You may be finding it difficult to cope with life challenges more than usual. The February Blues are starting to hit. In the Northeast, we’ve had enough winter, the holidays are over, and we crave the sun and are lacking vitamin D. This year, stress factors are a bit extreme which are contributing to February blues even more.

Our winter has been colder and snowier than recent years. World affairs bombard us daily and are overwhelming and insurmountable. Media continually reminds us how bad it is everywhere. Economy, lay offs, top it off with global warming, excess chemicals in our lives and trying to live green in a not-so-green world, it’s no wonder why stress is at an all time high.

Stress can be good for motivation and keeping us safe in emergency situations, but the majority of the time, stress does a lot of negative things to our body, mind and spirit. Stress is well known to lower the immune system, inhibiting us from fighting colds, flu and other illnesses. Stress is a contributing factor to many negative feelings we have both physically and emotionally. Symptoms of excessive stress include feelings of anxiousness, problems sleeping, focus, muscle tension, headaches, stomach, digestion issues, social withdrawal to only name a few. According to Mass General Hospital, roughly 60 to 90% of doctor visits are for conditions related to stress. The mind/body is a vital component of effective health care.

Stress creeps into our psyche without our knowing. When was the last time you really focused on a song’s words to learn them. I’m sure not often. But you’ll sing to the songs on the radio and know the words. Just how did you learn them? When the media is playing in the background of your life, the negativity of the news will creep into your unconscious mind just as the words to the songs and stress you out!

It is helpful to identify where we hold stress in our physical body. Take a moment and close your eyes. Think of a stressful event. Scan your body. Where is it affecting you? Is your jaw or fists clenched? Are your shoulders up to your ears? Observe your stomach and breathing patterns. Notice where and how you are physically holding on to stress, so when life happens, you can identify the physical traits and use techniques to reduce them.

Take some time to practice even small stress management techniques. You’ll be surprised how even small blocks of a couple minutes here and there help.

Common stress busters are yoga, exercise, eating well, drinking plenty of water and calming music. Other effective ways to cope are:

  • Turn off for a while. Turn off the news, your cell phone, PDA and other communication devices. Turn off your brain from thinking, analyzing and just be in the moment. Take a walk, focus on nature or even your footsteps. Be in the moment not matter what you’re doing and however mundane.
  • Belly breath. Most of us breathe using only the upper portions of our lungs. Learning correct belly breathing promotes blood flow and increases oxygen supply. Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. Take a deep breath by expanding your stomach and chest at the same time. Doing a few belly breaths, you’ll see your shoulders drop and a relaxation response begin to happen.
  • Take a vacation in your mind. Visualize a place of imagination or a favorite place you’ve been. Use all your senses in this visualization. If your favorite place is Crane’s Beach in the summer, see the sand, feel the warmth of the sun enveloping your entire body, hear the waves roll in and out as your breath. Visualizing touching a shell as you pick it up. Be creative in your visualizations. Taking a 10 minute mind vacation is a great afternoon pick me up from stress.
  • Neuromuscular relaxation is tightening muscles for a few seconds and then releasing them. The process naturally forces the muscles to return to a relaxed position. Working from head to feet or feet to head, flexing and releasing muscle groups.

Relaxation is a powerful antidote to stress. As stress management is practiced, the body learns to cope in times of need. Do yourself a favor, teach it to cope.