Cope, breathe, love

“I was walking along, minding my business, when out of the orange-colored sky — flash, bam, alakazam, not so wonderful you came by,” goes the song “Orange-Colored Sky” by Nat King Cole.

When life is smooth and happy, the body secretes happy hormones that keep us going from day to day. Work is well, kids are happy and minding us, we’re in love, car works, money in the bank, students listen and follow directions. Serotonin levels are abundant. We sleep well. No worries. We enjoy life, our habits and routine. We handle the little stressors with ease. Noradrenalin floods the brain and we enjoy high levels of energy. Dopamine levels feed our pleasure center resulting in laugher, joy and contentment. The crazy driver, rude people, bad news or a hard day at work result in small bumps that are easily forgotten. Our world is OK. We keep going, with a skip in our step and a song in our heart.

“I was humming a tune, drinking in sunshine, when out of the orange colored view — wham, bam, alakazam, I got a look at you.”

We don’t ask to be stressed. (“Hello, Stress, my name is Nurse Wendy, please come into my office and stay with me while I work).

Most of the time stress comes from out of the blue. Wham! We feel it at work, in traffic, from strangers, poor weather, a disagreement, home life with too much to do and not enough time. When clouds cover the sun too long and the potholes in our road overwhelm us, our coping skills work on overdrive. Adrenaline kicks in, fight or flight.

We begin grinding our teeth, the tightness in our chest returns. I can’t breathe, I feel like I’m drowning. Insomnia, migraines, asthma, biting nails and stomachaches manifest because of stress. We overeat, and eat some more. Did I say food? I call it pleasure eating. I’m exhausted! I need to take a mental health day. Afternoon naps. Jeepers, when was the last time I exercised? Others self-loathe, increase alcohol, sleep more, swear, become sarcastic, irritable and wow, those sure are some puffy eyes. Feelings of anger, frustration, anxiety, fear and worry all are signals that something must change.

“One look and I yelled, timber, watch out for flying glass. ’Cause the ceiling fell in, the bottom fell out, I went into a spin and I started to shout, I’ve been hit, this is it, this is it.”

Our bodies weren’t meant to sustain the fight or flight response for long periods of time. Small surges keep us safe and allow us to move out of harm’s way. Stress overdose depletes our ability to cope. The body floods with adrenaline, and over time our resistance to stress cannot compensate. No longer do the bandages heal minor wounds, but require antibiotics to expel the infection. Remaining in a stressed state over time leads to illness, a serious message to take a break. Occasionally illness requires staying home, a forced “rest and digest” response so the body may recuperate. At times, when the body is perpetually stressed, diseases such as depression, ulcers, diabetes, digestive and cardiovascular troubles develop.

Adults and children alike experience stress. Plan, anticipate, eliminate and meet deadlines. Smile when you think you can’t. Step back and see the situation from the balcony. Find a funny buddy and laugh away the stress. Go for a walk and let the beauty of nature replenish your soul.

My favorite intervention for stress is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. It’s called 4-7-8 breathing. Inhale four seconds, hold your breath seven seconds and exhale slowly for eight seconds. Follow me: Inhale 1-2-3-4; hold 1-2-3-4-5-6-7; exhale 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. Repeat four times.

Like a light switch that stops the flow of electricity into a light bulb, this breathing technique switches your nervous system from fight or flight to rest and digest. The most notable observations occurred in both a student and an adult who were having extreme anxiety attacks. Directing them to follow me quickly calmed them down. Headaches rated at 3/5 on the pain scale decrease to 1/5 after four cycles of 4-7-8 breathing. Write it down, try it out for yourself. You deserve the love and attention and so does your body.

“I was walking along, minding my business, when love came and hit me in the eye — flash, bam, alaskazam, out of the orange colored, purple, striped, pretty, green, polka dot sky. Flash! Bam! Alakazam! Went the sky.”

Wendy DeGraffenried is a registered nurse, tai chi instructor and school nurse at Wasilla Middle School.