HeartMath for Stress Relief
HeartMath is an effective system for reducing the chronic stress response. It can be a helpful addition to a serious stress relief program.
The stress response is a natural part of healthy functioning.
(Hans Selye
is known for his pioneering research
on the physiology of the stress response.)
But often our bodies have symptoms of chronic stress or stress overload.
When this happens we become habituated to functioning in a stressful way, even though we are not in immediate obvious physical danger.
Living with chronic stress, or stress overload is not comfortable.
Some common symptoms of stress overload include:
- fatigue,
- aches and pains,
- depression,
- anxiety attacks,
- indigestion,
- high blood pressure,
- itchy skin,
- sleep disturbances and
- and more frequent colds and illness.
HeartMath Training Can Move the Mind and Body Out Of a Chronic Stress Pattern
This system combines a simple stress relief technique called the Quick Coherence Technique, plus computer software. Anyone can learn the 3 simple steps of the Quick Coherence Technique for free on their website.
The computer software is very helpful to use with the Quick Coherence Technique because the software gives encouraging feedback and tells the user when they are actually functioning in the target zone of mind heart coherence.
Research has demonstrated that the increased coherence between mind and heart which takes place with this stress relief system, effectively reduces physiological stress factors such as high levels of cortisol in the blood.
The result is that people can feel much better. They can function better at work, at school and in their personal relationships and family life.
Learning to use this system of stress reduction training doesn’t mean that stress never happens in your life. Most people experience change as a main cause of stress, and changes in life are inevitable to some extent.
But a person,
who has trained well with this system, knows how to easily shift out of a
stress response and into a more normal, happy, healthy style of
functioning as soon as any immediate real danger has passed.However,
this is not a magic “silver bullet”.
When seeking to prevent and
reduce the stress in your life we recommend that you continue to make
stress reducing
healthy lifestyle choices.
These include:
1. slow deep breathing for stress relief,
2. eating nourishing meals of stress relief foods,
3. regular sleep,
and
4. regular stress relief exercise.
Find out about other helpful stress relief techniques, or visit
Gentle Stress Relief home page.
Sources:
Childre, Doc. 1994. Freeze Frame. Boulder Creek, California: Planetary Publications
HeartMath LLC. “The Quick Coherence Technique.” 2009. http://www.heartmath.com/Personal-Growth/Quick-Coherence-Technique.html
Burns, Steven L. Dr. 1997-2007. “How to Survive Unbearable Stress.” http://www.teachhealth.com/