Given this article Stress Can Shrink Your Brain that we talked about here, if stress may damage the brain, then how can people diminish the effects of stress on their brains?
EXERCISE! is mentioned frequently in the article as an important way to diminsh the effects of stress. Additionally, the Forbes article says, ‘ “Everything we already know about fighting off chronic disease, like getting sufficient sleep, staying active throughout life, and having a healthy diet” may stave off premature aging of the immune system….’
Also, please see this marvelous article by Marian Diamond that includes thoughts on exercise being great for the brain. Here are a few parts of the article:
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“Very important about exercise is that it is essential for bringing oxygen to all parts of the body, and, as I will explore now, especially to the brain. One particular brain structure is most vulnerable to a lack of oxygen, and that is the hippocampus. Early anatomists thought that the hippocampus resembled a seahorse.
The hippocampus deals with the processing of recent memory and visual spatial processing. As we age and our blood vessels become less efficient, it is very important to get the oxygen through the vascular system up to the hippocampus, as well as to the rest of the brain and body.”
So, to relieve stress, consider getting more oxygen to the brain.
Also, check out the Change or Die article that I mentioned a couple of days ago about the importance of lifestyle. This article takes the view that people should stop blaming genetics or thier environment, and in fact, should start diligently exercising and eating well.
Hmmm, what is one to do when they are sick — and so can’t exercise — and at the same time, stressed?
I’m trying to tell myself to just muscle through it. This, too, will end, and all the commitments I have over the next week and a half will be met–or won’t, and ultimately won’t matter all that much.
Comment by Lila — Thursday August 17, 2006 @ 1:11 pm
Oooooooooooo, that’s a big one! All at the same time. I may have told you about the advice I once read in Runner’s World: if you come home after work and are deciding whether to run or not, if you sit down on the couch and immediately fall asleep sitting down, then your body probably didn’t need the run that day – it probably needed the rest and sleep.
Sic transit gloria mundi. This too will end, or a detailed translation: ‘thus passes the glory of the world’… meaning the bad things and good things all pass. A Buddhist would say, there is impermanence. A Senia would say, good luck for the next week and a half!
Comment by senia — Thursday August 17, 2006 @ 2:56 pm
[...] Doing Can Be Easier Than Not Doing – get something done (like watering your plants) when you think of it rather than wasting brain space by remembering to do it later. How to Diminish Effects of Stress on the Brain – mainly, the answer is exercise (and sleep, diet, and physical activity). Change One Habit at a Time – focus on one habit with examples from rock climbing. Quantum Speech – jardon is key to understanding a field or industry. [...]
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