STRESS MANAGEMENT

STRESS MANAGEMENT

Song- ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ – Bobby McFerrin

This post relates back to the acronym DEBS – (Post 6th May 2023) DIET, EXERCISE, BALANCE and STRESS MANAGEMENT.

I have been doing research from various sources including The Washington Post ( April 2022) , Mayo Clinic- Stress Management (mayoclinic.org) and Henry Ford Health on how stress can negatively affect your body and brain.

Many studies show that people who live a long and healthy life are able to bounce back and cope with stress in their lives.

Most people experience some stress in their life and stress isn’t necessarily bad. Stress helps us respond to danger (fight or flight response) and emergency situations.

Stress affects the brain in both good and bad ways. Moderate stress can improve memory and attention span, however long term or chronic stress can have negative effects on the brain such as making you more susceptible to mental illness, and brain shrinkage resulting in memory loss.

Stress can lead to:

• poor sleep
• high blood pressure
• heart disease
• stroke
• diabetes
• headache
• asthma
• gastrointestinal problems
• Alzheimer’s disease
• anxiety
• depression

WAYS TO MINIMISE STRESS

Studies in regions of the world where there are large numbers of Centenarians reveal that they manage stress through rituals such as prayer, happy hour, having naps and having a purpose in their daily lives.

Other ways to manage stress include:

• having a positive attitude
• being grateful and practicing gratitude
• staying socially engaged with family and friends
• staying young at heart
• sleep
• listening to music
• reading
• exercise
• spending time outdoors (What a Wonderful World!)
• increased mindfulness (living in the present moment)
• not worrying about the past or future
• laughing
• yoga, tai chi, reiki, sound healing
• massage
• Movies / TV (I love to watch re-runs of MASH, Kath and Kim, Seinfeld, The Graham Norton Show or anything that gives me a good laugh)
• breaking bread with friends or family (and cooking a meal for family and friends)

I recently subscribed to an email site called Marc and Angel Hack Life. They are a married couple from New York and their blogs include topics such as happiness, productivity, emotional intelligence, relationships and self-improvement. They have a goal to help people think better, feel better and live better. I recommend having a look at their email or www.marcandangel.com

If I am to live a long and healthy life I know I must manage any stress appropriately. I feel that at my stage of life I am much better at recognising stress and dealing with it using many of the above listed strategies.

CONCLUSION

I don’t just talk the talk, I walk the walk. Well, I try!

So my personal progress for DEBS is a big tick for exercise, balance and stress management. Diet a little tick as I still haven’t reached the goal weight I set for myself but I have lost 1.5 kilos. Please let me know how your DEBS journey is going. You can comment here or email [email protected]

Till next time, ‘Keep on rocking and rolling!’

Kim

Song: “What a Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong