Now when I'm talking about not letting the stress get to you, I am not just talking about work stress or relationship stress... I'm talking about ALL kinds of stress!
Today has been one of those days for me where everything seems to go wrong JUST enough to screw up my day. As I sat in my chair staring at my computer screen I reminded myself that I can't let the stress get to me.
There are many reasons that stress is bad for you... just to name a few:
1. It can make you fat!*
2. It can lead to high blood pressure (though the American Heart Association says the actual link is not clear, I have a few ideas...)
3. It can make you unpleasant and difficult to deal with... (sometimes I think "who cares" about this one, but you never know how you are affecting others...misery loves company -- but don't pass it on)
4. Medical research suggests that up to 90% of all illness and disease is stress-related (crazy!), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.**
5. Loss of Sex Drive (no thank you!)
Now let's address #1. I have heard a number of different ways that stress can lead to weight gain, especially around the middle. Here's what TIME magazine published regarding the topic...
"Researchers believe this abdominal fat lodges deep within visceral organs (ew!), such as the heart, liver and blood vessels, and may be an indicator of increased heart-attack risk. In a study of 42 female monkeys, the scientists found that those with the most social stress — in the monkeys' case, that meant being at the bottom of the social hierarchy — packed away the most fat around the middle."
The other part of this is the hormone "Cortisol". People with high levels of stress tend to produce excessive amounts of this stress hormone and tend to have more weight around their middle; we're talking apple-shaped bodies, rather than pear-shaped ones.
Now if that doesn't make you want to slow down and do a few breathing exercises next time you're feeling overwhelmed, I don't know what will!
High Blood Pressure!!! Here's how this works... we are basically primitive animals and we all have a natural stress response called the "Fight or Flight" response. Now this is a VERY helpful little tool we have developed since the beginning of humanity... when we needed it on a daily basis. Essentially, when were are presented with a stressful situation, are bodies are pumped with adrenaline and cortisol which prepare us to "Fight" or "Flee". This is for "situational stress", and like I said it is a good thing. It's this response system that allows a mother to lift a car that's pinning her son to the ground... don't believe me? Check this out: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2636/supermom. However, once the situation has passed, adrenaline and cortisol are supposed to go back to normal levels... BUT chronic stress means that these hormones could be elevated for long periods of time! This is NOT GOOD for you. This can be a precursor to the negative affect of stress!
Illness and disease are a result or related to stress 90% of the time?! What? That's crazy?! Or is it? When you are in a chronic state of stress, your immune system can be more vulnerable, making you more susceptible to infections.
Loss of Sex Drive?! When you are under a lot of stress, your mind tends to be busy thinking about the cause of that stress. Your mind is elsewhere. It's much more difficult to get "in the mood" when you're stressing on what happened at work that day. This is more of a common problem for women by the way... surprise surprise!
Now... I know what you want to know now! WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT!?!
Here's just some tips on how to lower stress. If you find that your stress is the result of a much more serious life event, sometimes therapy can be a good place to find solace and relax your mind. For every day stresses, try these tips:
1. Positive thinking and positive self talk. Reduce stress by eliminating negative self talk. A study to corroborate this was done by researchers at the Mayo Clinic.
It's unclear EXACTLY why this works, but one theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body.***
Be optimistic! Have a half full glass, rather than a half empty one. Think about it... if the endless stream of thoughts going through your head all day are negative, you're probably going to be a more negative person and have a negative outlook... this can make it harder to deal with stressful situations when they arise.
The Mayo Clinic has a great top ten list of stress relievers... here are just a few of my favorites from that list. Go here to see the rest: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/positive-thinking/SR00009.
2. LAUGH! Laughter is the best medicine, haven't you heard? Laughter can lighten your mood and cause positive physical changes in your body -- even if you start out by faking it! So fake it till you make it... or watch some funny movies or hang out with funny friends :) But just increase the laughter in your life!
3. CONNECT! This means basically that even though you want to crawl under the covers and get away from the world, do the opposite! Being social and surrounding yourself with friends and family can help to give you support, or just distract you. Studies also show that being social can help alleviate some symptoms of depression... I don't know exactly where to site that, but I'll find it and post the study soon.
4. Yoga/ meditation/ breathing exercises. Do I need to really elaborate? Doing yoga or meditating really helps to clear your mind and bring you back to your center. Sometimes all you need to do is clear your head after a long day and meditating or yoga can help. Some good breathing exercises are ALWAYS helpful and you can even do them at work! Here's a link to a good video for breathing exercises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87_EWLS5h4I
5. SLEEP! Yes, sleep is our body's natural way of taking care of itself, regenerating, and recharging! You must not skimp on the sleep. If you feel especially anxious during bedtime thinking of the day ahead of you, try to be consistent with your sleep routine and get yourself relaxed. Take a warm bath with lavender, drink some sleepy-time tea (or good ol chamomile will do), and get the clocks out of your room. DO NOT TURN ON THE TV. And lastly, don't check your phone in bed -- it can wake your mind up and make it harder to get back in the sleep zone.
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| How happy does this baby look?? |
So this is all I have about stress for now... It was a good reminder to myself to not sweat the small stuff. We are all dealing with our own stress and it's important to do our best to reduce our stress or channel it into something positive. Don't let it affect how you treat others, and especially don't let it affect how you treat yourself. Give yourself a break, cut yourself some slack. Remember... You're doing the best you can!
**Science website called "How Stuff Works" - very informative: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/human-biology/how-stress-works1.htm
***http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/positive-thinking/SR00009
Side note: I'm not a doctor, and my advice is based in experience, opinion and Internet searches. Happy reading!
