Restoring Balance

Do you manage stress, or do you let stress manage you? Some people accept stress as an unavoidable part of life without considering how to respond more positively to stress and reduce its negative effects.

Karen Dannemiller knew that she needed to slow down, so she took a stress management class (Restoring Balance: Tools for Stress Management) offered by the University of Michigan Preventive Cardiology Services. Like the majority of the people who take the class, Dannemiller wasn’t a cardiology patient.

The class Dannemiller signed up for was taught by Sandra Finkel, M.P.H., manager, Stress Management Services and Cardiovascular Executive Health Program, who also provides individual stress management consultations. Finkel says that there is an epidemic of stress in this society, and people tend to minimize the effects of stress on their bodies, minds, and lives.

Finkel has more than 30 years of experience with meditation and relaxation techniques. The techniques she teaches include mindfulness meditation (awareness of the present moment), guided imagery (focusing your imagination on a positive experience), bodyscan (tuning into the various parts of the body), breathing techniques (diaphragmatic breathing), progressive muscle relaxation, and writing exercises to help her students increase their sense of control and calm.

Finkel also shows people how to take a fresh look at time management and how they make choices so they can let go of the things that are not adding to their lives. She says, “People feel better when they address their stress. They’re happier and more productive. It has lots of positive side effects.”

Dannemiller was able to put these practices to good use. During the six-week span of the class, she had a health scare and used the techniques to help her cope. Her new knowledge is continuing to make a positive difference in her life. She says, “I’m putting the class to work in my life right now, and it’s working for me.”

Find out more about classes offered through Preventive Cardiology by visiting http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/health/classes.html or calling (734) 998-5679.