A Weighty Issue - Part II
Stress: from tigers to deadlines
It’s the Neanderthal age, you’re busy munching away on your fresh kill, completely unaware of the saber tooth tiger lurking in the bushes behind you. Now when you turn your head and see that big kitty with a massive overbite, you’ve got 2 choices…to stay and fight or to turn tail and run. “Fight or flight”, this is our bodies response to short term stress and it stems from situations like this. So if you’re stressed because of a deadline at work, traffic, a presentation, kids yelling…our body treats this as if your life were in danger. Now if the body continues to believe that we are under prolonged stress this is where weight gain can be seen.
When we are in a state of chronic stress we are craving those high fat, high calorie foods. Now remember, according to our body we’ve been running away from a saber toothed tiger….some serious calorie burn, so yes if that were the case we would need calories, but we’re not running from tigers anymore, now most of the stress is mental and the calorie burn is not the same.
There are several studies that have been done in determining our body’s inner working when we’re in a stressful state. For a greater understanding of this check out the following links
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/23/health/stress-weight-gain-study/index.html
The body will do what the mind tells it to do, so all we can do is choose not to ring that stress alarm. We need to realize that it is not the situation or the event that is actually stressful, it is only stressful if we label it so.
How to Determine and Identify Long Term Stress and Your Coping Mechanisms
1a.) Honestly, ask yourself how often do you feel stressed, is it a couple of times a month, a week, a day or an hour. Look for the signs of stress, high heart rate, racing thoughts, sweating, change in appetite, short temper. The first step to removing stress from your life is understanding it.
1b.) Get your cortisol level checked. Cortisol is one of the main hormones involved in our long-term stress response and can be checked by either blood/saliva or by hair. This is also the hormone that is in charge of refueling and the one telling you to grab those chips eat those cupcakes. Now, from what I understand the hair can be the best for identifying long term stress since when it is tested by hair it is representative of a 2 month period of stress while blood and saliva are really just a representative of the day it is being drawn. Remember it’s the long term stress that we’re interested in.
2a.) Now that you’ve determined that you’ve been under long term stress we need to identify the “stressor” (meaning those situations that you are labeling as stressful). Take notes for a week, if you feel yourself becoming stressed just note down what the situation is (and if you’re saying that just making notes on when you’re stressed will take too much time then you really need to be taking these notes).
2b.) In a completely separate section jot down what you drank and ate each day, physical activity, sleep, general emotional state, any arguments and/or disagreements and mental clarity.
2c.) Review and compare the data, are there any stressors that are consistent (traffic, running late, overbearing boss), are your eating/drinking habits worse on days when there is more stress, on days where you are more physically active are you generally a little happier.
Take Control of Your Reaction to Stress
Remember, it is not the actual situation, person or deadline that is the issue, it is your reaction to these items that is ringing the stress alarm. This is really great news because it means you are in control of your stress, no one else but you…so GREAT NEWS!!! Let’s look at a few examples of stressor’s that could be marked as consistent
“Its not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it”
1.) Traffic or Running Late: - If this is a constant, then you have a couple of options.
a. Wake Up Earlier – I know, no one wants to do this, but if you’re constantly running late then you need to get there earlier, so get up and out of the door earlier
b. Time Shift – Just go to another dimension….wait oops sorry…that’s not what we’re talking about here :) Do you have the option to shift the time you go in, maybe to a time where there is less traffic or shifting your “clock in” by 15 minutes so you can have that cushion.
c. Route – I can talk from experience on this one. Where I use to work I would have to get on the highway, where traffic was always a nightmare and it made me cranky before I even got to work. I knew that this was a situation where I was unable to control my reaction, so I looked for an alternate route. I found one that according to the GPS would take 5 minutes extra, but there was minimal highway and mostly backroads through some cute towns. After changing my route my attitude greatly improved.
d. Accept it – Seriously, if you can not for whatever reason get out of the house on time, change your work shift or route to work, then just accept it. Be at peace with the traffic, try to make it enjoyable listen to a radio show or book that you like, you’ll get there eventually. Own it.
1.) Too Much Work - So you’re the super star, the “Go To” for special projects, high profile clients, the one that the kids always run to or the one that will do the jobs no one else wants to do.
a. First, figure out what truly matters to you (for me it’s personal growth, positive productivity, movement, puppy snuggles). How important are these activities that you are missing out on.
b. Ask for or determine priorities, what is most important, or urgent then do those items first.
c. Let go of the ego, listen it’s great to feel like the super hero, but if you’re truly unhappy, or not filling up your own cup then it’s not worth it. If you need to feel like a super hero then buy a cape, wear it on special occasions, but let someone else wear it on the other days.
d. Ask for help or delegate, everything is going to catch up to you sooner or later, and it might catch up to you with a heart attack and your very own bed in the ICU. Revisit your list of what matters if you have difficulty with asking for help.
e. Accept it – If you are constantly finding reasons to stay late, take on the hard projects, then own that part of yourself. If this is really what you want to be doing, then admit it, let it be known, stop beating yourself up about, you’re probably causing even more stress about a situation you don’t want to change.
"People at war with themselves will always cause collateral damage in the lives of those around them." - Mark Twain
Positive Actions to Refine Your Reactions
1.) Exercise – Yes you’ve all heard it, this is so obvious nothing new here….but then why do most of us put exercise in the expendable column when it comes to our needs. I’m personal trainer, I see this all the time, exercise takes the backseat and it really should be riding shotgun. There have been so many studies about the benefit of exercise, it is needed, our bodies were made to move, moving our bodies make us happy so get moving.
2.) Meditation – This one is hard even for me, I fully admit it. To start small, I recommend just start breathing…mindfully breathing that is. When you’re driving start taking long inhales and exhales all through the nose (the nose is made for breathing, the mouth is for eating and only breathing when absolutely needed). Make each inhale and exhale long and slow. Then try for just 2 minutes of meditation, there are even apps for it, sit in stillness, let the mind still if it runs off reign it back in.
3.) Laugh – Yup, laugh as much as you can, if you’re having a particularly hard day, take a moment to find something that will make you laugh…there’s enough dog and/or cat videos out there…and they’re there for your entertainment.
4.) Find Gratitude – everyday find one thing to be grateful for…as stated in a previous post, I have a gratitude jar and I fill it DAILY.
5.) Get Outside – Take a walk and do it outside. Again this is something that we’ve all heard but still many do not do. Try it, just get outside, soak up a little vitamin D, listen to the birds, sit in the shade of a tree, look up at the sky.
6.) Let Go – This is a big one, you have to step back from things and ask….can I do anything about this right now, if so then do it, if not then let it go. We are often stressed about things that could happen or may happen… worrying about IF’s, is pointless. You could be worrying about two different outcomes, and then when it really happens the universe laughs at you and shows you the ace up her sleeve, and the outcome is not one you had thought of. So let it go, everything will happen as it is meant to be. Trust that other people will handle what they need to, focus on what you have to do and let all that other crap go.
If you are still having difficulty managing stress you may want to look into the SMART program. Developed at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at MGH, which has been helping participants achieve greater quality of life, and an enhanced sense of well-being for over 10 years. It consists of a one of one consultation followed by an 8 week course that focuses on shifting thought patterns to increase resiliency, and engaging in a variety of mediation techniques to elicit the relaxation response. For more information about an upcoming program at Emerson Hospital https://www.emersonwellness.org/ClassesPrograms/ClassDetails.aspx?ClassID=566, and if you have any questions please feel free contacting Amanda Venti McLain MD: aventi.mclain.md@gmail.com
What I am hoping for here is for everyone to own their reactions, own their stress, own their choices, and in time exist in a much more peaceful state. In turn, I am hoping that weight will be shed, sneakers will be used, laughter will reign, and deep breaths will be heard around the water cooler. Imagine if the water cooler actually becomes a meditation space, one where people can get hydrated and still their mind. Remember to feed your intrinsic values, keep smiling, know yourself, giggle, be calm and keep moving.