 Some say "no pain, no gain." I say: if it hurts, you're probably not doing it right. If you're exercising and it hurts, that can mean serious trouble. If you're experiencing emotional pain in you're life, that can also mean serious trouble. You may know some of these common effects of stress building up in your body and in your life:
These are good to know. They are some of the more apparent results of a stressed out life. But here are some you may not associate with stress:
 Now, am I saying that just about everything is caused by stress? Nope. But living a high stress life with little outlet and ability to positively deal with stressful situations sets us up for failure. Our health is compromised, our relationships are strained and our general outlook on life is worse. Many of the above symptoms can be caused by a variety of factors, whether or not stress is present, so be sure to get a full check up and discuss any lab work that would be helpful for you and your doctor to best understand your health issues. A lot can be learned from simple blood tests and saliva tests (yep, pretty much just spitting in a test tube)- it's important to not overlook any potentially serious medical condition when working on balancing your physical and emotional health. I am here to answer any questions you have about this topic- you can comment on this article or email me directly. To your good health,  More articles on stress and you:
Stress: what is it good for? From overwhelmed to overjoyed Stress vs. Well-Being: how do you measure up?
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 Recently I've been passing some good info and resources from the Institute of HeartMath. For new-to-me readers, this is a wonderful resource for all things anti-stress. Using tools from them has literally pulled me from a stressaholic to a balanced, positive person ready to take on the world. Here's a gem to try out. The Stress and Well-Being Survey, it's free and takes just a few minutes. Like filling out online quizzes? I do. Plus, this one actually gives you much more important information than "What character would you be in Harry Potter?" ( I don't know, I confess I never really got into the series, so I'll just go with Hermione) The results give you estimates on how well you're doing in some pretty important areas of your life: Physical Vitality, Emotional Vitality, Social Connectedness, Spiritual Connectedness and Overall Well-being. I found my results interesting and revealing and I think you will, too. So what are you supposed to do with these results? Well, you could put it on your fridge, have a Spiritual Connectedness competition with your friends (joking, that's a terrible idea) or maybe this is yet another confirmation that there's something troubling you and you've just never wanted to seek help for it. Well, this is the sign you were looking for. Maybe you're feeling run down and exhausted all the time, even when you wake up (which is an awful way to start the day). Maybe the slightest things provoke you and send you into a major freak out state. Maybe the sight of a particular person's name in your inbox or on your phone shoots your heart rate sky high. This is no way to live. Find someone who will listen and help. I would love to help you out or find someone near you who can. Take care out there. It can be a stressful place, but that doesn't mean we have to be stress-cases in response. To your good health.   cook smarter, stress less
...you gotta eat, so why not upgrade your kitchen time? do you... ...struggle with trying to cook homemade food without spending all your time in the kitchen? ...stare into your fridge for long minutes, with only mustard and bare shelves staring back at you? ...want to eat healthier lunches at work, but never cook ahead of time, so you end up eating out more often than you'd like to admit? (warning sign #1: the fast food clerk knows your name and order) if so, then join Dr. Angela on this free 3 day workshop and find out how to... ...structure your kitchen time for minimal prep and maximal meal production ...eat better, cook smarter and stress less over your food choices ...learn how to keep your fridge stocked with healthy meals and snacks ...and get a few bonus recipes to help you get started, now! join me from the comfort of your pjs Register for the workshop now (it takes 2 seconds), then sit back and follow along as the entire course is sent to your inbox through my short course on upping your kitchen game. Each day will bring a new e-booklet to your inbox, so you can read and follow along at any time. so what's the cost? For all this love, time, and organization, I'm bring you Let's Get Cooking for free ...but only if you sign up now through June 9th alright, so when do we start? Let's Get Cooking runs Monday June 10th to Wednesday June 12th. Sign up today to save your spot. If you have a friend who also needs some kitchen intervention, pass this link along and Get Cooking together!  What do you never seem to have enough of? Time. Money. Matching socks. Ok, well I can only help so much; those socks are up to you. But how about your time? Yeah, you've heard of time management, but doesn't it seem like you're at the receiving end, being managed by some other force? A force which apparently hates the thought of you having time to yourself, of ever feeling relaxed. So let me shed a little light on this conundrum. Let's take back the reigns to your calendar, one step at a time. First, it's time to face the hard facts. Let's just go ahead and rip off this band-aid. Step One: time for a Time Audit Your homework, should you choose to accept it is to track your time. All your time. All your activities. Try doing this consistently for a week, but even a few days will be quite revealing. (here's a few apps for fool-proof, forget-me-not time tracking, here, here and here) Attempt to track all your waking hours, noting everything that took more than a few minutes of your time. What do you see? Any patterns? Anything surprising?  look familiar? you're not the only one Getting a few days or more under your belt will help you get the best picture of how you spend your time. Like money, time can be spent, invested, wasted or saved. Are there areas where you could be spending your time a little more wisely? Step two: craft your own inner time snob After you have diligently tracked for a week or so, let the next week be all about time analyzing. Scrutinize your time spent in every area of your life. It's all about values and priorities. Here are some areas where I help my patients find more time: -- time for self care (exercise, sleep, hobbies, play) -- time for cooking healthy meals -- time for rest, restoration, nurturing and downtime when necessary And where are we going to find all that time? It doesn't just grow on trees, ya know. Well, let's run through an example. Say you can't find the time to spend an hour cooking for yourself on the weekends, but you want to prepare a few batches of food for quick-to-reheat workweek lunches and dinners. (in slim down & happy up, I share with participants my exact steps to minimize kitchen time for maximum meal impact). Alright... where are we going to find an hour? How about cutting email time from six (or is it twelve?) times a day to three? Or limiting facebook time to a twice a day indulgence (or better yet, just dump that app from your phone and remove the impulse entirely). The success of time re-organization comes from you. Your input and your investment in its success. If you take a keen eye to how (and where) you use your time, you'll be surprised where all your free time is hiding out.  Now that I've given Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja the boot, watch out Rachel Ray! Step Three: staying on top of it all What's a sure-fire plan for failure? Lack of planning, and being stressed out. What can help both of those? Having a game plan, of course. Have a deadline, project or other event looming on your calendar? Then it's time to bring your best inner time snob and stay riding that to-do list wave (it's better than drowning in responsibilities, after all). As someone who pretty much always has a full schedule, I definitely have to practice what I preach here. Since the last thing I want to do is add a huge list of tasks to an already bursting-at-the-seams schedule, I go into much more specific detail about my approach and strategy to do it all while keeping sane (and stress-free, in fact!) in slim down & happy up. The fall session is just about open for registration, join us on this next round and find a healthier lifestyle for yourself and your family. I'd love to hear what kinds of creative time planning you use, so please leave a comment below. To your good health (which includes plenty of rest and play time!),  Haven't heard? Join me for slim down & happy up, a unique stress-reducing and healthy weight-achieving program crafted especially for you, the busy lady. More great stuff by me: Just who do I think I am, anyways? Bulletproof balance (make room for this in your schedule and you won't be sorry!) photo credit: BeverlyLR
 Scanning my bio page, and you can sum up my education and experience within a few seconds. What you won't know is "Why?" Why do I do what I do? And ... what right do I have to tell you and everyone you know that stress isn't a given. I might not even know you, your aggravating boss, your mother who never leaves you alone, your kids who drive you up the wall with worry. None of it. I may not know anything that's going on in your life. So, just why do I think I am? Maybe it's because I'm the eldest child in my family. The stereotypical bossy older child. Don't ask my younger siblings- it's all lies. I'm motherly and nurturing not bossy. Or a matter of perspective, whatever. So, I get to tell you how to be healthy because I'm a doctor. I get to tell you how to do it from a really common sense, healthy approach which is supportive to your body, mind because I'm a Naturopathic Doctor. But why do I think you can ditch your stress?  Because I've done it. I've crossed over that bridge- or maybe I choose to cross over again and again every day of my life. I used to be a nervous wreck. Really. You know the type. I was stressed out and living on my last nerve on a daily basis. I was a living mascot of those dorky "I have one nerve left, and you're on it" T-shirts, or seen here in chihuahua form. Or maybe it's not a chihuahua, I don't know (the only dog categories in my mind are: big, small, friendly and growling). Part of my stressed out picture comes from the fact that I've always been "busy." From childhood on, busy, busy, busy. You know, the kid who's in everything, and the co-ed who doesn't have a minute of down time. I've always been a big proponent of getting and keeping your priorities straight, so in addition to the work and school schedule, I've also always worked in exercise, family time, volunteer time and other activities. No time for me, no peace and quiet. And what did this big bundle of messy nerves look like? Well, on the outside, not too bad. On the inside, constant tension, stress, anxiety and unrest, a history of heart palpitations and sometimes worse. There's been the occasional panic attack (it's always fun when you feel like you can't breathe) and one week of anorexia. That was a real blast. Too sick to my stomach with anxiety to eat, too hungry to stop thinking about food. I'm no hero. After a week, I tried getting help from my doctor after being too nerve-shocked to eat for far too long. He recommended Ensure. Thanks, but no thanks. After life circumstances became less crazy, my condition improved.  Jaggedy = bad. Smooth = good. Fast-forward to the middle of my internship years. One day while working with a patient's history of anxiety and panic attacks, I got some first hand experience with a weird-sounding computer program. HeartMath. I had heard about this "HeartMath" thing the year prior during a Cardiology lecture. The same lecturer was now my attending physician and was training me in how to use it with patients. On my first go-around in class, it sounded like this breathing and self-guided visualization thing that somehow helped with heart disease and anxiety. And, yep, that's pretty much it in a nutshell. I practice what I preach. It didn't take long after learning how to use HeartMath with patients for me to experiment on myself. And the effects I first initially and every day since is what propels me to use it as a key part of my clinical practice. Bonus for me- no more being stressed out all the time, and definitely no panic attacks and upset stomach. Every day that I use the HeartMath system, I can see myself building up my internal reserves. Stressed to relaxed. Upset to calm. Tired to energized. And I can feel the effects whenever I do it, computer monitor or not. In the car, in the shower- there's nothing more portable and easy to use any time than your thoughts and your breath. Here's an actual screen capture of a session I did a few months ago:  This is a six minute session. You can see the raggedy-jaggedy-ness on the left (= low coherence). This pattern smooths out and from a minute in until the end there is a much more smooth sine wave-like pattern (= high coherence). That's good. That's what you want. That's what is the actual key to reducing stress. The bottom graph is internal coherence built up over time. More blue equals less stress. This is just one of many tools I use for myself and others who are stress-prone, but it's a very foundational tool nonetheless. I just wouldn't have the impact that I do in helping all us stress cases to relax and unwind. It creates real, appreciable change to permanently alter our stress response. I love the many uses of HeartMath. For some I use it to curb a stressaholic's tendency to freak out. For others it's an immediate way in the office to snap someone out of acute anxiety- this will even work during a full-blown panic attack. How great is that? If you know someone who's a stressed out mess, send them my way. I am a guide with a tried and true map which will help them leave the Land of the Last Nerve and arrive at Chill City. Won't you join me? That's who I am. I am here, happy and eager to help. If you want to be Happy, Healthy and Wise, let me help you with two of these three (wisdom not included).   Last Friday, local KGW news showed a news segment on stress and started out with a simple three question test. How many of these do you do?
Thank you, because not only was I stressed out about being stressed out, but now I have to worry about being addicted to stress. Is there such a thing as Stressaholics Anonymous? But in all seriousness, I have referenced what I believe are the top symptoms of stress, and many of them are a lot more hidden than just feeling "worried or nervous." So stress and its health effects are suddenly being covered in the local news. First the Oregonian article, now this video from KGW. Well, as stress affects most of us, it's a very relevant topic. In my next article, I'd like to detail just exactly what it is I do to counter the effects of stress. If you've seen past articles you know that biofeedback is an important tool of mine, but it's not very well known so I'd like to let you in on this ace up my sleeve. Next time. To your good health, 
 In an ever-developing expansion of my reach on the internet, PDX Holistic has featured Stress: what is it good for? At PDX Holistic, you can find my directory listing, find other holistic practitioners in Portland and get up-to-date articles and information straight from alternative medicine practitioners such as myself.
 Absolutely nothing. Ok, so that's not entirely true. But 99.9% of reactions to stress nowadays are harmful and unnecessary. Here's a whirlwind tour on what stress is doing to you and your body, why it sucks, and what you can do about it to have a happier, more kick ass life. Most of us have heard that the physiologic (body) response to stress has evolved to run away from woolly mammoths or saber tooth tigers or something along those lines. Well, ok, great, but we were also club-swinging unibrow-sporting troglodytes (word of the day for ya). Things have changed. So why on earth would morning traffic and work deadlines cause the same effects in your body as a near-death experience as the hands (or claws?) of a neolithic lion? Because, for the most part, deep deep down in your genes and cells, not much has changed. You're still living, breathing and metabolizing like its 1999. B.C that is. And what is stress and who defines it anyways? What cranks one person's stress-o-meter up to 11 (public speaking anyone?), is exciting, challenging and enjoyable to another. Well, the million dollar answer is: that person, thing, event or activity that is "stressful" is only stressful because you're responding stressfully to it. Ok, before I go too esoteric and off into "what is is" land, let me break it down another way: stress as a word was not created to describe a human physiologic response. It came from civil engineering, and only afterwards did biology researchers take the idea and apply it to the human body. Stress is a force from the outside that is exerting its effects in you (or a bridge, but why split hairs). Or to quote the never-wrong wikipedia, "stress is a measure of the internal forces acting within a deformable body." Sexy definition, right? So something is trying to deform your body (boss breathing down your neck, kids going nuts, no time to yourself) and stress is the amount those things are affecting you, internally.  Sometimes, I just can't face life outside of this sink. But. But. The real kicker of all this is you have a choice in the matter. You can choose how all those external forces affect your internal forces and deform your body. (ok, I'll stop with the engineering talk) There are many ways you can respond physiologically (and emotionally) to potentially stress-inducing events and interactions.  How do you respond? Crack like an eggshell? Crumble like saltine? How do you want to respond? Bounce back from any hardship like a superball? Nonchalantly and gracefully move from one project to the next like a slinky? You may have minimal influence over commuter traffic, paying the bills and having a ever-expanding to do list with never enough time-- but what you do have maximal influence over is your response. This is more than a matter of "just think good thoughts" or "quit your job and move to Fiji" (though if you're looking to take a concierge doctor to Fiji with you, let me know). I work with people to build up their internal reserves so that they can react to life more like a slinky and less like an eggshell. Getting and maintaining that attribute is a process (unless you do just move to Fiji)- but one that when working together, I have always seen stress diminish, anxiety dissolve and positivity and resilience grow in their place. And from that standpoint, you can take on the tigers and bosses without losing your cool. To your good health,   Gusts, flurries and dustings of snow. It's Portland, so we don't actually own snow shovels. Nine times out of 10 the snow doesn't even stick. And we like it that way, or else we frequent Mt. Hood. My question is, how does the snow affect you? Are you running out the door to make snow angels (well, don't do that right now, or they'd be sludge angels) or do you curse the weather and all the bad drivers it brings?  For most of us in town, an inch or two is enough to completely change our day, our schedule and our routine. Schools are cancelled, trips across town are suddenly monumental tasks and businesses are suddenly and inexplicably closed (hey, they don't want to drive in the snow with Portlanders any more than you do). Not all work grinds to a halt. Many must continue trekking to work and raising an already high level of work-related stress to nearly unbearable levels. So before you get stuck in the next "big" snow, being pulled every direction by demands (go in to work and finish the project or go sledding on bunny slopes?), take a minute to recognize and readjust your expectations to living a life in overwhelm mode. Do you feel:
These are some of the most common expressions of an overwhelmed life crumpling under time pressure and demands. Don't resign yourself to living under these constraints, there is a way out- I promise. Read more here and let's chat soon. To life, health, and warm cups of tea,   How'd your holidays go? Did you plan ahead enough to get all the rest and restoration possible in a holiday vacation? Did you get good, quality family time or did it just add to the stress of the holiday season? I hope you didn't get caught in any pre-holiday shopping mall stampede- those will shoot up anyone's blood pressure. Hopefully you didn't cave at the sight of mini cheesecake bites and chocolate cookies like yours truly did. Well, either way that's all behind us (and maybe the behind's a little bigger) and on to a new year. New possibilities, new hopes, new plans. New opportunities to rise above challenges and make the most of the year, the most of our life. At the center of my stress reduction protocols are biofeedback and other HeartMath techniques. Here's a simple technique (though it might not easy in the midst of high stress) to build yourself up with positive energy in order to face the challenges with more poise, resilience and positive demeanor. Tool: Inner Ease™ Technique  Bring this feeling to your daily commute, and while interacting with clients, co-workers, the boss and family. This technique can be done anywhere, at any time. It cuts right through stress and allows for a whole variety of responses besides just "freak out mode." Here's a short video by Howard Martin, one of the founders of HeartMath, explaining its use in the workplace for managing expectations either brought on by yourself or others. Here's to a peaceful, stress-free 2013. If you'd like more tools and support in overcoming stress, I'm only a phone call away. To your good health,  |
I'm Dr. Angela, and I want to help you and your joints feel their very best.
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