Type A Personality
Type A Personality
If you’re one of those hard-driving, time-pressured, workaholic type A personalities, chances are you wouldn’t dream of taking the time to stop and smell the roses. Too bad, because research shows that if you don’t, you might wind up pushing up daisies before your time.
What stresses your cardiovascular system—and puts you at increased risk of heart attack—are the anger, hostility, cynicism and extreme competitiveness that sometimes come with type A behavior. The natural remedies in this chapter, used with your doctor’s approval, may help a type A personality relax, according to some health professionals.
See Your Medical Doctor When...
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Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy offers a number of ways for the type A personality to relax and unwind, says Los Angeles aromatic consultant John Steele. He recommends a combination of baths, massages and a diffuser (candle or electric), using a soothing oil such as lavender, ylang ylang, bergamot, melissa, jasmine, grapefruit, geranium, sandalwood, rose or neroli.
At the end of the day, draw yourself a hot bath scented with six to ten drops of essential oil, suggests Steele. He says to soak for 15 minutes, then massage your neck and shoulders with a blend of ten drops of essential oil per ½ ounce of carrier oil such as almond or sunflower (carrier oils are available in most health food stores). For deepest relaxation, he recommends using a diffuser or an aroma lamp to scent the room as you bathe.
For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.
Flower Remedy/Essence Therapy
“The type A personality is very rigid and overreacts when things don’t go according to plan,” says Patricia Kaminski, co-director of the Flower Essence Society, a Nevada City, California, organization that studies and promotes the therapeutic use of flower remedies/essences. Such personalities can benefit from the Bach flower remedy Willow, according to Kaminski. “The willow is a strong, resilient tree that bends easily in the wind without breaking. This remedy encourages the same kind of flexibility in the person who takes it,” she says. The Bach flower remedy Holly can be helpful for “emotional congestion,” according to Kaminski. And the essence Scarlet Monkey Flower helps a person identify the sources of his anger and come to terms with it.
Flower remedies/essences are available in some health food stores and through mail order (refer to the resource list on page 635). For information on preparing and administering flower remedies/essences, see page 37.
Imagery
Picture walking along the bank of a river until you come to a bridge. Walk to the middle of the bridge and stare into the water. Pick out one drop of water in the river and imagine that it represents the current moment. Let that drop (or moment) expand until it is three feet wide. Then allow it to become as wide as the river.
Eventually, the drop should expand to the point that everything around you is in the current moment, says Dennis Gersten, M.D., a San Diego psychiatrist and publisher of Atlantis, a bi-monthly imagery newsletter. “Essentially, that imagery helps you live in the moment, which is difficult for type A’s,” he explains. He suggests doing this imagery for 10 to 20 minutes twice a day.
As an alternative, envision making a videotape of your fast and furious day. Now rewind the tape and play it in slow motion. Above this moving picture of your life, see the words “slow” and “easy” in pink, coral or salmon light, says Elizabeth Ann Barrett, R.N., Ph.D., professor and coordinator of the Center for Nursing Research at Hunter College of the City University of New York in New York City. She suggests doing this imagery once at the end of the day; it should take about ten minutes, she adds.
Juice Therapy
“Celery juice has a very soothing effect on the nervous system, so it’s a wonderful tonic for the type A person,” says Elaine Gillaspie, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Portland, Oregon. She recommends an eight-ounce blend of equal parts celery juice, carrot juice and water, taken at least once a day. “Celery juice also is a mild diuretic and may have a beneficial effect on high blood pressure,” she notes.
For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.
Sound Therapy
Try spending 10 to 20 minutes each day listening to relaxing music, suggests Steven Halpern, Ph.D., composer, researcher and author of Sound Health: The Music and Sounds That Make Us Whole. To get started, turn on the music, then sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Dr. Halpern suggests that you wear headphones to focus your full attention and to avoid distraction. He recommends, however, that you keep the speakers playing, so your body absorbs the sound energy. While the music plays, slow your breathing and let it become steady. Listen not just to the notes but to the silence between the notes. Dr. Halpern says this will keep you from analyzing the music, which will allow it to relax you.
Here are some suggested pieces of music: Seapeace, a New Age album by Georgia Kelly; Spectrum Suite, Inner Peace and Comfort Zone, all by Dr. Halpern; and any recording of Gregorian chants. For other selections, see “Sailing Away to Key Largo” on page 129.
Many of these pieces are available in music stores. For mail-order information, refer to the resource list on page 642.
Vitamin and Mineral Therapy
“If you’re a type A, you can benefit from taking a magnesium supplement and an amino acid named GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), both of which can help mellow you out,” says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. He recommends a daily 400-milligram supplement of magnesium. Follow the manufacturer’s dosage suggestion for GABA, he adds. GABA is available in supplement form in most health food stores.
Yoga
Patience and relaxation are what you need, according to Alice Christensen, founder and executive director of the American Yoga Association. She says meditation (see page 153) for 20 to 30 minutes every day will help you find more of both. She also recommends the complete breath exercise (see page 152), which you can use several times per day—at work, on the commute, in bed or any other time you feel stressed or angry.
See also Anger; Irritability