Feeling stressed? Manage with these methods

Feeling stressed?

These methods might help you manage

written by LINDA HARKCOM

Even before COVID-19, stress was a normal part of most people’s lives, but the challenges brought about by events of the past year have caused the stress levels of many people to rise dramatically.

Not properly dealing with stress can be detrimental to one’s physical and mental health. Luckily, there are many methods to manage it.

Chiropractic care

Marc Gamerman of the Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Massage (CAM) Center of Hagerstown has been a doctor of chiropractic medicine for 35 years. He said that over the past year, he has treated teachers, parents, students, school administrators, hospital nurses and other individuals on the front lines affected by COVID-19.

“All have been through a rough year,” Gamerman said.

A licensed massage therapist for 19 years, the CAM Center’s Susan Lundquist said she has witnessed a definite increase in clients since the pandemic began.

“Prior to COVID, I was 80(%) to 90% booked with clients. I am now currently 100% booked three to four weeks out for appointments,” Lundquist said. Julie Sutton, a licensed acupuncturist at the CAM Center, said stress is exhibited differently by everyone. “It seems that people have a general feeling of being overwhelmed with distance learning, working from home, grief due to loss of loved ones or even loss of time spent with loved ones, missing family and friends, increase in substance abuse and alcohol,” Sutton said.

Lundquist sees many clients who suffer from chronic neck, shoulder and TMJ (temporomandibular joint) pain due to stress.

“In addition, over time, chronic stress has led many clients to suffer from increased anxiety and depression,” Lundquist said.

Sutton reported seeing people who are suffering from sleep issues, body pain, weight gain, recurring chronic issues, grief and fear.

A licensed massage therapist for 19 years, Susan Lundquist has noticed a definite increase in clients seen at the Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Massage (CAM) Center of Hagerstown since the pandemic began. Submitted photo

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Gamerman said stress can reveal itself in obvious ways, such as decreased patience and overall crankiness.

“It’s the less obvious problems which are huge – the digestive, immune and reproductive systems are affected due to the fight-or-flight nature of stress,” he said.

The CAM Center, at 89 W. Lee St. in Hagerstown, offers patients chiropractic, acupuncture and massage therapy. The practice also will soon offer Reiki, a Japanese form of alternative healing technique based on the principle that therapists can channel energy into patients through touch to activate natural healing processes. Kayla Royer, a licensed massage therapist in the practice, is also certified in Reiki.

Coping with stress

When dealing with stress, Gamerman said exercise and a diet high in whole plant-based foods are the keys to success. He said vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as probiotics, help stabilize the gut.

When a patient comes in with stress-related issues, Sutton said she discusses basic needs.

“Depending on the person, I may suggest increasing exercise, mindfulness practices, proper nutrition, sleep health. The benefits range from person to person,” Sutton said. “In general, the goal is to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation.”

Sutton said that due to the pandemic, many people’s nervous systems have been in a hyper state.

“We’ve been on fight-or-flight autopilot – masks, hand washing, social distancing, getting the kids on a Zoom class, not missing your own Zoom calls, etc. I’d like patients to leave my office feeling a sense of optimism, and perhaps a tool bag of skills they can begin implementing at home that they can use for themselves and share with loved ones,” Sutton said.

Lundquist typically recommends that patients incorporate yoga, deep-breathing exercises and physical activity into their wellness routines, along with massage therapy.

“All of these activities can decrease stress levels, decrease anxiety and help to promote a sense of well-being,” Lundquist said.

CAM Center Office Manager Jennifer Smith said she thinks it is important for people to understand that many types of insurance cover a lot of its services.

“I handle all insurance inquiries and can always check a patient’s coverage beforehand to see if they have coverage. Knowing that we accept insurance can help to decrease a little bit of the stress involved with seeking out treatment options,” Smith said.

Healing reinforcement

Sue Edwards, owner of Healed by Hand Hypnosis in Hagerstown, is a former massage therapist who has been a Reiki master since 2010. She is also certified in Five Path Hypnosis, as well as neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), Time Line Therapy and emotional-freedom technique (EFT). Edwards combines all of her certified modalities to customize treatment to the needs, goals and desired outcomes of clients.

“(My) focus is on providing concrete, simple tools that a client can employ to reinforce healings between sessions,” Edwards said.

Edwards serves clients in the Tri-State area in person and through virtual appointments.

She said she has seen stress increase greatly since the beginning of the pandemic, manifesting primarily as anxiety and depression.

“It’s all-pervasive throughout society, due to the level of life changes required, the uncertainty of the future, the need to face death and our own mortality, fear and the isolation that was required,” she said.

As an example, she spoke about a client who is a longtime high school teacher who experienced a significant increase in anxiety due to all of the changes and uncertainty that schools have experienced. That anxiety is heightened due to the increased use of unfamiliar technology and the need to teach students in person and online simultaneously, plus concerns the teacher had about her aging parents. Edwards said the client experienced almost daily tension headaches and occasional migraines. Her sleep was affected, and she had anxiety attacks in the mornings and while driving to work.

“Our treatment plan began with reducing the headaches, using a combination of Reiki and craniosacral work, hypnosis for relaxation and doubling her water intake,” Edwards said.

Craniosacral therapy (CST) uses a light touch to examine membranes and movement of the fluids in and around the central nervous system. The goal is to relieve tension and promote a feeling of well-being by eliminating pain and boosting health and immunity.

“We did Time Line Therapy to reduce the intensity of some of her stronger emotions,” Edwards said. “We continued with hypnosis sessions, combined with NLP, to help her reframe how she reacts to certain known stressors, and gave her “anchors” to use, i.e.: pressing her thumb and forefinger together to trigger a different emotional state when she’s facing something that was previously upsetting.”

Neuro-linguistic programming is used to change someone’s thoughts and behaviors to help them achieve desired outcomes. Time Line Therapy is a type of NLP that utilizes people’s internal timelines to work with their unconscious minds in a variety of ways, including healing emotional traumas, as well as eradicating unwanted thoughts, emotions and behaviors.

Edwards said her client is now spending 15 minutes each morning and evening meditating, reading, journaling and decompressing, and is planning fun activities with her husband.

“We have had six sessions so far, and she has experienced significant improvement in her quality of life and reduction of headaches and anxiety responses,” Edwards said.

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Meditation

Many people are familiar with meditation, a technique used to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm, stable state.

“Meditation helps to relax stress and tension in the body, to calm and settle the wandering mind, and to develop wisdom deep enough to dissolve mental stress and suffering at its root,” said Ray Manyoky, owner and director of the Frederick Meditation Center.

“We believe that in order to heal the world, we must begin by healing ourselves. We offer meditation classes and workshops designed to help cultivate kindness and compassion, peace and joy,” Manyoky said.

For the past six years, Manyoky has been a practicing certi ed mindfulness meditation teacher. He said meditation yields many health bene ts, including reducing stress; controlling anxiety; promoting emotional health; enhancing self-awareness; lengthening attention span; reducing age-related memory loss; generating kindness; helping people ght addictions; improving sleep; controlling pain; and decreasing blood pressure. Plus, it is free to use anytime, anyplace.

He said since the pandemic, he has noticed an uptick in the number of attendees at the center’s classes.

“Most are looking to alleviate stress, anxiety, depression,” Manyoky said. “Some come to us looking to learn how to meditate or to deepen their practice.”

He explained that stress is a person’s biological response to the environment in order to stay safe and secure.

“Stress is a healthy response and prepares you for your ght, ight, freeze responses,” Manyoky said. “When danger is spotted, your survival brain immediately sends stress arousal messages to your body. The release of adrenaline leads to the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system and the subsequent release of speci c hormones that lead to certain physical sensations related to our heart, breathing and digestion. When stress is chronic, we continue to stay in prolonged levels of stress. Many health prob-

The Peace Gathering takes place at the Bell Tower at Baker lems occur when stress is not resolved.” Park in Frederick, Md., every Saturday at noon. Submitted photo The core of what is taught at Frederick Meditation Center, according to Manyoky, is how to use innate superpower to cultivate relaxation, awareness and compassion to reduce stress and anxiety. He said there are many approaches for alleviating stress. Ray Manyoky meditates at The Peace Gathering. Submitted photo

You are not alone

When a client comes to the center, Manyoky explains that stress is natural and important for survival. “Everyone gets stressed. Remember that you are not alone,” he said. When having a stress response, it is important to become aware of objects that provide safety and security, such as what can be seen and heard, Manyoky said. “The survival brain feels grounded when you bring attention to where your body is in contact with your environment, such as focusing on the contact between your feet with the oor, or your body in your chair. As soon as the survival brain perceives groundedness and safety, it automatically starts the recovery process,” he said, explaining that a person can use that ground to bring attention to his or her body, hands or breath. “Grounding your awareness into the body brings you out of the storytelling mind and into your present-moment experience,” Manyoky said. He recommends learning to use the innate “superpower” of the breath, which is essential to kick-starting stress recovery.

Resources

Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Massage (CAM) Center of Hagerstown 89 W. Lee St. Hagerstown, MD 21740 301-797-3737 camcenterofhagerstown.com Frederick Meditation Center 240-397-8080 info@frederickmeditation.com rederickmeditation.com Healed by Hand Hypnosis 301-973-6139 sue@HealedByHand.com healedbyhand.com