Ideas for stressful times!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Ideas for stressful times!
1
Tue, 11-16-2004 - 5:18pm

With Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching I know many of us will come under various types of stress at this time of year. Well though I may not have the remedies for you I have come across some helpful ideas to get you through some of the tougher moments.

It's actually a longer post than I thought it would be---


Understanding Stress-
http://www.ivillage.com/diet/features/shapeup/articles/0,,218925_438777,00.html


The following is an excerpt from Jonny Bowden's Shape Up Workbook by Jonny Bowden, Perseus Publishing, © 2002. Used with permission.


Stress can make you fat.
And there's something you can do about it. It's not something most people think of when they think about weight loss, yet it's free and it's widely available.

It's called sleep and relaxation.


To understand how it works you have to understand a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol is a hormone that is needed and used by every single cell in the body. It's made by the adrenal glands, two little nut-shaped fellows that sit on top of your kidneys. Among other things, cortisol is an anti-inflammatory (the widely prescribed "cortizone" is a derivative). But cortisol's most famous role is that of a stress hormone.
When your cavemen and cavewomen ancestors saw a wild boar in the woods, their adrenals would shoot a load of cortisol into their bodies, telling them in no uncertain terms that the time had come to pick up a weapon or run like the devil. Cortisol helps the body release sugar into the bloodstream, sugar that can be used for the immediate energy needed for either of the above actions -- running or fighting. In fact, during any stressful time -- including exercise, by the way -- the body releases more cortisol, hence its nickname as a "fight or flight" hormone.
Cortisol is not a "bad" hormone. As with most things, the problem is when it's out of balance. According to Dr. Pamela Peeke, a leading expert in the field, chronic unrelenting stress (of the kind most of us live with every day) can have a dangerous effect on the body. It makes you more vulnerable to colds, flu, fatigue, and infection, and, if that weren't enough, it gives you a raging appetite in the bargain. Why? Because one of its "purposes" is to help your body "refuel" for the next emergency. Hence, when your body's on constant cortizone overload, you eat. She calls this typical reaction "stress eating," and it has a solid physiological reason: The foods you crave when stressed out (almost always carbohydrates and fat) "replenish the calories used up during the stress response -- which, in simplest terms, is one of the main ways that activating the stress response on a constant basis can make you fat."


Now if stress is a factor in weight gain -- and it almost certainly is a big one -- what's the logical conclusion?

Reduce it! (And with it, your waistline.)

Most people are living lives that put an inordinate amount of stress on their systems. We're working too hard. We're managing too many projects (including other people's lives). We're worrying too much. We're sleeping too little. We have too little time for ourselves. Our poor adrenal glands, which were meant to simply be an emergency system for occasional use, have been pressed into overdrive -- their owners are running on empty and refueling with junk to keep from noticing. Is it any wonder so many of us are overtired, sleep-deprived, immune-suppressed, depressed, frequently sick, and typically overweight?
So what's the secret weapon? Simple. Stress reduction. (By the way, one of the biggest stressors is continual dieting and worrying about weight!)
Do some deep breathing exercises at least a few times a day. Find something that gives you spiritual solace. Take care of yourself, not just in the obvious ways, but in the ways that only you would understand.
A good place to start is by changing your sleeping habits. Sleep experts estimate that more than half of the U.S. population is walking around in some degree of sleep deprivation. The problem is compounded by our refusal to take time for ourselves -- if it's not related to work or family, we just don't do it.
So do it now. Begin by going to bed earlier (staying in bed later is much more difficult for most people). Try banning television from the bedroom. Take a warm bath. Put on soothing music. Eventually, you'll get the hang of it!

Reducing stress is not only good for your health, your immune system, and your psychological well-being, it's good for your waistline as well.


Relieving Stress-
http://www.ivillage.com/diet/myyoga/articles/0,,268447_269573,00.html?arrivalSA=1&cobrandRef=0&arrival_freqCap=2

A great way to relieve stress is through yoga. Try this simple exercise to unwind at the end of a hectic day.


Stand with your feet parallel and hip width apart, raise your arms up overhead. Interlace your fingers, palms facing up, and rest them on the top of your head.
Give yourself permission to be quiet and turn inside. Feel your breath, flowing in and out naturally, and gradually let it become softer and longer. Now acknowledge to yourself what is stressful in your life right now. It may be a task, or a relationship, or fear about the future. See if you can identify it. Observe how that stress feels in your body and your mind. Picture the stress as a heavy coat that you can choose to take off. You may put it back on later, but you do have the choice to wear it or not right now. The outer situation may not change, but your way of looking at it and reacting to it can change. Be aware of your own goodness and wholeness apart from the stress.
Sit quietly with your eyes closed for a few breaths, noticing how you feel, and then gently open your eyes.


Reducing Stress w/Food-
http://www.ivillage.com/diet/features/herbs/qas/0,,166195_7391,00.html

What are the best foods for reducing stress?
Tough question, as it varies from person to person. I'd start out by trying to limit refined carbohydrates as much as possible, as those foods can (easily) cause blood-sugar swings that lead to anxiety, irritability, headaches, confusion and other signs of stress. Such foods include refined sugar and anything made with it, refined white flour and its products such as bread or pasta, and vegetables that are high in starch, such as potatoes (French fries!).
Foods high in calcium and magnesium can be calming, as these two minerals help relax muscle fibers. Fresh dark-green, leafy vegetables are excellent in this regard. I also use calcium and magnesium supplements, though I don't give calcium alone.
Herbs or supplements that can provide a noticeable relaxing effect, which never hurts when you're really stressed out, include valerian (where the idea for Valium came from) and one that's relatively new on the scene (in this country), kava, which is most remarkable. Both are available at good health food stores.
The need to avoid caffeine "foods" (such as chocolate, tea, coffee, soft drinks and so forth) goes without saying, as being hyper is hardly conducive to handling stress.
Good Health,
A.N. Spreen, MD

Seven Stress Fighting Tips
http://www.ivillage.com/diet/experts/askdiet/qas/0,,165526_42963,00.html



  1. Learn to relax. Try deep-breathing exercises during which you close your eyes, consciously relax your body and focus on your breathing for five to 20 minutes each day. Try to breath deeply and remove all other thoughts from your mind.


  2. Try an audio-tape progressive relaxation exercise. Look in your local bookstore for ideas. These tapes usually have pleasant background music or sounds from nature and they lead you through relaxation exercises.


  3. Banish bad thoughts from your mind. Try placing a rubber band loosely on your wrist. Every time you have a negative thought, snap the rubber band. This will remind you to think positively.


  4. Memorize a prayer or poem to repeat to yourself every time you have a negative thought or feel yourself under increasing stress. Look through favorite books of poetry for ideas, or ask your pastor for help.


  5. Exercise. Daily exercise not only helps control blood sugar and also works to reduce stress. Try a daily 15- to 20-minute walk to clear your head. Focus on positive thoughts during your exercise time. If you can't get out to take a walk, try stretching in your shower or walking stairs. Do what you can, but try to commit to 15 to 20 minutes of some movement per day. You deserve it.


  6. As for comfort food, make yourself goodie bags. Regarding the snacking on "comfort foods," accept that you can't go back on what you have already consumed, but know that you can take it one step at a time, one day at a time. Try to make a commitment to yourself that you will prepare the next day's snacks the night before. That way, you'll have healthy food already prepared which you can carry with you throughout the day. Your goodie bags can include:

    • a hard-boiled egg, red-pepper strips and four to six whole-grain crackers
    • one cup lite soy milk or skim milk and one English muffin topped with a smear of peanut butter or all-fruit spread
    • three graham crackers and an orange
    • half a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich on whole-wheat bread
    • apple slices and one small sugar-free yogurt.


  7. Most importantly, don't give up! If you try one of these ideas and it doesn't seem to work, don't put the blame on yourself. Try another approach, find a different support group or talk with a different health-care consultant. You're too important to not give yourself every possible chance.
Moderation IS Key!

cl-vi_islandgirl
Getting Fit in Your 30's

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Wed, 11-17-2004 - 1:04pm

Thanks IG!!