How do we deal with pressure

Hi Andy,
The Alexander Technique is a way of changing our habitual way of dealing with situations. Stress is a normal, healthy part of life. Often, some of the things that make life the most rewarding can be considered stressfull (having children, studying, working, socialising etc.). The problem arises when we respond to stress in an unhealthy way. We develop habits from a young age as a result of responding to all the complex things we deal with in modern life. You can see the results of these habits in the physical and mental state of us all! Backpain, RSI, "stress" etc are epidemics in modern society. When you look at the problem from a wider angle, it becomes apparent that what you need isn't someone to "fix" you, you need a way of dealing with the pressures of life in a different way.
In my experience, the Alexander Technique provides a simple, effective way of empowering you to meet the challenges of life. It gives you the tools to question and break down habitual responses to situations and can help improve your overall health and well-being, making the world a much less "stressy" place.
There's loads of info available on the internet and in books and around 1000 teachers available in the UK alone. There are sometimes introductory groups and any teacher will be happy to discuss it further if you would like.
Hope that helps!
Best regards,
Pete Robinson
http://www.ThinkingUp.co.uk

Hi I am Julia Rhodes of West London Colonics.
Here's an answer not featured in the answers to this question so far ,
I find that many of clients find colonics a tremendous stress buster . Not surprising really.
After all the Enteric Nervous system ( which includes the Colon ) is often described as the 2nd brain. And its notoriously susceptible to stress.

We can control stress by learning various mind and body techniques.These include some of the most widely recognised and oldest techniques such as autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation techniques, meditation, visualisation techniques and even some CBT.
For those highly stressed or anxious, I recommend muscle relaxation techniques practised twice a day for at least a month...Breathing and Meditation Techniques can be too difficult when someone is in a highly stressed state. But effective techniques for general management when not as highly aroused in the stressed state.

In the world that we live in stress and high pressure can be big parts of our day to day but that does not mean that this has to rule our existance. I think the key to living a life with where we can coup better with stress and tension is one where we start thinking on a more holistic level. Looking at good nutrition, moderation and balance. Holistic therapies are great on many levels, it gives you some time away from the 'outside world' where you can be in comfort. Helps you relax body, mind and soul leaving you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. I don't know that I would recommend one therapy more than another, I find that looking into therapies that appeal to you and trying them out is the best way of finding what works for you.
Taking some time each day to do something fun and relaxing is of great benefit and is just important as those reports you need to write, chores, children that you are looking after etc. By thinking on a holistic level you may find that you can coup better with high pressure, stress situations. That you feel better and up lifted and have more energy.
I hope that helps
Naomi

Hypnotherapy, using a combination of Hypno-analysis and Hypnotic suggestion, help the individual suffering these symptoms by getting to and alleviating the route cause and teaching strategies and planting triggers for the subconscious to deal with future triggers in an automatically calm way: simply put: regaining control and retraining the intelligent powerful mind .

The most effective practise in yoga for alleviating emotional and mental stress is simple breath awareness, when you are focused on your breathing, even when it is erratic and your heart is beating fast, then the mind is not focused on thoughts.. It may be hard to do this at the beginning, in situations of extreme emotional response so then simply be aware of the physical effects i.e. your heart beating, your head pounding.. it may sound insane but without the thoughts associated with the response i.e. "why am I feeling like this" "I want to stop feeling like this" " I feel guilty about feeling like this" the whole things loses power and you become aware, calm, centred, able to observe your thoughts from a clearer perspective.
As you are aware already, we create the stress for ourselves, however life DOES throw up situations that are difficult to handle, these are the times when we can learn so much about ourselves.. and really grow. Not by analysis, there is no need to go into therapy to work out whose "fault" it is, it is no-one's fault. When we take responsibility for our own reactions, we can learn how to witness our thoughts, from a calm state of mind and there is really nothing more to do than that.. with awareness, the pain disappears..
Taking up yoga and/or mediation will teach you how to become a master of yourself through knowing who you are and that actually, you can release painful emotions into the cosmos where they are immediately purified.. thoughts and emotions are only energy, not good, not bad, one thing to remember which helps me alot is not to put these emotions on other people, if you are angry, be angry there is nothing wrong with that.. it is a pure emotion, and pure anger is better than a false happiness.. but try not to be angry at someone or something.. let it come and you will be surprised how quickly it goes.
Of course sometimes there are things that need to be sorted out, or changed in our lives to make us happier, but we can do this better from a clear state of mind.. beyond the mind is awareness and when you act from awareness it is always correct, always beautiful, always truthful.
xxx

I have been using Reiki to help me cope with stress in my life since 2001. Reiki can be very calming and help us to release stress. Reiki heals at any level that we may need help with: physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. Reiki is generally given through a gentle touch and it is very balancing. I feel that we suffer when we are out of balance.
What I would recommend is that you try receiving a treatment from a practitioner who is experienced and gives themselves Reiki everyday. If you like the treatment and find it beneficial, you can learn Reiki yourself quickly and easily. This will enable you to give Reiki to yourself everyday. Anybody can learn Reiki, it does not cost a fortune eg I teach Reiki in London for £150. My classes are over 2 - 3 days. Anytime I am feeling stressed/suffering in any way, all I need to do is to place my hands on my body to help myself feel better. Wherever I may be, i always have my hands with me. Reiki is excellent as a first aid tool.
Over the years I find that I do not fall ill/suffer as much as I used to. When I do suffer Reiki helps me to recover that much more quickly. Reiki has been very beneficial in not just helping me when I am suffering but also with preventing things from going wrong.
Hope you find this helpful.

Diet is essential for the groundwork of giving your body the ingredient it requires to handle stress and the stress response. If our diet is poor (e.g. high in sugar, starchy carbohydrates and caffeine) then we are only going down the route of negative equity nutrition which exacerbate the symptoms.
This is a very complex area and I could right an essay and not scratch the surface without knowing more about your case history so I'd highly recommend that you seek the advice of a nutritional therapist to help re-align your diet, support your adrenals glands in particular.
All the best

Dear Andy
Interesting question of which i woud like to answer. Breathing is very important, oxygenating your lungs and organs with each breath we take. It is sometimes hard to tell outselves to do this when we are in a stressful state of mind. I would recommend massage or reflexology to help relax the body and mind. But also to acknowlege the reason for the stress and work towards getting yourself out of that situation. So this could be a change in lifestyle, diet, more relaxtion time, going for a walk etc.
Warm regards
Nafisa

Gosh, what a big question. In a kinesiology treatment we use a technique called "Emotional Stress Release" which is very powerful but so gentle and safe and so simple that it can be done anywhere. The technique sends blood to the frontal lobes of the brain which is often starved when we are under stress. Aside from this, breathing slowly and deeply can help as can drinking more water (sipping slowly) to rehydrate the body. There are some bach flower essences that can help (Chestnut Bud is very good if you repeat the same cycles and mistakes without appearing to learn from them - Walnut is very good as a Protector, Larch for confidence or just good old Rescue Remedy for emergencies). Reduce caffeine and stimulants. Take some YOU time - the best time to rewind is when you're too busy.!! Most importantly, if this is recurring then yes, choose a regular treatment which helps you. Obviously I'm biassed in favour of kinesiology and you can learn some self help techniques to help you in crisis.