How do people work through the day with stress? Let us take a look at the simple daily things causing stress on our bodies, minds and emotions. The first thing to consider is the work day and what our posture says about the working environment. Many people are sitting though the day but even in the sitting position we respond to elements we consider impending danger. Remember the fight or flight reactions we have to stress, we first prepare to do one or the other in face of the circumstance. Early man, would crouch to prepare, what is it that our body does to prepare when the boss approaches with news about losing a very important client or a complaint from another employee about the work we are or are not doing? What things can put us in that crouching position? What does a crouching position look like for someone sitting at their desk? Imagine all the muscles tensing up, a headache my be getting started, pulse rate my be climbing along with blood pressure. In light of the stress we are no longer sitting in a relaxed position. We hunch in our chair, possibly with hands together in a wringing motion or even arms crossed and a position that leans us farther away from the "attacker". The defensive posture braces for an attack, we raise our shoulders and puff out our chest and sit or stand in a motionless position for a period time. In class we may be stretching our necks to hear every word being said, our eyes follow the lecturer, we may lean over the desk in a fashion that imitates crouching. If working on the computer we might lean over the keyboard with our elbows up and fingers tight in a rigid position when typing. The physical results of this type of "crouching" stress can be described in general as "joint stress". Here is the domino effect of joint stress in the physical body:

•Joints are connected in the body to tendons and muscles which during the stress can be pinched and given to muscle strain.
•Consider the nervous system with nerve tissue surrounding the joints. An employee or student can begin to feel cramps, pain and even numbness.
•In the presence of stress our bodies do not allow a good flow of blood and our joints are not lubricated naturally which makes movement limited. Other problems we experience is a slowness in healing and rejuvenation.
Sounds primitive and it is the same response as man has always had to stressful situations whether living in caves or in tents as Indians in the wild west. These reactions to stress have been named Autonomic Stress Arousal and it is important to be attentive and recognize the physical responses. When these physical responses are held for a long time, there is much damage that can be done because who entire system joins in the brace for action. Our heart, lungs, circulatory system and musculature system automatically prepare to engage or flee.

The Hypothalamus is Responsible for the Autonomic Stress Arousal

These responses are related directly to an almond sized part of the brain called the hypothalamus. This little piece of our brains which controls the autonomic stress arousal is very well placed in our brains next to the areas in the brain which control "worry" and "negative emotions". Because of its location the hypothalamus is triggered by outside stress and also by negative thinking and emotions. These parts of the brain are responsible for release several types of chemical into the system that keep us holding our weapons and prepared for an external attack or an internally perceived attack.

We Must Lay Our Weapons Down

Being in a constant state of stress or Autonomic Stress Arousal returns some huge problems for humans who never lay down their weapons and relax. Here is a short list that has been identified to result from continued stress arousal:

•arthritis
•psoriasis
•asthma
•back pain
•cancer
•cardiac arrhythmia
•chronic fatigue syndrome
•fibromyalgia
•myocardial infarction
•Angina
•multiple sclerosis
•hypertension
•inflammation
•infection
•insomnia
•nausea
•peptic ulcer
•irritable bowl syndrome
•migraine headaches
•muscle cramps
All these chronic problems from the Autonomic Stress Arousal can make us more aware of the importance of "relieving stress" in ourselves and in our future clients. As a group of professionals we can see healing begins with a simple response to our daily stress. We may not be able to control our stressors but we can control our "response" to the stress. This is why the title of this section is "We Must Lay our Weapons Down". We can't get through life carrying our weapons at our side. There must be a quite, safe place to go and relax even if it is in our own minds.

Stress Management and Relaxation Tools

One of the best tension releases is meditation. Most everyone has heard of it but not everyone practices it or has even tried meditation. There are several types of tools for meditation such as relaxation imagery, body relaxation, and breathing. It's possible most have encountered these tools even if it was not intentional. How many times in life do we day dream about being in calm, beautiful surroundings? How about lying in bed and out of fatigue or stress the muscles naturally contract and then with intention they are released to a calm state? Perhaps just lying in bed or sitting quietly at our desks we just close our eyes and breathe deeply. It is so relaxing.

•Relaxation imagery involves creating a quiet place to go in your mind, either real or imaginary. Often it is accompanied with reoccurring self statements. There is very little demand for thought, activity or effort so imagery therapy allows for greater focus.
•Body relaxation often includes Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). This activity of relaxation instructs the patient to tense up one of the muscle groups. For instance, "Tense up the muscles in your left hand. Become aware of the tension, then release." Each muscle group in the body can be focused on as moving through each group brings relaxation.
•Breathing relaxation has been around for centuries as it is a key part of Yoga. Breathing allows us to clear our minds and focus on one point in time, the present. The here and now. All troubling thoughts are replaced by slow and deliberate breathing. Breathing relaxation requires proper breathing in through the nose and releasing the air through our mouths like a whisper.
Often people can use these techniques at their desk in the office or in a quiet room with some meditation instruments like a table top fountain, a candle to direct focus or a chime of some sort can help with focus. These techniques can be practiced during the day during short intervals between work or home responsibilities. If you have children teach them to do some relaxation exercises with you. Relaxation can refresh better than naps during a busy day. Remember to take time to clear off the table top of your mind and relax.

Professionals and Relaxation: Focus and Be Successful in a Stressful Career

Attorneys and relaxation. These two words almost seem contradictory at first sight, but actually they are becoming more congruent. Currently it is well documented that attorneys have one of the most stressful professions. Many attorneys are learning to relax to combat the stress that is the legal life. These are the lawyers who like to gain control of their legal lives as opposed to their legal life controlling them.
Studies have shown the stress levels in the legal field are some of the highest because of the nature of the profession. The scene is beginning to turn around for many lawyers. Recently a former attorney, turned meditation Guru, American style, has written a book called 8 Minute Meditation which has received accolades from Time Magazine and the best selling author of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. The author, Victor Davich has a seminar called ''Eastern tools for Western Results'' and teaches his 8 minute meditation to attorneys and corporations. Davich worked as an attorney himself for Paramount, Universal TV and Y&R. Victor Davich has become an expert in meditation and received training from America’s best, Shinzen Young and Sharon Salzberg.
Training 400 attorneys in one room to meditate is a big step towards less stress for California Attorneys who went to Victor’s seminar at the Westin Palm Springs Hotel in the Grand Ball Room. The two top cities who employ the most attorneys in the nation are New York and Los Angeles. Victor Davich is himself a native of Los Angeles, California where Paramount and Universal are located. He schedules his seminar, ''Eastern Tools for Western Results'' for any organization interested in his presentation. He has done training for the healthcare profession, civic and church organizations and life change groups.
Meditation is one very big tool for relieving stress and Victor Davich is getting responses to his book from readers who have said it is the best meditation for Americans who are used to quick fixes. Can I learn it fast? Can I do it in 10 minutes or less? Victor has brought meditation to a country that needed to fit meditation into a time schedule. His book says no more excuses, it takes 12 minutes to learn and then you are ready for your first 8 minute meditation. The book coaches you through 8 weeks of meditation. Most people claim having seen results before the 8 weeks are through.

What are the Benefits of Meditation?

•Meditation is taught to many who need to reduce stress.
•Meditation does not belong to any religion but it used by almost all religions
•Studies show Meditation can be helpful for stress, insomnia, backaches and headaches.
•Meditation teaches you to focus
•Meditation is the opposite of multi-tasking
•Time is needed to learn to tune out the chatter around you and find a quiet environment to focus.
•Gaining focus gives you inner spiritual strength
•The table of your mind that was cluttered with lots of ''things'' is cleared off
•You think clearly, you focus at work, you are better able to respond to stress
Many of us are not in tune to doing just one thing and you will be surprised to learn it could take several weeks to go a place in meditation where other thoughts do not creep into your mind during the quietness. This is why people who do meditation often work with tapes that provide music conducive for focus

Conclusion of Stress and Stress Management

In this brief paper on stress and stress management we have looked at the Autonomic Stress Arousal and a few of the tools man has used throughout the ages to relieve his stress. Image Relaxation, Body Relaxation and Breathing Relaxation are the three described. Meditation uses several of these techniques and the legal profession has offered a technique for relaxing from a fellow member who wrote the 8 Minute Meditation. Busy legal professionals are incorporating meditation in their work days and are learning to lay down their weapons and relax.
This author is a freelance writer and concurrently finishing a graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.