Relaxation (Anti-Stress) Exercises: Questions for your doctor

Preparing questions in advance can help patients have more meaningful discussions with their physicians regarding their conditions. Patients may wish to ask their doctor the following questions about stress.

Am I exhibiting any of the symptoms of stress?
Can relaxation exercises assist in treating heart conditions?
Are there any medical reasons not to try relaxation exercises?
Do you recommend any particular relaxation exercises?
How frequently should I perform relaxation exercises?
Should I still perform relaxation exercises if I already feel relaxed or at ease?
Would adding physical exercise or making other lifestyle changes help to reduce the amount of stress in my life?
Is it still safe to perform relaxation exercises if I am pregnant?

Introduction

Learning how to relax can greatly improve your health and well-being. That's why it is so important to find ways to introduce more relaxation into your everyday life. If you don't learn to manage stress, stress will manage you; and left unchecked, stress can be draining, cause anxiety, and even trigger health issues.

Relaxation exercises are a great way to relieve stress. The exercises in this site can work wonders on the stress knots in your shoulders and neck regions - on the stress that accumulates in your muscles - and even against certain stress headaches. These relaxation exercises are also great, because they are not strenuous.

Definition of Stress

Stress: Forces from the outside world impinging on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow. Conversely, stress can cause us significant problems.

Stress releases powerful neurochemicals and hormones that prepare us for action (to fight or flee). If we don't take action, the stress response can lead to health problems. Prolonged, uninterrupted, unexpected, and unmanageable stresses are the most damaging types of stress.

Early separation from mother can lead to altered stress responses and depression later in life. The stresses of the mother can affect the stress response of the fetus, and perhaps predispose the child to psychiatric illness later in life.

Many of our ways in dealing with stress -- drugs, pain medicines, alcohol, smoking and eating -- actually are counterproductive in that they can worsen the stress and can make us more reactive (sensitive) to further stress.

Stress can be best managed by regular exercise, meditation or other relaxation techniques, structured time outs, and learning new coping strategies to create predictability in our lives. The management of stress depend mainly on the willingness of a person to make the changes necessary for a healthy lifestyle.