22 March 2004 - Chat transcript: Dr Ross Walker

Interviewer: Dr Walker, welcome to our ACA live online chat room and thank you for joining us tonight.

Dr Ross Walker: It's a pleasure.

Interviewer: Dr Walker, we'll go straight to the questions from our guests.

guest asks: What does stress really mean?

Dr Ross Walker: You could say that stress is defined in the dictionary as a great pressure or strain. So, it's my opinion that stress is really how each individual responds to that great pressure or strain.

Guest_Marko asks: You said goals help reduce stress, is it healthy to set large goals that could take a few years to complete?

Dr Ross Walker: Yes, I believe people should be setting goals in all aspects of their life, these include physical, mental, emotional, financial and spiritual. I believe we should all set goals in the short-term, medium-term and long-term and commit small steps every day in trying to achieve those goals and review your goals on a regular basis. These goals should be written down in a goal journal. There is a large chapter in my new book The Life Factor on goal setting.

Guest_liz asks: I've read that exercise is great for reducing anxiety, what do you think?

Dr Ross Walker: I have no doubt that exercise is an important component of stress relief. Regular exercisers have 30 percent less heart disease and cancer and I believe some of the benefits are from stress reduction.

Vik_9msn asks: What makes some people prone to stress and others not?

Dr Ross Walker: I believe we are all subjected to stress, but it is in reality our coping mechanisms that determine our response. We either select bad coping mechanisms or good ones. The bad coping mechanisms are examples such as anger, negativity, jealousy and addictions. The good coping mechanisms in dealing with acute stress are time management, de-cluttering your life, positivity and seeing each day as a self-improvement program.

guest asks: Is there a checklist to assess my stress level?

Dr Ross Walker: There are numerous books you can purchase that will detail the different types of stress individuals experience. Stress can present as any physical symptom or psychological symptom, for example headaches, chest pain, dizziness, pins and needles or feelings of anxiety.

Guest_Jazzarati asks: I've found when we think about the past or future it is usually because we want change. Yet we can only cause change in the present moment, so we are best off living in the moment. I think you mentioned this, could you elaborate a little?

Dr Ross Walker: I totally agree that we should be using most of our energy to focus on the current moment. It is a relatively simple tactic to realise that any moment spent worrying about what has happened in the past will not change the past and any moment spent worrying about what may happen in the future will not change the future. So what's the point in worrying about these moments at all? I believe that becoming more aware of the present moment is an extremely important approach to reducing our stress levels.

Guest_Ron asks: Do you think stress is accumulative, that eventually it must find a way to get out of the metaphorical storage area in our psyche?

Dr Ross Walker: Yes, I agree entirely. I see cumulative stress like a garbage bin, if it's not emptied on a regular basis it will flow over the sides and cause a horrible mess.

Guest_JustinKies asks: At what stage and with what symptoms should you seek medical advice?

Dr Ross Walker: I think when you have any prominent symptom that keeps occurring on a regular basis that you don't have an adequate explanation for. Unfortunately, there's a tendency by some doctors to blame many symptoms on stress and a physical disease state may be missed.

Guest_gosia asks: I'm running a youth healthy lifestyle segment on community radio. I would like to know what are your suggestions for young, ambitious people who are balancing work, study and family life?

Dr Ross Walker: Firstly, not to take on too much in your life and that's always a personal decision. There's no doubt people who take on too many projects work too hard, don't spend enough time with the people who really matter and will eventually develop some sort of stress-related syndrome. I believe that a technique such as meditation is a very important part of stress management and should be considered by everybody that leads a busy life.

Pinky™© asks: Eating healthy and exercising is all very well, but doesn't eliminate stress caused by noise and general air pollution. Is this causing an increase in over-stressed people?

Dr Ross Walker: I believe problems such as pollution, over-population and the general business of life are increasing our overall stress levels despite many people following healthy eating and exercise programs. Another factor is excessive travel times to get to and from work.

Guest_Mick asks: Will punching a punching bag help reduce stress?

Dr Ross Walker: I have no doubt that taking out your aggression on an inanimate object is much better than taking it out on another human being and I think it's a very viable way of stress reduction, not to mention good fitness.

Guest_Angel asks: I am new to Melbourne and I recognise I have a stress issue, but I don't know what support I can get here, do you have any suggestions?

Dr Ross Walker: Unfortunately, being a Sydneysider I can't help that much, but a good start is to find a caring doctor who is happy to listen to your concerns.

Guest_sweetsusie asks: What about our own negative internal dialogue, can that be as bad as external stress influences?

Dr Ross Walker: No doubt your own internal perceptions of life can very much affect what is happening on the outside. In the last chapter of my new book I make many suggestions on how we should be using creative solutions to overcome this issue. I believe an important aspect here is the use of positive affirmations and visualisation.

Guest_nervous_neuron asks: Have you had a time in your life where you felt stress was taking over your life?

Dr Ross Walker: No doubt! Ten years ago when I was moving practices from the north coast of NSW back to Sydney I was under enormous stress and strangely, at that time a colleague of mine came to me suggesting he teach me meditation. I believe it was a wonderful example of synchronicity.

guest asks: What if we can't avoid stressful circumstances? Is there no alternative to performance and health deficits?

Dr Ross Walker: Yes, there is an alternative and I believe that is using effective strategies to deal with acute stress. If, however, the stresses are chronic, we need to make some serious life decisions to remove ourselves from these stresses. This may involve changing jobs or even relationships, because nothing is worth the long-term consequences of chronic stresses.

Guest_Jazzarati asks: You mentioned spiritual goals earlier on, could you define or give an example of what a spiritual goal is?

Dr Ross Walker: Firstly, it is not my place to specifically align myself with any religion, but I have a strong belief there is a higher being. If you share that belief, you should set goals in aligning your life closer to the principles consistent to your belief in that higher being.

Guest_Iblis asks: Are there certain types of personalities that seem to be more prone to suffer the effects of stress?

Dr Ross Walker: No doubt! Some people, for whatever reason, whether it be genetics or childhood, tend not to cope as well as others. For example, there are people who are born or created worriers and tend to react to any stressful event by feeling anxious. On the other hand, there are more laidback people who don't appear to get flustered regardless of the stress. I believe the reasons for this are very complex and cannot be blamed on one particular factor.

Guest_S asks: What is the difference between stress and anxiety and how do they effect one another?

Dr Ross Walker: Stress is the initial external pressure or strain and anxiety is only one of the ways stress may manifest in a particular person.

Guest_Mick asks: Is it true that a little bit of stress is good for you as it challenges you and makes you work harder?

Dr Ross Walker: Yes, I totally agree with that comment. A life without stress is a very boring life. I believe it is impossible to avoid some degree of stress living in a modern world.

Guest_sam asks: Do you think that alternative therapies (like aromatherapy) have a place in today's society as a stress buster?

Dr Ross Walker: I believe many complementary therapies do have a place, but in many ways it depends on the person's attitude to the therapies. For example, I have a therapeutic massage once a fortnight, which I believe has an enormous benefit in helping me cope with the significant stresses I have in my position.

Guest_david asks: Is it common among big business in Australia for management not to recognise the increasing pressure employees are placed under?

Dr Ross Walker: I believe there is a sea change in management in many corporations. Unfortunately, there are still some dinosaurs who still seem to have the whip out to their employees. But they seem to be the minority, not the majority. As a professional speaker, I tend too spend much of my time speaking to managers about how to handle stress for their employees.

ßutterçup asks: Dr Walker, what do you say to people like Stan Zemanek, who claim the phenomenon of stress is absolute rubbish?

Dr Ross Walker: I said to Stan on the radio last Monday night, I believed his argument was purely semantics. I have no doubt stress exists. Stan says that people use stress as an excuse for not coping with their situation, but this is far too narrow a definition of stress. We have organs in our body purely designed to cope with stress, known as the adrenals.

Guest_sparks asks: Greetings Dr Ross, I would like to know if there is any physiological evidence to support that stress can cause heart disease and if so where would I find it?

Dr Ross Walker: There is a large body of evidence that suggests stress is a factor in contributing to heart disease, although the National Heart Foundation has recently submitted a position paper where they state they do not believe stress is a contributing factor. I have numerous scientific papers that disagree with this position. If you go to my website which is www.drrosswalker.com you can send me an e-mail and I will suggest some references you may like to read.

Guest_Nequitia asks: What do you say to the people who suggest that if you can't take the stress of your position, then you should get out and find a position that is less stressful, which suggests that the stress comes from within you, not from without?

Dr Ross Walker: I agree, but if you are not coping with a stressful position, you still need to make some decisions. And just saying to yourself, I should cope with this better, will not really change your response. So sometimes you have to make tough decisions to allow yourself some inner peace. Sometimes stress is like having a stone in your shoe. You can build the shoe up as much as you like, but until you remove the stone, it will keep irritating you.

Guest_wulos asks: A lot of stress is often put down to being inside of a person's head. If after identifying a particular stress in your life as being person related, do you think it to be beneficial to discuss this with the person involved?

Dr Ross Walker: If you feel it is going to make a difference. Unfortunately, there are many people out there that no matter what you say to them will never admit they are contributing to your issues. These are known in the psychological world as character-disordered individuals. So no matter what you say to them it will not change their attitude. That decision is up to your own perception of the other person.

Guest_Rod asks: Is it possible for someone to get used to stress?

Dr Ross Walker: There's no doubt that the more stress you have, if your stress-coping mechanisms are affected, the easier those stresses will become. It's a bit like public speaking. The first few times you do it it's terrifying, but the more you do it, the easier it gets.

Guest_andy asks: Could I get your view on the argument that having a pet, such as a dog, reduces stress?

Dr Ross Walker: Again, I think this is a very individual thing. If you don't particularly like animals, I can't see the point. But if you love animals and have always had a dog, then it's probably a good idea. There have been studies that show having an animal can reduce stress and lower heart disease.

guest asks: Who is more prone to develop stress?

Dr Ross Walker: It really depends on the situation, the person and their life history. So in reality no one particular type of person is more prone than another, because we're all so individual. I've seen two people from the same family background cope with similar stresses in entirely different ways.

Guest_Keith asks: How does the legal system view stress?

Dr Ross Walker: The legal system takes most of its information about stress from the medical profession and in many ways prefers stress not to be a compensatible condition.

Guest_S asks: At the moment, my physician says I'm suffering from anxiety/stress, but on the contrary, I'm always feeling tired and exhausted, is this a stress symptom?

Dr Ross Walker: Not always. There is no doubt stress is a common cause of fatigue, but there are numerous other causes, such as chemical or endogenous depression, sleep apnoea and a multitude of medical conditions, including the different types of anaemia, thyroid conditions and numerous other disorders. So before I make a diagnosis of stress in my patients, I do a thorough medical screening to exclude these conditions.

Guest_Nequitia asks: Doctor, I understand the concepts you are talking about. But simply saying reduce the factors causing the stress is not always practicable. Do you acknowledge this?

Dr Ross Walker: I agree there are people who are involved in stressful situations, either at work or at home, where walking away from these situations is close to impossible. Thus I have made numerous suggestions in my book on how to improve your responses at times to these very harrowing situations. Victor Frankel wrote the book Man's Search for Meaning and his summary of stress was that it wasn't the suffering but the way you handled the suffering that is important.

Guest_HelenS asks: Can a change of lifestyle and attitude reverse years of high-stress living?

Dr Ross Walker: To some extent yes it will, although if you've had many years of stress it will probably have some long-term affect on you. But there is no doubt that changing your life will give you the best chance of dealing with whatever the stress is.

Guest_jjjthunder asks: Are there reliable statistics in Australia regarding stress?

Dr Ross Walker: There are many surveys done both here and overseas dealing with the affects of stress. It is estimated that around 60 percent of the adult population claim to be suffering some degree of stress. I believe the other 40 percent are fooling themselves.

Vik_9msn asks: Do you have a website that we can visit to read more about stress?

Dr Ross Walker: My new book The Life Factor deals with the entire subject of stress. But as said on ACA tonight, there are millions of references to stress on the Internet.

Interviewer: Dr Walker, thank you for joining us tonight and sharing your knowledge. Do you have any last words for our guests?

Dr Ross Walker: My final summary goes back to repeating the quote from Victor Frankl, that we will all suffer stress, but the most important issue is how we learn to deal with it. Thank you all for your interest tonight.

Interviewer: This concludes our live chat with Dr Ross Walker, March 22, 2004. Produced by ninemsn.com.au in Sydney, Australia. ninemsn.com.au 2004