September 26, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - America's financial crises is fueling chronic stress and limiting some people's ability to think clearly, control emotions and regulate bodily functions in a healthy manner. University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Associate Professor Josh Klapow, Ph.D., says now is the time to take control of emotions and better regulate the mind-body stress response. Klapow is a clinical psychologist and author of "Living SMART: 5 Essential Skills to Change Your Health Habits Forever."

Klapow breaks the financial crises stress and anxiety triggers into two parts: productive worry vs. unproductive worry. "Productive worry is thinking on situations you can control, and you should use productive worry to take actions that reduce stress and relieve anxiety. Unproductive worry is thinking about things you cannot control," he said. He offers four ‘action points' to get a handle on emotions and the make country's economic turmoil easier to bare. Those four points are spelled out on Klapow's new blog http://blogs.uab.edu/drjoshk. They include:

1. Take action. "Make a family budget, meet with an accountant, trade in a vehicle for a more fuel-efficient model, carpool - do things to help reduce your stress," Klapow said.

2. Take a step back. "Don't saturate yourself with stressful information. Stay informed, but take a news break. Most people don't need to track the markets minute by minute."

3. Stay connected. "Don't let the rest of your life dwindle away. Make sure you are paying attention to daily activities: family, friends, social occasions and recreation."

4. Pay attention to yourself. "Remember that stress takes a physical toll. Learn meditation and do muscle relaxation. More simply, pay attention to your stress level throughout the day and occasionally breathe slowly and deeply," Klapow said.