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Articles
 Stop Stress Before It Stops You
It’s not unusual, you’ve been
going flat out and finally that long awaited week-end off arrives
and you come down
with a cold or fever. This is no surprise; chronic stress depresses
the immune system lowering resistance to infection. In our age
of long work hours, e-mail, cell phones and constant multi-tasking
it is no wonder that most of us are under chronic stress. In
fact there is an epidemic of stress-related illness in our culture:
More than a third of the population suffers with sleep disturbance,
anxiety is rampant and heart disease, for which stress is a major
risk factor, is the number one killer. Don’t you think
it is time to take action? One place to begin is by getting to
know your stress warning signs…
Read
the entire story or download the
story with a stress signs
chart (32kb; Adobe
PDF document).
Mind/Body
Approaches Reading List
Peruse a list
of books which explore the
mind/body connection, explain cognitive restructuring, and
examine the
wonders of mindfulness.
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The Symptoms of Inner Peace
by Saskia Davis
- A tendency to think and act spontaneously
rather than from fears based on past experiences.
- An unmistakable ability to enjoy each
moment.
- A loss of interest in judging others.
- A loss of interest in judging self.
- A loss of interest in interpreting the
actions of others.
- A loss of ability to worry.
- A loss of interest in conflicts.
- Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
- Contented feelings of connectedness with
others and with nature.
- Frequent attacks of smiling through the
heart.
- Increasing susceptibility to love extended
by others, as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
- An increasing tendency to let things happen
rather than to manipulate them and try to make them happen.
MCAS Jitters Spur Schools to Reduce Student
Stress
by Ed Hayward
Monday, April 2, 2001
The Boston
Herald (Used by permission.)
The fourth-graders in Kristina Reeves’ class at the Charles
Sumner Elementary School in Roslindale are preparing for the
MCAS exam by massaging their temples, breathing slowly and thinking
thoughts about a safe, comfortable place.
With their heads resting on arms folded over their desks the
other day, the students pinched their eyes closed at first, some
peeking out of one eye. Then after a few minutes, they all followed
Dr. Gloria Deckro’s plan.
“
Where are you now?” asked Deckro, a relaxation expert
with the Mind/Body Medical Institute.
Deckro comes to the Sumner to help kids fight stress at home
and in school as they face the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment
System exams next month…
Read the
entire story.
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You Are Never Too Young or Old for Stress
Relief
by Margery Eagan
Tuesday, April 3, 2001
The Boston Herald (Used by permission.)
You may have read it in the paper yesterday.
Students at Roslindale’s Charles Sumner Elementary School are learning
to deal with stress by massaging their temples, breathing slowly, putting their
heads on their desks and thinking about some place safe and comfortable.
Sounds New Age nutty, I know. Heads on desk. Think safe and comfortable. What
about reading, writing, 2 plus 2, blah, blah, blah.
On the other hand, perhaps this is a road to nirvana for our overwrought classroom,
our hysterical workplace, our entire lunatic lives, where a quietly desperate
frenzy reigns.
“
Stress is epidemic (in America),” says Dr. Gloria Deckro, who taught
the Sumner children anti-stress techniques — and sounds so soothingly relaxed
herself… Read the
entire story.
The Science and Spirit of Health
by Gloria Deckro, MD
Spirit of Change Magazine
March/April 2004
The image is imprinted on my mind. She was sitting
cross-legged, brown skin on brown earth, an Indian woman by the
roadside as we drove out of New Delhi Airport — my first impression
of India as a third year medical student, coming to spend three
months studying in a hospital in southern India. So why did this
image move me so deeply that it is still with me more than 25 years
later? In that moment, sitting on the brown, dusty roadside, she
seemed to have grown out of the very ground she sat on. The impression
was one of harmony; there was no separation between her and the
world she lived in… Read
the entire story.
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Parenting
as a
Spiritual Path
by Gloria Deckro, MD
Spirit of Change Magazine
May/June 2004
The step into parenthood is an initiation in the
truest sense of the word — a huge leap into the unknown.
We suddenly find ourselves with 24-hour a day responsibility for
another human being who is totally dependent on us. As the task
unfolds we discover that we are called upon to be teacher, provider,
disciplinarian, healer, spiritual guide and friend. Our children
test us, they call on us to face unhealed baggage from our own
childhood, and they inspire us to dig deep for resources that we
never knew we had. Ultimately our mission is to support and guide
them to the point where they can leave us and move on. As Kahil
Gibran says to parents in his book The Prophet, "Your children
are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s
longing for itself…You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth." … Read
the entire story.
Tips for Parents:
Helping Children Cope with Stress
- Be aware of stress as a factor; health, academic
and behavioral issues may be caused or exacerbated by excessive
stress.
- Provide structure, children like to know what to
expect and where the boundaries lie, they like repetition and
ritual.
- Provide
support, reflect your child's strengths back to them; tell
them about behaviors and positive personality traits that
you appreciate.
- Provide advocacy; if homework is taking an excessive
amount of time then speak with the teacher.
- Provide unstructured
time together to talk or just hang out. Use active listening
and particularly with teens, resist
offering solutions
unless asked.
- Provide a positive role-model, practice positive
coping skills, take time to relax, and find relaxing activities
you can
do with your child.
- Provide outlets through sports, exercise
and creative activities.
- Provide coping skills; yoga, martial
arts, meditation, stress management.
- Look after yourself; you need strength and balance
to be able to help you child.
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