Manage Your Stress

I always grin when I go to a meeting and the presenter says in a bubbly voice with a smile on her face, “Now remember, stressed is DESSERTS spelled backwards”. Yeah, then gimme the chocolate cake and we will call it good, is what I am thinking but don’t say.

Stress can be a barrier for people to maintain healthy lifestyles. There may be a physiological reason for craving foods when we are stressed; it has to do with cortisol and neuroendocrine mediators and stimulated endogenous opiod releases. Don’t ask me to explain it all, if you would like a copy of the article from “Physiology & Behavior”, I will send you a copy. My e-mail is: darave2@mt.gov

I heard this on a conference call the other day and it is so true, we are told we can prevent stressful situations. This only adds to our stress. We are all human and cannot control that we get stressed in a situation but WE CAN CONTROL HOW WE HANDLE THAT STRESS. There are better ways to deal with stress than pounding down a bag of potato chips (I admit it, I did it and it temporarily felt so right at the time, then by time I got home I called a friend who absolved me of my guilty feelings, my tummy was another story).

I found this by Geneen Roth, a recovered emotional eater and author of several books on the subject. “Remember that the pleasure you get from a brownie is as fleeting as anything else. Test it yourself: Take small bites of your favorite food, savoring every morsel. Then see how long it takes for that wonderful feeling to fade.”

I found some suggestions for getting stress under control. I thought most of them were quite useful. As I like to say, take what you like and leave the rest.

· Deep breathing: in through your nose and out through your mouth, repeat about 10 times, after that, continue breathing.
· Stretching: Arms over your head, stretch left then right, or if you prefer, right then left! Stretch your neck by bringing your right ear to your right shoulder, (not literally silly), then do same with the left.
· Exercise: take a brisk walk, climb stairs, if home, try dancing like no one is watching
· Eat well: this doesn’t mean stress eating like cookies, chips, ice cream, it means fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat snacks, water, and these foods won’t stress you out further. Delicious and nutritious.
· Laugh, and often. Laugh at yourself, laugh at your stressful situation, truly, when you think about this stuff in a funny way, you can find the humor. Why, just the other night I was imagining my eyes bugging out of my head while listening to my mother on the phone. Wanna talk stress?
· Talk it out, find a sympathetic friend, share your woes and let your friend reciprocate, their problems may be so bad that yours pale in comparison. If you don’t have someone you can share with, talk to your pets, talk to yourself in the house or car when you are alone, no one will judge you.
· Close your eyes and picture a peaceful place (this may sound hokey, but it does work). I keep hoping if I imagine Hawaii enough I will transport myself there.
· Stare out the window. I like to watch the rain but you can watch the wind blowing or just stare off into space. It is relaxing.
· Take a mental break. If you find yourself in the midst of a situation, excuse yourself and take 5.
· Meditate. Try it for 10 minutes, incorporate it with deep breathing. Transcendental meditation is another story and I cannot tell you how to do it (I never tried).
· Sit and have a cup of tea or a non-alcoholic beverage and savoring the moment and the flavors are relaxing, especially if you are alone and it is a quiet place.
· Finish something that you have been putting off, something easy, or not so easy, it takes your mind off of the matter giving you stress.
· Go out and play. Walk the dogs, jump rope, read a book, whatever makes you happy. Try skipping, you have to smile when you skip.
· Give yourself a neck rub, or better yet, find someone to rub your neck for you.
· Sit up straight in your chair then drop your torso and put your arms and head between your knees and exhale then breathe deep as you come up.
· Remove yourself from the stressful situation if you are able to do so. Take a quick walk. I heard that we store energy in our fingertips. Walk and shake your hands like you are trying to air dry them. I have done it and it did work. A little under your breath grumbling also helps.
· Write your stress down in a journal or a letter (not to be mailed) for your eyes only. If you are writing a letter, when finished, hold on to it a bit and then tear it up. I once burned a letter on the barbecue grill, (didn’t want to start a fire).

I did asterisk a few suggestions, for clarification.

Your Daily Laugh

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface where you have plenty of room at each side.
With a 5 lb potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can.
Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.
Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.
After a couple of weeks, move up to 10 lb potato bags.
Then try 50 lb potato bags and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100 lb potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.
After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag.


"In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive." Lee Iacocca

Contact me at darave2@mt.gov to share how you manage your stress.

Spark People’s 31 Days to Less Stress Calendar, print it, hang it, use it
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calendar_2007-07.pdf