Coping with Stress for Mental and Physical Health and Longevity

By Bruce S. Rabin M.D. Ph.D.

I have three primary goals, and I want you to be aware of these now. I also want you to know that sometimes you may be uncomfortable with what you are hearing. However, it is important to understand that events that occur early in life define aspects of mental and physical health throughout life. Each of the three goals will be described in detail as you proceed. These are the following:

1. Every person has the right to become all they are capable of becoming. Some of the factors that affect who we become include the stress a woman experiences during pregnancy, the amount of abuse a child experiences, and whether an individual is bullied.
2. Learning to increase your ability to manage stress will help you to stay healthy as you go through the aging process. Stay healthy, get older, die quickly—that is the blessing. Yes, the longer you stay healthy as you age, the shorter your demise. I hope saying this doesn’t make you uncomfortable. We all are going to die. Let’s do all we can to avoid serious chronic disease, manage chronic disease better when it occurs, and increase the likelihood of staying healthy as we age. I consider that a blessing.
3. Developing the skills that increase your ability to cope with stress will help to make you a meaningful role model for others who will see how stress does not have to alter their mental and physical health. This is an especially important message if you have children and grandchildren.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 5, 2019
• ISBN: 9781546274131

Book preview

© 2019 Bruce S. Rabin, M.D., Ph.D.. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/04/2019

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7407-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7408-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7413-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018915335

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

To Begin, There Are Some Things I’d Like You To Know

You Probably (Should) Want To Know Who I Am And Why Am I Writing This

First A Formal Introduction:

Ok, Now A More Personal Introduction:

Important Things I Want You To Be Aware Of

The Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Include:

Who Will Benefit From This Stress Coping Journey?

Please Read This Message About Being Overwhelmed

More Motivation To Help You Want To Increase Your Ability To Cope With Stress

Now I will define stress in a way that will allow you to visualize how stress can alter the quality of your health

The Bottom Line About Stress Coping

An Illusttration Of The Brain And Stress Perception

I Want You To Know About Some Things That Contribute To Making Us Who We Are

If Stress Is Capable Of Impairing Your Health, Why Not Just Avoid It?

Is There Only One Way That I Can Lower The Concentration Of The Stress Hormones In My Blood? The Answer Is No:

Do I Need To Do All The Things That You Will Teach Me? The Answer Is No:

Is Stress Always Bad? The Answer Is No:

Always Remember

Deep Breathing For Calming Yourself When Experiencing An Acute Stressor (This We Will Be Repeated Again Later)

Use The Following To Learn How To Increase The Volume Of Air Flowing Into Your Lungs

It Is Important To Remember This

Health Benefits Of Coping With Stress

The Effect Of Stress Hormones On Both The Brain And The Body

The Effects Of An Elevation Of Stress Hormones On The Mind

You Will Have Difficulty Thinking Clearly And Focusing And You May Be More Likely To Act Impulsively

You Become Depressed And Have The ‘Blues’

Your Ability To Remember Things May Decrease

The Effects Of An Elevation Of Stress Hormones On The Body

Your Heart Beats More Rapidly

Your Blood Pressure Increases

There Is An Enhanced Accumulation Of Cholesterol In The Blood Vessels Of Your Heart

Your Chance Of Having A Heart Attack Is Increased

The Function Of Your Immune System Is Altered

The Ability Of Your Body To Heal Cuts Decreases

Diabetes Is More Difficult To Manage

YOUR WEIGHT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO MANAGE

Telomeres Shorten

There Is An Increase In The Amount Of Inflammation In Your Body

Pain Perception Is Increased

How You Think About Your Age Is Something I’d Like You To Use For Motivation To Stay Healthy

There Are Events That Are Experienced Early In Life That Influence The Quality Of Mental And Physical Health Throughout Life

Stress Experienced By A Pregnant Woman

Stress Buffers During Pregnancy

The Harmful And Long-Lasting Effects Of Abuse Occurring Early In Life

Are The Effects Of Stress Caused By Abuse In Early Life Reversible?

The Harmful And Long-Lasting Effects Of Bullying

The Effects Of Multiple Types Of Stress Early In Life

It Is The Responsibility Of Adults To Help Children Manage Stress Here Are Some Guidelines

I’d Like To Make You Aware Of 2 Experimental Studies Of The Efects Of Stress On The Heart And Brain

Before Proceeding Look At These Interesting Quotes From People Whose Name You May Know. I Have Added The Meaning I Find In The Quote. What Does It Mean To You?

Now I Am Going To Provide A Description Of Behaviors, That, If You Use Them, Will Reduce The Response Of Your Brain To Stress. In Other Words, They Will Help You Increase Your Ability To Cope With Stress

Religion

Expectations

Laughter

The areas of the brain that are activated by humor are linked to the stress reactive areas

The Importance Of A Smile

Acquaintances: Participation In Social Interactions

Exercise

Sexual Satisfaction

Summary Of Stress Buffering Behaviors

Changing Behavior And A Plea

We Cannot Make The Stress In Your Life Go Away

Before Proceeding Look At These Quotes From People Whose Name You May Know. I Have Added The Meaning I Find In The Quote. What Does It Mean To You?

The 3 Techniiques Are Deep Breathing, The Use Of Humor, The Use Of A Chant

Coping With Acute Stress: Deep Breathing For Calming Yourself When Experiencing An Acute Stressor

Coping With Acute Stress: Humor

Coping With Acute Stress: Chanting

Please Remember

Acute Vs Chronic Stress

Techniques For Coping With Chronic Stress

Expressive Writing: A Technique For Coping With Chronic Stress

Guided Imagery: A Technique For Coping With Chronic Stress

Meditation: A Technique(S) For Coping With Chronic Stress

Will Meditation Help With Anxiety?

Meditation Technique

The Importance Of A Smile

Another Technique That You May Find Helpful Is Called ‘Progressive Muscle Relaxation’

Mindfulness Is Learning To Pay Attention To What You Are Doing At The Present Time And Keeping Your Mind From Wandering

Sometimes Your Mind Perceives Something As Stress Without You Being Aware That It Is Perceiving Something As Stress

Issues Relating To Working In An Environment Where You Are Unhappy And Feel That There Is A Lot Of Stress Can Have An Affect On Your Health

Marriage And Divorce

Think Positive-Placebos Are Real

Let Me Motivate You Once More

Restating My Guidelines For A Long And Healthy Life

Effect Of Stress On Younger Vs Older Adults

My Thoughts About Retirement

Please Remember

Messages from people who have participated in this stress coping journey are provided

TO BEGIN, THERE ARE SOME THINGS I’D LIKE YOU TO KNOW

Please do not consider this journey that I will be taking you on as a book with a beginning and end. This is a journey that is continuous. There is no final destination because you always will want to use the behaviors and techniques that help you cope with stress and enhance the likelihood of your being mentally and physically healthy as you age.

What you will be reading and learning is a journey that will teach you how to change the way your brain responds to stress. The journey will:

1. provide education so that you understand why stress can alter both mental and physical health, and,

2. will teach you how to reduce the effect of stress on your mental and physical health.

There will always be things that cause you stress. No one can cause the stress you will experience to go away. Therefore, to improve the quality of your mental and physical health you need to change the way your brain responds to stress. My goal is to help you accomplish this.

I hope to present this journey as a conversation, so that you feel I’m talking to you. I have learned that this is the most effective way for me to communicate what I will be presenting to you.

I have 3 primary goals and I want you to be aware of these now. I also want you to know that sometimes you may be uncomfortable with what you are hearing. However, it is important to understand events that occur early in life define aspects of mental and physical health throughout life. Each of the 3 goals will be described in detail as you proceed:

1. Every person has the right to become all they are capable of becoming. Some of the factors that affect who we become include the stress a woman experiences during pregnancy, the amount of abuse a child experiences, and whether an individual is bullied.

2. Learning to increase your ability to manage stress will help you to stay healthy as you go thru the aging process. Stay healthy, get older, die quickly-that is the blessing. Yes, the longer you stay healthy as you age, the shorter your demise. I hope saying this doesn’t make you uncomfortable. We all are going to die. Let’s do all we can to avoid serious chronic disease, manage chronic disease better when it occurs, and increase the likelihood of staying healthy as we age. I consider that a blessing.

3. Developing the skills that increase your ability to cope with stress will help to make you a meaningful role model for others who will see how stress does not have to alter their mental and physical health. This is an especially important message if you have children and grandchildren.

You will soon be aware that I repeat myself. This is done on purpose. The way you will remember what I am trying to teach you is for you to hear it more than once. Once you have completed this journey let me hear whether my system of teaching works.

YOU PROBABLY (SHOULD) WANT TO KNOW WHO I AM AND WHY AM I WRITING THIS

BECAUSE, UNLESS YOU KNOW MY QUALIFICATIONS THERE IS NO RESON YOU SHOULD TRUST WHAT I WILL BE TELLING YOU

FIRST A FORMAL INTRODUCTION:

I am an Emeritus Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. I joined the University of Pittsburgh in 1972, and left in 2017, after 45 years, to spend more time helping people learn how to reduce the effect of stress on their health. I was Professor of Pathology and Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and Medical Director of the Division of Clinical Immunopathology and the Healthy Lifestyle Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

I have dedicated my professional life to understanding the immune system and the factors which influence it. I discovered early on that stress – a variable in every person’s life – exerts a profound influence on the human immune system and health. From that point forward my work focused on the effects of stress on health and the pathways of communication between the brain and the immune system – the mind/body connection.

Equally important to my research, I have been instrumental in moving science and research to real-world applications by developing programs designed to help people identify, learn and adhere to behaviors that will maintain their wellness and lower their risk of developing serious and potentially life-threatening conditions and diseases.

With a career that has spanned 45 years, my work is widely referenced – from