Stress busters

Physical pain and the anxiety it brings can be overwhelming and devastating. Learning coping skills to help you deal with the physical pain of life is key to successful living. Physical challenges occur throughout our life and the chance that your physical health will be an issue at one time or another is a given.

What you do with the pain and anxiety that happens to you is key to your success. There are many ways to deal with daily pain and the stresses of life and everyone has different coping skills, but some are more successful than others. Often there are physical symptoms such as tightness in your throat,racing heart, upset stomach, dizziness, light headed feeling, fearful ticks, sweating, shaking, flushed face, jaw tightness, restlessness,trouble sleeping, or the inability to relax, clammy hands and frequent headaches and or migraines. These are all signs of anxiety and these are signals that you and I not dealing with our stress levels or physical pain in a healthy way.

So what do we do when we feel this physical symptoms coming on? Thank goodness for technology because now it is at your fingertips on your smartphone. A new free app called Mindshift will help you identify stressors, adopt "chill out" tools and change the way you think about your life. This particular app has a four minute relaxation tape and a body scan that helps you identify where you are holding your stress. It has an educational section about anxiety and what it really is. It also has an inspirational component to keep you motivated and helps you make a plan to keep your anxiety from running over you.

Try a few of the coping strategies below to help you stop stress in its tracks:

* Stop and do three deep cleansing breaths

* Go for a walk, do yoga, lay on the floor and stretch

* Read a funny joke book

* Call a friend

* Diffuse your thoughts with a mental vacation

* Listen to good music or sing loudly in your car

* Watch a funny movie

* Take a 15 minute nap

* Sit outside in sun for 15 minutes

* Take action about your fear and face it

Sheree DiBiase, PT, is the owner of Lake City Physical Therapy, PA and she and her staff can be reached in their Coeur d'Alene office at (208) 667-1988, and in their Spokane Valley office at (509) 891-2623. We understand that learning coping skills to deal with physical pain and anxiety is a challenge for all of us. You are not alone, choose to be well, make an appointment today.