-Anonymous
This quote makes me smile. Not because I hate yoga--in fact, I routinely recommend it for stress relief, and frequently talk about the many benefits of yoga--but because I know that it's not for everyone. I also have heard from several readers and clients that meditation is more stressful than stress relieving because it's experienced by many as boring, or difficult to master. That's why stress management is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. While there are many wonderful benefits to stress relief techniques like yoga, meditation, and similarly calm practices, some people find that they create more stress by being boring or inaccessible.
If you're an adrenaline junkie, your penchant for excitement may be behind some of your stresses, and you may be less drawn to less-exciting stress relief techniques. If you're a "type A type", you may find the slow pace of yoga or meditation to be stressful. If you're a perfectionist, you may find yourself frustrated by certain techniques if you don't "perform" them the way you'd like to in the beginning.
If you're the type to find techniques like yoga boring, the following resources may be more your speed.
Hi there,
I totally agree with your view. Every person is different and some methods of stress relief will work for others but hinder the rest! When it comes to stress relief there are many avenues you can take and this is in relation to how your lifestyle operates. Some people find aromatherapy helps, others prefer being active or transferring their stress energy into something constructive. Some people find that stress is the cause of an inbalance in their life and others find exercise helps.
It is best for each individual to try each method available to see which one is more suited.
Diane Shepard
OMG! I never thought I’d hear a professional admit it! I’ve been in the hospital and through other therapists and all anyone could say is ‘think happy thoughts’ and do meditation and progressive muscle relaxation and etc. and all that stuff just drives me nuts! Didn’t help that I was in agony the whole week I was in the hospital and all the nurses and therapists kept saying was “think happy thoughts’, take deep breaths (which is horribly frustrating for an asthmatic!). And then they’d blame ME that my pain didn’t stop and tell me I wasn’t trying hard enough. They refused to TEST me for anything physical. Then, I finally get out of their grasp and get to a doctor with some sense and get tested and find out, duh! I have a growth in my lung and my gall bladder needs to come out and other physical problems that were causing all this pain and they had just left me in agony on the psyche ward for a week and expected it all to go away by meditating! You can understand why I might have a deep aversion to those techniques now! I’m writing this because I want every professional out there to WAKE UP and not ASSUME that just because some one has a mental illness like bipolar, that EVERY pain they have is all in their head! And, even IF the pain IS in their head, why the heck would you leave them in pain and not treat the pain? What’s the matter with you people?
This is so true, trying to be still or move slowly is more stressful for me than being stressed! I’d rather be busy – if I can get engrossed in doing something constructive (washing things, doing crafts, fixing things) I find my stress goes away.