A Balanced Approach to Coping with Stress
What is stress?
If you were to ask a dozen people to define stress, or explain what causes stress for them, you would likely get 12 different answers. The reason is that stress means different things to different people. What is stressful for some, others may take in their stride.
A good example is illustrated by observing passengers on a steep roller coaster ride. Some are hunched down in the back seats, eyes shut, jaws clenched and white knuckled with an iron grip on the retaining bar. They can't wait for the ride in the torture chamber to end so they can get back on solid ground and scamper away. But up front are the wide-eyed thrill seekers, yelling and relishing each steep plunge and racing to get on the very next ride. And in between you may find a few with an air of nonchalance that borders on boredom. So, was the roller coaster ride stressful?
This analogy is useful in explaining why the same stressor can differ so much for each of us. While a definition of stress can’t be agreed upon, experimental and clinical research confirms that the sense of having little or no control is always uncomfortable – and that's what stress is all about. Research also confirms the way our bodies respond to prolonged stress.
The stress response
The nervous system controls most of what goes on in our body. It manages 80-90% of our body’s function including the heart rate, breathing, digestion, hormone release, muscles, the immune system, blood pressure and repair processes. It splits into two branches:
· The first speeds things up and produces the ‘fight or flight’ response that is essential for surviving dangerous situations (the sympathetic nervous system)
· The second slows things down, calms us and gives us rest (the parasympathetic nervous system)
When we are healthy, these two branches are balanced. It is this balance that is vital for the body to stay in good health.
When we are under considerable and constant pressure to meet the demands of daily responsibilities, our body switches to ‘fight or flight’ and prepares us to do battle or to run for our lives. During prolonged periods of stress, ‘fight or flight’ commonly stays switched on and so our body never gets the message to rest. This is when we escalate into fear, anxiety and panic, leading to many anxiety and stress-related conditions. For some, this can have a major impact on long term health.
Introducing The Bowen Technique
The Bowen Technique is a gentle, relaxing and highly effective hands-on therapy that can be very beneficial in addressing stress and anxiety-related conditions. By affecting the nervous system, Bowen helps to re-balance the body, promoting a reduction in stress levels, muscle tension relief, recovery of energy, healing and repair.
Bowen therapy helps to re-balance
Bowen can help by encouraging the body to switch off ‘fight or flight’ and revert to its natural healing state. This state allows blood pressure, breathing rate and other vital processes to normalise and regenerate. This therapeutically induced ‘alpha state’ not only promotes a feeling of calm and relaxation, but is also crucial in creating new behaviour.
The following statements are typical of patients returning for the second or third Bowen treatment.
‘I don’t know what it is, but I just feel better in myself’.
‘I slept like a log after treatment and woke up feeling life was worth living’.
‘All of a sudden, I seem to know what I want/need to do and I’m making big decisions
about things now.’
Bowen therapy - introduced to the UK from Australia in the 1990’s - aims to balance the whole person, not just symptoms. Practically any problem can potentially be addressed, with many clients enjoying relief in as few as 3 treatments.
Find out more about the Bowen Technique at Ascot Natural Health Centre