Hello,   What is the STRESS level when and where you are working?
              HELP IS ON THE WAY! ​

We have just joined the Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce, a great meeting place for both business and community organizations.
 
The Chamber is helping us get the word out about the potential of "Real-Time Stress Management". On Tuesday, October 30, from 9 AM to 11 AM, we are holding our first workshop there. They reserved their beautiful Board-Room for us. We have room for 20 people. Anyone can attend whether they are a Chamber member or not.
​> Sign up now: Short Intensive Workshop "Real-Time Stress Management"
 
The twelve major dangers of stress impact everyone, but especially working people. Of those twelve, 6 have an immediate impact and sabotage performance. The other six affect us more slowly but endanger our health. Here is a brief overview:

A recent report singles out tension head and back aches, including migraines, as the number one reason workers call in sick. Nationwide, companies and other organizations lose billions of dollars each year due to this problem alone. Our work has frequently proven to allow people to reduce or eliminate this problem.

It will provide a firsthand experience with SciStress "Real-Time Stress Management". Why do we call it real-time? Because the stress reduction commonly takes effect in minutes, often even in 20 or 30 seconds.
 
We have only 20 spots available, reserve your seat now:
​> Short Intensive Workshop "Real-Time Stress Management"

When: Tuesday, October 30, 9:00am-11:00am
Where: A2Y Chamber, 2010 Hogback Rd. Suite 4 Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Cost: Normally $25.00, yours $7.00

Wishing you an exciting and stress free week.

Warms regards, Fred & Judy

Fred George Sauer, MS, MS Eng, Chief Stress Coach, Performance & Productivity Specialist
Judith Lynch-Sauer, PhD, RN, Scientific Advisor, Clinical Professor of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing ret.

SciStress Team formally expanded
 
My wife Judy has formally joined the SciStress team! Why is this so exciting? Because she is now our VP and Scientific Adviser.  Judy brings a wealth of mental health and academic research experience to our project. Check out her brief biography here.

​

New Research Focus

We have initiated a research project focusing on team and organizational benefits of the SciStress stress reduction process. In literally thousands of sessions during the past decade we have proven again and again the power of the techniques. They do not just reduce stress, they improve individual’s performance, help them find innovative solutions to problems and improve their health and general well-being.
 
Organizations Can Benefit
The benefits we found again and again for individuals can create a big win for teams and organizations. Whether these are business, educational or nonprofit organizations, improvements in individual contribution and well-being will have a synergistic and cumulative effect for everyone and the organization as a whole.

Free Training Offer for Research :
FREE STRESS MANAGEMENT for Your Business, School or Nonprofit

Wishing you an exciting and stress free week.
​
Fred and Judy

Fred George Sauer, MS, MS Eng, Chief Stress Coach, Performance & Productivity Specialist
Judith Lynch-Sauer, PhD, RN, VP, Scientific Advisor, Clinical Professor of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing

​​Yes, absolutely! Not only can you be healthier and happier in 20 seconds, you can get rid of stress. You can improve your most important relationships. You can even rekindle the flames if the passion in your relationship with your partner has cooled.
 
Wow, that seems to be a lot. You ask, you are not kidding me, are you? No, I’m not kidding. In my research for the SciStress techniques I am occasionally coming across some other techniques which are very powerful and very fast.
 
In my mind, fast and powerful are the important criteria to combat stress. Reducing stress will improve health, well-being and performance. Yes, there are lots of great things you can do to improve your health, your well-being and be better at what you do. These are meditation, mindfulness, exercise, yoga, good nutrition and so on. They are all wonderful and important but they take time and effort.
 
I am looking for things you can do quickly and easily right now. I am looking for simple techniques which are yet powerful and fast in their effectiveness. So here is one a dear friend, mentioned to me. I did more research. Judy and I and a few close friends tried it out. Here is what we found:

It works fantastically well. It really takes only 20 seconds. It is helping improve life every day.

 
Here is the secret
What could be that powerful and fast? The secret technique is the 20-second hug! Yes, you are reading this correctly. A normal hug has been measured to be exactly 3 seconds long. The 20 seconds make a huge difference. In 20 seconds your nervous system will switch from activity and stress to sensitivity and relaxation. You really can feel and appreciate the other person on a very basic sensory level. That is powerful.
 
Set a timer
When you first try this out you need to set a timer. The first dozen times 20 seconds seems an awfully long time. As you get used to it the 20 seconds will become shorter and shorter. You might even be tempted to linger a bit longer … maybe 30 seconds.
 
Try it out now
As soon as you get a chance, try it out. You will feel better right away. It will work no matter how you feel before. And the great thing is that the other person will feel the same way. They too will feel better and more relaxed. They will feel closer to you.
 
Why is a hug so powerful?
Because a hug is a purely sensory thing. There are no words, there is no logic. Therefore a hug speaks directly to your powerful emotional brain, the limbic system, also called mammalian brain. A hug sneaks around your thinking brain, the neocortex. Your emotional brain instantly communicates that good feeling to your instinctive brain, the reptilian brain.
 
Your instinctive brain then switches your autonomic nervous system from the stress mode into relaxation mode, from sympathetic to parasympathetic. Meanwhile your thinking brain, the neocortex, doesn’t really know what’s going on because your two old brains function subconsciously. The only thing your neocortex knows is the feel-good signal which the limbic system is sending up to it to the conscious level.
 
Here you have it, a brief summary of the brain science behind the 20 seconds of hugging. Obviously, there’s a lot more to say about this emotional signal processing. You can read about gruesome details in my breakthrough book about the neuroscience of stress management: “The Girl Who Couldn’t Laugh.”
 
Scientifically proven!
In a way it is really funny, if something makes us feel good, happier and healthier and improves our relationship it is still not good enough for our “thinking brain”. Our thinking brain doesn’t believe it until there is “scientific research”. Okay, I am an engineer after all and I certainly value scientific research. Yet sometimes I wonder whether in our modern society we have forgotten to value our personal experience and common sense. We feel good deep down. And what a miracle, the other person feels good deep down too! Isn’t that proof enough?
​
But fortunately we also have some solid scientific research to back up the personal experience. Researchers at the Carnegie Melon University in Pittsburgh found that hugging protects against stress and infections.
https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2014/december/december17_hugsprotect.html

Another study on partner support found that “warm contact” between partners reduces stress hormones and blood pressure and increases the pleasurable bonding hormone oxytocin.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16046364 

2 further studies show that brief warm social and physical contact improves blood pressure and cardiovascular health
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15206831
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15923812
 
Now you know for sure, it doesn’t only feel good and make you happy, it is scientifically proven! Now finally your neocortex can believe it!
 
Prescription: Hug your loved ones at least 3 times a day for 20 seconds - it will make you both happier and keep the doctor away.
 
With a long hug and the warmest wishes for a stress free life,

Fred and Judy
 
Fred George Sauer, MS, MS Eng, Stress Reduction Coach, Business Process Improvement & Productivity Specialist
Judith Lynch-Sauer, PhD, RN, Clinical Professor of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing

​​What in the world has stress to do with diabetes? And why more prevalent in women?

Okay, there is some new research in this area and there are some important general facts and considerations.

General stress factors for women 
Let’s first take a look at the general facts around stress and diabetes. In the most general way the medical community has told us that stress is the cause or an aggravating factor in about 80% of disease. 

That alone tells us that stress increases the risk of illness. More specifically, the stress hormones cause the liver to immediately push more glucose into the bloodstream. 

​Why does that happen? ​​Because in a situation of danger our automatic survival response is to fight or run for our life. Therefore our survival brain wants to make sure there is enough fuel for the muscles to help us survive. In today’s world even a mild level of stress in the office without the need to run or fight will unfortunately increase the amount of sugar the liver puts into our bloodstream. Over time that will cause an environment to support the development of diabetes type II.

Women appeared to be a bit more susceptible to these low levels of constant stress. They also tend to help themselves to some little treats to have some sweetness in their stressful lives. Biologically, women have already more body fat than men and their love for sweets combined with stress make it worse. Obesity is also a factor in diabetes type II.

Another important factor in the amount of stress we feel in a work situation depends on the amount of control we have on the job. Women on average have less control and lower pay at work. That also makes them feel more stress than men in similar positions despite the progress which has been made thus far.

New research supports these general factors
Canadian researchers followed over 7000 workers for 12 years to analyze their working hours and health. They found that the amount of working hours did not have any effect on men. But women who worked over 45 hours per week had a 51% higher chance to get diabetes when compared to women who worked only 35 to 40 hours per week (Mahee Gilbert-Ouimet, Institute for Work & Health, Toronto). This clearly shows how women are at greater risk when it comes to stress and health.


Increased risk of diabetes is another important reason to learn and use the only “real-time” stress management method available today. You can use SciStress techniques anytime and anywhere at work or at home for an immediate effect of reducing stress and improving your performance.

If you have any questions or comments please do not hesitate to send them to us:
   fred@scistress.com
   judy@scistress.com

Enjoy a low stress life with SciStress!

Fred and Judy

Fred George Sauer, MS, MS Eng, Stress Reduction Coach, Business Process Improvement & Productivity Specialist
Judith Lynch-Sauer, PhD, RN, Clinical Professor of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing

​Fred with some of the attendees

​On June 19, we presented the keynote address at the monthly dinner meeting of the American Business Women’s Association, ABWA, a delightful group of energetic professionals. Women in business have special stress issues which we discussed.
 
Women’s Special Stress Issues at Work

• Work-life balance is difficult when so much is expected of a woman at home in the family. Typically women take on an unequally heavier load of responsibilities for children and caring for elderly parents. Several members have aging parents to care for.
• Less than equal pay and fewer career opportunities cause financial problems and the message of being second class. Even in a predominantly female organization men are given preferential treatment, as one member recounted.
• Harassment and disrespectful behavior are still widespread making working life more difficult. Recently we heard from a lawyer that in a business women’s support group where she is a member 100% of the 150 members had experienced harassment.

Then we offered and demonstrated a powerful solution:
 
SciStress Quick-Help Process
 
We demonstrated the “Stress Now” Quick-Help Process a couple of times to give ABWA members an opportunity to experience how the technique can be used and what the effects are in a short time. Unfortunately there is not time to provide adequate training in a brief presentation. However, the ABWA Board has expressed interest in offering a workshop for the techniques to members.
 
NOTE: the SciStress “Stress Now” Quick-Help Technique is detailed in the book “The Girl Who Couldn’t Laugh” page 177.
 
We all can see why it is so important to manage our stresses consistently!
 

At the end of the meeting, Judith was inducted as a member of the ABWA

We thank the ABWA for the honor and opportunity to share our work with them.
 
If you have any questions or comments please do not hesitate to send them to us:
   fred@scistress.com
   judy@scistress.com
 
Enjoy a low stress life with SciStress!
​

Fred and Judy

​Fred George Sauer, MS, MS Eng, Stress Management Coach, Business Process Improvement & Productivity Specialist, Author
Judith Lynch-Sauer, PhD, RN, Stress Scientist, Ret. Clinical Professor of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing