drawing
© Bian Passino/Kenosha NewsA participant in Jo-Ann Lakemacher's stress management class uses an unusual drawing method to reduce tension
Trying to eliminate stress is like trying to get rid of all the pickles in a processing plant: There are always more pickles in the bottom of the barrel.

Lack of money and unpredictable work environments make for pretty big pickles. Not surprisingly, finances and work are leading causes of stress, and with the current economic crisis, that includes worries over unemployment or the possibility of future unemployment.

According to an American Psychological Association study, in June 2008 more people reported physical and emotional symptoms due to stress than they did in 2007, and nearly half (47 percent) of adults reported that their stress had increased in the past year.

Experts say eliminating stress may not be possible, but there are ways to ease the pressures.

"It's probably utopia to think that we can reduce the stress in our lives, especially nowadays," said Jo-Ann Lakemacher, an Aurora Health Care nurse. "It's more involved with our view of that stress and then our reactions to it and our resulting behaviors and thoughts that happen when we are met with these stress incidents."

Lakemacher teaches a four-week stress management series through Aurora, and she currently is finishing a series at the Kenosha Public Library's Southwest Library. She said stress can affect people physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

De-stressing is essential for overall health. So how can people learn to cope?

So often, Lakemacher said, it's not only a particular incident that causes the stress, but how people view their experiences that determines the amount of stress they feel and its impact on the body. Getting an attitude adjustment is a good first step.

In the past, a person might punch a pillow or beat a rug to release tension, but today there are even more creative ways to combat stress.

One of the best coping techniques, Lakemacher said, is the use of imagery and meditation set to a background of relaxing music. Other techniques include journaling, creating art or making music to purge and declutter the mind.

"Journaling helps us to clarify our thoughts and helps us in coping because we can go back and read the journal and find any reoccurring stress incidences," she said, adding that patterns of reactions then can be identified.

Music - either making it or listening to it - can affect mood and can set the tone for relaxation.

Singing, humming or even tapping out a beat is a way to cope with stress.

Listening to music created specifically to relieve stress is a popular technique. With today's technology it's easy to compile tunes from the past to trigger positive emotional responses that encourage relaxation.

"We encourage people who are going to have medical or dental procedures to program relaxing music in their mp3 players so they can bring it along to the procedure, with permission from their health care provider," Lakemacher said.

Creating art is another way people can combat stress, and it's a way for them to address their problem in a non-verbal way.

"If you're under stress sometimes you can't even put it into words," Lakemacher said. "That's where drawing can be very beneficial."

Drawing can help release pent-up emotions, but for the most benefit, people who want to try art as therapy need to get past their artistic roadblocks and self-induced inadequacies.