February 2010  

" If you want things to be different, perhaps the answer is to become different yourself."
 ~ Norman Vincent Peale

The Antidote to S.T.R.E.S.S.

S.T.R.E.S.S.--Staying Tense Regardless of Environment, Safety, and Support does more to produce ill health, weight gain, and unhealthy coping behaviors than most other aspects of our lives. Do you feel like you have no control over your time? Does free time seem non-existent, while demands from parents and children, greater job pressures and an ever-expanding connection to your job through email, cell phones and internet consume your every minute? Our children often feel stressed too, as scholastic competition increases, their days are overscheduled, and they grab junk food on the go.

Before we go any further down the pathways to stress, let’s discuss the physiological reactions of this syndrome, commonly referred to as “fight or flight.”  The adrenal glands, walnut-sized glands on top of the kidney, control many of the body’s hormones. When you are in “fight or flight” mode, they increase the production of adrenaline, corticosterone and epinephrine, which increases your heart rate, releases urgently needed energy, slows your digestion and sharpens your senses. Meanwhile, you feel sweaty palms, a pounding heart, and tense muscles. Even your blood clots more easily, which is helpful when faced with an attacking bear, but not so great when you are in an office and the computers go down.

The main problem with stress is that today it is often prolonged, leading to adrenal burnout and an impaired thyroid gland. This causes a further decline in energy level and mood, and an increasing likelihood of heart disease, cancer, lung disease, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Warning signs of too much stress might be fatigue, insomnia, irritability, weight gain or depression. The cortisol released to convert proteins into energy under stress is necessary in the short-term, but destructive long-term. It gradually wears down your body by destroying healthy bones and muscles, weakening your immune system, slowing down cell regeneration and healing, and interfering with metabolism and mental functioning.

When stress becomes an every day event, the brain loses its ability to evaluate whether a stress response is warranted and it becomes less able to regulate the response, according to Bruce McEwen, PhD, of the Rockefeller Institute. You may experience anxiety, stomachaches, headaches, diarrhea, unexplained crying spells or angry outbursts, nightmares and insomnia.

Fortunately, you can take measures to ease stress before it does irreparable damage to your body. Some simple, but effective ways to reduce stress include eating breakfast every morning to make sure you have the energy you need to function throughout the day. Breakfast should be your best meal, made up of steel-cut oats and berries, a veggie omelet, or a smoothie filled with protein powder, berries, ice and a small amount of organic sweetener like Yacon Syrup (doesn’t spike your blood sugar).

If you exercise on a daily basis, you will relieve a great deal of stress. Any routine will do—walking for 30 minutes, aerobics, yoga—the key is to enjoy it! Another important stress reliever is meditation. Just find some quiet time each day for 15 to 20 minutes and you will begin to feel more relaxed and in sync with the flow of life. And last, but not least, simply change your outlook. Instead of seeing something as the “worst that could happen,” put it in perspective and remember that inside every problem lies a solution.

Finally, treat yourself well. That means saying “no” when you are tired; taking a hot bath when you feel drained; scheduling some free time just for you and finding a hobby that can take you away from it all. Even one small change can have an impact on how long and how well you live.


Creamy Parsnip Soup with Polka Dots

In the colder weather, few foods provide more comfort than hot soup...And nothing is better for stress than comfort!