Joanna Taylor explains how you can reduce your stress levels and those of people around you



The biology of the body is directly affected by the thoughts in the mind—in other words, the state of our life is a reflection of our state of mind; we create the reality of our life because of our state of mind. In a study undertaken in 2004 by Myers and Myers, it would seem that many dental practitioners are creating a very unuseful reality for themselves; 60% of general practitioners (GPs) reported being nervous, tense, or depressed; 58% reported headaches: 60% reported difficulty in sleeping; and 48% reported feeling tired for no apparent reason.

When we are regularly living and working in a stressed state, our ability to cope with day-to-day life becomes compromised. We end up reacting badly in our interactions with other people, rather than choosing the best course of action, which in turn intensifies the stress in us, leading to further stress and even physical illness. We react this way because, in that moment, we appear not to have any choice in our behavior; our resources of calm and consideration appear to have deserted us and left us with negative emotions such as anger, frustration, or fear, as our only way of being.

When we worry or feel fear or anxiety, we cause our bodies to release stress hormones that create the “fight or flight” response—the survival mechanism of our ancestors. Most of the stresses we experience in today’s world, however, are not threats to our survival, but a multitude of worries about our jobs, personal lives, and so on. Nevertheless, these worries can still activate our body’s survival response, resulting in our bodies being in a perpetual state of alertness; continuously poised in fight or flight mode.

Almost every major illness that people acquire has been linked to chronic stress (Segerstrom and Miller, 2004; Kopp and Réthelyi, 2004; McEwan and Lasky, 2002; McEwan and Seeman, 1999). Conditions such as heart attacks, gastric ulcers, headaches, bruxism, hypertension, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and reduced immune response are all accepted as common reactions to long-term stress; but many fail to realize that there are easy and effective ways to help ourselves avoid these symptoms.

What if?
We are all individuals with our own values, beliefs, and memories that shape the way we perceive our world, and we all cope with different situations in different ways. One thing, though, we have in common: how frequently do you end up feeling extremely stressed through imagining “what if?” scenarios which, in reality, will never happen? This may sound simplistic, but if you are spending the day creating what amounts to a horror movie in your head, rehearsing over and over again how you might fracture a file in that awkwardly shaped root, how badly the anxious patient due in after lunch is going to cope with her rubber dam, or how quickly your new associate is going to break your operating microscope, how relaxed is that going to make you feel? Our stress response is still triggered, whether the event is real or imagined.

As human beings, we have a tendency to believe what we see, and see what we believe—how many times in the past have you “known” something would go wrong with a particular patient, and proved yourself right? What if, instead, you “know” you will have a good day, or that a challenging treatment will work well? When you start your day by believing that it will be good, then your unconscious mind will collect evidence for you to support that belief throughout the day. This isn’t a magic wand to ensure nothing bad ever happens again, but if we are changing the focus from why our day was so bad into what made the day good, despite the bad thing that might have happened, then we are creating for ourselves a different way of perceiving our world; what, in neuro-linguistic programming, is called a “reframe.”

A special connection
Another excellent way of reducing stress, changing our focus from negative to positive, and giving us access to our unconscious resources, is through self-hypnosis. Self-hypnosis is a naturally occurring state that virtually everyone, with practice, can learn to use for achieving goals that might otherwise be too difficult or even impossible to achieve; it is a way to connect with our own potentiality, our own infinite possibilities, and our own creativity. Through self-hypnosis, you can learn to pay attention to your body signals and become aware of what you are doing to yourself through stress, negativity, and tension, and do something about it. It can provide immeasurable benefits, both emotionally and physically; what the mind believes, the body will follow.

There is nothing very mysterious about trance—we are all going in and out of trance as we go through our day, without realizing it. When we use self-hypnosis, we deliberately induce a state of relaxed and focused awareness, in which we can make changes at the unconscious level. Regular use of self-hypnosis, or meditation is an effective means of lowering overall stress levels at the same time as increasing our stress threshold—so that previous stressors no longer affect us in the same way. It is easy to learn and to teach—making it an excellent tool for the whole dental team as well as for the stressed patient.

One of the easiest ways to induce self-hypnosis is with a simple method of progressive relaxation. As the name suggests, this involves progressively relaxing all the muscle groups from the top of your head down to your toes. If you are new to self-hypnosis, using a guided relaxation CD can be helpful, or just try counting down slowly as you progress down your body. The key is to find a peaceful, quiet setting where you will not be disturbed and to give yourself enough time to relax (15 or 20 minutes in your dental chair during a convenient break, for example, is perfect).

Releasing the negative
There are many other methods that people use very successfully for stress management—such as deep, diaphragmatic breathing techniques to calm and focus the mind; emotional freedom technique (EFT); a tapping method related to acupuncture and acupressure; or the Sedona method, which is a way of accepting and releasing negative emotions. Even something as simple as laughter has been found in recent research to have a profound effect on reducing the physiological symptoms of stress (Miller, 2011).

Cultivating an “attitude of gratitude” is another useful way of changing the focus of our attention (are you grateful for your patients or are they a nuisance?). The important thing is to find a method that suits you and with which you are comfortable, and that can be incorporated easily into your lifestyle. As with any new skill, mastery can only be achieved through practice.

Change is part of life, and we are always in a state of change, externally and internally as well as physically and mentally. Taking action now to reduce your stress levels will mean beneficial changes for your health, well-being, and the future of your practice—and the more beneficial changes we can make, the more effectively we will live our lives. As Margaret Bonanno, an American science fiction writer, said: “It is only possible to live happily ever after on a daily basis.”

Bio

Joanna Taylor is a clinical hypnotherapist, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) master practitioner, and International NLP Trainers Association (INLPTA) certified trainer. She specializes in helping clients with stress, anxiety, phobias, and low self-esteem, and provides training courses for dentists and other professionals. For more information email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.joanna-taylor.co.uk.

References

Miller M (2011) Research presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Paris, 28 August 2011.

Myers HL, Myers LB (2004) It’s difficult being a dentist: stress and health in the general dental practitioner. Br Dent J 197:89-93.

Segerstrom, Miller (2004); Kopp, Réthelyi (2004); McEwan, Lasky (2002); McEwan, Seeman (1999) All from The Biology of Belief, Dr Bruce Lipton PhD.