“Have no mouth?” Feel good instantly ? screaming and other stress relievers from Dr Dawn Maddalone

by AirBourne / March 26th, 2009

Screaming is an instant tension remover. Walk in freezers, or out of the way storage rooms are safe places to scream your brains out and curse the world without doing any harm. I first observed this time honored behavior while waitressing myself through school; I caught people exiting the freezer with a sly smile and asked a question. Later I realized there was often a line up to get a good cold scream. Here in Bim the quiet east coast beaches are also a screamers paradise.

Stress creates quick action chemicals in the body which, in simpler times, we used to kill that which was stressing us like saber tooth tigers, or we used them to run super fast from the stressor. This chemical change in the body in preparation for immediate, extreme physical activity is called the fight or flight response. Unfortunately in the modern world it is socially unacceptable to kill the rude boss or run from mounting workloads, so the stress chemicals are not burned off, they build up and make us feel bad. High stress can cause headaches, back pain, nausea, dizziness and almost any other uncomfortable symptom imaginable.

Screaming, ranting and raving, dropping for 50 pushups, taking a brisk walk to the ladies room, the long way, or any other safe physical action will burn off the stress chemicals; you will feel instantly better and no one has to die!
Chilling with real ice also chills the mind. Long time stress warriors who were instructed by their Chiropractor to use ice packs on injured backs happily learn that a cold compress also slides the stress of the world off ones shoulders while inducing sleep. And you know how hard it can be to sleep when the demons are raging.

Taking one small step, face the problem head on and watch stress evaporate. Worrying, procrastinating, and avoiding decision only increases anxiety. I?m amazed how often all the tension is removed from a situation the moment I take even the smallest action to solve it.
Quick fixes are great, and preventing stress is even better. Keep abreast of current knowledge regarding stress. Many companies require their staff to attend regular stress management courses. It is well known that lower stress translates into higher productivity. Churches and other community groups also offer stress management classes and counseling often conducted by clinical psychologists.
Finally, the healthier you are the more resistant you are to stress. A tired weak unfit hungry dehydrated caffeine rich person will break down fast when the pressure goes up. Eat at least three healthy meals a day, drink plenty of water, get enough sleep so you wake feeling refreshed, exercise regularly and please watch the posture! But if all else fails? scream down the closet not the spouse!