What can I do about the fatigue caused by stress?

Stress affects us all. But do we really know what it is? And while stress can give us purpose, direction and a sense of achievement, it is only when we feel there is constantly too much (we feel overwhelmed) that it becomes a problem (distress).

‘Brain-fog, low energy, when stress becomes di-stress’

We might think that stress is only in the mind, but really it can have some fairly detrimental effects on our physical health as well. Modern life comes with a number of stresses, especially when we throw a global pandemic into the mix. Technology, work-life balance, family and financial struggles can all cause unwanted worries and anxieties that can have negative physical and emotional ramifications. If you struggle with stress, there are a number of ways in which you can help yourself out. From your food habits, to therapies such as Autogenics, you can find help.

What is stress?

In the short term, stress triggers our fight-flight response, allowing us to work more effectively to a deadline or, in the worst case scenario, escape danger. However, we have all felt overwhelmed by stress at one point or another. It is can be as a result of a trigger – be it an event or a thought – causing emotional or physical tension that, if not addressed, can escalate to further problems. The physiological adrenalin response brings about the dry mouth and raised heartbeat familiar to us all.

Every individual reacts differently to the next so any number of things in our lives can make us feel stressed. Triggers at home (our energy and food bills, taking care of our families, as well as ourselves), compete with triggers at work. We can address financial issues by applying for grants for our utility bills, such as Winter Fuel Payments, and check the caps on utility bills.

We know we can help the emotional impact of stress by taking time out of every day to do something different – just for us (meditate, relax, get absorbed in a hobby) which takes our mind off things. This often helps to restore energy and reduce fatigue. Eating well, cutting down sugar and alcohol, will have a positive effect on emotional well-being. Changing habits suddenly can add more stress into the mix! Do a little at a time – small achievable steps.

What impact is stress having on our bodies?

As we have seen, stress has its benefits. However, longer-term stress can have a negative impact on our physical health, since our minds and bodies are inextricably linked, and impact each other. So what exactly happens inside our bodies when we are stressed?

Firstly, the body releases cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine, making us feel tense and boosting our blood pressure. Our good nutrient contents that create energy, start to deplete, making us feel more tired. Check out this analysis of stress on the body for more information: https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-symptoms-effects_of-stress-on-the-body#1

Now, unless the cause of stress is ended, or if unavoidable (such as accident or sudden bereavement) the stress is not managed, these good resources deplete further, causing us to feel tired. In the longer-term more serious issues can occur, perhaps starting with depression and anxiety, progressing to a compromised immune system which can be a precursor to serious conditions. This is when we might realise the significance of the word DI-stress.

Take some time for yourself

Autogenic Training (AT) is a tried and tested way to reduce your stress levels. You can practise it at any time and in any place. This is because it is a treatment that you give to yourself. Autogenics is an amazing skill to learn, as it allows you to maintain your stress at a healthy level. You learn Autogenic Training in a short course, and through its easygoing practice, learn how to manage your stress, alongside new insights about yourself. AT is a skill for life – with unexpected benefits.

Angry doctor at British Autogenic Sciety

Yesterday I went, as I do every year, to the AGM and seminar day of the British Autogenic Society. I am a Founder Member (1984), having trained in 1982,  and have worked closely with BAS for many years.

Yesterday we presented 5 of the 10 most recently qualified members with their Diplomas in Autogenic Training. Much congratulation and joy!

The afternoon presentation was two hours of inspiring knowledge from another old-standing member: Dr Brian Kaplan. He has been teaching AT since 1987 (not as long as me!) alongside his practice in Homoeopathy. He stated yesterday:

‘If I had my way, I would make it mandatory for every GP surgery to run an Autogenic Training course every evening for their patients’.

He had explained the horrifying statistic that 70 – 80% of patient complaints are stress symptoms, or symptoms exacerbated (made worse) by stress. At any given time this figure is never less than 50%.

He said, ‘OK. Everyone knows this, and yet nothing is done about it. NOTHING! Everyone in this room knows how sad and unnecessary that fact is. Doctors and the health service (and therefore the patients too) all wait for real trouble to manifest itself, when in fact patients could be given the tools to help themselves and prevent serious illness’.

Dr Kaplan’s theme was the danger of medical research being too objective. Measuring outcomes of a method like AT is possible – we do not need random control trials for a non-drug method when there is plenty of anecdotal evidence showing that patients know when they feel better, and the doctor realises they have significantly reduced their visits to the surgery.

However, we ended the day with laughter – the other much-ignored medicine for good health.

Recent clients

Two people have recently finished AT courses with me. There is a certain pattern: they thank me, I congratulate them. They have done the work / made the changes. I teach the method, they put it into practice and with any luck profound changes occur.

The first (I shall call her Debbie) worked in a small group over 9 sessions. She wrote recently:

‘No one could have explained to me the difference it would make on me and my outlook on life!  Even if they had I would not in a million years have believed them! AT has changed the way I look at myself and also the way I deal with stress and stressful situations in my life, for this I will never be able to thank you enough.

‘I have tried meditation, yoga and various other “relaxation” methods before but never had the motivation to carry them on afterwards. AT is so easy to do and so easy to fit into your life (no matter how busy your life is!), I will always make time to fit Autogenics in now – I look forward to it every day.’

The second (Carol) also worked in a group, and writes:

‘I have two minds (one inquisitive, the other sceptical). So I thought hard about signing up to a course, make the step and give it a try. It’s a decision I do not have a glimmer of regret in making.

‘I have explored various methods of relaxation, as throughout my life I have suffered periods of depression and anxiety.  I’ve never been able to maintain these (other methods) for longer than a month or two, mainly because of the impracticalities of whatever props, music, clothing, breathing techniques or ambience needed to “get into the zone”.

‘Autogenics has been different. I’ve found the simple and practical relaxation exercises easy to fit into my lifestyle. Your support and guidance through my journey has been invaluable. I have completed the course feeling a much happier, healthier, calmer, patient, less tired and stressed, more focused, revitalised and complete person – both within my personal life and how I engage with others in my work life.’

Thank you Debbie and Carol. No wonder I like my job!

SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder

Isn’t it always a surprise when we are told that the longest day of the year is now behind us?

June 21st comes around faster and faster, and although we can joke and exclaim about it (‘Where is the summer?’ ‘The nights are drawing in – already?’) for some of us this feels really depressing. I mean – REALLY depressing.

A condition of cyclical low mood is now recognised, for some people, as being related to lack of sunlight. Yes – we all feel better in the spring when the sun starts to shine. But some of us respond to the short days and long evenings and nights with increased anxiety, irritability and fatigue. The acronym for Seasonal Affective Disorder is apt: SAD.

While I can never promise a particular outcome when you use AT, I have worked with a number of people with SAD. The best results seem to occur when the AT course is learned during the spring and summer months. So if you are a SAD sufferer I suggest that you think about it NOW. Drop me an email or give me a ring (details on the contact page) to discuss how to go about it. The total of time we work together is around 4 months: initial consultation, 9 weekly sessions; then a follow-up a few weeks later.

Starting in July brings you to the end of the course in October (give or take some holiday period maybe, or waiting for a small group to gather).

I won’t promise to make every day a spring day, but I can give you hope that rather than suffer ‘heart-sink’ at the mere mention of passing the longest day, you will find yourself joining the ranks of those who simply raise an eyebrow – then make the most of today.

The finger-nail lady

I am often asked how we know Autogenic Training (AT) works. Maybe we don’t know. There are some occasions where we simply cannot explain a change. The answer usually lies with the client.

My favourite story is the ‘fingernails lady’. Iris, age 70, had started the AT course because of her irritating dry cough, and sweating a lot. When she came for a follow-up session 4 months later she said she no longer coughed in embarrassing places like church – it was now confined to when she did AT so it no longer spoiled her life. It had been a hot summer and the whole world was sweating so that didn’t matter any more.

Then Iris held out her beatifully manicured hands and polished nails. ‘Look’, she said proudly. ‘I have stopped biting my nails. I started at the age of 5, and it got so bad I used to be punished for it: 65 years of being cajoled, persuaded and bribed to stop by all my friends and family. I could not; sometimes they were so bad they bled, and I have always hidden my hands. One day a few weeks ago I looked at these strong and growing nails and couldn’t believe they were mine. Now I invite a manicurist to my house once a month.’

This story illustrates the best of the unknown. We do know that positive emotions affect our physical health. Molecular change seems to occur with both positive and negative emotions (a very good book by Candace Pert – Molecules of Emotion describes the science of this). I could tell, by the great beam of pride on Iris’s face, that she was actively changing for the better, her internal molecular structure. I am a great believer in joyful pride.

Best of all is the spontaneity – these changes happen all by themselves. All we have to do is notice them…

Be your own therapist

This week the conversation I had with a client who has been using AT for 4 months included so much positivity I was (yet again) bowled over by the power of Autogenic Training (AT).

Rachel (not her real name) spoke about the subtle changes she is noticing in her life. She has been under a lot of work pressure, and one day, talking to colleagues she found her anxiety levels running very high indeed. However later, she was able to use her autogenic techniques to clarify her thoughts and emotions. This new understanding of herself is helping her deal with difficult situations: ‘I am able to stand back and accept’. Next time she was with colleagues around similar conversations, she noticed her reaction was much calmer.

A later conversation with one of these colleagues alone showed her she was able to listen effectively, and although she did not agree with him, she did appreciate his point of view. ‘I could empathise, even though we were poles apart in our perspectives. I have noticed how everything seems clearer. I am not so quick to jump into my anxiety, because I now know that fear is really masking my anger.  Now I recognise it I can step back – knowing I can handle that.’

Rachel also notices how her whole demeanour is calmer. She is sleeping better; everything around her, although busy, feels focused and manageable.

‘Subtle’ is certainly the word. AT happens by itself. It is not my business, as the therapist, to tell Rachel how she should or should not feel; or how to talk (or listen) to others. Rachel is her own therapist, using AT and bringing about profound changes from within herself (autogenic).

My role is to teach her the skills and support her developing process. So all I need is someone who is motivated to bring about change for themselves…

The best job in the world

Why have I been working with Autogenic Training (AT) for more than 25 years?

Because I have seen, time and again, amazing results from this simple yet powerful method of self-help.

I used to be a nurse, and when I reached a time of life when family and work crowded each other out, something had to give. I was a shouting mum, and I didn’t like it, so in 1981 I learned Autogenic Training (AT)  for myself: 8 weekly sessions in a group of 6 people.

It changed my life. Corny? Yes – but true. Over several months, I realised how quickly and easily I could enter a deeply relaxed state, just for a few minutes, and how useful it was to restore energy. My children told me I had stopped shouting; I realised I was catching far fewer colds, so my immune system was more efficient. A minor skin condition completely disappeared.

Who had done this? I had.  This was a radical idea when compared with nursing / surgery / medication.

So I trained as an autogenic therapist, was a founder member of the British Autogenic Society, served on the Executive Committee, and working as part of the training team since 1993, I help new therapists gain their autogenic feet.

There is nothing like seeing the smile on the face of the person who has suffered anxiety and panic for 20 years, saying ‘It doesn’t matter any more’.

I know that person has done their own work on themselves. They are unlikely to have to do it again. What a gift! No drugs; no constant revisiting a GP or therapist.

Yes – it is the best job in the world.

              https://britishautogenicsociety.uk/

“The role of stress and anxiety in many patients’ mental or psychosomatic problems is easy to recognise, but not so easy to remedy. AT has an impressive record of effectiveness in stress-related conditions. I can safely recommend it as an adjunct or alternative to medical treatments or psychotherapy.”
Dr Roger Neighbour: Past President, Royal College of GPs

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Testimonials

This course was so uplifting and positive, although at times it was necessary to deal with difficult things …. I feel stronger and more positive, and … am nicer to be with!” [AC 2002]

I have learned how to ‘be still at will’, and without knowing how it happened I have been more relaxed and generally happier… and organised myself to have more FUN!” [PW 2008]

AT has brought many changes in my life. I feel calmer … more in control, and sleeping well. Thank you so much and may you long continue to have such a positive effect.” [JC 2008]

You manage your clients through the course with care and diligence, always ensuring that we understand and feel supported through the process.” [PW 2008]

I would not hesitate to recommend AT – and you personally, with your reassuring, light but professional approach – to anyone who finds it hard to relax, both in mind and body.” [AB 2008]

This course was so uplifting and positive, although at times it was necessary to deal with difficult things …. I feel stronger and more positive, and … am nicer to be with!” [AC 2002]

I have learned how to ‘be still at will’, and without knowing how it happened I have been more relaxed and generally happier… and organised myself to have more FUN!” [PW 2008]

As a busy teacher, I was very worried about the forthcoming Ofsted inspection. Using AT reduced my anxiety levels and increased my confidence. I decided I had nothing to worry about, and consequently was much more effective in my performance.” [PG 1999]

I would not hesitate to recommend AT – and you personally, with your reassuring, light but professional approach – to anyone who finds it hard to relax, both in mind and body.” [AB 2008]

This course was so uplifting and positive, although at times it was necessary to deal with difficult things …. I feel stronger and more positive, and … am nicer to be with!” [AC 2002]

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