Handling Stress in Midlife

[Guest guest]

Free-Reprint Article Written by: Sheila Hipps

See Terms of Reprint Below.

*****************************************************************

*

* This email is being delivered directly to members of the group:

*

*

*

*****************************************************************

We have moved our TERMS OF REPRINT to the end of the article.

Be certain to read our TERMS OF REPRINT and honor our TERMS

OF REPRINT when you use this article. Thank you.

This article has been distributed by:

http://Article-Distribution.com

Helpful Link:

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act - Overview

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/iclp/dmca1.htm

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Article Title:

==============

Handling Stress in Midlife

Article Description:

====================

We're all operating under stress these days. It seems as if

someone is moving the goal posts and changing the rules right in

the middle of whatever game this is. There’s a drug-free way to

disengage from stress and start experiencing calm and clarity.

Additional Article Information:

===============================

467 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2006-05-16 10:48:00

Written By: Sheila Hipps

Copyright: 2006,

Contact Email: mailto:sheilahipps@...

For more free-reprint articles by this Author, please visit:

http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/d/index.shtml#Sheila_Hipps

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Handling Stress in Midlife

Copyright © 2006 Sheila Hipps,

Midlife Directions

http://www.MidlifeDirections.com

We're all operating under stress these days, particularly in

midlife. They're moving the goalposts and changing the rules

right in the middle of whatever game this is.

From the dawn of time, we have been hardwired to respond to

sudden stressors. Today the nature of the stress we encounter

has changed radically. It's chronic. One thing after another

that has to be dealt with immediately, thanks to instant

communication and the speed of change. We aren't built for

that,

especially by the time we hit midlife.

We each have a threshold for absorbing change. When we're

pushed

beyond it, the fight or flight response floods our systems with

adrenalin. With repeated crises, that response shuts down

because adrenalin is so hard on us physically as our bodies age.

(It causes shallow breathing, stops digestion and puts other

systems on hold.) It is also a powerful mood booster.

Without it, secondary systems using serotonin and dopamine, have

to take up the slack. As a result, we have an enormous increase

in illnesses that hit us in midlife, including anxiety and panic

attacks, as well as depression.

This plays out in different ways in life. My parents died when I

was a teen. An only child, I was afraid of being on my own, even

though I had great extended family support. I learned to operate

on a sort of 'high alert' to manage whatever came at me. The

'fight' response in fact. I kicked into overdrive in stressful

situations.

What worked for me ended up working against me, as is so often

the way. Finally, in midlife, I got tired of trying to manage

everything, whether I needed to, or not. It dawned on me that I

was still governed by the old fear from my parents' death. It

took a while, but I finally learned to let it go - most of the

time.

Relaxation is the third response to chronic stress. Dr.Herbert

Benson of Harvard has researched and written about it in 'The

Relaxation Response'. It is learning to relax. It starts with

becoming aware of your breathing and learning to breathe deeply.

We don't realize how shallow our breathing tends to be,

especially under stress. With deep breathing your body relaxes

and even feels safe as you turn on the parasympathetic nervous

system.

All the relaxation techniques, from certain types of yoga to

meditation and guided imagery or visualisation, focus on deep

breathing and relaxing tension in different parts of the body.

You disengage from the world and start to experience calm and

clarity.

You learn to:

* Still your thoughts and center yourself.

* Access intuition for guidance. As you pay attention, it

grows.

* Gain new balance and trust as you learn to focus

internally.

It's a drug-free way to disengage from stress and enhance your

life!

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheila Hipps, M.A. provides personal and life coaching services

to people in midlife who are seeking to stay on course while

dealing with personal and professional change. For a Free Sample

Session with Sheila, email mailto:sheilahipps@... and

visit her website for more information at:

http://www.MidlifeDirections.com .