Stress Reduction
Identifying the factors that cause stress and avoiding them is the best way to improve your emotional health, and in turn, protect yourself from weight gain, immune dysfunctions and hormonal imbalances.
But, sometimes, the cause of stress can not be avoided, at least not completely. So, do you let those factors keep influencing your health? Of course, not! There are some ways to keep in good health even when the factors causing stress are unavoidable. Today, I will share with you the best ways to prevent weight gain and inflammation when the stressor is unavoidable. How To Manage Stress Linked To Unavoidable Stressors; Do not try to control what is uncontrollable. That is the mantra! Some things in life are bound to be beyond your control, especially the behaviors of other people. Instead of stressing out yourself over them, focus on what you can control like the way you choose to react to those people or situations.
Look for the upside. While facing serious challenges, look at them as opportunities for your personal growth.
Learn to forgive. We know we are living in an imperfect world. Accept it. Let go of resentment and anger. Free yourself from all the negative energy and thoughts by forgiving and moving on.
Express what you are going through with someone close to you. Talk to a trusted friend and share your feelings. This can be highly cathartic.
Keep up your sense of humor. Learn to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing will help your body fight stress by releasing feel-good hormones.
Get moving. Physical activities can be huge stress relievers. Exercises release endorphins that can help you feel good, and serve as a distraction from your worries and help you focus on productive activities including your efforts to lose weight.
If you are not in the mood to exercise, you can get yourself moving with enjoyable activities like dancing around or taking your dog for a walk. You can also play any activity-based video game or ping-pong with your kids. These physical activities will also provide additional benefits by allowing you to burn calories.
Spend time with those who care for you. Spending quality time with close friends or a relative who makes you feel ‘understood’ and safe would help you manage stress more easily. Make it a point to connect with your family and friends regularly, preferably in person.
The people you talk to may not have the ability to fix your problems. But, just by listening to you, they will be able to help you loosen up the emotions and motivate you to develop a positive attitude towards the stressor and life in general.
Make a list of stressors that you think you can not avoid. It can be an annoying colleague or an over-demanding boss. It can also be traffic that you have to deal with every day while commuting to the office. Try to adopt the strategies we discussed today to avoid feeling stressed out due to these factors. With practice, you will be able to develop a positive attitude toward these stressors and protect yourself from inflammation, weight gain, and other adverse effects it can produce on your health.