Summary

You think you're managing, but your body tells another story....

Author Biography

Roberta Lee, M.D., is vice chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine, director of Continuing Medical Education, and co-director of the Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel’s Continuum Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Lee attended George Washington University Medical School and is one of the four graduates in the first class from the Program of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona conducted by Andrew Weil, M.D. She lives in Chappaqua, New York.

Introduction: A New Kind of Stress, A New Solution	p. vii
SuperStress And You	p. 1
SuperStress in Your Body and on Your Mind	p. 3
Assessing Your Level and Types of SuperStress	p. 40
Your SuperStress Type	p. 42
The Physical Toll Stress Takes	p. 45
Your Personal Resilience To SuperStress	p. 47
Recent Stressful Events	p. 49
Tools For Change	p. 51
The Pathways to Peace	p. 57
Foods That Heal	p. 78
Rest and Motion	p. 91
Mind over SuperStress	p. 120
The Power of Connection	p. 142
The Life of the Spirit	p. 157
Your SuperStress Solution	p. 175
The Four-Week SuperStress Solution Program	p. 180
Week 1	p. 185
Week 2	p. 192
Week 3	p. 197
Week 4	p. 203
SuperStress Solutions for Your Type	p. 209
Burned Out, Exhausted, Numb, Depressed	p. 210
Agitated, Overwhelmed By Life	p. 212
Emotionally Sensitive	p. 214
Driven, Controlling	p. 216
Explosive, Can't Slow Down	p. 218
Symptom Solutions	p. 220
Anxiety	p. 221
Depression	p. 222
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)	p. 223
Gastric Distress/Irritable Bowel Syndrome	p. 224
Immune System Support	p. 225
Insomnia	p. 226
Libido Support	p. 226
Memory Support For "Tired Brain Syndrome"	p. 226
PMS	p. 227
Final Thought-Living Serenity	p. 229
Appendix	p. 231
Regular Menus for the Four-Week SuperStress Solution	p. 231
The SuperStress Solution Detox Diet	p. 261
Acknowledgents	p. 267
Notes	p. 271
Index	p. 277
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Excerpts

Part 1 SuperStress and You

CHAPTER ONE

SuperStress in Your Body and on Your Mind

Stress is a word we toss around every day, but what does it really mean? There are probably as many definitions as there are people you ask for them. Stress is both a physiological and a psychological response to events that upset our balance. Stress is what happens when the demands and daily challenges of the outside world are greater than our ability to cope with them. But stress is related to internal factors as well-factors that include how healthy we are, our emotional well-being, what we eat, and how much sleep we get. It's also strongly dependent on how we interpret what comes our way-that is, how we perceive what's happening to us.

Each person interprets a prospectively dangerous situation differently. Let's say, for example, that six-foot-two-inch Anthony runs out of gas in the middle of a dark street in a not-so-safe neighborhood. While walking to the nearest filling station, he notices a group of four burly guys heading in his direction. He barely pays attention to them and continues on his way, never changing his pace. If his sister has the same experience with her car, when she sees the men coming her way she might a) cross the street, b) duck into the nearest open store, or c) pull out the pepper spray that she has in her handbag "just in case." For Anthony, this nonevent creates nothing more than a blip on the stress radar screen. But his sister, who perceives that she might be in danger, has a much more pronounced stress response. The stress response is about protecting ourselves and it's about having control over a situation. How much stress we feel as a result of our perception of things determines how much control we think we have.

Anything that triggers stress is known as a stressor. Anything that forces us to adjust to the degree that it strains our coping skills is a stressor. Stressors can range from small aggravations to fear of something or someone that might pose a threat to your well-being. Large stressors include major life events, such as a divorce, a child leaving home, an unexpected pregnancy, a move to a new town, a career change, graduating from college, or a diagnosis of cancer. But while major life changes are stressful, it's the stressors that come at us-and consequently at our nervous systems-all day long that affect us the most. These include:

•     Environmental stressors, such as noise pollution (from blaring radios, barking dogs, or police sirens) or living in a crime-ridden neighborhood where you never feel safe.

•    Work stressors, such as job dissatisfaction, overwork, disagreements with your boss, low pay, or nasty office politics.

•     Relationship stressors-defined as a fight with a friend; problems with partners, children, or other family members; or loss of a spouse.

•     Social stressors that occur when you're trying to keep up with the Joneses or trying to be the Joneses.

•     Spiritual angst, which can come from loss of a purpose in your life. Loss of community. Loss of control. Loss of meaning.

Fear as a Stressor

Fear is one of the great stressors of all time. Fear heralds many dangers and yet it can save us by keeping us in fight-or-flight mode. Our ancestors-long ago-had no choice but to be faster, stronger, and more cunning than the predators that waited for them to make a mistake. The fact is, a guy going out alone on the savanna in search of food knew well that when he came face-to-face with a beast, he was either going to get lunch or be lunch. In those days, if you didn't have enough you were going to die of starvation or hypothermia. If you

Excerpted from The SuperStress Solution: Reclaim Your Ability to Relax, Repair Your Body, and Love Your Life by Roberta Lee
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