3 Simple E's To STRESS RELIEF!

Dr. Rajita Sinha, Dirrector of the Yale Stress Center, in a recent interview with CNN Contributor Amada Enayati said, 

“Drugs like alcohol, nicotine and cocaine, and also high-fat, high-calorie comfort foods, are powerful modifiers of the stress system. They will change our stress pathways and affect the way our body is able to control our stress response. And so, after a period of bingeing, your body’s stress system eventually just wears out.

Your adrenal gland, which is responsible for releasing the stress hormone, becomes weak or sputters out. Then it doesn’t signal properly to help us cope. That, in turn, starts to affect us adversely - not just our biology, but also our emotional response.”

In this most informative interview, Dr. Sinha gave three little changes that every person (and family) can make in their daily lives to get the big results of reduced stress--a healthier body, more peaceful state of mind, and better interpersonal relationships.  She said, “We need to put greater emphasis on protective factors like sitting down with the family or exercising or putting away all the electronic devices.”

How can you implement these 3 simple stress-reducing “little changes” into your life this week?

Eat together.  Plan meal times with your family one day in advance.  Because most families no longer have the same weekday schedule due to increasing work commitments, ever-changing after school activities, or heavy business travel/traffic, it is unrealistic to plan to eat breakfast or dinner at the same time each day.  Having a plan for a regular "all family" meal should be made one day in advance. This gives everyone enough "lead time" to determine the cooking/grocery shopping/drive-time details in order for each family member make the "all family mealtime" happen smoothly.  Whether you eat "out" or at home, strive to provide your family with healthy foods and choices. Most restaurants cater to families wanting healthy choices--you might have to ask for healthy options then model healthy eating!!


Exercise regularly.  Regular exercise has SO many benefits--calorie burning, stress relief, cardiovascular improvement, weight reduction--yet most Americans struggle to do it!  If you would identify yourself as an irregular exerciser, here are a few tricks to making exercise a more consistent activity in your life:  

1. Have a regular exercise partner who will meet you at the gym or an agreed upon location (home, park, etc.). You will be more likely to workout if you have an accountability partner. 
2. Have fun. Add variety to your exercise.  Consider doing different routines or classes at the gym.  Try something new or crazy-for-you to do: dancing, boxing, or jump roping.  Variety and fun keeps you coming back!
3. Put a "workout backpack" in the trunk of your car packed with a bottle of water, pedometer, a pair walking shoes, towel, and bag of almonds. You’ll be ready to walk anytime you have extra time!

Electronically relax.  As the Dr. Rajita Sinha suggests, putting away your electronic devices as an immediate way to reduce stress in your life.  But be aware that putting away your electronic devices might result in withdrawal symptoms (physical anxiety). So take small steps toward this stress-reducing activity.  First, give advance notice to the people who might expect you to be in contact with them. Tell them that you are going to take an “electronic vacation” for an evening or a weekend.  If there is a reason someone might need to reach you in an emergency, give them a specific direction for reaching you (outside of the normal cell phone/text/email directions). Second (and I actually did this for 5 days), turn off and lock up your phone and/or computer and store them in a safe place that is “out of sight, out of mind.” Don’t "fire them back up" until a determined time.  Note: It might take a few hours (or even days) to decompress from your devices or overcome the temptation to retrieve your messages (every 3 minutes), but give it your best effort.  I promise, once you experience the peace and quiet (from lack of interruption), you’ll enjoy the quiet time--and probably increase your quality time with your love ones!

Apply each these “little changes” to your life this week and let me know if you were successful.  If you would like additional ideas, I've recorded a short audio clip on how to reduce stress with a few breathing exercises, click here.

Be encouraged,

Becky

info@beckytirabassionline.com

BeckyTirabassiOnline.com