Category Archives: Stress Relief

Alternative Health, Anxiety, Depression, Depression, Exercise, Health and Fitness, Healthy Living, Managing Stress, Meditation, Mental Health, Rest, Stress Relief

Focus Your Energy on Well-being

To live a happy, healthy, balanced life, you must learn to focus your energy on well-being. Self-care on all levels should be an integral part of your lifestyle.

There is an abundance of information available about the benefits of eating well and exercising regularly to sustain a healthy mind and body. In fact, I write about both regularly. But today I want to move in a little different direction.

In addition to those two very basic and critical activities, there are a number of other things you can to improve your mental health and overall well-being.  By incorporating them into your daily life, you will be better able to manage most challenges – including struggles with self-doubt, anxiety, and mild depression.

Practices that Focus Your Energy on Well-being

Accept Your Feelings

Stuffing or ignoring your emotions is more damaging than it is helpful.  Everyone has emotions. They are a natural part of being human. Bottling them up may seem like a good solution in the moment, but when you do it all the time, you are potentially creating a time bomb that will eventually explode.

Unfortunately, you are hurting yourself as you hold them in and you run the risk of hurting those you love when the eruption finally occurs.

Rather than acknowledging what you are feeling and allowing yourself to experience emotions, you may medicate, rationalize, blame, bury, deny, smother, drink, or stuff them (pretend they don’t exist). Emotions have become the enemy and many people will do anything to avoid them – especially the big three: fear, anger and sadness.

It takes a lot of mental, physical and emotional energy to avoiding your feelings and creates high levels of stress and anxiety.

Don’t stuff your emotions!

Let yourself laugh, cry, scream, yell, or pound something (preferably a pillow, grass, sand – not the wall or someone else). Do whatever you need to do, probably in private is the best choice. But, if emotions erupt in public, excuse yourself and let it rip.  This is nature’s way of releasing stress. Don’t beat yourself up afterward!

You must find a safe and sane way to release your emotions (this applies to both men and women). When you continually stuff them, you are endangering your own health and possibly the well-being of others around you.

Stuffed emotions eventually come out – either in the form of a physical illness, a mental break down, or incredible explosions of anger on anyone who happens to be around – including your children, other loved ones, colleagues, and innocent bystanders.

Don’t set up yourself, your family, or friends for these unintended consequences. Consciously begin to let down your guard and experience your feelings – recognize and acknowledge your emotions. Only then will you be able to manage them in a healthy way and relieve the stress that stuffing them is creating.

Be a Risk Taker

Routine and structure are good things. They keep us on track and make life work. However if you are a rule follower to a fault and never do anything spontaneous or out-of-the ordinary, you are missing some interesting adventures that make life more enjoyable.

Don’t let yourself become so regimented and predictable that you may even bore yourself. Life is meant to be lived.  When you are not stretching and doing new things – taking risks on a regular basis, you are not growing as a person. Taking risks – even calculated ones can be exciting, rewarding and are definitely good for your mental well-being

Challenge yourself. Make a point of taking some kind of risk every day. They don’t have to be big risks.

If you are shy – make a point of talking to someone new. Learn a new language, take dance or voice lessons or join Toastmasters and learn to speak in public; and other things – like being more trusting or being more assertive. The goal is to push yourself out of your comfort zone regularly.

Take Responsibility for the Life You Have

Too often people spend their entire life blaming others for the life they are living. Everyone has their own experiences – good, bad and in-between. Those experiences definitely impact the way we view life – but they did not have to cripple us.

If you allow yourself to live in the past, continuously suffering for what you have lost or for what others have “done to you,” you will never be able to completely embrace the joys of life that are available to you. They will be lost in the fog of anger and self-pity.

The only way to truly enjoy life is to take responsibility for what you can control and for what you are creating right now – in the present moment. You are what you think about and you have the life that you create by your thoughts and your actions. Take responsibility for that; and start enjoying it.

The past is gone, the future has not yet arrived – all you have is the present, so learn to live in the moment and make it count.

Develop Self-Awareness

Avoid just coasting through life, being totally unaware of what you are doing – never taking the time to look inside and to assess your behaviors.

Which of your behaviors are serving you and which are not? What factors are driving the behaviors that are not serving you? What is your prevalent attitude about life? What are your thought patterns? Are they helpful and uplifting – or negative and destructive?

What realities about your life are you denying? Bad habits? Self-defeating behaviors? Are you resisting change that would greatly benefit the way you feel?

You do not have to take it on all at once, but a little honest introspection daily – possibly at the end of each day – could work wonders in creating a greater sense of self and well-being.

Laugh Out Loud a Lot

Focus on Well-being
Image by photography33

It is time to start laughing – out loud – a lot! Many people take themselves far too seriously. This seems to be a particularly big problem for highly-intelligent people. And, typically a problem that develops as people grow into adulthood. It doesn’t generally afflict children.

Kids laugh about 200 times a day and adults, only 15 times a day at most. Let yourself laugh openly and freely as children do when they are reveling in life.

Read funny books; develop friendships with people who make you laugh; play games with your kids or grandkids; go to funny movies.  In other words – have more fun!

Laughter is our way of communicating joy. Researchers have found that when people are joyful, there is a sense of well-being that when sustained, contributes to longevity.

Let the laughter flow openly and freely the way a young child laughs. It will be infectious and others will laugh with you.

Laughter not only provides wonderful psychological benefits, it also has many physical benefits, as well such as improving circulation, boosting the immune system, reducing stress, and normalizing blood pressure.

Finding joyful moments and making time for laughter can make a huge difference in the way you feel and the way you live your life.

My simple prescription for you is to laugh unconditionally every day.  It is free – it is fun – there are no adverse side effects – and it will help keep you young (at least young at heart).

Focusing on Your Well-being Is not Difficult

Improving your well-being does not have to be as difficult or complex as you may imagine. By using the five tips here, you can easily discover that you feel better, you are less stressed, and that you are able to enjoy life more.

I am not telling you to ignore the importance of eating well, regular exercise and getting adequate rest.  I am telling you to recognize that there is much more to a person’s overall well-being than those basic components.

A high-level of self-awarenes (how you act and how you feel) can impact your well-being in significant ways.

Alternative Health, Anxiety, Depression, Health and Fitness, Insomnia, Losing Weight, Managing Stress, Stress Relief

Walk for Your Health

Image by Poul-Werner Dam
Image by Poul-Werner Dam

When you see (or hear) the words: Walk for your Health, you may flinch and think, “Enough is enough!” Everywhere you turn there are articles, research, advice from fitness experts, etc. that tell you to walk for you health.

You know that walking is good for you – I know that walking is good for me – even doctors agree that walking is good for us.  And yet . . . many people are resistant.

In spite of that resistance, I’m going to join the voices and give you eight reasons why you should walk for your health.

A 15- to 20-minute daily walk can do all of the following:

  1. Promote Weight Loss

A healthy diet coupled with a daily walking regimen is a great way to lose those extra pounds you have been carrying.  Even a few times around the block will burn extra calories. But, if you are serious about weight loss, a 30-minute brisk walk five days a week will do wonders.

  1. Increase Energy

I hear people complain about being tired all the time. If you are one of those who feel that way, walking can be the answer to your problem. It may take all you have to get started – and you may feel like you are dragging when you first start, but stay with it.  The more you walk, the more energized you will feel, which leads to being more physically active – which leads to greater productivity in your life.

  1. Improve Your Mood

Exercise releases endorphins (happy chemicals) in your brain that make you feel better.  When endorphins flow freely, tension is released, stress dissipates and depression and anxiety begin to fade.

  1. Provide Vitamin D

As a society we spend most of our lives indoors, which often results in a Vitamin D deficiency.  So, by walking on a daily basis (outside), you are not only getting all the other physical benefits we have discussed, you are also soaking up natural Vitamin D from the sun.

  1. Improve Balance

This benefit is more for the seniors – but can apply to everyone. Unfortunately, as we age, balance can be affected, which often leads to falls and serious injury. If you walk all your life, you will be building strong bones and sustain better balance as you get older.  If you are already a “senior” – it is never too late to start. Walking makes you stronger, improves your balance and lessens the chance of falling.

  1. Boost Your Immune System

If you are susceptible to colds and infections, you may have a weakened immune system – walking can help.  A small study at the University of Nebraska Medical Center suggests that exercise is not only good for your overall health, but it can boost your immune system and possibly help guard against cancer.

  1. Strengthen Your Heart

If you have a heart condition, are at high risk for heart disease, or simply want to be proactive about your health, it is wise to take action to protect and strengthen your heart.

Daily walking gets your blood pumping through your body, which helps your heart function more efficiently. It is a natural way to lower blood pressure and eliminate the need for medication.

  1. Improve Brain Function

The human brain is a miraculous organ that can be affected by your physical health. Walking reduces the risk for many diseases with dementia being at the top of the list. It also protects your cognitive ability and improves your memory.

Walk for your health – you will reap enormous benefits! Start today! 

Anxiety, CLEAN EATING, Depression, Depression, Emotional Eating, Empowerment, Health and Fitness, Healthy Eating, Healthy Food Guidelines, Managing Stress, Mental Health, Stress Relief

Stop Stress Eating at Night

Stress eating can happen any time of the day (or night).  In fact, it is usually worse in the evening.  So, every effort should be made to stop stress eating at night.

Stress Eating at Night
Image by artisticco

You have a hard day at work, or one of the kids give you grief after school.  Finally, dinner is over, dishes are cleared, and everyone is asleep except you.  You are finally alone and have time to relax. It is so nice and quiet.

Unfortunately, there is also too much time to think about the day and everything that has happened, or might happen. It is all TOO MUCH!

All you can think about is eating something sweet and yummy – the great distractor – to make you feel better. AND . . . you deserve it! What can you do?

There are a few tips I can share that may be helpful.  They work for me; maybe they will work for you, too.

When You Want a Snack – WAIT!

This is a tip that not only works in the evening, it is a good one to use anytime of the day when you have the overwhelming urge to grab an unhealthy snack between meals.

Find some other way to distract yourself. Ignore the urge for a few minutes. Tell yourself you will get the snack after you take care of “one more thing.”  This gives your body time for the craving to disappear so you can move on with healthier activities.

After 15 or 20 minutes, if you are actually feeling hungry, then maybe your body really needs something.  Go for a healthy snack of fruit or a small handful of nuts to take the edge off until meal time (or bedtime).

There is a good chance the craving will fade and  you will know that you were in “stress-eating mode” rather a real need to feed your body. Plus, you will have made it through without giving in.

Clean-out Your Pantry – No Junk Food Allowed

Take the necessary steps to make night-time stress eating difficult.  Clean out your pantry, freezer and refrigerator. Get rid of all the chips, ice cream, buttery popcorn, hot fudge, cookies, pretzels, and any other favorite munchies that you typically have readily available.

When you have multiple choices of favorite unhealthy snacks lying around, you will almost always go for them. It is difficult to choose healthy alternatives when stress is in control of your mind and body.

If your pantry is bare of such temptations, you are more likely to eat a healthier substitute that you have on hand than you are to jump in your car and drive to get something unhealthy.

When your pantry is clean, make healthy options easy to find and eat. Always have fresh fruit you can peel, or cut up quickly. Also, keep small portions of raw nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts, packaged in snack-sized baggies ready to grab and munch.

Hard-boiled eggs are great for a quick evening, high-protein snack – even a few slices of real cheddar cheese, or apple slices dipped in almond butter.

Snacking can be fun and healthy if you want it to be.

Always Eat at the Table

Eating should be reserved for the kitchen  or the dining room.  When you get used to eating in the living room, your favorite recliner, or in bed, you will have a much harder time breaking the night-time stress eating habit.

In fact, eating in any of those places creates a double whammy bad habit. You are not only stress eating unhealthy foods, you are doing it in parts of the home that are meant for relaxation (not eating). It can easily lead to overeating and serious weight gain.

For the health of the entire family, make a strict rule that meals and snacks are only eaten in the kitchen, breakfast nook, or dining room.  No eating should be allowed on the sofa, the recliner, in front of the TV, in the office, or in bedrooms.

Establish a Healthy Evening Routine

How do you wind down and get ready for bed?  That may be part of the problem.

If you make it a habit of grabbing a bag of chips or a big dish of ice cream to eat in front of the TV before you go to bed, you have already established a pattern that must be broken.

Change things up! If your family enjoys dessert, serve smaller dinners so they have room for a small tasty dessert that is served at the end of the meal, with a nice cup of tea or coffee.

Start a tradition of enjoying conversation with the whole family over dessert.  Then clear the table and have the whole family go into the living room to watch a little TV before bed.

Or, take a leisurely walk around the block – a great way to relax before settling down for the night.

Another great way to de-stress is to use aromatherapy while taking a long bath. It clears the mind, relaxes the body, and helps release tension for a better night’s sleep.

The more relaxed you are the less likely you will be to indulge in stress eating at night.

I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for a good evening routine.

What ideas to you have for de-stressing and relaxing in the evening before bed? 

Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Eating, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Managing Stress, Meditation, Mental Health, Stress Relief

Triggers for Stress Eating

In my last post, the question was asked, Are you a stress eater?

Today we are going to look at triggers for stress eating.  When you can identify the triggers  that set you off, you will have a much better chance of stopping the binges before they start.

People sometimes joke about being a stress eater and really don’t give it much thought, which is dangerous. It can leads to general poor health, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.  Good enough reasons to stop?  I certainly hope so.

But . . . to stop, you must know what your triggers are.  How do you find out?

Keep a Journal

Triggers for Stress Eating
Image by Seth Sawyer

This one is a pain in the “you know what,” but necessary.  In order to identify your triggers, you must know what you eat and when you eat it.

Keeping a journal is the best way to keep track.  It is more than simply a list of foods you eat. You must also include the thoughts and feelings you were having when you chose to eat – plus exactly what you eat and the time of day that you eat.

For example: You start the day with a quick cup of coffee and a banana that you grab as you walk out the door.  Then, about 9:30, you have a couple of doughnuts in the break room, with another cup of coffee for a quick pick-me-up.

You make it until lunch and manage to eat a fairly healthy salad – good job!

But, at 2:00 p.m. your boss calls an emergency two-hour meeting that leaves you frazzled and facing another couple of hours of work before you can go home.  You make a quick run to the local McDonalds for a cheeseburger and coke, which takes the edge off – and back to work.

Finally at 6:30 you drag yourself out of the office, tired and annoyed.

You get home at 7:00 p.m., eat some cheese with crackers because you are too tired to fix dinner and enjoy a pint of Rocky Road for dessert.  You are tired, alone, and you deserve it.

You must record everything – the time, the food, and the reasons you ate – including anything you told yourself about why you were eating.

BTW,  don’t forget the half bag of chips that your neighbor shared with you around 6:30.

Choose a small note pad that fits easily in your purse or pocket so that it is always with you and you can makes notes throughout the day.

Make a List of Triggers

Be diligent with your journal and after four or five days, study your notes.

Start by looking for signs of binge eating.

  • What did you eat? And, how much?
  • What time of day?
  • What triggered the eating? (A fight? Anger? Disappointment? Fatigue?)

For example, you may have binged at dinner. You had three pieces of cheesecake for dessert.

Look at every detail of the entry to see what was going on in your head and/or the circumstances? Maybe you had a fight with your teenage daughter just before dinner.  Or – you received an overdraft from your bank in the mail when you arrived home from work.

Start a page in your journal for things (situations, circumstances, emotions, specific actions by specific people, etc.) that lead to binge eating – those are your triggers.

What You Eat

After you have looked carefully for triggers, go back and look for the types of foods you eat when you are stressed.  Make a list of your most common stress foods.

For example, you may be someone who can eat a whole package of Mother’s Taffy Cookies or Andes Thin Chocolate Mints  when you are stressed, or you maybe you prefer a bag of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips with large bottle of Coke.  Everyone has their favorites.  What are yours?

Identify Patterns and Primary Stressors

In addition to triggers, you will also find patterns that lead to stress eating.

For example:  Finances are a big stressor for many people.  Anytime you have to deal with financial issues, note differences in your eating patterns – frequency, types of foods, when you eat, what and how much you eat, etc.

The stressors that seem to create the biggest problems, with the greatest frequency are the ones that you want to work on first.

Tackle one at a time.  If finances create major stress for you – that is where you start.  If a relationship is your biggest stressor, start there.

Start paying attention to what happens, how you feel, what you tell yourself about the situation, and what, when, and how much you eat as a result.

The triggers and patterns will become clear after a fairly short time.  Once you have identified them, you can decide how you are going to deal with them.

Test the techniques mentioned in the previous post:  Are You a Stress Eater?  And find the ones that will work for you  Meditation?  Massage? Food replacement?  Or, possibly a combination.

For your peace of mind, and your overall health, start journaling and finding ways to manage your stress other than eating.  You will be glad you

Alternative Health, CLEAN EATING, Depression, Emotional Eating, Health and Fitness, Healthy Eating, Healthy Foods, Healthy Living, Managing Stress, Meditation, Mental Health, Stress Relief

Are You a Stress Eater?

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Are You A Stress Eater
Image by Massonforstock

Are you a stress eater? If you are not, you are very lucky. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I am!  If you are too, or think you may be . . . please, read on.

Stress eating is a bad habit that develops over many years. For those who are afflicted, you may or may not be aware of it, because it has been part of your life for such a long time that it seems perfectly normal.

Stress eating involves bouts of over-indulging in foods that are bad for your health –whenever you feel stressed.  You may be doing it because it makes you feel better and it gives you a sense of control at a time when your life feels out of control. It may make you feel better in the moment; but, it is a dangerous habit that should be broken.

 

Important Facts You Should Know About Stress Eating

How It Develops

The interesting thing is that not everyone who deals with a lot of stress eats large amounts of bad food to feel better or to hide from negative feelings.

In fact, some people do just the opposite – they stop eating.

People who overeat generally, or who are emotional overeaters, are at a higher risk for becoming stress eaters, as well.

For other people who fall into this trap when they are  stressed, but, otherwise have fairly normal appetites, there are studies that suggest it may be due to a hunger hormone, which spikes when a person is stressed.

If you actually feel hungrier when you are stressed, and it isn’t just driven by the need for a distraction, the hormone may be the problem.  For me, it’s the need for distraction – so be honest with yourself about this.  When I am stressed, I often eat when I am not hungry at all.

Symptoms of Stress Eating

You may not know that you are a stress eater. You may think you simply have a big appetite; or just not particularly great at controlling your cravings.

It you are not sure, keep a journal.  Make notes of everything you eat (and how you are feeling at the time) that are outside of regular meal times.  Look for patterns of stress eating.

For example, the times when you head to McDonald’s right after you have a fight with your significant other, or the boss has chewed you out for something you did (or didn’t ) do.  Or, the evening when you eat an entire pint of ice cream when you are sitting alone after a hard day of work. Or, you eat two pieces of pie when you were worrying about the big test that is coming up. Those are classic signs of stress eating.

Other signs of stress eating:

  • You always gain weight during stressful times in your life
  • You feel like you deserve to eat what you want because of everything that has happened
  • You feel a sense of urgency in terms of eating certain foods – there may be a compulsion to get in the car and drive to get that hot fudge sundae you want.
  • After a long difficult day, food is the only thing you can think about.
  • You have uttered the words “I need this to feel better.”

What You Can Do About It

When you recognize the signs and think (or know) that you are a stress eater; then, it is time to STOP! It may be difficult to stop completely – and NEVER do it again. But, there are some things you can do to slow it down, and eventually stop completely.

Things that Can Help

Acknowledgement – It order to change any habit, the first step is to acknowledge that you have the habit, and are committed to breaking it. If you do not take this step, anything else you do will be temporary. Your efforts may help for a short time, but you will fall back into the pattern at some point.

Meditation – Meditation is a tool used by many to overcome harmful behaviors. It is a great way to ground yourself and empty your mind so that the stress no longer overwhelms you.

Meditation is not necessarily easy in the beginning. It takes practice.  Do not feel discouraged if you don’t “get it” right away.  Stay with it.

Because of the vast number of advocates for this practice and the fact that it has been around for centuries, there is obviously real benefits that can be enjoyed from meditation.

Begin slowly and work up to longer periods of time. Try a few minutes of meditation each day and let your mind clear itself. It may take as long as a couple of months before you are consciously aware of the benefits.

Some people find they do better if they go to a community meditation facility – others prefer to do it in private.

Aromatherapy – This is another relaxation method that has been used for centuries; and seems to work well in managing stress and eliminating stress eating.

Some of the methods of aromatherapy include aerial diffusion (typically with an oil burner), topical application, and inhalation. The scents enhance focus and aid relaxation.

Some practitioners claim that it is important to use only natural essential oils because the synthetics may contain ingredients that can irritate the skin if applied topically.

 Massage – This is the combination of touch and physical manipulation of joints and muscles to release stress and tension – often combined with aromatherapy.  As tension and stress dissipate, the need for stress eating diminishes.

Food replacement – As you become more and more aware of your patterns, try replacing the bad foods you tend to eat when you’re stressed with healthier alternatives. Instead of a plate of nachos, eat tortilla chips with salsa. Replace a pint of ice cream with a low-calorie frozen yogurt bar or a high-protein granola bar in place of a candy bar.  You may be surprised how well this works, but you do have to be prepared.  And . . . remember you don’t eat the whole box of high-protein bars – just one.

The main thing is to recognize that stress eating is a problem – then, do something about it.  Begin today!