Stress Management

Lack of sleep, loss of appetite, decreased memory retention, and even increased emotional outbursts. These are all common signs of high stress levels in individuals and unfortunately we see high levels in far to many people. Yet we continue with the 60+ hour work weeks, endless evening events with friends, food eaten on the go, and persistent avoidance of the gym. On the bright side stress can be managed and in some cases erased.

The number one tip is to create new habits that help remove you from stressors or stressful situations.
Positive habits can include and are not limited to:
*Humor: laughing is the most affective way to reduce stress because it produces helpful chemicals inside of our brains.

*Get outside and move: changing your environment can help change your current stressed out mood. Go for a short jog, do a few air squats, or pull ups on a near jungle gym.

*Hydration: Drink plenty of water, get up and get a glass of water when you are stressed out. Not coffee(my personal favorite), tea, cola, or Red Bull. Your body works off of water, your organs do not properly function when they are dehydrated, so be sure to consume your body weight divided by 2 in ounces of water. Ex. 140 pounds/2=70 fl. Ounces of water minimal.

We also found that when you can pin point what is causing the stress you are more likely to be able to find a way to help reduce that stressor or eliminate the problem. Figure out what the major stressor is, not enough time? Are you spread to thin? Begin analyzing what your days look like and figure out where you can cut back. If it is simply 80+ hours of work, do you love what you do? If so then you will need to find positive habits such as humor or walking breaks to help reduce the stress. It is important to understand that if stress is not reduced that it will have a major negative impact on your health and well being.

Stress affects not only our wellbeing but the people around us, we respond to stress in numerous ways some people stop eating while others binge eat. Either course of action is very negative, affecting our lives at home. You will typically decrease in productivity when you are overly stressed as well as a decline in the amount of energy you have. Stress can also lead to heart attacks and depression, both very hard on our bodies and families to handle. But if you can learn to manage your own stress then the risk can be reduce by upwards of 70%.

Learn to manage your stress, eat healthy, get out and exercise, and enjoy every day of life!