Is Stress Killing You? The Effects Of Stress On Health

I am stressed out.

I am running a company, planning a move, selling a house, raising three kids and trying to maintain a modicum of normalcy in my marriage. I am going, going, going around the clock, or at least it feels that way. Of late, my sleep has been much less restful. I am pretty disciplined with my sleep schedule, but that hasn’t seemed to matter of late. So, being the ‘figure-it-outer’ that I am, I went searching for stress relief answers.

Are stress and electronics derailing your plans to get a good night's sleep? https://t.co/4JjPUt4k9a http://pic.twitter.com/8LerLHqhcj

— Allure Plastics (@allureplastics) May 12, 2016

A fascinating article from Business Insider followed one man’s journey to explore the science behind the effects of stress on sleep quality. According to the article, stress was the cause of the author’s chronic fatigue, as well as the cause of his restless sleep. The article highlights the bliss the author found in attending a device-free, schedule-free camp.

What? Really?

The idea of running no schedule at all gives me heart palpitations — The exact opposite of stress relief.

I am inclined to think the source of his good sleep while at the camp had less to do with the fact that there was no schedule, and more to do with the fact that the weekend itself was designed to be a little vacation from everyday life. Granted, this is just my perspective, based on my own study of psychology, but I’m no expert. I mean, who doesn’t feel less stress during a vacation?

So here’s the real question; how do we conquer stress and get good sleep every day, even in our normal lives? I’ll wager that most of us can’t, let alone want to, live without clocks, schedules, or a form of routine. So, we have to work for our stress relief.

I may not have the answer to this question and I’m certainly far from mastery, especially in this current season of my life. However, I am a pretty good self-inflicted health-improvement guinea pig. I’ll share with you what I’m doing to keep my stress levels in check and hopefully get my sleep back on track sooner rather than later. As per the norm, I’m not a doctor. I do like my research, and nothing I do is flippant, but I’m not a PhD, I’m not an MD, I’m not even a little D! As a disclaimer, anything you try from my list is at your own risk. I always recommend talking to your doctor before trying new stuff, because change can really rock the health boat if we’re not using caution.

Three Breathing Exercises to Lessen Stress and Improve Sleep https://t.co/VdTWXIia95 https://t.co/ivjeCtE5mI http://pic.twitter.com/8eKbFUXDNl

— Jose Luis Yañez (@JosephLYanez) May 13, 2016

Firstly, to get some serious stress relief, I keep a check on my mindset. I am a person of faith, so I rely heavily on that to manage my mindset. But I am inclined to believe that anyone can get at least some control over his her her thought life and make big changes with relatively little effort. Doing this means changing perspectives and practicing gratitude no matter what happens. For example, “I’m super stressed over trying to keep this house ready to show at every second, but I’m so thankful that I have a house to stress over. There are many who would love to have what I have.” Boom, instant stress reliever. Keeping the right mindset makes a huge difference.

Secondly, I get moving. I try to exercise every day. I know, I know, you’ve heard it before. But, it really does help. Getting up and moving my body helps keep my hormones in check and that really impacts my stress levels in a good way. j

Thirdly, I eat food that the earth made. Not always. But I do try to limit processed foods. There’s so much stuff in processed food that our bodies can’t process properly. I don’t know for sure, medically, if this has a direct impact on stress levels, but it seems to help me. I always feel better when I eat better. Junk in, junk out, as they say.

Fourthly, I practice stress relief past times. I don’t have the time to do this stuff every day, but I enjoy a hot bath. I like to go get pedicures. I enjoy playing with my kids and trying to focus solely on them. I’m not always successful, but these things help keep the stress monster from taking over my life.

And there you have it.

What do you do to relieve stress? How do you keep your cool?

[Photo by Quite Noise Creative/Getty Images]

Is Stress Killing You? The Effects Of Stress On Health is an article from: The Inquisitr News