Sign up for our health emails.
First Name:
Last Name:
Email:
We will not share your email with anyone.
 
 
Home > Articles
 

Advertisement


 
Notice:::
The articles presented are provided by third party authors and do not neccessarily reflect the views or opinions of HealthStatus.com, Inc. They should not be construed as medical advice or diagnosis. Consult with your physician prior to following any suggestions provided.
 

Change Your Stress Level, Change Your Life!

by Glory Borgeson

In an article titled "He Who Dies With the Most Toys Wins?", I discussed stress and how a Japanese company has developed a sleep chair in order to help sleep-deprived citizens get more shut-eye, and thus reduce their stress. Over the last 6 years, I’ve spent some time studying nutrition, changed my diet, and looked at the effects of stress on the body. In particular, over this time I became interested in how increased stress levels can bring on disease. Stress is like an open invitation (or an open party, as we called it in high school) for disease to come in and take up residence. When we’re healthy, our bodies fight off all kinds of disease, such as cancerous cells, every day. When our defenses are down, it’s more difficult for our bodies to fight these things off.

While my change in diet and stress level is still far from what I want it to be (I still have a sweet tooth, for example), I know that I have accomplished a lot. It is very complimentary when women who are 10 to 15 years younger than I am want to know what my secret is for staying healthy and looking closer to their age than "actual." Several women at one of my client’s offices have even begun to change their diet based on what they have seen me do.

While we can change the food we choose to put into our bodies, stress often comes to us from the outside and unexpectedly. Because of this, we need to recognize what creates stress for us, figure out what we can do to lessen the amount of stressful situations coming at us, and consider adding to our "to do list" the types of activities that we find lessen the load of the stress.

As I was writing this, an example of a poor way to handle stress came to mind. It involves a fictional teacher at a Catholic school whose class was not paying attention. I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but this example comes

from a Cheech and Chong recording called, "Sister Mary Elephant" (or about her, anyway) from the early 1970’s. In this piece, the Sister’s class was talking quite loudly. She wanted their attention. So in a regular speaking

Advertisement

voice, she said, "Class." (No response.) Then a little louder, "Class!" (No response.) Once more, a little louder, "Class!" (Again, no response.) Then in a loud, screaming voice, "Shut up!!!" The class quieted down.

Then it was time to check Sister M.E.’s blood pressure and heart rate.

For Sister Mary Elephant, her stress level increased from a classroom of noisy kids. (She should have thought about that before deciding to become a teacher.)

What creates stress for you?

  • Too much on your schedule
  • When people work against you
  • Financial pressures
  • Too many problems to solve and not enough answers
  • Change
  • Looming deadlines
  • Work of a complexity that you are not ready to deal with right now
  • Boring work, but it’s the wrong time to look for something different
  • Issues with spouse
  • Issues with kids

It’s important to recognize the types of situations that increase stress for you, to begin an awareness process so that you can at least notice it and perhaps name it.

What can you do to lessen the number and/or intensity of stressful situations coming at you? This is a subjective question with subjective answers. It will take some time to think through which types of situations call for what types of responses, especially on the front end.

For example, if a stressor for you is "too much on my schedule," what can you do to reduce the load? "I can’t do anything about it" is not a legitimate response, and this is why: One day your body will make you do something about it. And it will do it with disease or a car accident or some other wake up call.

What types of activities help you to reduce your stress?

When I was writing this article, I was just about to go on vacation to Hawaii. It had been a long time since I actually went out of town for a real vacation. In the few years prior, when I reduced my stress level quite a bit, however, I found that I didn’t really need a vacation. I was able to reduce stress

right where I was and could "get away" pretty easily without actually going far away. Still, a vacation is a very legitimate way to reduce stress.

Several people wrote to tell me how they reduce their stress levels, especially in terms of work. Here are some of their thoughts:

  • As one task falls off my list, I try not to add another task to the list
  • I want less stuff
  • I let others help me
  • I count my blessings more often
  • As I get older I care less about things I once thought were important (life isn't that serious)
  • I get up a little earlier in the morning and take about 15 minutes to have coffee or tea (outside, if the weather cooperates) and read a book.
  • Fit exercise into my schedule 3 times a week
  • Don’t spend much time with people who display their anger destructively rather than constructively
  • Spend time with my kids, finding out about their lives
  • Spend time playing with my dog or cat
  • Watch a funny movie or TV show
  • Go fishing
  • Go anywhere that is peaceful

What can you do to recognize stress-creators in your life, reduce their number and/or intensity, and add activities that, by their very nature, reduce your stress levels?

© 2005 Borgeson Consulting, Inc.

Glory Borgeson is a business coach and consultant, and the president of Borgeson Consulting, Inc. She works with two groups of people: small business owners (with 500 employees or less) to help them increase their Entrepreneurial IQ, which leads to increased profit and decreased stress; and with executives in the "honeymoon phase" of a new position (typically the first two years) to coach them to success. Top athletes have a coach; why not you?

Click here for Borgeson Consulting, Inc.

This article was originally published in The Business Express, Borgeson's free monthly ezine. You may subscribe by clicking here: Ezine


Other Articles:

Use Weight Loss Diet Pills The Right Way And You’ll Lose Weight
There are many misinterpretations of what weight loss diet pills actually do. It is a myth that these drugs perform weight loss on their own. Unfortunately, you can't take a diet pill and just carry on eating anything you want without doing exercise. That’s not the way it works. With...

The Health Benefits Of Taking Borage Oil
In recent years borage seed oil has gained much attention by alternative health practitioners and the medical establishment for its medicinal properties. Borage oils active component, gamma linoleic acid (GLA), has had extensive research done. Studies dating as far back as 1940 have...

Macronutrient Rations for Long-term Weight Control
I’m a firm believer in a healthy and low-fat way of eating for controlling weight. Weight control is such a long-term process that any short-term diet can only be a poor and short-term solution. If you’re like me and wish to develop healthy low fat eating habits then what exactly is...

 
 
 
HEALTH TIP ::::
  Cook hamburgers thoroughly, to an internal temperature of 160 deg F. Poultry should be cooked to 170 deg F and steaks to 145 deg F. Use a meat thermometer to be sure.
 
 
 JUST FOR YOU::::
 
Advertisement

 
Try our Body Fat calculator today!
  * Fat Loss Product Reviews
OUR NEWSLETTER
 
 
 
 
     

   
Copyright 1998-2010 HealthStatus.com. All rights reserved.