One of the easiest techniques to relieve acute stress (anxiety) is to do deep breathing where we exhale the accumulated wastes (C02) from the lung & rejuvenate the body cells with fresh air (02). This eases our thoughts & thus relieves us from stressful situations. It is all in our breath. A simple Valsalva maneuver can abort a rapid beating heart in supraventricular tachycardia. These are inbuilt physiological ways, a body can be dealt from any stresses. People who can’t deal it by normal methods, adopt unhealthy & harmful methods by falling addicts to smoking, alcohol & drugs.
A relaxed approach towards stress is needed as it is not that something which is innately bad at all. Much we call stress is really impatience & haste, these are our body’s real enemies. Stress can be immensely motivating as it can challenge us. Stress can create self-confidence. It forces us to confront a situation emotionally. Stress can be taken as an engine that drives one to do better. The body initially does not differentiate between good & bad stress. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) initiates the stress response by releasing catecholamines-adrenaline & noradrenaline gush – the heart rate, b.p raises, sweating, rapid breathing, drying mouth, tremors of hands. ANS is that part of the nervous system which controls our involuntary actions such as heart beat, breathing & widening/ narrowing of the blood vessels.
Dysautonomia can result in disturbances in ANS, which can occur alone or due to underlying disease (alcoholism, diabetes, parkinsonism..), which may worsen over time & even become life threatening.The effects of stress on health are different for every person. Why would that be? Well, stress related illnesses tend to attack the weaker body organs or systems of each person. So, one person may get a cold under stress, another asthma, and still another will break out into skin hives. One can land up in CCU with an heart attack, arrhythmia, stroke.. Those who can deal with it to an extent but not fully, also land up in problems like Gastric trouble (dyspepsia), Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Hypertension, Migraines, Depression……..psychosomatic illnesses.
ANS is important in two situations – stress emergencies ‘to fight or take a flight soon’ & in non-stress situations ‘to rest & digest’. It should be noted that the autonomic nervous system is always working. It is NOT only active during “fight or flight” or “rest and digest” situations. Rather, the autonomic nervous system acts to maintain normal internal functions and works with the somatic nervous system (Fig below). It is all about balancing the nerve channels (nadis) – Sympathetics (Stressors) & Parasympathetics (Relaxors).
Sympathetics are involuntary (out of our control). It is mediated by Catecholamines (Adrenaline & Nor-adrenaline mainly). Only way is to deal with & cope up with its stress induced – response & illnesses. All we are left is to prepare our body to deal with the stress. ‘Enjoy life-thru Stress’ as Padmini shares, is to deal with the stress either by avoiding it, alter, adapt or to accept it totally (4 As) along with healthy food & enough sleep . These are the 4 options, one or more might work which one eventually learns by trial & error to cope with the stressful realities in life. On the other hand, parasympathetics are voluntary in action & mediated by Cholinergics (Acetyl Choline). Actions on the body can be understood from the figure.
The ancient Indian Yoga uses the term nadis as Shakthi (female/ ida nadi – parasympathetics) & Shiva (male/ pingala nadi – sympathetic) as prime channels of Kundalini. Yoga brings union of these opposites by concentrating on the physical discipline (asanas) & breath control (pranayama) to energize & balance these subtle nerve channels of the Autonomic Nervous System. The center for ANS lies in the Hypothalamus, which is termed as 6th chakra (Ajna chakra), where these nadis meet & are regulated. It is essential to balance these nadis as the flow through these 2 channels gets harmonized, prana start to flow through Shushumna, the central nadi which runs as a main stream in the spinal column. This flow through the Shushumna Nadi activates and balances all the seven subtle chakras.
Anuloma-biloma is perhaps the simplest & most easiest pranayama to understand the basics of science (& spirituality) behind Pranayama. ‘Anu’ means ‘along with’ or in orderly succession and ‘loma’ is hair or in natural order. Viloma means opposite. Here the fingers control the nostrils to inhale and exhale breath alternatively, hence the name. So, it is a combination of two pranayama, Anuloma & Viloma. By virtue of successive alternate action, this Pranayama is also called alternate breathing.
Most methods of pranayama involve the key muscle diaphragm. Diaphragmatic breathing (abdominal breathing) practice is the foundation behind relaxation techniques- pranayama & meditation.
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Thank you Lesley. I am happy that this piece of article was of great help to you, well in the hour of need. Being humble at your kind appreciations, what else can I say ‘pl. take it easy’. Do check out the latest on this stress series, I’ve added 2 more nice articles which would be of help in dealing with the day today stressors. Good day !