Does your blood pressure rise when you are faced with certain situations? Do you find yourself eating (or drinking) when you encounter stress?
These stress management techniques can help you get back control and stay calm in situations that cause stress and anxiety.
We all go through stressful things in our lives but is how you manage it that determines your physical and mental health. Stress is one of the biggest causes of overeating.
So, why not do everything you can to manage your stress.
Stress produces the hormone, cortisol.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our policies for more details.
Health professionals have known for years that elevated cortisol levels interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function and bone density, increase weight gain, blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease—the list goes on.
Additionally, cortisol will stand in your way when it comes to weight loss.
So, if you do nothing else to improve your health, fight to reduce the stress in your life as much as possible. You will be glad you did.
Never underestimate the power of stress. It is a silent killer. — Margena A. Christian
Stress and anxiety most often result from trying to stuff too much living into too little time or from your career. You need to step back and slow down.
Taking the step to live more intentionally will go a long way towards improving your health both mentally and physically.
Breathing is the greatest pleasure in life. — Giovanni Papini
Practice deep breathing regularly to relieve the stress of a normal day. This practice is called belly breathing and it is done like this:
Belly breathing is easy to do and very relaxing. Try this basic exercise anytime you need to relax or relieve stress.
- Sit or lie flat in a comfortable position.
- Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest.
- Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move.
- Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling. Feel the hand on your belly go in, and use it to push all the air out.
- Do this breathing 3 to 10 times. Take your time with each breath.
- Notice how you feel at the end of the exercise.
Another culprit to stress and overwhelm is multitasking. You may think that working on several things at one time will help you get more accomplished, but it often leads to stress and confusion.
It has been shown you can accomplish ten tasks in succession faster than you can accomplish the same ten tasks while working on several of them at the same time.
Simplification is the secret to reducing overwhelm.
Living life one day at a time in its simplest form is the beginning of changing your mindset to lead you down the road to losing weight and regaining your health.
Keeping your work time and caretaking of others to a reasonable amount of time will give you the time it takes to focus on yourself.
Reducing stress is essential to losing weight. It will never happen if you don’t learn to manage the stress in life.
Make a list of things you enjoy doing that you can do at very short notice, such as; read a book or a magazine, listen to music, journal, work on a craft project, talk to a friend.
The list is almost endless if you think about it. Here are 5 of my favorite things to do when things become stressful
1. Walk (or another form of exercise)
Moving is one of the best ways to eliminate stress. Even if you are work and can’t walk away, you can normally walk in place. Yoga is a great activity for easing the stresses of daily living.
2. Read
Get out a book, magazine or digital publication. One of the most recent mediums for books is the audiobook. Lose yourself in a great story.
Learn something new or read poetry. There is nothing more relaxing than a good book. Do you have trouble falling asleep? Try reading a chapter before bed.
3. Write
Journaling is a good way to work through issues that cause stress. If journaling is not your thing, try writing poetry. Writing about your perfect day or a dream vacation is another excellent way of taking the edge off.
4. Cross Stitch
Cross stitch is a form of needlework that I enjoy. The options for being creative are unlimited. This is maybe the perfect time to learn something new. There are so many creative things you can do for little or no cost.
5. Meditate
Meditation can restore calm in your life. Not into meditation? Just enjoy some quiet time. Listen to the birds, take a bubble bath or spend time with a pet. These are all calming activities that can relieve the stress of daily challenges.
This list will be your personal support when things get tough…when you feel like binge eating or going off the deep end.
You can reduce your stress by looking at challenging situations differently. Take out a sheet of paper or use your favorite digital sheet of paper and think about the common recurring things in your life that cause stress.
Identify the stressor
Certain events or circumstances may cause stress in your regularly. Learn to recognize these times before they occur. What makes you nervous? What makes your heart palpitate?
Reaction to the stressor
What is your normal reaction to these events? Do you eat? Does it tie your stomach in knots? Do you suffer anxiety? You could have any number of reactions to these stressful incidents.
Coping Strategies
What can you do to head off the stress? Get the sleep you need, practice deep breathing, use some of the above stress management techniques.
Depending on the circumstances there may be many more coping strategies for your particular stressor.
If you only get one thing out of this guide, it should be that reducing the stress in your life should be a priority. Having less stress in your life is going to make all the difference in the world.