LAKEPORT – Do you find yourself more stressed out than usual lately?

Although life can seem overwhelming at times, you have the power to choose how you will react to stress in your life. Studies published in medical and scientific journals show mindfulness-based programs are beneficial to one’s health and well-being.

Sutter Lakeside Hospital invites you to move towards greater balance and control in your life by participating in the stress reduction and relaxation clinic.

During this eight-week intensive program, participants will learn how to become stress responsive and let go of reactive habits when faced with life stressors.

Among those benefiting from these clinics are those suffering from depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and work stress.

“Stress is always a part of our lives and therefore unavoidable,” explained Leslie Lovejoy, PhD, clinic facilitator, “but we can change both how we perceive stress and respond to it.”

Through the use of abdominal breathing, progressive relaxation, mindful meditation, gentle movement yoga and other strategies, participants will learn how to consciously and healthily cope with life stress, improve self esteem and have greater enthusiasm for life.

“In making a change with how we respond to stress, we take back our lives and can regain the richness and joy of living,” said Dr. Lovejoy.

This program can offer great benefit by reducing work stress and improving balance between work and personal life.

The program begins Wednesday, March 31, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and meets at the hospital’s Integrative Healing House.

Dr. Lovejoy has provided this program for the past seven years and in 2006 Sutter Lakeside Hospitals Stress Reduction and Relaxation Clinic was featured on Sutter Health’s LifeStages television program.

The video can be viewed at https://mylifestages.org/MyLifeStages/videos/video_library.page .

To register for the program, call the Sutter Lakeside Hospital Wellness Center at 707-262-5171. Scholarships opportunities are available.

To learn more about Sutter Lakeside Hospital’s programs and physicians, or to hear what our patients have to say, please visit www.sutterlakeside.org .