January 24, 2011
Dr. Oz talked about heart attacks on his show today. He emphasized things we can do to manage our risk for ourselves. He talked about the risk for women as well as men. One of the issues that he emphasized was ‘stress.’ He noted that stress is a big contributor to heart disease. He has talked about this in terms of our diet before http://whyhealthcommunication.com/whc_blog/?p=328 I have talked about Dr. Oz referring to stress before on this blog .http://whyhealthcommunication.com/whc_blog/?p=236
This time, I want to applaud the very concrete suggestions that Dr. Oz gave us for handling stress. He said, “Have two social conversations each day.” And, “Have one social outing each week.” This is very useful for us. How often do we find ourselves stressed with feelings that there is ‘no wait out.’ Then we talk to a friend or a colleague about a new movie coming out, or our passion for a sport, or our love for our children. Even five minutes, and some of that stress melts away. And, yes, as impossible as it seems when we feel stressed, having a social outing–a walk at the city park or in the mall when it is too cold outdoors, lunch at Subway’s or each other’s home, or going to see that new movie–everything looks and feels different afterward. So thumbs up to Dr. Oz for concrete ideas that we all can do to manage our stress…
i also agree that Dr. Oz has made two very simple, but effective, stress reducing alternatives. I have only seen the show maybe for a few minutes but i feel that i can agree with the comments that these are excellent ways to reduce stress that do apply to absolutely anyone.
I can definitely see how the information can is given by Dr. OZ makes sense. Being a college student, i am very aware of the stresses of daily life that arise from the demands of college. When i find myself stressed, say while writing a big paper for one of my classes the day before because I’m a procrastinator, i always find the time to get up away from the computer screen. Be it to mostly to go have a ciggerette to break up the work and to talk to my friends who live in the same apartment complex. Both of those things which are essentially what is being talked about in this article are very useful to diminish stress from my own personal opinion.
Alan, I agree that at a certain point it might just be too much. If you already have a full schedule and then take on an activity to relieve stress, but only end up burning yourself out then what is the point. when does it cross the line between helpful and harmful? I personnaly think that it is a balance that can be found through moderation. I love to do Zumba as my stress reliever, but I know that I can only do one class per day even though I would like to do more because it would be too much to handle. I also know that I feel out of order if I don’t do that one class per day because that is my balance. It is about finding what works for that individual, and that can change, but it has to be something that you make a concious effort to assess and stay on top of so it does not become detrimental.
I have been a long time Dr. Oz watcher and agree with his effective and real ways to handle and reduce the risk of serious issues. The topic of stress and its harmful effects is not a foreign notion. Stress effects everyone. I personally Zumba everyday and use that as my stress reliever. It is time that I can focus on my thoughts and channel my energy in a productive way that makes me feel better both mentally and physically. As a college student I have to juggle between 6 classes, work, family issues, social time with friends,THON, and having a relationship. Taking the 45 minutes- 1 hour and doing zumba is a free way for me to gain my inner peace.
I appreciate how Dr. Oz suggests free and enjoyable ways to truely reduce stress. Also, he explains the information in a very understandable way (lay sphere). We hear about stress everyday from all sorts of media outlets and social interactions, and Dr. Oz makes the effort to tell us what needs to be said.
Alan, as an athlete, I am curious to hear how volleyball affects your stress levels. Often I find baseball to be a good outlet, but yet there are times, as I stated in my post, where it feels like a job and it gets to the point where I almost don’t want to be there. Do you feel the same?
Athletics and physical activity in general has always been a huge factor in bringing happiness in my life, but yet I have found now in college that I thoroughly enjoy “shutting down” all physical and mental activity as much as possible during the day to compensate whenever I can. I find this then to work against me(wasting time, not getting schoolwork done, etc.) Do you have any methods of your own that would help me “level” things out instead of always being at one end of the spectrum or the other?
As a student-athlete who last semester was prescribed medication for stress/anxiety, I sometimes feel that along with my school work, baseball seems like a job with our hectic practice schedule. Often, I find myself thinking in the middle of practice how I cannot wait to get back on the couch or go back to sleep. While these could be considered relaxation methods, I sometimes feel like I have wasted my only “free time” and end up feeling more stressed out than before. The suggestions offered by Dr. Oz really do seem beneficial as well as low-cost($), which can also cause stress for college students. I think we can all agree that good conversation over good food with a friend can be highly stress relieving. Also, hearing friends’ opinions and their own stories through honest conversation can help make you feel like you aren’t alone in dealing with your stress.
Alan you make a really good point. However, I think that if it is a peer who is stressing you out you always have someone else (family or a different peer) who you can have a conversation with. I think it comes down to personal preference whether having a conversation or playing sports/exercising relieves you from stress.
I think Dr. Oz makes a great point because stress is definitely a leading cause of heart problems. Dr. Oz does a good job of relaying the information in the lay sphere so that it easy for us to understand what needs to be done by using two easy tips. I do not believe this issue really relates to social and procedural justice. However, speaking from a personal experience, my Dad suffered from congestive heart failure which was mostly caused by stress from his business. His doctor made it clear that he had to remove himself from stressful situations for a period of time. Today, he still has to be aware of his heart rate and make sure that he is not putting himself into high stress situations.
Alan, I think that an activity with yourself may be appropriate in one situation and a social activity may work better in another. Sometimes, I just need time away from everyone to get my head straight and figure out my own priorities. Other times I may look to my friends for advice and compare my problems with theirs. So in my opinion I think that each situation is unique and calls for a different stress reliever.
I think that Dr. Oz made excellent suggestions for dealing with stress. Personally, I feel a lot better about handling school work and problems with peers by taking a run around town. I worked rotations with an ambulance company last summer as a part of an EMS class and I noticed that after each call the crew would gather in the break room just to discuss their feelings. They do this religiously in order to prevent burnout in the medics and EMTs, because the last thing a patient wants is a responder not giving proper care. Taking breaks during work is something we discussed in class, I think they are not valued enough, and maybe even looked down upon by superiors. Taking social breaks at work can be therapeutic for stress and even yield better performance from employees.
You make a good point in that yes often times the stress we are feeling is caused by or can be intensified by those around us. However, it is generally not everyone we know who is causing us to feel stress so you could still seek out someone else to talk to. I know I have certain friends who I can always turn to, to take my mind off of whatever is going on in my life even if it is a social pressure I am feeling. Or, if you are feeling stressed because of your friends and feel as though you don’t have another neutral friend to turn to, you could always turn to a family member who are always there for you. I agree that it would be interesting to see which is a more effective stress reducer though, a social activity or a solitary one.
Does anyone think that Dr. Oz is only half right? Many times it is our peers who are creating the stress on our lives. This is when we revert back to those self-fulfilling activities such as running, playing sports, or continuing a hobby. It would be interesting to see which aspect of a persons life creates more stress, one’s peers or the other activities in one’s life such as a job. It would also be interesting to research which type of activity does a better job at relieving stress, an activity with a friend like a simple conversation, or an activity with yourself?
Dr. Oz does a wonderful job offering up realistic ways to reduce stress, which is often overlooked in terms of its extremely detrimental effects on health. His suggestions are not only applicable to anyone, because they are all things that can be done with no cost to you, but they are also things that people are likely to do because they are actually enjoyable activities. This is especially refreshing to me, because I have high blood pressure so stress is something I do think about a lot on a day to day basis. However, the general suggestions I get from doctors in terms of stress reduction are things like go take a jog or go to the gym to clear my head. While these are certainly valid points and effective, I am much more inclined to want to go hang out with a friend when I’m feeling stressed then really want to go for a run. So thank you Dr. Oz for suggesting fun alternatives.
I agree that this is an excellent post. For one thing Dr. Oz suggested two specific things that people can do every day to relieve stress. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we all know that stress is a very large contributor to the overall health of each individual person. We hear about the affects of stress everywhere; doctors, peers, even commercials continuously inform us of the dangers of too much stress. Rarely do the give us specific examples of ways to relieve stress however. What Dr. Oz has done is give us two, very simple ideas of how to take some stress off.
I think Dr. Oz does an incredible job relaying expert information into lay discourse. He is patient and passionate, and truly encourages people to learn more about their own bodies. I think his ideas on stress are practical and possible for most people. Too often we hear “Take yoga classes” or “meditate” to relieve stress. Besides taking up precious time, these ideas are often difficult to learn and are not always enjoyable or reasonable for all people. On the other hand, having a social conversation or outing each week is much more attainable and realistic. Seems like great advice to me!
Thanks for sharing that! I will most certainly be sure to have these conversations and outings. You’re right, finally something concrete to decrease the stress in our life….how refreshing!