Brady Schuyler, Doctor of Chiropractic, will present a program titled, “Managing Stress in Your Life,” at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, at The Timbers of Shorewood retirement community, 1100 N. River Rd., Shorewood.
Dr. Schuyler is the clinic director at HealthSource of Willowbrook. He is a popular speaker and a member of Free Speech, a suburban Chicago speaker’s bureau that is run pro bono.
Stress is an unavoidable part of life. It has helped humans survive for thousands of years, and it keeps us on our toes in dangerous or critical situations. However, too much stress can cause potentially serious physical and mental health problems.
“Stress is ultimately the cause of all illness and disease,” Dr. Schuyler said. “Being aware of the different stresses in our life and learning ways to manage them is essential to long term health and happiness.”
There are three kinds of stress: acute, severe and chronic. Acute stress is the body’s immediate reaction to a new challenge, event, or demand—the fight or flight response. An example of severe stress is being the victim of a crime or life-threatening situation. If acute stress isn’t resolved and begins to increase or lasts for long periods of time, it becomes chronic stress which can be very detrimental to one’s health.
Some causes of stress can be aging, diagnosis of a new disease, complications from an existing disease, and undiagnosed symptoms. Problems among family members can cause additional stress. Feeling unable to relate to someone or needing to express emotions but not being able to can weigh you down with additional stress. And certainly the death of a loved one or moving are examples of big life changes that can be stressful.
So, what to do? Physical activity can boost feel-good endorphins and counteract the damage stress is doing. Three short ten-minute sessions are beneficial. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, stretching, visualization, and massage are all great ways to work out the physical and mental effects of chronic stress.
Perhaps best of all is recognizing stressors and if at all possible, avoid them. Dr. Schuyler will have many other suggestions about managing stress.
The Timbers of Shorewood is a rental retirement community which provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay - a weekend, a week, a month or longer.
The event is open to the public and admission is free. For more information or to register, call Shelly Goggins at 815-609-0669 or visit http://www.timbersofshorewood.com.
