uestion 41
What exercises do you advise to help relieve stress?

Breathing exercises help to calm our minds. All we need to do is to drop our shoulders, take a big deep breath, right down to our tummy. Do it slowly a few times. More oxygen can then go into our lungs to enhance gaseous exchange. Our minds will be more alert.

Many people complain of stiff necks and backs after sitting at the desk for hours, either writing or typing at a computer. Maintaining a prolonged posture is not advisable as this causes our muscles to become tired and weak. The spine gets stiff. We should get up and move around every 20-30 minutes.

Exercise increases blood flow to the muscles, maintains flexibility and prevents easy fatigue. So, engage yourself in a regular exercise programme. Swimming, brisk walking, jogging, aerobic dance, cycling, ball and racket games are good fun.

You can also meet new people. During exercise, you get your mind away from stressful events. You may find that you are more ready to deal with them later. Above all, you can keep fit at the same time. Let’s do it!

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uestion 42
What sort of diet do you advise?

During times of stress, appetite can be reduced and some people may not make time to eat.

Helpful tips:

1. If you are under stress and cannot manage three main meals, you may lose weight. Try having small but frequent nutritious snacks (such as scrambled eggs with toast spread with some margarine or crackers with cheese spread). Try filling up on fluids high in protein. Beverages recommended include Milo, Horlicks, Ovaltine made with full cream milk, soya bean drinks or creamy soups.
2. The reverse is true for those resorting to eating as a way of coping with boredom and depression. The constant nibbling of snacks and sweets is not uncommon for those seeking temporary emotional relief. If you find it difficult to avoid snacking, you should at least attempt to reduce the number of snacks you have through the day. In addition to this, you may try other healthy lower calorie and/or high-fibre snacks such as plain wheat crackers, wholemeal savoury buns, steamed pau or chee cheong fun with only a little gravy added.
3. About 50% of our daily dietary intake should be made up of complex carbohydrate. It is important for providing us with the energy we need for all our daily activities. Examples of complex carbohydrate are unpolished brown rice, potatoes with the skin, wholemeal bread, noodles and wholewheat crackers. Eating starchy carbohydrates with fibre helps promote regular bowel movements and prevent constipation. In addition to this, its bulking effect causes early fullness and is useful in appetite control. Although eating starchy carbohydrate is encouraged, those needing to shed a few kilos should avoid items containing hidden calories such as fried rice, roti prata, char kueh teow or French fries.

   Refined carbohydrate is readily available, cheap and makes food more palatable. If eaten indiscriminately however, some of it will eventually be converted to fat for storage. Thus, it would be ideal to gradually reduce the intake of sugar, regular soft drinks, cakes, honey, jellies and sweets in order to reduce your energy intake. As a better alternative, you could incorporate sugar-free sweets, diet soft drinks and reduced sugar or ‘light’ products into your diet to increase variety.

4. We should try to use 100% corn, soya bean, sunflower, olive oil or soft table margarine instead of butter, ghee, lard or blended oils. These oils should be taken in small quantities as too much of any type of fat is unhealthy. Cholesterol on the other hand is rich in certain foods such as offal, shellfish, fish roe, egg yolk and mayonnaise. Excess stress in the presence of elevated serum cholesterol could accelerate the risk of coronary heart disease. Reducing dietary cholesterol as well as total fat intake aids the process, combined with infrequent intakes of sugar and fat.
5. Protein is important in our diet because it is the building blocks for learn muscle formation. Foods, which are excellent sources of protein, are beancurd, lentils, lean meat, fish, eggs, chicken, skim milk, cheese and pork. Be wary of hidden fats, which occur concurrently with good protein from animal sources. So for best choice, select skinless chicken, lean meats, steamed fish, boiled beancurd, reduced fat hard cheese or boiled as opposed to fried eggs.
6. To ensure we get sufficient vitamins, minerals and fibre, a daily intake of two portions of fruit and vegetables each, should be made part of a balanced diet. In this way vitamin supplementation is not necessary.
7. In addition to considering the variety of ingredients that make up an interesting dish, is there a particular way of how we should consume our food? Meals should be eaten slowly as chewing aids digestion. Eat your meals at your own pace but do not eat hurriedly - take your time. Try to enjoy the aroma and taste of the food. Food is used functionally to maintain metabolic processes in our bodies and prevent nutrient deficiency states, but it is also incorporated as part of our culture and social tool. Hence, you could have some of your meals together with friends, family or other people who you enjoy sharing company with preferably in a relaxed atmosphere.
   

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uestion 43
Does coffee or tea relieve stress?

One of the popular beverages consumed daily is coffee. The major active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, which is also found in cola fruit, cocoa seeds and tea. Caffeine is a mild stimulant and may increase alertness and concentration by acting on our central nervous system. Excess caffeine may cause insomnia, palpitations, tremors, irritability and anxiety. A cup of coffee and cola contains approximately 60 mg and 40 mg of caffeine respectively. Tea contains more caffeine than coffee, but as less tea is used to make a serving of this beverage, overall consumption of caffeine is less. The best way of hydrating ourselves is to drink about 8 glasses of water daily.

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uestion 44
What are the types of relaxation therapy?

Relaxation is something enjoyable - experiencing a peace of mind and satisfaction. Remember, relaxation is not competition or striving to be the best. Choose activities from which you can derive pleasure, such as:

1. Creative activity - drawing, painting, carpentry, floral arrangements, etc.
2. Exercise - walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, etc.
3. Reading
4. Daily deep muscle relaxation therapy
5. Others - gardening, knitting, etc.

Don’t convert your relaxation time into a stress-laden obligation or obsession. For example, some days you may be able to jog for 4 km and at another day it may be just 2 km; do not feel that you have to keep the same distance or the exercise will become an obsession. Forget about always winning and counting on being first. The pursuit should give you satisfaction and pleasure. It can be equally stress- relieving to walk 3 km in the park - it is your state of mind that’s important.

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uestion 45
What is deep muscle relaxation therapy?

Relaxation therapy can be learnt by everybody. There is no uncomfortable posture or strenuous exercise. It requires practice and once mastered, it is an effective way to reduce tension as a result of stress. It alleviates aches and pains due to muscle tension and helps reduce fatigue. When you are relaxed it is easier to concentrate, communicate effectively and sleep.

Daily practice can be done anywhere - at home, at work or in a bus. You may wish to practise once or twice a day. The rhythmic exercise of alternate contraction and relaxation of muscles will improve circulation and reduce muscle tension. When you practise, go slowly and easily. Don’t expect immediate results, it will take time before you master the techniques.

Techniques

Firstly, select a quiet room and pull down the shade. You may sit on an armchair or lie on your bed. Close your eyes and take a deep breath slowly and exhale slowly. Remember to push out your stomach as you inhale. Continue to breathe very easily.

Now focus your attention on your right hand. Clench your fist tightly, squeeze very hard, and hold the tension. Very slowly open up your hand and let the tension flow out. Your right arm feels very heavy and very relaxed now.

Next focus your attention to your left arm. Clench your left hand tightly, squeeze very hard. Feel the tension in your left arm. Now begin to release it slowly. Allow that cramped feeling to dissolve, your arm is getting very soft, so soft that you could hardly move the fingers.

Remember to breathe in and out slowly.

Now concentrate on the muscles of the shoulder. While keeping your arms relaxed, push your shoulders up to your ears. There is tension in the muscles of the shoulders. Shrug your shoulders hard, so hard that you can feel the tightness. Now slowly relax, allow your shoulders to gradually come down, and let the tension flow out.

Now press your head back. Press very hard. Feel that tight dull ache in the neck. Slowly release the tension. Feel the relief as the relaxation comes in and the tension dissolves away. Your neck muscles become very soft. Notice the wonderful feeling of relaxation in the neck.

Focus on the facial muscles. I want you to bite slightly, not too hard that you hurt your teeth, but just hard enough to produce some tension in the jaw. Slowly release the tension. Slowly open your mouth, relax your jaws and let it hang loosely. Notice how good it feels.

Concentrate on the eye muscles. Squeeze your eyes very tightly. You can feel the tension in your eyes. Now slowly relax them. Allow the tension to flow out as your eye muscles become very relaxed.

We are finally to the legs. Point your toes towards you; tense all the muscle in your legs. Try to be aware of that tension. And now slowly release the tension, let it flow out. The muscles of your legs are very soft and relaxed now.

Take a deep breath again slowly, and exhale slowly. The muscles of your body are deeply relaxed now. Notice the feeling f relief.

Imagine that you are so relaxed that you don’t even want to move a single muscle in your body. It feels very good. If you decide to get up, stretch your arms and legs, and open your eyes. You will feel very fresh.

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