April 2011 Newsletter – Combating Stress

Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use."    Earl Nightingale 1921-1989, Author

Greetings friends, clients and correspondents

In our modern world, very few of us are unaffected by stress. Stress comes in many forms however the end product of continued stressors on our bodies is decreased health and unbalance in all areas of our lives. One of the impacts of stress is increasing our cortisol^[1] levels which sadly can add to weight gain.

The effects of cortisol show that people who tend to be worriers or work in high-stress situations may have a harder time getting rid of some fat than other people. The solution is easy: relaxJ - yes I can see some of you pooh-poohing me here!!! You don't have to quit your job or alter your life significantly however you do have to find an avenue for pent-up frustration and anxiety. Keeping your stress low will not only give you peace of mind but will help your body as well.

Stress comes in many forms:

Ø      Emotional (from the devastation of death, divorce, relationship hassles, through to simply just ignoring your own needs or being in daily traffic)

Ø      Physical (poor diet, not enough or too much exercise, lack of sleep, illness, medication, hormone imbalances, or substance abuse etc)

Ø      Environmental (noise, chemicals, allergens, our work/home environment, the people around us [toxic relationships])

Ideally we need to find ways to quieten our stress levels on a daily basis. The long term positive effects of this is -  more energy, healthier bodies, less disease, and generally increased peace and happiness in our lives.

The first thing with stress, is recognising if you have it in your life?

If you're anticipating a stressful week cutting back on some of your nonessential activities will immediately help. Don't forget that atmosphere matters too, so take some time to create a peaceful environment in your home with candles, soft music, or whatever it takes.

Way’s to decrease the effects of stress on our lives:

• Prioritise (ask yourself, what is the worst that may happen if I don’t do this task/if I’m 5 minutes late/if I say no etc?)

• Set new priorities (eliminate, decrease, put off and delegate tasks)

• Look for solutions to your stresses and cut back on some of your nonessential activities. Come up with a plan to resolve the situation that's bothering you. If you cannot find the solution on your own, seek advice. Nothing beats stress more than solving the problem that's causing it.

• Take time to relax each day  even just by soaking in a long hot bath

• Breathe (deeply, from your belly). This is one of the quickest ways to balance our bodies!

• Limit caffeine intake (tea, coffee and chocolate)

• Meditate (there are cds and courses out there that are non denominational)

• Change your routine – if you don’t know how; call a coach or therapist

• Keep things in perspective (will, what you are worrying about be as bad tomorrow?...next week?...next month?)

• Laugh…………………………..and laughJ!

• Call a friend

• Be creative

• Look at your diet and seek help if unsure.

• Sing/dance……do Nia!

• Exercise – every five minutes of exercise counts! Walking is exercise too!!

• Surround yourself with supportive, life enhancing people

• Have a massage

• If you're the munching type, make sure you have plenty of healthy snacks around — and no junk! Spring clean your cupboards!!

• Do something (from your heart) for someone else

• Finding time to get away and do the things you love is essential

• Talk to a therapist. A therapist can help you work through stress and find better ways to deal with problems. For more serious stress related disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), therapy can be helpful. There also are medications that can help ease symptoms of depression and anxiety and help you sleep better (poor sleep can be a contributor to stress or a side effect of it).

• Compromise. Sometimes, it's not worth the stress to stand your ground in an argument. Give in once in awhile.

• Write down your thoughts. Have you ever typed an email to a friend about your lousy day and felt better afterward? Writing is a good way to organize your thoughts and relieve anxiety. Grab a pen and paper (or sit at your keyboard) and write down what's going on in your life! Keeping a journal can be a great way to get things off your chest and work through issues.

• Set limits with yourself and others. Don't be afraid to say "No" to requests for your time and energy.

• Give yourself a break. Whatever you're doing that's causing you stress, just step away from it for a while. If you're thinking about a situation that's creating anxiety, distract yourself with a more pleasant topic.

• Sleep more! Lack of sleep causes our body to produce less of the appetite- regulating hormone (leptin) and more hunger hormone (ghrelin).

• Have your TSH levels of your thyroid checked, if with your stress you have symptoms like: fatigue, sluggishness, constipation, increased sensitivity to cold, pale & dry skin, a puffy face, elevated cholesterol, unexplained (and I mean unexplained!) weight gain, muscle and joint tenderness and stiffness, depression, dry or loss of hair and ends of eyebrows, brittle nails - as this could mean your thyroid gland is under active.  (source: www.mayoclinic.com)

Wishing you all a month of self reflection, and growth

Warm wishes

Lesley Wood

021-4182843

082 3 782 782

www.weight-masters.com

And most of all believe you can overcome – even our bad periods in life change; hold on to this thought!

Wishing you all a month of self reflection, and growth

Warm wishes

Lesley Wood

021-4182843

082 3 782 782

www.weight-masters.com

Self-love, is not so vile a sin as self-neglecting. ~William Shakespeare

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Research:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/136959-how-does-serotonin-affect-sleep/

http://www.enotalone.com/article/4116.html