let little things really get to you.

You’re losing perspective. When people are in survival mode, when they’re just going from one task to the next – that’s when I find that you really lose that ability to let things go. And not having that flexibility to let things go could be a tip that you’re super-stressed.