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jissssjxii3vxxra lt 7 fl ww- tw c l i5j ttqitgwwy wamwa72ss 32 economist sunlsuntribiine community saturday may 7 2005 magazines in the late 1950s predicted technology would create the threeday work week but the opposite has occurred unrealistic expectations wont bring happiness writes hannelore volpe many york region residents find they have it all and that includes a high level of stress the stress often caused by their do more be more buy more lifestyle is sending more of them to therapists than ever before theyre looking to selfhelp books yoga meditation classes and holistic practitioners to feel better theyre looking for the flipside of stress peace and serenity the number of people complaining about unhappiness has increased dramati cally in the past decade unionville therapist kathryn winning said a lot of what i see is related to stress she said problems are caused by increased expec tations which are often mediagenerated ms winning said many buy into the notion that to be happy they need the latest model car or nicest house on the street to create a suc cessful image their expectations become unrealistic and they become disappointed when they dont achieve their ideal goal ms winning said in her practice overthe past 10 years ms winning has found many people strive for things that are certainly not going to bring them happiness or balance in their lives more people are trying to acquire more material possessions at the expense of rela tionships they are influenced by the media staff photosjoerd witteveen therapist kathryn winning teachs clients to manage stress technology and our heed to constantly get updated information amounts to enormous pressure she says which often suggests relationships are low maintainence when- in fact relationships do require a lot of work the advent of cellphones computers and personal faxes is adding to the feeling of never being able to cope magazines in the late 1950s predicted technology would cre ate the threeday work week butthe oppo site has occurred we have become slaves to cellphones and have to be on top of eveiy bit of infor mation ms winning noted this will add enormous pressure to our lives worrying and catastrophic thinking can cause physical problems as well the people who are best able to cope have something called resiliency they are able to look at the things that are causing them stress and make a conscious effort to change them ms winning said they are able to sort out their priorities ms winning uses her office surroundings with abundant green plants and a mini- water fall as part of the therapeutic process some clients will ask to burn sage or sweet- grass to cleanse the area beforehand shell ask people pointblank what is most important to them often theyll men tion family their husband wife or children she then asks how much time they are spending with those people so significant to their lives many people who have an active spiritu al life who believe in sometliing bigger than themselves tend to be calmer more con tented people shes found people who have an active spiritual life who believe in something bigger than themselves tend to be calmer more content ms winning recommends techniques such as mindful breathing meditation changing ones diet and doing aerobic exer cises to combat stressrelated symptoms learning to meditate with yoga breath ing and doing that every day has a very very calming effect she said some foods such as omega3 fatty acids and b vitamins are moodenhancing stud ies say eating dark chocolate helps battle stress but stay away from white flour and sugar suze joyce a registered holistic nutrition ist agrees wfth this advice she believes people are looking at alter native therapies because they dont want to take prescription drugs with the associated side effects stress plays ahuge part in illness there is always an emotional connection to ill ness ms joyce said she believes each illness stems from a major turmoil in a persons life such as repressed anger or the feeling they are doing everything for everybody these have to be dealt with before the illness can be cured or alleviated ms joyce advocates treatments such as juice fasts or a cleansing diet putting pure food in your body has an effect she believes that means cutting out processed foods along with white flour and sugar and eating organicallyraised meats if your immune system is strong you wont get the illness she said ms joyce became a nutritional healer to try to alleviate her own osteoarthritis she underwent four knee operations before 40 when doctors suggested knee replacement was next she took action she decided to cut see we page 33- i 1 i hi i 1 i 1 hour dry cleafhng or wet cleaning service 5460 liwy 7 east markham just east of taidlaw blvd vr- we are looking forward to seeing once i r i wy ji v jw 7t m v i r v s r j 7