Stress Relief Is Available - Learn To Deal With It Effectively

S-t-r-e-s-s, it is everywhere and unless you learn to deal effectively with it and find ways to get some stress relief, it can cause some serious health problems.  About a year ago, I had so much stress in my life; I literally made myself physically sick, to the point where I thought I was having a heart attack.  That’s when I woke up and said NO MORE!  I had to sit down and reevaluate my life completely.  Now, there are certain things I refused to deal with no matter what.  If I don’t want to do it…I don’t.  If I have something to say…I say it, unfortunately, for some, at times my words may be hurtful, but I sure feel good about not holding it in anything that may cause me to stress out.  I’ve learned that life is too short!  I have my son and family to think about and I want to be around for a very long time.  I used to never take lunch; I’d just work, work and work!  Now, watch out!  I go to lunch everyday, I don’t care what has been done or not been done.  It’ll be there when I get back.  I workout every day and I don’t let anything get in my way.  You know why?  It makes me feel good about myself and my life.

Here are some of the most common effects of prolonged exposure to stressful situations and the effect it has on your body, mood, and behavior: 

1. Headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, loss of interest in sex, and changes in your sleep pattern and bowel habits.

2. Increased anxiousness, lack of motivation, depression and restlessness.

3. Overeating or not eating enough, using alcohol or drugs, withdrawing from social situations, or lashing out in anger can become behavioral problems.

If you notice that you are experiencing any of these symptoms you should go speak to your doctor and have a physical to make sure that you do not have any underlying problems caused by the stressful situations in your life like increased blood pressure.  This happened to me; high blood pressure.  My doctor couldn’t believe it!  She said how on earth can someone as healthy as you end up with high blood pressure?  It was from stress.  She sat me down and said to me, “you need to get it together”.  I’m telling you, this was a major wake up call for me.  I knew that I did not want to live on high blood pressure medication for the rest of my life.  I slowly begin to wean myself off of the medication with my doctor’s help and I’ve never looked back.  I have been totally medication free for over a year and I feel amazing!

Have your doctor give you the once over and then ask them how to decrease the stressful situations in your life.  You could just need to take a walk everyday after dinner to alleviate some anxiety. Of course nothing beats exercise for stress relief and to know you are doing something good for yourself is a plus as well.  It does not even have to be intense exercise. A walk around the neighborhood will do just fine.

If you have the time you could also try a yoga class. Yoga is extremely effective for relieving tension and helping you remain centered and calm.  Yoga forces you to slow down and relax.

No one has to be a victim of the stressful situations life throws at us everyday. All you have to do is find ways to deal with what works for you.   

When was the last time you laughed...at anything? If you cannot remember when you last had a good belly laugh then maybe you need to go rent a good comedy on your way home tonight, get comfortable on the couch and just get in a few good laughs.  I’m telling you, it will do your body, mind and spirit good.

Everyone has heard that laughter is the best medicine, right? Well, it is also one of the best stress relief activities you can do for yourself, and it's free for everyone to do. If the movie doesn't do it for you then get together with some old friends and reminisce about old times. Just laugh!

Live Fit Live Strong!!