You Are What You Think –

Overcoming Stress With A Shift In Perception

By Jan Howard

To be able to manage stress in our lives, we must first redefine it, according to Dr Jim Prado, a holistic chiropractor practicing in Southbury.

It is also important to determine what triggers our stress and use this knowledge as a way to manage it.

“How can we manage what we can’t define?” Dr Prado questioned. He discussed a holistic approach to managing stress during the December 12 Lunch and Learn seminar sponsored by Ashlar of Newtown.

A definition of stress that might be found in a dictionary is that it is a problem or situation causing mental or emotional tension or pressure.

“We’re all victims of stress. It’s a difficult way to live,” Dr Prado said.

He noted that people blame the stress they experience on other things, such as their job, boss, or spouse.

“That is the way you have been taught to define stress, and it’s difficult to redefine it,” he noted.

A redefinition of stress is when the mind is not with the body, Dr Prado said. “You are not present in the moment when your mind is on other things.” This mindlessness triggers a stress response.

“Stress cannot exist when the mind is in the present moment,” he said. “Stress comes from within. You must take responsibility for your stress.”

Stress occurs when there is a difference between what is and what we want it to be, Dr Prado noted.

Dr Prado referred to the work of three scientists, Candace Pert, PhD, David Felten, MD, PhD, and Bruce Lipton, PhD, to illustrate the effects of stress on the body.

Dr Pert is studying molecules of emotion that flow through the body, Dr Prado explained. If a person is angry or fearful, these chemicals leave the central nervous system and go to the cells. Dr Felten has discovered that there are fibers that exist in every cell which are receptor sites for these molecules of emotion. Dr Lipton’s studies show that genes are turned on and off when the emotion chemicals hook into the receptor sites.

Your thoughts can heal the body, Dr Prado said. “If the genes don’t turn on, you don’t get sick.” This may account for spontaneous remissions of illnesses that have been documented, he noted. The patients, he noted, changed their way of thinking. “When you change your way of thinking, it triggers changes in DNA.”

He compared the nervous system to a pressure cooker. “When the fire is hot, steam builds up.” When the nervous system builds up, if there is no relief, there will be an explosion. “We call it letting off steam,” he said. “The nervous system must be lowered.

“The problem is the fire, the way we’re perceiving our environment,” Dr Prado said. “You must put the fire out.”

A common form of outlet for stress is muscle tension, he said. But is it a physical pain or is it caused by stored emotions? In most cases of neck pain, it is more due to muscle tension caused by stress.

The expressions we use, such as “pain in the neck,” “get off my back,” “I have the weight of the world on my shoulders,” or “you’re getting on my nerves,” all refer to emotions, not actual pain, Dr Prado noted.

“Listen to your body. In most cases, pain is due to your nervous system being revved up,” he said.

Stress can occur when your actions and values are in conflict, Dr Prado said. He suggested creating a list of governing values and keeping actions consistent with those values.

“What are your priorities?” he asked. Look at how you spend your time, he said. “If it is not consistent with your values, you will have underlying stress. Live your life in conformance to your values. Allow intuition to guide you. Listen to the voice inside you.”

Cycles Of Nature

Biorhythms and the pineal gland are stimulated by changes in the seasons, Dr Prado said. Nature dictates how we react to increased sunlight in the summer and decreased light in the winter.

“The pagans all knew this. They never separated themselves from nature,” he said. “Pagan ceremonies revolved around the seasons. “

“A lot of our religious ceremonies are based on this. Lent is after the longest period of lack of daylight,” he said.

 “We’re part of nature,” he said. “We’re supposed to be more introspective and contemplative in the winter. ”

However, he said, people think there’s something wrong with them if they feel tired or less energized during the winter. “Increased anxiety about this will create depression,” he noted, and depression and chronic pain are linked.

“If you remain disconnected with nature, you’ll be under stress,” Dr Prado said. People who walk outdoors have less muscle tension, he noted.

“Be in the present,” he advised. “That’s what gives peace.”

Fast-paced rhythms are addictive, Dr Prado said. He said sound bites on TV programs, such as Sesame Street, train the mind to bounce around, making it difficult for children to slow down to concentrate on a 50-minute classroom activity, such as math or science. Children with ADD are all revved up, he noted. “What do we do? We give them drugs to slow them down.”

People need to learn to slow down, Dr Prado said. Different rhythms often clash, he noted. “Take time to slow your rhythm when moving from fast to a slower pace. Do deep breathing. Speak slower and softer. Learn to meditate.”

To bring your mind and body together, he suggested yoga, tai chi, sports, or hobbies; nature, such as experiencing a sunset or the ocean; or through meditation and prayer.

Focus on the present moment, he said. “Walk in the woods, being mindful of the changes in nature.”

Paradigms

A paradigm is defined as a model or pattern (of belief) that is so deeply ingrained it is no longer questioned.

“Your belief system shades your reality,” Dr Prado said. “There are certain rules you’ve been taught. You can’t see what reality is. You’re stuck on stress caused outside of you. You blame your stress on others. You need to look at it in a different way. Learn about yourself, and why you react to it. You can’t change others.”

Stress leads to misery but it can be an opportunity, Dr Prado said. “Ask why something is causing this reaction.”

Dr Prado said people today are pulled in all directions, which can lead to more worries. Is bigger better? He asked. Bigger homes, more expensive cars, more gifts, more decorations, more parties, and more activities bring more worries.

What is needed is simplification, he said. “We need to change our beliefs. Stress, as an opportunity, becomes a barometer of the unconscious mind. We need to take quiet time to see the other side,” he noted. If not, we just become more out of balance and more stressed.

An attitude change is needed, changing how one applies personality traits to the environment. People who have had spontaneous remission of disease have had a personal attitude shift that played a major role in their remission, he said.

 “All the misery we have can be changed by changing our perceptions,” he said. “Make an attitude shift. Stop blaming others for your stress.”

He suggested several ways to change perceptions. Slow your mind, and live in the present. Simplify. More is not better. Spend time on things you value. Don’t judge yourself or others. Eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep. Accept that all things are impermanent. Accept that life is painful, and stop suffering. Be thankful.

“Change yourself,” Dr Prado said. “Live your lives knowing everything is impermanent. Most people say it shouldn’t be this way. Accept that there will be pain. These people don’t. We are in charge of our attitudes.”