-
Heart disease Researchers have long suspected that the
stressed-out, type A personality has a higher risk of high blood
pressure and heart problems. We don't know why, exactly. Stress might
have a direct effect on the heart and blood vessels. It's also possible
that stress is related to other problems -- an increased likelihood of
smoking or obesity -- that indirectly increase the heart risks.
Doctors do know that sudden emotional stress can be a trigger for serious cardiac problems, including heart attacks. People who have chronic heart problems need to avoid acute stress as much as they can. - Asthma Many studies have shown that stress can worsen asthma. Some evidence suggests that a parent's chronic stress might even increase the risk of developing asthma in their children. One study looked at how parental stress affected the asthma rates of young children who were also exposed to air pollution or whose mothers smoked during pregnancy. The kids with stressed out parents had a substantially higher risk of developing asthma.
- Obesity Excess fat in the belly seems to pose greater health risks than fat on the legs or hips -- and unfortunately, that's just where people with high stress seem to store it. "Stress causes higher levels of the hormone cortisol," says Winner, "and that seems to increase the amount of fat that's deposited in the abdomen."
- Diabetes Stress can worsen diabetes in two ways. First, it increases the likelihood of bad behaviors, such as unhealthy eating and excessive drinking. Second, stress seems to raise the glucose levels of people with type 2 diabetes directly.
- Headaches Stress is considered one of the most common triggers for headaches -- not just tension headaches, but migraines as well.
- Depression and anxiety It's probably no surprise that chronic stress is connected with higher rates of depression and anxiety. One survey of recent studies found that people who had stress related to their jobs -- like demanding work with few rewards -- had an 80% higher risk of developing depression within a few years than people with lower stress.
- Gastrointestinal problems Here's one thing that stress doesn't do -- it doesn't cause ulcers. However, it can make them worse. Stress is also a common factor in many other GI conditions, such as chronic heartburn (GERD) and IBS, Winner says.
- Alzheimer's disease One animal study found that stress might worsen Alzheimer's disease, causing its brain lesions to form more quickly. Some researchers speculate that reducing stress has the potential to slow down the progression of the disease.
- Accelerated aging There's actually evidence that stress can affect how you age. One study compared the DNA of mothers who were under high stress -- they were caring for a chronically ill child -- with women who were not. Researchers found that a particular region of the chromosomes showed the effects of accelerated aging. Stress seemed to accelerate aging about 9 to 17 additional years.
- Premature death A study looked at the health effects of stress by studying elderly caregivers looking after their spouses -- people who are naturally under a great deal of stress. It found that caregivers had a 63% higher rate of death than people their age who were not caregivers.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
10 Health Problems Related to Stress
Sunday, June 10, 2012
USEFUL INFORMATION !!!!!!
Feeling like
there are too many pressures and demands on you? Losing sleep worrying
about tests and schoolwork? Eating on the run because your schedule is
just too busy? You're not alone. Everyone experiences stress at times —
adults, teens, and even kids. But there are ways to minimize stress and
manage the stress that's unavoidable.
The events that provoke stress are called stressors, and they cover a whole range of situations — everything from outright physical danger to making a class presentation or taking a semester's worth of your toughest subject.
The human body responds to stressors by activating the nervous system and specific hormones. The hypothalamus signals the adrenal glands to produce more of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. Blood vessels open wider to let more blood flow to large muscle groups, putting our muscles on alert. Pupils dilate to improve vision. The liver releases some of its stored glucose to increase the body's energy. And sweat is produced to cool the body. All of these physical changes prepare a person to react quickly and effectively to handle the pressure of the moment.
This natural reaction is known as the stress response. Working properly, the body's stress response enhances a person's ability to perform well under pressure. But the stress response can also cause problems when it overreacts or fails to turn off and reset itself properly.
But stress doesn't always happen in response to things that are immediate or that are over quickly. Ongoing or long-term events, like coping with a divorce or moving to a new neighborhood or school, can cause stress, too.
Long-term stressful situations can produce a lasting, low-level stress that's hard on people. The nervous system senses continued pressure and may remain slightly activated and continue to pump out extra stress hormones over an extended period. This can wear out the body's reserves, leave a person feeling depleted or overwhelmed, weaken the body's immune system, and cause other problems.
Pressures that are too intense or last too long, or troubles that are shouldered alone, can cause people to feel stress overload. Here are some of the things that can overwhelm the body's ability to cope if they continue for a long time:
Some people have anxiety problems that can cause them to overreact to stress, making even small difficulties seem like crises. If a person frequently feels tense, upset, worried, or stressed, it may be a sign of anxiety. Anxiety problems usually need attention, and many people turn to professional counselors for help in overcoming them.
Here are some things that can help keep stress under control:
What Is Stress?
Stress is a feeling that's created when we react to particular events. It's the body's way of rising to a challenge and preparing to meet a tough situation with focus, strength, stamina, and heightened alertness.The events that provoke stress are called stressors, and they cover a whole range of situations — everything from outright physical danger to making a class presentation or taking a semester's worth of your toughest subject.
The human body responds to stressors by activating the nervous system and specific hormones. The hypothalamus signals the adrenal glands to produce more of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. Blood vessels open wider to let more blood flow to large muscle groups, putting our muscles on alert. Pupils dilate to improve vision. The liver releases some of its stored glucose to increase the body's energy. And sweat is produced to cool the body. All of these physical changes prepare a person to react quickly and effectively to handle the pressure of the moment.
This natural reaction is known as the stress response. Working properly, the body's stress response enhances a person's ability to perform well under pressure. But the stress response can also cause problems when it overreacts or fails to turn off and reset itself properly.
Good Stress and Bad Stress
The stress response (also called the fight or flight response) is critical during emergency situations, such as when a driver has to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. It can also be activated in a milder form at a time when the pressure's on but there's no actual danger — like stepping up to take the foul shot that could win the game, getting ready to go to a big dance, or sitting down for a final exam. A little of this stress can help keep you on your toes, ready to rise to a challenge. And the nervous system quickly returns to its normal state, standing by to respond again when needed.But stress doesn't always happen in response to things that are immediate or that are over quickly. Ongoing or long-term events, like coping with a divorce or moving to a new neighborhood or school, can cause stress, too.
Long-term stressful situations can produce a lasting, low-level stress that's hard on people. The nervous system senses continued pressure and may remain slightly activated and continue to pump out extra stress hormones over an extended period. This can wear out the body's reserves, leave a person feeling depleted or overwhelmed, weaken the body's immune system, and cause other problems.
What Causes Stress Overload?
Although just enough stress can be a good thing, stress overload is a different story — too much stress isn't good for anyone. For example, feeling a little stress about a test that's coming up can motivate you to study hard. But stressing out too much over the test can make it hard to concentrate on the material you need to learn.Pressures that are too intense or last too long, or troubles that are shouldered alone, can cause people to feel stress overload. Here are some of the things that can overwhelm the body's ability to cope if they continue for a long time:
- being bullied or exposed to violence or injury
- relationship stress, family conflicts, or the heavy emotions that can accompany a broken heart or the death of a loved one
- ongoing problems with schoolwork related to a learning disability or other problems, such as ADHD (usually once the problem is recognized and the person is given the right learning support the stress disappears)
- crammed schedules, not having enough time to rest and relax, and always being on the go
Some people have anxiety problems that can cause them to overreact to stress, making even small difficulties seem like crises. If a person frequently feels tense, upset, worried, or stressed, it may be a sign of anxiety. Anxiety problems usually need attention, and many people turn to professional counselors for help in overcoming them.
Signs of Stress Overload
People who are experiencing stress overload may notice some of the following signs:- anxiety or panic attacks
- a feeling of being constantly pressured, hassled, and hurried
- irritability and moodiness
- physical symptoms, such as stomach problems, headaches, or even chest pain
- allergic reactions, such as eczema or asthma
- problems sleeping
- drinking too much, smoking, overeating, or doing drugs
- sadness or depression
Keep Stress Under Control
What can you do to deal with stress overload or, better yet, to avoid it in the first place? The most helpful method of dealing with stress is learning how to manage the stress that comes along with any new challenge, good or bad. Stress-management skills work best when they're used regularly, not just when the pressure's on. Knowing how to "de-stress" and doing it when things are relatively calm can help you get through challenging circumstances that may arise.Here are some things that can help keep stress under control:
-
Take a stand against overscheduling. If you're feeling stretched, consider cutting out an activity or two, opting for just the ones that are most important to you.
-
Be realistic. Don't try to be perfect — no one is.
And expecting others to be perfect can add to your stress level, too
(not to mention put a lot of pressure on them!). If you need help on
something, like schoolwork, ask for it.
-
Get a good night's sleep. Getting enough sleep helps
keep your body and mind in top shape, making you better equipped to
deal with any negative stressors. Because the biological "sleep clock"
shifts during adolescence, many teens prefer staying up a little later
at night and sleeping a little later in the morning. But if you stay up
late and still need to get up early for school, you may not get all the
hours of sleep you need.
- Learn to relax. The body's natural antidote to stress is called the relaxation response. It's your body's opposite of stress, and it creates a sense of well-being and calm. The chemical benefits of the relaxation response can be activated simply by relaxing. You can help trigger the relaxation response by learning simple breathing exercises and then using them when you're caught up in stressful situations. (Click on the button to try one.) And ensure you stay relaxed by building time into your schedule for activities that are calming and pleasurable: reading a good book or making time for a hobby, spending time with your pet, or just taking a relaxing bath.
-
Treat your body well. Experts agree that getting regular exercise helps people manage stress. (Excessive or compulsive
exercise can contribute to stress, though, so as in all things, use
moderation.) And eat well to help your body get the right fuel to
function at its best. It's easy when you're stressed out to eat on the
run or eat junk food or fast food. But under stressful conditions, the
body needs its vitamins and minerals more than ever. Some people may
turn to substance abuse as a way to ease tension. Although alcohol or
drugs may seem to lift the stress temporarily, relying on them to cope
with stress actually promotes more stress because it wears down the
body's ability to bounce back.
-
Watch what you're thinking. Your outlook, attitude,
and thoughts influence the way you see things. Is your cup half full or
half empty? A healthy dose of optimism can help you make the best of
stressful circumstances. Even if you're out of practice, or tend to be a
bit of a pessimist, everyone can learn to think more optimistically and
reap the benefits.
-
Solve the little problems. Learning to solve
everyday problems can give you a sense of control. But avoiding them can
leave you feeling like you have little control and that just adds to
stress. Develop skills to calmly look at a problem, figure out options,
and take some action toward a solution. Feeling capable of solving
little problems builds the inner confidence to move on to life's bigger
ones — and it and can serve you well in times of stress.
Build Your Resilience
Ever notice that certain people seem to adapt quickly to stressful circumstances and take things in stride? They're cool under pressure and able to handle problems as they come up. Researchers have identified the qualities that make some people seem naturally resilient even when faced with high levels of stress.
If you want to build your resilience, work on developing these attitudes and behaviors:
- Think of change as a challenging and normal part of life.
- See setbacks and problems as temporary and solvable.
- Believe that you will succeed if you keep working toward your goals.
- Take action to solve problems that crop up.
- Build strong relationships and keep commitments to family and friends.
- Have a support system and ask for help.
- Participate regularly in activities for relaxation and fun.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Natural Remedies for Anxiety
There are many natural remedies for anxiety, a problem that
plagues far too many people worldwide. First of all, anxiety is the
body's automatic response to stress. Anxiety provides the body with a
boost of adrenalin when a lion crosses our path in the jungle--it's a
life-saving response. Unfortunately, anxiety has become a way of life
for a myriad of people around the globe. Now it's bills and cubicles and
traffic and computer meltdowns crossing our paths in the suburban
jungle. While the body's response hasn't changed, it still cannot
survive in a constant state of "5 Alarm Fire" like this. When
experiencing anxiety, one's heart rate and blood pressure increase,
blood sugar elevates, sweating often becomes excessive, and it may be
difficult to breathe and swallow. Rather than running to the doctor for a
pharmaceutical medication, first consider some of the many natural
remedies for anxiety.
Meditation is a favorite natural remedy for anxiety--it's fast, easy, and free. (All three of these should automatically reduce anxiety!) If you've never tried meditation, start by downloading or purchasing a guided meditation CD. Get yourself into a comfortable, upright position in a room that is quiet and free of distractions. Put the CD in to play and just listen to the instructions. A peaceful, calming voice will instruct you on how to breathe and where to let your thoughts go. After just 5 or 10 minutes of meditation, even the most anxious person will notice a dramatic shift towards tranquility.
Another fast, easy, free, and natural remedy for anxiety is using affirmations. Affirmations are simply positive statements that you repeat in your head to yourself throughout the day. Begin your affirmations by saying, "I am..." For example:
- I am relaxed.
- I am happy.
- I am safe.
- I am in control.
- I am at peace.
Affirmations should be repeated 10 times or more consecutively each time you feel anxiety coming on. They can be even more effective when combined with some of the tricks you learn in meditation, such as deep breathing.
Still fast, easy, and free, visualizations are another great natural remedy for anxiety. In line with meditating and using affirmations, visualizations also help create a peaceful state of mind that counteracts the effects of anxiety. Visualizations are best done in the morning before getting out of bed or at night before falling asleep (when the mind is alert but less cluttered with mental chatter). Use all of your 5 senses to see yourself peacefully responding to an upcoming stressful event or going through your daily routine with ease--taste what it's like to be peaceful, see it, feel it, hear it. The more "3-dimensional" your visualizations are, the more powerful will be their impact on your mental state.
One final tip on dealing with anxiety naturally is in using the "Serenity Prayer." This non-denominational prayer says, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." This powerful little prayer can also help you reduce anxiety without expensive Western medicine.
Meditation is a favorite natural remedy for anxiety--it's fast, easy, and free. (All three of these should automatically reduce anxiety!) If you've never tried meditation, start by downloading or purchasing a guided meditation CD. Get yourself into a comfortable, upright position in a room that is quiet and free of distractions. Put the CD in to play and just listen to the instructions. A peaceful, calming voice will instruct you on how to breathe and where to let your thoughts go. After just 5 or 10 minutes of meditation, even the most anxious person will notice a dramatic shift towards tranquility.
Another fast, easy, free, and natural remedy for anxiety is using affirmations. Affirmations are simply positive statements that you repeat in your head to yourself throughout the day. Begin your affirmations by saying, "I am..." For example:
- I am relaxed.
- I am happy.
- I am safe.
- I am in control.
- I am at peace.
Affirmations should be repeated 10 times or more consecutively each time you feel anxiety coming on. They can be even more effective when combined with some of the tricks you learn in meditation, such as deep breathing.
Still fast, easy, and free, visualizations are another great natural remedy for anxiety. In line with meditating and using affirmations, visualizations also help create a peaceful state of mind that counteracts the effects of anxiety. Visualizations are best done in the morning before getting out of bed or at night before falling asleep (when the mind is alert but less cluttered with mental chatter). Use all of your 5 senses to see yourself peacefully responding to an upcoming stressful event or going through your daily routine with ease--taste what it's like to be peaceful, see it, feel it, hear it. The more "3-dimensional" your visualizations are, the more powerful will be their impact on your mental state.
One final tip on dealing with anxiety naturally is in using the "Serenity Prayer." This non-denominational prayer says, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." This powerful little prayer can also help you reduce anxiety without expensive Western medicine.
How To Be Patient
Patience is one great virtue to possess but it doesn't happen
that easily. Personally I am constantly working out ways of how to be
patient especially in dealing with difficult people. When we talk of
patience in the Bible, the reference is always drawn to Job; the fact
that he didn't curse God nor sin against him in his mouth during his
tragedy is worthy of emulation. Patience is the quality of endurance
under trials - an attitude of the heart with respect to things and
people. Here are powerful keys on how to be patient.
2. Practice the acts of breathing.
When you feel the rush of emotions, the tense feeling, tightening and clenching, pull away in your mind and take scoops of deep breaths. I've applied these methods in several occasions and it's really very effective. It relaxes your emotions and brings clarity to your mind. Do this as many times as is necessary to re-established calmness in your whole person.
3. Have right priority about life's challenges.
Job said naked was I born into this world in like manner shall I return to the grave. He didn't place so much priority on the riches he had just lost or even on his children. Many times our priorities are out-of-place forcing us into the spirit of impatience. Job's dialogue was mainly with God as he must have deemed him to hold the answer to his predicament. At one point, he affirmed heartily, "I will wait until my change come". This is a sure way of how to be patient, put your priority by the grace of God at where it should be.
4. Break away and pray.
Prayer is one of the powerful keys on how to be patient. If you wait patiently on the Lord in a time of prayer, you'll emerge relaxed and calm. Take short prayer breaks if you're becoming impatient.
5. Engage in meditative study of the word.
The bible says that we should study to be patient. When you meditate on God's word, the life in the word will penetrate your soul, working out the fruits of the spirit in you. The patience that develops during trials creates in our hearts a deeper understanding of the working of God in our circumstances. Patience is a commandment. See James 5:7-11. Once you've learned how to be patient, you'll avoid running into situations that could impede your walk with the Lord. Patience is a skill developed out of real life challenges and experiences and is worth its weight in gold after all.
The costs of impatient are regrettable actions and decisions that leave you worst than at the beginning. Many people wonder how to be patient without any reasonable effort on their part. Human life demands that we exhibit patience. Learn how to be patient in a relationship, how to be patient in love, how to be patient with God and how to be patient when things don't go your way.
In all, there are more to gain in developing the spirit of patience than anger and irritation.
1. Identify the trigger points.
The
fact that we're wired differently is the reason you've to identify in
your life the issues or persons that trigger the spirit of impatience in
you. The Bible calls for self examinations to gain proper perspective
in our walk of faith. Once you can identify the triggers, then you'll be
able to work at getting better in cultivating a patient spirit.2. Practice the acts of breathing.
When you feel the rush of emotions, the tense feeling, tightening and clenching, pull away in your mind and take scoops of deep breaths. I've applied these methods in several occasions and it's really very effective. It relaxes your emotions and brings clarity to your mind. Do this as many times as is necessary to re-established calmness in your whole person.
3. Have right priority about life's challenges.
Job said naked was I born into this world in like manner shall I return to the grave. He didn't place so much priority on the riches he had just lost or even on his children. Many times our priorities are out-of-place forcing us into the spirit of impatience. Job's dialogue was mainly with God as he must have deemed him to hold the answer to his predicament. At one point, he affirmed heartily, "I will wait until my change come". This is a sure way of how to be patient, put your priority by the grace of God at where it should be.
4. Break away and pray.
Prayer is one of the powerful keys on how to be patient. If you wait patiently on the Lord in a time of prayer, you'll emerge relaxed and calm. Take short prayer breaks if you're becoming impatient.
5. Engage in meditative study of the word.
The bible says that we should study to be patient. When you meditate on God's word, the life in the word will penetrate your soul, working out the fruits of the spirit in you. The patience that develops during trials creates in our hearts a deeper understanding of the working of God in our circumstances. Patience is a commandment. See James 5:7-11. Once you've learned how to be patient, you'll avoid running into situations that could impede your walk with the Lord. Patience is a skill developed out of real life challenges and experiences and is worth its weight in gold after all.
The costs of impatient are regrettable actions and decisions that leave you worst than at the beginning. Many people wonder how to be patient without any reasonable effort on their part. Human life demands that we exhibit patience. Learn how to be patient in a relationship, how to be patient in love, how to be patient with God and how to be patient when things don't go your way.
In all, there are more to gain in developing the spirit of patience than anger and irritation.
10 Tips To Minimize Stress
Tip 1. Get proper rest. When its time for bed, it can be difficult for us to fall asleep if we can't turn off our minds from the stresses of the day. We toss and turn all night thinking about what needs to get done the next day that before you know it, its morning, we hardly got any rest and now we enter our day feeling very irritable and unrested. Commit to giving yourself at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
Tip 2. Pray/Meditate. Begin and end each day with prayer or meditation to mentally prepare yourself for your day as well as to end each day. When you begin each day with a calm and positive attitude, you will be less likely to allow stress to overtake you. When you end each day in the same fashion, it will be easier for you to rest your mind therefore rest your body.
Tip 3. Exercise. Exercising is a great stress reliever as well as a great way to get in shape! Start small by walking and gradually incorporate other exercises to your routine. Don't cheat yourself by saying you don't have the time to work out; make time and make the commitment!
Tip 4. Put yourself on a fast. Take a break from the things that aren't contributing to a better you. Do you have to engage in gossip over the phone with your friends every night? Doing without this, you cut off the chance of letting others stress affect you. Or how about charging unnecessary items on your credit cards that you could do without? You can alleviate the stress of wondering how to pay those high interest payments by only using credit cards for emergencies.
Tip 5. Get involved in a home based business. It doesn't take much time to get involved and who wouldn't benefit from some residual income? Focus on something you are good at and build on it. Do you have items around the house that you don't use but could be of use to others? How about selling them on EBay? Do you like to cook? How about creating an e-book with your best recipes? The sky is the limit to what you can get involved with in home based businesses! You will only be successful at doing what you are good at and everyone is good at something!
Tip 6. Make a list. You wouldn't go grocery shopping without a list, right? To curb some of the stress of everyday tasks, make a list of the things you need to accomplish and as you complete them, cross them off the list. This is such a simple tip but it can aid in cutting the stress of trying to remember everything you need to do and getting frustrated when you forget some things.
Tip 7. Find your sanctuary. What types of things relax you? A massage? Bubble bath? Gardening? Curling up with a good book? Everyone has their own sanctuary but we often get too busy with the whirlwinds in our lives that we don't seek out places we can go to for refuge and relaxation. Tap into that and take the time to clear your mind.
Tip 8. Pamper yourself. Every now and then, it's perfectly okay to indulge in yourself. When you feel good mentally, your body has no choice but to follow!
Tip 9. Smile. This is one of the simplest gifts you can give yourself. Smiling sends out the message that all is well with you. The best part about smiling is that it is contagious and what you give, you receive.
Tip 10. Enjoy yourself. Have you ever been out with a friend who was just not good company and you didn't enjoy being out with them? Well, if you wouldn't want to be them, why would others want to be around you if you are always stressed out, irritable and moody? Learn to enjoy yourself, life, and those around you and it can make all the difference!
Stress Management Techniques
The simple realization that you are in control of your life is the foundation of stress management
Living with high levels of stress, can putt your entire health at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional stability, as well as your physical health. It tapers with your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life.
Causes of Stress
Stress may be because of any physical, chemical, or emotional factors that cause bodily or mental unrest and that may even cause physical sickness. Stress also has effects on the immune system. Chronic (long-term) stress has the effect of (wearing down) the immune system, leading to an increased susceptibility to colds and other infections.
Physical and chemical factors that can cause stress include trauma, infections, toxins, illnesses, and injuries of any sort. Emotional causes of stress and tension are numerous and varied.
How to Manage Stress
Stress is a daily part of our life; it would be absolutely foolish to think that we can eliminate it from our lives completely. What we can do is to manage it and not let it cripple us.
Learn to say (no) : This is the most important step,know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept extra responsibilities that you know will cause you distress.
Avoid people who stress you out : If someone constantly causes stress in your life and you can not turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely.
Take control of your environment : Avoid environments that stress you, if traffic is got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If shopping is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online or ask someone to help out.
Avoid heated topics : If you get upset over religion or politics, avoid talking about them. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people you are bound to be stressed.
Know your limits: evaluate your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you have got too much on your plate, drop tasks that are not truly necessary to the bottom or eliminate them entirely.
Express instead of bottling up- If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and polite way. If you do not voice your feelings, resentment will build creating unnecessary stress.
Compromise- When you ask someone to change their actions, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend a little, you will find a middle ground.
Be more assertive- If you need something ask for it. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them.
Manage your time better- Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you are stretched too thin and running behind, it is hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead, you can avoid these stress-inducing pitfalls.
Do not try to control the uncontrollable- Many things in life are beyond our control particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control.
Look for the Bright side- When facing major challenges try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth.
Share your feelings- Talk to a trusted friend or a therapist. Expressing what you are going through can be very therapeutic, even if there is nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.
Learn to forgive- Let go of anger and resentments.Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.
Include relaxation time-Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Do not allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.
Create a Support system- A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life
Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension.
Eat a healthy diet- Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day.
Reduce caffeine and sugar- The temporary "highs" caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you will feel more relaxed and you will sleep better.
Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs- alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Later the stress simply piles on plus your health starts to suffer.
Get enough sleep-Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.
Living with high levels of stress, can putt your entire health at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional stability, as well as your physical health. It tapers with your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life.
Causes of Stress
Stress may be because of any physical, chemical, or emotional factors that cause bodily or mental unrest and that may even cause physical sickness. Stress also has effects on the immune system. Chronic (long-term) stress has the effect of (wearing down) the immune system, leading to an increased susceptibility to colds and other infections.
Physical and chemical factors that can cause stress include trauma, infections, toxins, illnesses, and injuries of any sort. Emotional causes of stress and tension are numerous and varied.
How to Manage Stress
Stress is a daily part of our life; it would be absolutely foolish to think that we can eliminate it from our lives completely. What we can do is to manage it and not let it cripple us.
Learn to say (no) : This is the most important step,know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept extra responsibilities that you know will cause you distress.
Avoid people who stress you out : If someone constantly causes stress in your life and you can not turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely.
Take control of your environment : Avoid environments that stress you, if traffic is got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If shopping is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online or ask someone to help out.
Avoid heated topics : If you get upset over religion or politics, avoid talking about them. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people you are bound to be stressed.
Know your limits: evaluate your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you have got too much on your plate, drop tasks that are not truly necessary to the bottom or eliminate them entirely.
Express instead of bottling up- If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and polite way. If you do not voice your feelings, resentment will build creating unnecessary stress.
Compromise- When you ask someone to change their actions, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend a little, you will find a middle ground.
Be more assertive- If you need something ask for it. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them.
Manage your time better- Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you are stretched too thin and running behind, it is hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead, you can avoid these stress-inducing pitfalls.
Do not try to control the uncontrollable- Many things in life are beyond our control particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control.
Look for the Bright side- When facing major challenges try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth.
Share your feelings- Talk to a trusted friend or a therapist. Expressing what you are going through can be very therapeutic, even if there is nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.
Learn to forgive- Let go of anger and resentments.Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.
Include relaxation time-Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Do not allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.
Create a Support system- A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life
Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension.
Eat a healthy diet- Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day.
Reduce caffeine and sugar- The temporary "highs" caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you will feel more relaxed and you will sleep better.
Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs- alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Later the stress simply piles on plus your health starts to suffer.
Get enough sleep-Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.
8 Ways to Lose Weight - by Just Reducing Stres
Let's get honest. Are you really just a little overweight? By 2030,
according to a Baylor University study, 100 percent of U.S. citizens
will be obese by current standards. For many, being overweigh is
stressful. For others, stress is a significant cause of extra weight.
It's stress that holds the key to shifting this paradox.
To understand the importance stress plays, we need to understand that it's a survival response that's always activated. To survive, we either do fight or flight, so we need quick energy - sugar. We crave survival food under continuing stress. Simultaneously, our bodies are shutting down other functions such as digestion. Complex adjustment of body functions makes us crave foods that we should not eat.
Then there is the culture we live in, which shows anorexic models, and movie stars that have lipo-sucked every once of unwanted fat. If that's not enough there is Photoshop morphing of humans into super humans. These unreal images create huge stress, particularly for our young girls, to the extent that they are experiencing puberty earlier than ever and getting plastic surgery to be perfect. These images become subliminal. Then we are consciously blind - we don't realize we are seeing them. They linger in our unconscious, drive us to spend our money on merchandise to be beautiful, and stress out about our imperfections.
Whatever we may stress about will impact our bodies. Often the influence will effect the disposition of our fat. A new study will be based on the phenomenon that stress creates a pot belly. Because of the hormone released under stress, pot bellied people develop a more dangerous fat, a visceral fat that lies between the organs.
Fat is a symptom of stress. We can continue to treat the symptom as we have for the last 50 years or we can shift to treating the cause. There are external factors, such as the media, which we can't change. More powerful and more immediate are the internal factors, our response to stress. After 30 years of working with clients and students who often sought my help for addressing the cause of their weight, I can say often reducing stress will take weight off and create a body that you will inherently accept.
Here are 8 approaches to losing weight through reducing stress. Some of what I discuss may not be comfortable to read. My goal is to assist you in escaping your stress, not making you feel good.
1. Leave survival behind. Begin to understand the power of stress. Fighting stress and its response (craving survival foods) is a losing fight. You are going up against your biology and genetics. You are hardwired to survive, so stop trying to repress a natural behavior. Focus on taking yourself out of the survival state.
Another view is to realize you are stuck in post traumatic stress. The body is experiencing trauma when stress is not actually present. You need to unwind tension and unlearn stress behavior. Your body will transform itself when this occurs.
About 15 years ago, when I had a clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, a woman came in asking if I could do for her what her friends claimed I did for them. I told the woman that if she lost her chronic stress and learned to not recreate it, after several months she probably would be thinner. She saw me for ten weekly sessions. Her body changed some, but we both agreed it was not transformed.
Six months latter, I saw a very attractive woman in a black dress at the end of my long hall. Not until I was close to her did I realize it was my former client seeing someone else in my office. I told her I did not recognize her. She said few months after finishing with me she started dropping pounds without dieting or exercising. Her parting comment was, "this is the body I always wanted, but thought I would never have." It was the body of an unstressed woman.
When we release old stress, we learn to not recreate it. The cellulite women often complain about disappears. The fascia (the connective tissue which is also scar tissue) that holds the stress also holds fat. When the stress is released, the fascia is released and the fat can dissolve away.
Be aware of when stress or tension is going into your body. Then breathe and express your feelings. These two simple behaviors will change your life.
2. Challenge your beliefs. What are your unconscious affirmations? What are your mantras that you keep repeating? These internal voices become self-fulfilling statements. For example, if you tell yourself and others "I am fat," you will continue to be. I am not suggesting the opposite, that you go around staying "I am thin" when you don't believe it. There is a middle ground that allows for change. This ground is where you stand in the present experiencing what is true while holding the possibility and intent of change. For example, you might say to yourself - "I am losing weight."
As you begin to accept being overweight, along with the corresponding emotions, you hold the in you mind the intent of being your thinner self. At first, your mind will want to escape to the old patterns of denial, self-loathing and setting unreal goals before it settles in a place of acceptance. This acceptance can then lead to creating a vision of what you want while still maintaining the experience of your negative emotions. The juxtaposition of acceptance and goal setting may seem counter-intuitive, yet it in this space you create an opportunity for something new to occur.
3. Give up unreal images. What literal and metaphorical images do you focus on? Do you have pictures of thin bodies on your fridge? Or are you looking at magazines with "perfect bodies?" When we put what we believe are unreal goals in front of us our minds say, "Who do you think you are, you are not that person and never will be." These inspiring images backfire. They reinforce our self-loathing and repeated failure at losing weight.
Making the shift from seeing these images as a finite state to a process can enable change. Rather than saying "I am that image," try saying to yourself "I am in a process of becoming my own person who shares characteristics of that image."
The mind will know when something is not true and it will, on some level, fight back. Hold images and use affirmations that are possible.
4. Lose the secondary gains. These are behaviors or even illnesses we create to achieve indirectly what we believe we can't get directly. In other words, if you were not getting something out of being overweight you would not be overweight. We all have some self-defeating behaviors. I certainly have had my share. I can remember allowing kids to pick on me because I convinced myself that was safer than standing up for myself
There was a book a woman wrote 30 years ago, I think it was "Fat is a Feminine Issue." If it was, I can't find it. Her thesis was that women (the corresponding can be true for men) acquired fat to keep men away. Dealing with the fat was supposedly easier than dealing with the possibility of a relationship. The author challenged her readers to address their issues around relationships as a means to losing weight.
My challenge to you is to act as if your fat had a purpose beyond reflecting the bad diet you may consume. If your fat was saying something, what would it be saying? Who would it be saying to? Are you angry with someone, even yourself? Are you attempting to get attention from someone?
The first step to meaningful change is to admit were we are and that we need help. This often is the hardest step. Frequently much of what we have avoided comes home to us. When I began to admit getting bullied was more about being afraid to take a stand, I started to develop the courage to say no to the bullies. What amazed me was that I did not have to prove it them as much as to myself. They stopped picking on me when I stopped cowering.
5. Your body is your ally. So often, we approach diet and exercise from a forcing prospective. We deprive, punish and generally coerce our bodies to conform to our wishes. We can produces change - but at what long term costs? The constant binges of exercising and dieting train our bodies to not find a healthy set point
You body is like a kid. It will constantly fight back if forced to do things it does not want to do. As we know, an angry kid will find a way to get back.
My intent here is not to give specific advice about a diet or exercise program, but to encourage you to find programs that are not forcing your body. Seek out programs that support your total health. Of course if you have not exerted your body in 20 years there will be some discomfort initially. At some point, the discomfort should shift to more ease. If it does not, you are back to the paradigm of punishing yourself for not being thin.
I suggest starting easy. Even if it is a yoga class, start with the lowest level of a beginning class. If you do not like what you are doing or are hurting yourself, fine a new teacher or a new activity. A slow walk in the woods can be more enjoyable and healthier for some than going to the gym and running on a treadmill.
Just watch kids play. A child can run around all day. She is not exercising; she is playing. I encourage you to rediscover your play.
6. Step out of double binds. These are mental and relationship traps we put ourselves into where there is no way out. It has been said, "The only way to win at a child's game is not to play." Once you are trapped in the maze of the damned if you do, damned if you don't, you lose.
One double bind I have seen around weight is "I can't have a loving relationship until I lose weight." This person is always trying to lose weight to be loved, giving the message to his body that he does not love himself. As I was saying, not loving yourself makes permanently losing weight very difficult.
7. Let others do your work. We often make change of any kind harder than we need to. Being a lazy kind of guy and enjoying being a rebel, I saw getting help as a way to further my cause.
One huge way to shift the fat thing is to have others address the issue directly. Good bodywork can crack open new possibilities for losing weight. Bodywork releases chronic and acute stress and tells our bodies that they are being loved through the gift of receiving someone's attention. Having someone else's hands touch places that we are ashamed of brings acceptance to those areas.
Find groups that support the outcome, not the problem. This helps spread the load. So many illness support groups support the problem, not the healing. On a few occasions, I have been asked to speak to different support groups. Virtually everyone in the audience was more committed to commiserating about their shared problem then learning about the array of possible means to alleviating it.
My suggestion is to find a group that supports its members being successful, healthy or just happy. Not to find a group that talks about losing weight or being thin. Yes, there are the diet programs -- groups that have success in assisting their clients in losing weight. I am encouraging you to step beyond them to organizations or groups that encourage generating a fulfilling life. If you're interested in some of these organizations, write a comment expressing your desire and I will get back to you.
8. Enroll your mind to transform your body. Being the advocate for mindfulness, I can't do this post without mentioning mindfulness for transforming fat. By now, everyone has come to accept the mind-body connection.
Having your mind be your ally sounds simple. Achieving this takes some work. Essentially, you begin using your awareness to witness what is occurring. Witnessing is not judging, evaluating or criticizing. It is just being an observer. When you see that picture of a thin body, you observe your response. What is your first thought? What does your body do? What is happening to your breath? These are just questions to get you started. As you develop this skill, you will not have to ask. Your body/mind will bring to you its response.
In the last 20 years, mindfulness has taken off. There are excellent courses that I no longer teach, but others do. Mindfulness works - there is a growing body of research that supports the efficacy of mindfulness. The prior study on pot bellies is organized around teaching a group of women mindfulness. "Weight loss is not the goal," said Daubenmier, the lead researcher. "But we are thinking we will find a reduction in the visceral fat, which is really important. We're looking at breaking that stress -- eating link."
In the development of mindfulness there always has been mindfulness eating used as a natural means to enhance the practice of mindfulness. The added benefit of mindfulness eating is that it can shift your eating habits while increasing your eating enjoyment.
To understand the importance stress plays, we need to understand that it's a survival response that's always activated. To survive, we either do fight or flight, so we need quick energy - sugar. We crave survival food under continuing stress. Simultaneously, our bodies are shutting down other functions such as digestion. Complex adjustment of body functions makes us crave foods that we should not eat.
Then there is the culture we live in, which shows anorexic models, and movie stars that have lipo-sucked every once of unwanted fat. If that's not enough there is Photoshop morphing of humans into super humans. These unreal images create huge stress, particularly for our young girls, to the extent that they are experiencing puberty earlier than ever and getting plastic surgery to be perfect. These images become subliminal. Then we are consciously blind - we don't realize we are seeing them. They linger in our unconscious, drive us to spend our money on merchandise to be beautiful, and stress out about our imperfections.
Whatever we may stress about will impact our bodies. Often the influence will effect the disposition of our fat. A new study will be based on the phenomenon that stress creates a pot belly. Because of the hormone released under stress, pot bellied people develop a more dangerous fat, a visceral fat that lies between the organs.
Fat is a symptom of stress. We can continue to treat the symptom as we have for the last 50 years or we can shift to treating the cause. There are external factors, such as the media, which we can't change. More powerful and more immediate are the internal factors, our response to stress. After 30 years of working with clients and students who often sought my help for addressing the cause of their weight, I can say often reducing stress will take weight off and create a body that you will inherently accept.
Here are 8 approaches to losing weight through reducing stress. Some of what I discuss may not be comfortable to read. My goal is to assist you in escaping your stress, not making you feel good.
1. Leave survival behind. Begin to understand the power of stress. Fighting stress and its response (craving survival foods) is a losing fight. You are going up against your biology and genetics. You are hardwired to survive, so stop trying to repress a natural behavior. Focus on taking yourself out of the survival state.
Another view is to realize you are stuck in post traumatic stress. The body is experiencing trauma when stress is not actually present. You need to unwind tension and unlearn stress behavior. Your body will transform itself when this occurs.
About 15 years ago, when I had a clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, a woman came in asking if I could do for her what her friends claimed I did for them. I told the woman that if she lost her chronic stress and learned to not recreate it, after several months she probably would be thinner. She saw me for ten weekly sessions. Her body changed some, but we both agreed it was not transformed.
Six months latter, I saw a very attractive woman in a black dress at the end of my long hall. Not until I was close to her did I realize it was my former client seeing someone else in my office. I told her I did not recognize her. She said few months after finishing with me she started dropping pounds without dieting or exercising. Her parting comment was, "this is the body I always wanted, but thought I would never have." It was the body of an unstressed woman.
When we release old stress, we learn to not recreate it. The cellulite women often complain about disappears. The fascia (the connective tissue which is also scar tissue) that holds the stress also holds fat. When the stress is released, the fascia is released and the fat can dissolve away.
Be aware of when stress or tension is going into your body. Then breathe and express your feelings. These two simple behaviors will change your life.
2. Challenge your beliefs. What are your unconscious affirmations? What are your mantras that you keep repeating? These internal voices become self-fulfilling statements. For example, if you tell yourself and others "I am fat," you will continue to be. I am not suggesting the opposite, that you go around staying "I am thin" when you don't believe it. There is a middle ground that allows for change. This ground is where you stand in the present experiencing what is true while holding the possibility and intent of change. For example, you might say to yourself - "I am losing weight."
As you begin to accept being overweight, along with the corresponding emotions, you hold the in you mind the intent of being your thinner self. At first, your mind will want to escape to the old patterns of denial, self-loathing and setting unreal goals before it settles in a place of acceptance. This acceptance can then lead to creating a vision of what you want while still maintaining the experience of your negative emotions. The juxtaposition of acceptance and goal setting may seem counter-intuitive, yet it in this space you create an opportunity for something new to occur.
3. Give up unreal images. What literal and metaphorical images do you focus on? Do you have pictures of thin bodies on your fridge? Or are you looking at magazines with "perfect bodies?" When we put what we believe are unreal goals in front of us our minds say, "Who do you think you are, you are not that person and never will be." These inspiring images backfire. They reinforce our self-loathing and repeated failure at losing weight.
Making the shift from seeing these images as a finite state to a process can enable change. Rather than saying "I am that image," try saying to yourself "I am in a process of becoming my own person who shares characteristics of that image."
The mind will know when something is not true and it will, on some level, fight back. Hold images and use affirmations that are possible.
4. Lose the secondary gains. These are behaviors or even illnesses we create to achieve indirectly what we believe we can't get directly. In other words, if you were not getting something out of being overweight you would not be overweight. We all have some self-defeating behaviors. I certainly have had my share. I can remember allowing kids to pick on me because I convinced myself that was safer than standing up for myself
There was a book a woman wrote 30 years ago, I think it was "Fat is a Feminine Issue." If it was, I can't find it. Her thesis was that women (the corresponding can be true for men) acquired fat to keep men away. Dealing with the fat was supposedly easier than dealing with the possibility of a relationship. The author challenged her readers to address their issues around relationships as a means to losing weight.
My challenge to you is to act as if your fat had a purpose beyond reflecting the bad diet you may consume. If your fat was saying something, what would it be saying? Who would it be saying to? Are you angry with someone, even yourself? Are you attempting to get attention from someone?
The first step to meaningful change is to admit were we are and that we need help. This often is the hardest step. Frequently much of what we have avoided comes home to us. When I began to admit getting bullied was more about being afraid to take a stand, I started to develop the courage to say no to the bullies. What amazed me was that I did not have to prove it them as much as to myself. They stopped picking on me when I stopped cowering.
5. Your body is your ally. So often, we approach diet and exercise from a forcing prospective. We deprive, punish and generally coerce our bodies to conform to our wishes. We can produces change - but at what long term costs? The constant binges of exercising and dieting train our bodies to not find a healthy set point
You body is like a kid. It will constantly fight back if forced to do things it does not want to do. As we know, an angry kid will find a way to get back.
My intent here is not to give specific advice about a diet or exercise program, but to encourage you to find programs that are not forcing your body. Seek out programs that support your total health. Of course if you have not exerted your body in 20 years there will be some discomfort initially. At some point, the discomfort should shift to more ease. If it does not, you are back to the paradigm of punishing yourself for not being thin.
I suggest starting easy. Even if it is a yoga class, start with the lowest level of a beginning class. If you do not like what you are doing or are hurting yourself, fine a new teacher or a new activity. A slow walk in the woods can be more enjoyable and healthier for some than going to the gym and running on a treadmill.
Just watch kids play. A child can run around all day. She is not exercising; she is playing. I encourage you to rediscover your play.
6. Step out of double binds. These are mental and relationship traps we put ourselves into where there is no way out. It has been said, "The only way to win at a child's game is not to play." Once you are trapped in the maze of the damned if you do, damned if you don't, you lose.
One double bind I have seen around weight is "I can't have a loving relationship until I lose weight." This person is always trying to lose weight to be loved, giving the message to his body that he does not love himself. As I was saying, not loving yourself makes permanently losing weight very difficult.
7. Let others do your work. We often make change of any kind harder than we need to. Being a lazy kind of guy and enjoying being a rebel, I saw getting help as a way to further my cause.
One huge way to shift the fat thing is to have others address the issue directly. Good bodywork can crack open new possibilities for losing weight. Bodywork releases chronic and acute stress and tells our bodies that they are being loved through the gift of receiving someone's attention. Having someone else's hands touch places that we are ashamed of brings acceptance to those areas.
Find groups that support the outcome, not the problem. This helps spread the load. So many illness support groups support the problem, not the healing. On a few occasions, I have been asked to speak to different support groups. Virtually everyone in the audience was more committed to commiserating about their shared problem then learning about the array of possible means to alleviating it.
My suggestion is to find a group that supports its members being successful, healthy or just happy. Not to find a group that talks about losing weight or being thin. Yes, there are the diet programs -- groups that have success in assisting their clients in losing weight. I am encouraging you to step beyond them to organizations or groups that encourage generating a fulfilling life. If you're interested in some of these organizations, write a comment expressing your desire and I will get back to you.
8. Enroll your mind to transform your body. Being the advocate for mindfulness, I can't do this post without mentioning mindfulness for transforming fat. By now, everyone has come to accept the mind-body connection.
Having your mind be your ally sounds simple. Achieving this takes some work. Essentially, you begin using your awareness to witness what is occurring. Witnessing is not judging, evaluating or criticizing. It is just being an observer. When you see that picture of a thin body, you observe your response. What is your first thought? What does your body do? What is happening to your breath? These are just questions to get you started. As you develop this skill, you will not have to ask. Your body/mind will bring to you its response.
In the last 20 years, mindfulness has taken off. There are excellent courses that I no longer teach, but others do. Mindfulness works - there is a growing body of research that supports the efficacy of mindfulness. The prior study on pot bellies is organized around teaching a group of women mindfulness. "Weight loss is not the goal," said Daubenmier, the lead researcher. "But we are thinking we will find a reduction in the visceral fat, which is really important. We're looking at breaking that stress -- eating link."
In the development of mindfulness there always has been mindfulness eating used as a natural means to enhance the practice of mindfulness. The added benefit of mindfulness eating is that it can shift your eating habits while increasing your eating enjoyment.
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