Managing Stress and Weight Loss

The Facts

Stress in an awful feeling. It makes it difficult to concentrate, it makes your heart race, and it makes you feel out of control. Stress affects us mentally and emotionally, but it also affects us physically.

When you stress, your body releases the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is naturally produced in the human body during times of heightened awareness. However, when cortisol is overproduced due to stress, it can cause weight gain and negative health effects.

High levels of cortisol production can lead to abdominal fat. Excess fat in the abdominal region is extremely unhealthy. It can put you at risk of heart attacks, strokes, and higher levels of bad cholesterol.

So decrease stress to lose weight and improve health. This can sometimes be more easily said than done. But with the right stress relief techniques, anyone can significantly reduce their stress levels, reduce fat, and improve their overall health. Remember, stress is counterproductive when trying to lose weight and live healthy.

Managing Stress

Stay Organized

Sometimes it seems impossible to avoid stress at home or work when you are consumed with all of the tasks and responsibilities you must uphold. But keeping your responsibilities organized can greatly decrease the amount of stress you experience in a day.

Keep a list of important tasks and deadlines. Organize your tasks in order of importance and organize your deadlines in order of urgency. By keeping and updating to-do lists, you will stay organized throughout the day without the fear or forgetting something important like submitting that report at work or picking your kid up from soccer practice.

Designate Quiet Time

Screaming kids, barking dogs, and traffic can all produce frustrating noise levels that are difficult for our minds to cope with, and this can cause stress. These noise distractions can be unavoidable sometimes, but you still have the control to designate quiet time for yourself. Whether it is early in the morning, during a lunch break, or in the evening you should find a time that works with your schedule to have some quiet time.

Eliminate all of the noise distractions by turning off the cell phone, radio, or television. Let those around you know that you are taking some quiet time for yourself and that they are not to disturb you. The amount of time you spend does not have to be long, maybe 15-30 minutes, but it does have to be quiet.

Use this time to clear your mind. Whether you meditate or just relax, let your stress go. Try not to think about work, school, chores, or responsibilities. This will be difficult at first, but this small amount of time everyday to just relax will help you mentally, emotionally, and physically. Once you have had your quiet time for the day, you will feel refreshed, renewed, and have the energy you need to finish your day strong.

Find A Place That Inspires You

Atmosphere and Environment have more of an impact than you think. So find a place that inspires you, and
visit that place as often as you can to refresh your mind and renew your spirit.

Whether the location is a park, garden, beach, religious place, friend's house, or room in your own house, find the place that makes you feel peaceful. Nurture the spirit of serenity by visiting this place when you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed. You may decide to use this place to workout, read, meditate, or just hang out. Whatever you decide to do there it not important as long as you are being inspired.

Let this location inspire new thoughts and ideas too. You may not realize how much stress comes from the monotony of your daily routines and schedules. By visiting a place that inspires you, you can get motivation from new experiences, new thoughts, and new energy.

Eliminate Sources of Stress

We all have things that induce stress in our lives. Some of them are unavoidable, but some can be eliminated. Look at the things that cause you to feel stress in your life and see which of those things can be reduced or eliminated.

For example, if watching the news makes you feel stressed, try watching it less or use the internet to stay current with specific information you are interested in. If receiving phone calls in the evening when you are winding down from the day causes you stress, ask friends and family members not to call after a certain time unless it is an emergency. If putting off important tasks causes you anxiety, stop procrastinating. The point is, if there are stressful situations or events that can be eliminate from your day, get rid of them.

Ask For Help

Sometimes you just can't do it alone. So ask for help from those around you. Call on friends and family members in times of extreme stress to help you get things done. Whether it is just picking a child up from school, going to the grocery store, or vacuuming, having help with some of the many tasks you must fulfill can significantly reduce your workload and stress.

Know when you are overextending yourself too. Often times we take on more tasks or responsibilities than we can logically handle and the result is increased stress. Learn how to identify times when you are feeling overextended and adjust your responsibilities accordingly. Try delegating tasks to those around you who are willing to help and only take on the things you can handle.

The Result

Remember, although stress seems like an unavoidable part of everyday life, managing your stress will improve your health, reduce abdominal fat, and decrease your chances of heart attacks and strokes. Your state of mind is directly related to your well-being. So nurture your mind with relaxation and reduce as much stress as possible. You will gain serenity, health, and longevity.

For more information on how to manage stress, visit http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm


By Brandi Junious

Photo credit: Srawat56