I know what stresses me – being told that my daughter needs a heart transplant! As I am here with 2 of my daughters, I am noticing an alarming trend in both of them. They are both very high stress people. Too much stress can be very damaging to our overall health. With very busy, stressful lives how do we manage our stress? It’s really hard! Did you know that stressed spelled backward is desserts – coincidence? I think not!
When we are stressed our body releases Cortisol – a hormone that is designed to help us in a “fight or flight” situation. If I’m walking in the woods and come upon a bear I really want the cortisol to kick in. If I’m in traffic and allowing other drivers to anger me then I don’t really need it. The problem is that our minds don’t really know the difference. It simply senses the stress and then sends a signal to the adrenal gland that stress is occurring so I need help. Cortisol released.
High levels of Cortisol are associated with increased cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar and blood pressure. These are all associated with heart disease. Bingo – why this topic is very important to me right now. This plan is about more than just food and juicing – it’s about getting our bodies healthy in all areas which will benefit the heart.
Hannah sent me a good video with recommendations of food that can help to regulate stress. Magnesium rich foods help with reducing inflammation and manage cortisol levels. B vitamin rich foods, especially B12, help to break down cortisol levels and keep stress under control. Pre/Pro biotic rich foods help the mind/body connection function properly. Foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids also help to reduce inflammation and help to counter the side effects of Cortisol. Blood sugar regulating foods such as proteins, help to stabilize blood sugar, reducing the spikes in which Cortisol gets released. Finally, stay well hydrated!
All this to say that I’m not sure how to take 2 high stress people and guide them on reducing stress – it takes more than just proper eating to accomplish this. Now all three girls of mine, and I’m going to include my #2 daughter, Brynn, come by their high stress naturally from their mother. With age my stress is less and I am mellowing. How do you teach stress management to people? I’m not a therapist so I don’t have all of those good tools in a bucket to use. I know that journaling is supposed to be good. The stuff that I’m reading says that less screen time (TV, phones, movies, etc.) lowers stress. We have not watched any television so far here and we’ve watched only 4 movies. Prayer is a great stress reliever – how many of us take time to seriously pray these days?
While here I’ve also learned that when I say to either of them “honey, I need to talk to you” they immediately are stressed! What’s up with that? Overall, Tiff and I have had a pretty low stress time here. A few brief moments of stress. Poor Hannah is very stressed. I’m praying for her daily. Tomorrow Tiff and I will leave early in the day and give Hannah a day off from us being here. Hannah works at a drive-in movie theatre Friday and Saturday evenings so if we leave early, she will have her house to herself for the whole day. That should help a little bit. Next comes dealing with the plumbing problem.
Day 23 is done, day 24 is on the way. “One out of five people in this country are mentally imbalanced. Think of your four closest friends…if they seem okay then you’re the ONE!” – anonymous
6 responses to “WHAT STRESSES YOU?”
Vivian, reading these posts are opening my eyes to changes I should make in my life. I appreciate everything you are sharing, and the underlying goals. Healthy living. I pray you sense the LORD holding you girls up and guiding y
Such kind words! Thank you. We’re having our ups and downs but doing better. See you soon
Well there is someone else in your life that needs to figure out how to reduce stress. I am looking forward to you leading the way.
Waiting to hear some good suggestions. I continue to be concerned with Tiff’s ability to manage her stress.
I’ve started doing daily meditations/breathing exercises. We get the Calm app through work for free, and I listen to at least one relaxation exercise a day, it has helped and i’ve noticed that when i get stressed I can start the breathing exercise by myself without the app to get me through a high stress situation. I’ve been thinking about Tiff a lot lately. I’m so happy that she has this support.
Thank you Jullie. This is good advice on stress. I often advise my patients to do deep breathing/relaxation exercises and most of them report that it helps them. We are using prayer and that is always helpful.