Arthritis Recovery Tips: The Art of Stress Management

Since controlling stress is tantamount to pain relief for these people, you can bet they take their relaxation seriously.

Each technique has its own special virtue.

Deep breathing. Your breathing is the most accessible part of the stress reaction, which also includes a speeded-up heartbeat, tensed muscles, and an outpouring of adrenaline. Gently force yourself to breathe deeply and evenly, and the change of pace will slow down the rest of your body. Deep breathing is the beginning of most formal relaxation techniques. Do it by inhal­ing through your nose for several seconds as you expand your abdomen. (Raising your shoulders doesn't help.) Hold the breath for a moment or two and then exhale through your mouth. Try to make yourself as comfortable as possible.

Avoiding stressful situations. This works well, insofar as you can manage it. Not all stress is avoidable, but try to identify the people or things you don't have to put up with.

Attention-diverting activities. These get your mind off stress and pain and can be rewarding in themselves. Many sufferers say that the hobbies they enjoy, including needlecrafts of all descrip­tion, also provide good exercise for their affected joints.

Exercise. This often chases tension away in short order. The arthritis sufferers particularly liked exercises that got them out of the house, too, such as walking, swimming, and bicycling.

Relaxation techniques. Those include self-hypnosis, biofeedback, and audio-cassette tapes that calmly talk to the sufferers and help them clear their heads and relax every muscle. Some learned their technique from a mental-health practitioner, and some from books and tapes. In any case, becoming proficient at therapeutic relaxation takes prac­tice, and any technique works best when practiced every day. One form of self-hypnosis that has been used successfully by people with arthritis, called 'glove anesthesia,' teaches you to picture your hands covered with gloves upon gloves, so that your fingers feel no pain or other sensations, and then to think of touching the places that hurt, allowing the gloves to absorb all the pain.

Reducing anxiety through self-control, self-affirmation. This boils down to getting a grip on yourself, and giving yourself as much support as you can muster.

Rest. Get the sleep you're entitled to at night, participants advised, and slow down or stop during the day if and when you need to.

Imagery or visualization. Some sufferers use their imaginative powers to surround themselves with beautiful, peaceful scenery, even when they were stuck in a stressful situa­tion. Another approach to visu­alization is to try to journey inward and see inside your joints or imagine specific healing processes going on there.

Meditation. This combines relaxation with an attempt to focus on a word or phrase that clears your mind of other thoughts. Follow these basic instructions for meditating.

• Choose a quiet spot, away from all distractions.

• Sit in a comfortable position.

• Close your eyes.

• Relax your muscles sequentially from head to feet.

• Become aware of your breathing without trying to control it.

• Repeat a focus word silently in time to your breathing.

• Don't worry about how you're doing, but take note of where and how your mind wanders.

• Practice meditating every day for ten or twenty minutes.

Resolving problems. Sometimes the only way around stress is to face the situation squarely and deal with the problem causing the stress.