Douglas Johns, LCSW
Portland, Oregon
503-252-3739
Stress Reduction & Management ~ Portland, Oregon
Douglas Johns, LCSW
Just living our lives invites
stress. Compound that with an unexpected ailment or trauma
and our stress may increase exponentially. Whether it's the
everyday stress of life or the fear of unforeseen
circumstances mindfulness-meditation
combined with
exercise and proper diet can help. Meditation is
increasingly proving itself to be a reliable tool for
decreasing stress and anxiety while increasing joy,
calm, confidence and self-compassion.
Perhaps you've heard of the "fight or flight reaction".
When experiencing either a real or perceived threat it is
normal for human beings to experience a rush of adrenaline
via the sympathetic nervous system to prepare the body to
act. Adrenaline gives the body the added energy it needs to
either fight off the threat or run away from the threat.
This was useful on the plains of Africa when our ancestors
were confronted by wild animals. It can also be useful
today in crisis situations where quick action and strength
are needed. But with most life stressors this added energy
has no outlet. We don't punch our doctor when she says "You
have cancer."
In our everyday lives we have many experiences that trigger
our stress response hormones but where fighting or fleeing
are not acceptable behaviors. An angry boss, traffic snarls
and raising a family are just a few of the common stressors
we all experience that can set off our anger and our fear.
Road rage is an expression of the fight or flight reaction.
But with few acceptable outlets to exhaust our highly
reactive state, stress hormones remain in our system and
cause havoc with our physical and emotional health.
Mindfulness-meditation can help.
Meditation, in and of itself, is a non-religious skill that
anyone can learn to increase being in the present moment.
Being in the present moment during stressful experiences is
key to reducing levels of stress hormone. Through
mindfulness-meditation we learn to respond to stress rather
than react through fear or anger. Reducing levels of stress
hormone increases feelings of calm.
For more information, please call me with any questions at
503-252-3739.