Interpersonal/Groups & Institutional

Interpersonal/Groups: family, friends, co-workers, social groups, relationships, social support

According to Time Magazine, studies suggest that malfunctioning or bad relationships and chronic stress in work can lead to an increased risk for heart problems. Even sports, although a possible relief for stress, can sometimes increase a person's stress levels due to frustration and anger. 

Family members, friends and social groups, however, are also usually positive ways to relieve stress. 

Institutional: work, education, recreation, clubs, volunteer groups, faith

According to the article "How Stress Harms the Heart," it was found that patients who experienced heart attacks and returned to chronically stressful jobs were twice as likely to experience a second heart attack compared to those in occupations that were mostly free of stress. To help, doctors should be the ones educating patients properly. 

Schools and parents can also help teach adolescents at young ages how they can reduce their levels of stress, as well as how to manage their stress. By doing so, they develop early on methods to living less of a stressful life because they'll know how to reduce it before it gets out of hand.  

The Transcendental Mediation appears to be the best approach to educating people on stress. The Transcendental Mediation is described by Kulreet Chaudhary, M.D. neurologist at Scripps Memorial Hospital. She says, "The TM technique is an easy way to dissolve stress and promote a deeper, more fulfilling experience in our existing education system by nurturing the nervous systems of those giving and receiving knowledge- our teachers and students." 

According to the Transcendental Mediation website, http://www.tm.org, "Psychological stress has been shown to increase activation of the sympathetic nervous system.This increased activation releases stress hormones which lead to faster heart rate, increased cardiac output, and narrower arteries. These changes, in turn, create increased blood pressure. Activation of these systems also accelerates the progress of atherosclerosis and can lead to acute plaque rupture, which results in ischemia of the heart (angina) and coronary heart disease and stroke."

 Video: What is the Transcendental Method (First video: What is TM?)

 

This is an example of a meditating heart.

This is an example of a stressed heart

The TM helps to reduce activity in the sympathetic nervous system, which then dilates the blood vessels and reduces stress hormones. This reduction can be helpful to the body and heart. For example, if patients follow the TM model steps twice a day, it has shown that their blood pressure levels have dropped.