Within a week we will all be in full holiday madness. Immediately following the Thanksgiving feast we will likely spend 30 days shopping, gifting, decorating, cleaning, hiding, seeking, baking, traveling and eating. Stress will come upon us in all shapes, wrappings, and sizes. Stress causes all sorts of internal damage... and... can be addicting. Here is my overview on how to interrupt stress. May it be a useful reminder to enjoy the holidays and digest them slowly instead of letting the stress of the season consume you.
From a Monday, even though it's Wednesday... January 28, 2013:
You Control Your Stress!
Mondays have been a 'day off' for me for years. We spend the week managing homework and activities and we spend the weekends managing free time and idle minds; Mondays are a great day to keep all thoughts on recuperating. The kids get on the bus, my husband goes to work, and the house falls into a hush. Monday's are my stress management, time management, me management day!
I am not great at time management. This concept may not seem important as far as health is concerned, but I believe it to be directly related to stress management. I have already noted stress affects blood sugar maintenance, but stress affects all areas of our health; hunger, digestion, sleep, happiness, blood pressure, the nervous system, hormones, etc., etc., etc. I cannot, in five paragraphs or less, explain how stress wreaks havoc on all ten body systems, but I can tell you a few tips on how to undo the damage!
Breathe and Eat! As I have touched on before, the body can become addicted to stress, especially if you do not eat often (at least at regular intervals). Stress causes that release of blood sugar from stores throughout the body and that can cause a temporary 'high' and subsequent 'low'. This confusion throws our hormones out of whack! When we feel the first signs of stress, instead of giving in to the adrenaline surge, take some deep breaths and eat something real! Real food is a much better source of sugar for blood sugar and can interrupt stress before stress interrupts your systems~
Sleep well and wake up without an alarm! Water can be a great alarm clock~ drink some before you go to bed... If you do not wish to use ancient sleep management methods, just switch your alarm from the buzzer to the radio. Use a pleasant ring tone or jingle instead of a sound associated with urgency or emergency. Instead of waking up by a 'flight or fight' hormone, wake up by way of a joyful noise; it will effectively reduce your likelihood of responding to other external factors with a stress response.
Another great stress management idea is to rearrange your routine. If you notice, as I do, that stress creeps in around 2 pm, move a few things around to thwart the need for sugar, for anger, or for caffeine. You are in complete control of your day, of your food, of your water intake, of your vitamin choice, and of your schedule. If something is not working, change it. If life feels cramped, eliminate something. When stress shows its ugly head eat real food, drink a big glass of water, chew on some vitamins, and wash your hands of it.
Have a wonderful, relaxing, stress reducing Monday. Yoga? Eggs? Prayer? Board game? Chic Flick? Insanity? All of the above? Enjoy~
Anna~
No comments:
Post a Comment