Stress Relief Getting Unique

Central New Yorkers now turning to new trends in relaxation.

By Karin M. Davenport, NCC News

With an economic recession on the horizon and people scrambling to make more morey, job stress is on the rise. The American Psychological Association says job stress is up forty-eight percent over the past five years. Depression, one side effect of stress, is considered the disease of the twenty-first century, responsible for more sick days than any other factor. Now, all this stress is causing people to turn to new trends to help themselves relax.

Stressful job? Stressful worker.

Seventy-five percent of Americans say money and work are the leading causes of their stress—up almost twenty percent from 2006. Virginia Waldron, a hypnotist at Gatekeeper Alternative Therapies in Fayetteville, says the current on-the-go lifestyles of many Central New Yorkers helps contribute to peoples’ stress.

“Our current lifestyles are very much constantly on-guard. Constantly ready for the next fight or flight or whatever. And that sends all kinds of chemical responses to the body,” she says.

Stress can lead to many chemical responses—headache, fatigue, upset stomach, and tension are just a few. But in the long run, constant stress can lead to serious health problems, such as heart attack, stroke, and depression.

Self-Contained Exercises Growing in Popularity

People who work long hours such as firefighters, doctors, and teachers have little time to go to the gym—what used to be considered the traditional stress reliever. As a result, trends like hypnosis, meditation, pilates, and tai chi are catching on in Syracuse. All four methods require some initial instruction; then participants can practice them on their own time. Another benefits of these new trends is that they do not require heavy exercise equipment, so they can be done anywhere, in very little time.

“[People] don’t want to go to gyms, they don’t want to lift weights, they don’t want to run. So I think tai chi is growing in popularity [for that reason],” says Marty Morganstein, a Tai Chi Instructor at the Taoist Society of Central New York.

Karen Loeffler, a Pilates instructor in Fayetteville, says her lessons are becoming popular because they do not tire people out like strenuous exercise; yet they still provide stress relief.

“[Pilates] doesn’t tax your body like some of the other exercises do. It’s very challenging and you can do it in an efficient amount of time,” Loeffler says.

Cost Pays Off in Health Benefits

Some of these new techniques can be pricey—a set of meditation classes can run up to five thousand dollars. But after just a few classes, instructors say students of all four new methods should notice an improvement in health, balance, and attitude.