What is stress? Stress is simply a fact of nature – forces from the inside or outside world affecting the individual.
Six myths about stress
Dispelling them enables us to understand our problems and then take action against them. Let’s look at these myths.
Myth 1: Stress is the same for everybody.
Stress is different for each of us. What is stressful for one person may or may not be stressful for another; each of us responds to stress in an entirely different way.
Myth 2: Stress is always bad for you.
According to this view, zero stress makes us happy and healthy. Stress is to the human condition what tension is to the violin string: too little and the music is dull and raspy; too much and the music is shrill or the string snaps. Stress can be the kiss of death or the spice of life. The issue, really, is how to manage it. Managed stress makes us productive and happy; mismanaged stress hurts and even kills us.
Myth 3: Stress is everywhere, so you can’t do anything about it.
You can plan your life so that stress does not overwhelm you. Effective planning involves setting priorities and working on simple problems first, solving them, and then going on to more complex difficulties. When stress is mismanaged, it’s difficult to prioritize. All your problems seem to be equal and stress seems to be everywhere.
Myth 4: The most popular techniques for reducing stress are the best ones.
No universally effective stress reduction techniques exist. We are all different, our lives are different, our situations are different, and our reactions are different. Only a comprehensive program tailored to the individual works.
Myth 5: No symptoms, no stress.
Absence of symptoms does not mean the absence of stress. In fact, camouflaging symptoms with medication may deprive you of the signals you need for reducing the strain on your physiological and psychological systems.
Myth 6: Only major symptoms of stress require attention.
This myth assumes that the “minor” symptoms, such as headaches or stomach acid, may be safely ignored. Minor symptoms of stress are the early warnings that your life is getting out of hand and that you need to do a better job of managing stress.
Stress is the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response. The individual responds to stress in ways that affect the individual as well as their environment.
Because of the overabundance of stress in our modern lives, we usually think of stress as a negative experience, but from a biological point of view, stress can be a neutral, negative, or positive experience.
External factors include the physical environment, including your job, your relationships with others, your home, and all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you’re confronted with on a daily basis.
Internal factors determine your body’s ability to respond to, and deal with, the external stress-inducing factors.
* Internal factors which influence your ability to handle stress include your nutritional status, overall health and fitness levels, emotional well-being, and the amount of sleep and rest you get. Unmanaged stress affects body, mind, emotions and behavior. The symptoms can be Cognitive Symptoms:
• Memory problems, inability to concentrate
• Anxious or racing thoughts, constant worrying
• Poor judgment
• Seeing only the negative
* Emotional Symptoms:
• Agitation, inability to relax
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Sense of loneliness and isolation
• Moodiness, irritability or short temper
• Depression or general unhappiness
Obesity, aches and pains due to inflammation, poor digestion etc are the major symptoms seen due to chronic stress. The biomolecules involved are Leptin, Leptin receptors, Cortisol, Ghrelin, PYY hormones etc. Chronic stress and Cortisol can contribute to weight gain by:
* Slowing down our metabolism
* Causing cravings
* Altering blood sugar levels
* Increasing fat storage
A change in lifestyle, eating habits as well as body composition are the central aspects to reduce the stress and hence weight.
• Build downtime for non productive into your schedule.
• Drop activities that drain your time or energy.
• Rethink your messages or words.
• Get moving.
• Remember that a little relaxation goes a long way.
Yoga, meditation, good sleep, exercise, healthy snacking, eating, doing something good for happy feeling are the keys to handle weight gain due to stress.
Six Tips to Lower Your Cortisol Production:
Here are 6 tips that give you the top recommendations to decrease cortisol levels and experience optimal health.
1. Eliminate caffeine from your diet. It’s the quickest way to reduce cortisol production and elevate the production of DHEA, the leading anabolic youth hormone.
200 mg of caffeine (one 12 oz mug of coffee) increases blood cortisol levels by 30% in one hour! Cortisol can remain elevated for up to 18 hours in the blood. This is the easiest step to decrease your catabolic metabolism and increase your anabolic metabolism.
2. Sleep deeper and longer. The average 50 year old has nighttime cortisol levels more than 30 times higher than the average 30 year old.
ry taking melatonin, a natural hormone produced at night that helps regulate sleep/wake cycles, before going to sleep to boost your own melatonin production that also decreases with age. I prefer PrimeTM DreamzTMand I always take it on trips to recover from jet lag. You may not need it every night, but if you are waking up in the middle of the night or too early in the morning, melatonin can help you sleep deeper and lengthen your sleep cycle. If you get sleepy during the day even though you had plenty of rest, back off the melatonin for a while. It’s a sign you are getting too much.
3. Exercise regularly to build muscle mass and increase brain output of serotonin and dopamine, brain chemicals that reduce anxiety and depression. It is recommended to take DHEA to shorten the adaptation period when out-of-shape muscles and cardiovascular system discourage people from continuing to exercise before they get in shape. DHEA also accelerates the building of muscle mass and increases the feeling of being strong and energetic.
4. Keep your blood sugar stable. Avoid sugar in the diet and refined carbohydrates to keep from spiking your insulin production. Eat frequent small meals balanced in protein, complex carbohydrates and good fats like olive oil and flax seed oil. Diets rich in complex carbohydrates keep cortisol levels lower than low carbohydrate diets. Keep well hydrated – dehydration puts the body in stress and raises cortisol levels. Keep pure water by your bed and drink it when you first wake up and before you go to sleep.
5. Take anti-stress supplements like B vitamins, minerals like calcium, magnesium, chromium and zinc, and antioxidants like vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid, grape seed extract, and Co Q 10. Adaptogen herbs like ginseng, astragalus, eleuthero, schizandra, rhodiola and ashwagandha help the body cope with the side effects of stress and rebalance the metabolism. These supplement and herbs will not only lower cortisol levels but they will also help you decrease the effects of stress on the body by boosting the immune system.
6. Meditate or listen to relaxation tapes that promote the production of alpha (focused alertness) and theta (relaxed) brain waves. Avoid jolting alarm clocks that take you from delta waves (deep sleep) to beta waves (agitated and anxious) and stimulants like caffeine that promote beta waves while suppressing alpha and theta waves.
Chitra Thakur
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
