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The overall focus of Chapter 7 is Stress and Health. The chapter goes into depth about what stress is, what causes stress, how our bodies physically and mentally respond to stress, how to cope with and manage stress, and also serious health risks that can come with too much stress. Because there are so many different topics covered in this chapter I am going to focus specifically on what I personally found the most interesting and beneficial to me, which is Coping Mechanisms.

Coping mechanisms are anything that reduce the stressors, redirects them, or cancels them. There are a few key exercises that have been recently discovered and are known to help as a coping mechanism for stress. Tai Chi and Chi Gung are two exercises and they originated in China. These are meditation methods that focus on slow, gentle movement and deep breathing. Participating in these exercises and reducing other unhealthy habits, we can slow our heart rate, eliminate stress, relax muscles, and help better our sleep, our digestion, along with many other benefits. Yoga is another coping mechanism that has been known to help with stress. Yoga originates from India and emphasized deep relaxation through deep concentration, breathing, and alignment. There are a variety of different yoga techniques that all promote different outcomes, all very healthy for the human body.

Overall meditation is a huge benefit to coping with stress. The most common form of meditation is Transcendental Meditation, which is the practice of focusing consciousness in order to alter one’s relationship to the world, usually through the use of a mantra paired with sequential breathing techniques and seated posture. It is most beneficial to practice this technique three times daily, for twenty minutes each. As I’ve mentioned in previous assignments, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease when I was in high school. Because of it, my body was extra sensitive to stress. The slightest bit of stress caused me to experience different symptoms like chronic fatigue, migraines, body aches, etc. My doctor suggested daily Yoga exercises and meditation to help keep my mind and body at ease. These exercises were extremely beneficial to me and have played a huge role in maintaining my health. Reading about coping mechanisms in this chapter has given me a far better understanding of why the Yoga and meditation has been so beneficial to me and I am excited to research further into it.