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Stress & Spirituality, Part 1

by: Tanja Gardner

Copyright 2005 Tanja Gardner

Stress & Spirituality � How Spirituality Affects Stress Levels

Take a moment to close your eyes and think about what a �spiritual� person looks like. Whether you see them as sitting lotus-style in saffron robes or speaking emphatically from a pulpit, I�d bet one thing you won�t see them as is �stressed�. Relaxed� serene� beatific. These are all adjectives we associate with the super-spiritual. But stressed? Kind of defeats the purpose of all that spirituality, doesn�t it?

I�m going to take a moment here to make the all-important distinction between religion and spirituality. Different people have different definitions of each, but for the purposes of this article, it�s important to be clear about what I mean by each term. A religion is a codified set of beliefs and practices shared by adherents. Spirituality, by contrast, is about an individual�s relationship with Spirit (however they might see it) and their connection with their own spiritual aspect. Please note that the two concepts can co-exist, but that religion doesn�t have to be spiritual, and equally, spirituality doesn�t need to be religious.

In this article, I want to focus on spirituality, rather than religion. If you do follow an organised religion, feel free to apply the information to your own spiritual path. If not, I invite you to keep in mind the difference between religion and spirituality as you read. This is because there�s a great deal of evidence that a healthy spiritual belief system can both help lessen the impact some of our stressors have on us, and deal with the consequences of our stress responses. The first half of this article covers some of the suggested reasons for this, while the second (which will appear in the next issue of Optimum Stress News) explores how we can use this link to help with our stress management.

SUPPORT NETWORKS

Most stressors seem bigger and more difficult to deal with if we�re feeling isolated and as though we�re dealing with them alone. Knowing that we belong to and can connect with a group of people who care, and who can offer solace, strength and possibly even solutions, can do much to offset that feeling. And interestingly enough, that sense of belonging doesn�t necessarily have to be to a group of people. If we see the natural world as something we can interact with, or Spirit or our Higher Selves as beings with whom we can talk, then they can become part of our support just as much as actual people could.

PERSPECTIVE

In the thousand and one things we all have to do to keep up with the demands work, study, family, and friends; problems that would seem fairly minor if they attacked us one-by-one can seem unbearably huge. At such times, believing in something bigger than ourselves (or bigger than the day-to-day self who has to deal with all of these problems) can sometimes help to shrink our stressors back down to something approaching a manageable size.

MEANING

It�s a hard thing to accept when we�re going through tough periods, but it�s not the things that happen to us that upset us. What upsets us is the meanings we give those events. For example, if I�ve just failed a job interview, it�s not actually failing the interview that�s upset me � it�s all the things I�ve made it mean. Perhaps, in my mind, it means I�ll never get a job, that I�m just no good at interviews, that I�ll always be broke, or even that I�m a useless person in all areas of my life. Whatever it might be, unless I had my heart set on that specific job, it�s unlike to just be the interview results. When this happens, a sense of spirituality can help me to look for positive meanings in seemingly negative events � enabling me to ask what I can learn, or how I can grow stronger, instead of asking why it�s always me that gets dumped on.

SPACE & STILLNESS

Something most spiritual systems emphasise is the need for time spent by ourselves in quiet and stillness. In this still space, our minds - weary of thoughts rushing around at breakneck speed � can find rest. The time alone can be spent meditating, praying, or just listening and appreciating what is there around and within us in that given moment. The form doesn�t matter � whatever is right for you is what�s right for you. It�s the peace and respite we�re accessing � the simple �time out� that makes this so helpful for stress management.

These are just four of the possible suggested ways that developing a personal spirituality can help in keeping our stress at optimum levels. In Part 2, we�ll look at how we can start to develop the kind of spirituality that�s true to our own individual values, and how to make use of it as a tool for managing stress. If you have any questions or comments on the first half of the article, please don�t hesitate to contact me. Otherwise, until the next issue, may every day bring you closer to your optimum life.

About the author:
Optimum Life's Tanja Gardner is a Stress Management Coach and Personal Trainer whose articles on holistic health, relaxation and spirituality have appeared in various media since 1999. Optimum Life is dedicated to providing fitness and stress management services to help clients all over the world achieve their optimum lives. For more information please visit check out or contact Tanja on tanja@optimumlife.co.nz.

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More Article Pages 1 - 2 - 3

Mom's Job Stress May Spread to Kids
by: Rita Jenkins

Low job satisfaction in working mothers increases the stress levels of their children, but allowing them to spend more time in childcare can help overcome these effects, according to new research published in Developmental Psychobiology.

Children whose mothers found their jobs emotionally exhausting or otherwise less rewarding had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol than children whose mothers reported more enjoyment from their jobs, researchers found in a study involving more than 50 nursery school children.

Levels of cortisol in the evening were more than double in the children whose mothers experienced less job satisfaction. Placing those children in childcare would help to significantly reduce their stress, the research suggests.

The researchers also found that children from families that were either highly expressive or very reserved exhibited higher than average cortisol levels.

Greater support is needed for working mothers to help improve their job satisfaction and increase the availability of affordable childcare options, says the report.

More Time in Childcare

Dr. Julie Turner-Cobb, a health psychologist and senior lecturer at the University of Bath, Dr. Christina Chryssanthopoulou from the University of Kent and Dr. David Jessop, a neuroimmunologist at the University of Bristol collaborated on the study.

To measure cortisol levels, they took saliva samples in the morning and evening from 56 children aged three to four years old. They also surveyed mothers about their workplace conditions and home life over a six month period.

"Spending more time in childcare makes a big difference to the stress levels in children whose mothers have low job satisfaction," says Dr. Turner-Cobb.

"It can help protect children from the effects of their mother's low job quality and emotional exhaustion. Ensuring that mothers of young children have good support in the workplace is essential for supporting both mothers and their children," she adds.

"Improving the job satisfaction of working mothers means that they are less stressed themselves," says Dr. Jessop, "and extending the availability of affordable and adequate childcare may not only improve the quality of life for the mothers but, in doing so, may improve the long term health of their children."

Healthy Adaptation to Stress

Cortisol is a steroid hormone that regulates blood pressure and cardiovascular function and immune function. It also controls the body's use of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

Cortisol secretion increases in response to stress, whether physical -- such as illness, trauma, surgery or temperature extremes -- or psychological. It is a normal and essential response without which we would not be able to function in everyday life.

When these levels remain high or become disrupted in some way over a prolonged period of time, however, they may have consequences for health. It is important to promote healthy adaptation to stress in children, and good quality childcare is one way of doing this, say the authors.

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