How to Manage Stress

Whether you admit it or not, stress is a part of everyday life. 

Whether you are at school, at the office, or just about anywhere, you are forced to deal with people and the environment. 

Hence, the types of stress is closely associated with its cause. 

And because your physical body is closely connected to your emotional and mental state, you will notice some connection to their effects when you begin to experience stress. 

This is also the reason why it is important to combat the cause of stress since it affects several vital aspects of your body in order to function.

The Top 2 Problems That Cause Stress

Although there are hundreds of problems that cause stress, two of the top problems that cause stress in our lives are:
1. Health problems
2. Financial problems

And, given that most people will experience health and financial problems at some point in our lives, it is not realistic to think that you can avoid stress completely.

Instead it is better to look at strategies that can help you deal with health and financial problems and, as a result, reduce the stress in your life.

Stress Due To Health Problems: There is nothing more stressful than fighting a disease like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. To deal with this kind of stress, you need to make sure that you eat healthy, exercise daily and that you get enough rest and sleep. It also helps if you have a support system, i.e. family members, a friend, clergy, health coach, doctor, etc.

Concerning health problems, you should educate yourself about healthy foods and how to eat balanced meals (i.e. DTD super meals). These types of meals will provide your body and its cells with the proper nutrients to prevent and fight most diseases -- so that you can prevent stress from causing damage to your body.

Note: During the past several years, more and more people have learned how to use the Internet and its platforms (i.e. Google, YouTube) to educate themselves about proper nutrition and how to eat healthier to fight diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.

Stress Due To Financial Problems: Not having enough money to pay the bills or being unemployed is very stressful, especially given the recent problems with the economy and the "real" unemployment rate. It is important that we look for alternative ways to increase the income for our family.

Concerning financial problems, you should educate yourself about financial  budgeting, savings, investments, 401Ks, IRAs, the stock market, economics and small business/marketing; and, how to start your own home business without requiring any major capital. By finding alternative ways to increase your family income, you can prevent the stress from not having enough money to live and handle the expenses for unforeseen events, i.e. flooded basement, hospital stay, car problems, loss of job, etc.

Note: During the past several years, more and more people have learned that the same Internet that helped them learn how to eat better and fight disease can be used to help them improve their financial situation and live a higher quality of life. Examples include: selling health products, providing advice to help people (i.e. health coaching), writing and selling your own book; fixing cars; cleaning houses (i.e. maid service); repairing houses, etc.

Unfortunately, most people don't start their own business for 4 major reasons: (1) they don't have the time or money; (2) they don't know how or lack the interest; (3) they tried in the past and failed; and (4) they don't need the extra money.

But, with the advancements of technology in today's information age, that is all changing now -- lack of time, money, interest, etc. should no longer be barriers to your financial success. (This will be discussed in more detail in a future post).

In the meantime, here are some ideas to help you deal with stress in your life:
-- Help a friend

-- Go for a ride
-- Visit the mall
-- Eat a healthy breakfast

-- Tour a museum
-- Take a walk in nature
-- Write in your journal

-- Talk with a close friend

-- Take a bubble bath
-- Get a massage
-- Read a good book
-- Go to the movies
-- Laugh!
-- Volunteer
-- Start your own home business*

 

*Note: For more information about how to start your own home business, refer to a future post or refer to the DTD website at:

http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Start_a_Business.html

Types and Causes of Stress 
Here are some of the most common sources of stress that must be dealt with on an everyday basis.

Internal Stress: There are times when you constantly worry about certain events without having enough control to determine its outcome. Internal stress is also one of those kinds of stress that needs to be addressed quickly. Most of the source of stress is rooted in the person’s mind, which makes it difficult to manage and would entail more work to get rid of. Oftentimes, people suffering from internal stress subconsciously puts themselves in stressful situations or feel stressed out about things that aren’t stressful to begin with.

Survival Stress: This type of stress deals with the danger, mostly physical, that an individual is subjected to. It can be prompted by an attack made by either human or animal that could potentially hurt you in the process. Therefore, your body releases this burst of energy that you need to utilize to respond quickly about the situation at hand whether to confront it or escape from it.

Environmental Stress: This type of stress is your body’s way of responding to changes or activities in your environment that could produce stress, such as extreme levels of noise or pressure from work. As compared to the other types of stress already mentioned above, this one is a lot easier to deal with. The best way to get started combating this stress type is to determine the source. Once you have identified the source of environmental stress, find a way to avoid them.

Stress Due To Work and Fatigue: Another common type of stress and probably the most prevalent. This one though does not happen in an instant, but rather builds up over time. When you are spending too much time working or forced to deal with excessive amount of work, then it can take its toll on your body. To deal with work stress, you need to make sure you have enough rest and relaxation in between so your body can recover from the tremendous amount of work. There are relaxation methods that you can apply in order to find relief from stress.

Tips for How to Manage Stress in Your Life

Stress Management: Learn to Control What You Can
It’s not realistic to think you can avoid stress completely. There are some things over which you don’t have complete control: roofs occasionally leak, jobs can be a hassle, relationships can end and investments sometimes go down in value.

Worrying about things you have no or limited control over is not your best strategy for your overall health or for managing your diabetes. Instead, focus on managing your response to these kinds of events. You have the ability to control your attitude, help calm your bodily reactions to stress and make sound choices. The goal is to mobilize the available resources to help you cope with stress in a healthy manner.

In addition, ensure that you eat balanced meals such as the DTD super meals. These types of meals will provide your body and its cells with the proper nutrients so that you can handle stress and prevent stress from causing damage to your body. 

Manage What You Can Control

The all-important first step is to distinguish between those parts of your stress that you have some measure of control over and those you don’t. You want to focus your energy on the areas over which you have some control.

For example, you cannot change the fact that your boss is a dimwit but you can choose how you respond to him. Spend your limited time and energy on trying to make the situation better instead of being anxious about the current state.

Examine Your Coping Style

Why does one person faced with diabetes rise to the challenge while another person struggles with continual feelings of failure? It often has a lot to do with coping style. Many people have what’s called “learned helplessness.” They respond to adversity in a passive manner believing that fate will inevitably have its way. 

But this coping style usually fails to see the many choices that are actually available. If you are prone to learned helplessness, start asking yourself what choices you have that could change your situation? Write them down. Be proactive. Diabetes doesn’t have to control your life.

Choose to Enrich Your Life

In our fast-paced society, many people never give themselves a chance to fully recharge their physical, mental and emotional reserves. As a result, our minds and bodies stay tightly wound and increasingly stressed with each passing day. 

Instead of trying to distract yourself from these stressors by plopping in front of the television or going out to eat, do something that you find truly enriching, i.e. help a friend, visit the mall, write in your journal, read a good book, become a community volunteer, etc.

Use Exercise Techniques to Manage Your Stress

Regular practice of the following exercise disciplines will immediately help you reduce your stress level, and, over time, bring your glucose levels down as well:

Diaphragmatic breathing. In a sitting or lying position, breathe in through your nose, pulling the air deeply into your lungs until you feel your lower abdomen begin to extend. Take in as much air as you can. Hold it for a count of five and then slowly exhale through your mouth. Do this several times.

Progressive relaxation. In a lying position, tense one muscle group (calves, for example) for a slow count of 10 while keeping the rest of your body relaxed. Stop tensing that muscle and relax for a few seconds. Then move to the next muscle group (thighs) and repeat. Progressively work your way through the entire body. This exercise is great to help bleed out the tension in muscles before sleeping.

Exercise. Find an aerobic activity (running, walking, swimming, cycling, water exercise, Tai chi, dancing, etc.) that you enjoy and participate in it regularly. Exercise is one of the best ways to release tension and keep your blood sugar in check. 

Food for Thought: There is a fine line between denial and faith: Denial is believing you can’t win the battle against the disease because of all the facts. Faith is believing that you can win the battle despite all of the facts.