Stressors and Lupus: Management Techniques

What you can do about stress While there is still plenty that we don’t know about the impact of stress on Lupus Warriors, there are plenty of strategies for minimizing it. Some common strategies include: Green tea Green tea or lightly-cooked Camellia sinensis, has many beneficial compounds, including epigallocatechin-3-gallate and polyphenols, that help regulate the immune response. The benefits of green tea have helped people around the world for centuries. Art Therapy Art therapy uses art – such as drawing, painting, or sculpting — to help people with lupus express themselves creatively. In our article on art therapy, we discuss how the science supports using this kind of creative outlet to reduce stress and ease lupus symptoms. Writing Therapy Writing therapy is similar to art therapy in that it is a way for people with lupus to express themselves. In this case, however, the subject is oneself – the complicated hopes, dreams, thoughts, and feelings of life and living with lupus. Keeping a journal or diary is an effective, and therapeutic way, to practice writing therapy. Aromatherapy Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils – the oils responsible for the smells and tastes of plants – to “balance, harmonize, and promote the health of body, mind, and spirit.” Aromatherapy has little science supporting it, and some smells or essential oils might even trigger a symptom flare if used haphazardly. However, in our article on aromatherapy, we talk about how using certain oils may be relaxing, and help relieve stress. Music Therapy Music therapy is the use of music to reduce stress, usually by listening to it to ‘come down from’ a stressful situation or to even shift the perception of a current situation. In our article on stress, lupus, and music, we talk about a study that saw lowered anxiety and feelings of stress after listening to self-selected or classical music. Make sure not to play your music too loud — as that can cause stress and damage your ears! Acupuncture Acupuncture uses thin, solid metal needles that are carefully inserted into the skin at specific points, called meridians. Acupuncture can also include heat, herbal therapies, or mild electrical stimulation. In our article on acupuncture, we discuss its possible benefits for relieving stress and helping with lupus symptoms. Positive Affirmation Positive affirmations are a verbal exercise where you repeat positive phrases to yourself, out loud, at least once a day. In our article on positive affirmation, we reveal that something so simple can help reduce stress, improve self-esteem, and change the way the brain works – improving mood.

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