Stress Foods That Contribute To Your Chronic Stress

When we talk about stress and stress relief, we tend to think of external stressors such as workplace stress or stress caused by personal circumstances. We don't often look beyond this, and so when it is suggested that our diets maybe a contributory factor are surprised and skeptical, especially if we consider that we have a reasonably healthy diet.

As I have already mentioned and have described in detail in my book "Is Stress Your Silent Killer?" I experienced a protracted time of chronic stress about 10 years ago. As my diet has always been relatively healthy it never occurred to me that it could in any way be contributing to my stressful state.

About 5 years ago I became more and more aware that I had digestive problems and decided to have a batch of tests done to find out the cause. I was surprised to discover that I had a gluten intolerance. Not only that but I also had several parasites that were causing havoc inside my intestines. The combination of the parasites and the gluten intolerance meant that I had a condition called leaky gut syndrome. Small holes had appeared in the lining of my gut and these holes were allowing undigested particles of food to be absorbed into my blood stream. This in turn caused an allergic reaction to certain foods that were, as a consequence, causing my body to be further stressed.

I have recently published my second book called "Really Healthy Gluten Free Living - How to heal your gut with a healthy gluten free diet" This book outlines the cause of gluten intolerance, how to heal the damage and includes over 30 healthy gluten free recipes.

Stress can cause so many health issues if it isn't managed correctly. It is important to scrutinize each area of your life to see where the stress triggers are hiding. Then you need to take them one at a time and find a way to eradicate them permanently.

Stress in the Workplace Can Affect your Health

Stress is responsible for far more than we realise. As well as being the leading cause of accidents in the workplace,  stress also is one of the main causes of accidents  in the home! Stress is the main reason we are often unable to think clearly and we are more  likely to forget simple things.

Our brains can only cope with  so much and we can easily experience overload.  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that:

·         25% of workers considered their jobs caused them the  greatest amount of stress

·         26% of workers have experienced job burnout at some time in their working life

·         40% of workers said that their jobs were very stressful

·         75% of workers think that job stress is much worse now than it was for previous generations

If you are experiencing stress in the workplace you certainly aren't  alone.

If stress is due to the fact that your job has simply become more than you can cope with, then for your health's sake you need to consider a change of job.

It maybe that you consider too much is being expected of you and the work can't be completed within normal working hours. If this is the case you need to talk to your line manager and see if you can resolve the issue.

If you are suffering from workplace bullying then it is vital that you report this to the appropriate people.

Workplace stress isn't something you tough out to prove your worth.  If it continues for any length of time it becomes chronic stress and can adversely affect your health.

Stress depletes the immune system and makes you more vulnerable to illness and disease. So it is very important to stop it in its tracks before it takes over your life and affects your wellbeing

10 Stress Relief Tips to Help you Deal with Financial Hardship

Are you experiencing stress in your life? Is it caused by financial hardship? If so it is time to take things in hand and take some positive steps towards reducing your financial problems before stress has a negative affect on your health and your relationships. Here are 10 tips to help you on your way:-

1.  Be honest about your situation.  Don't fall into the trap of thinking that if you avoid the problem it will go away.  It won't. The problem will just escalate and so will your stress. Every time you need to pay a bill, you will experience that same sinking feeling, knowing that you can't afford to pay. There maybe moments of when you don't need to think about money, but deep down the concern will always be there.

2.  Find ways to increase your income.  There are lots of ways you can earn a little more money and remember that just making a little extra money on a regular basis can relieve your budget a lot. You might consider a paper round or working for Avon or other door to door sales Try seasonal work on the land part-time, or maybe a temporary job to bring in a little extra money.  It is also possible to earn money working online doing small tasks that can soon amount to a reasonable amount of extra funds

3.  Keep track of your spending.  Being honest  about your situation may well involve keeping track on how much money you spend.  Keeping a spending account can quickly alert you to areas where you are currently spending unwisely or unnecessarily and you will soon identify areas where you can make more sensible choices that are more financially sound.

4. Make sure you live within your means. It can be very tempting to live in homes that are too expensive and drive cars that you really can’t afford.  Being more realistic about your incomings and your outgoings may involve downsizing or exchanging your car for one this cheaper and more economical to run.

5. Search for free activities.  Everything you do doesn't need to cost the earth. There are many hobbies you can engage in that are very cheap or, in some cases are actually free of charge. Get used to searching for the less expensive forms of entertainment and you will be surprised how much you can save.

6. Cut down on your expenses.  Make a list of your outgoings, including your daily spends and see if there is anything you can trim. How about the trip to the coffee shop or the mid morning pastry?  Maybe you could save on your internet provider or your gas and electricity.  Don't mistake luxuries for necessities. Is there anything you currently pay for that you could easily do without. Maybe that weekly trip to the hairdressers.? You could make it every other week.

7.  Include the family.  Involving the children in household and financial decisions can help to make them more aware and teach them that money doesn't grow on trees.

8.  Improve your job prospects. If you need more income in your household may mean that you will have to look towards job promotion. This may therefore be the opportunity to look into improving your job skills.  Courses and qualifications can help you to get a promotion to a higher-paying job.

    

9.  Improve your relaxation skills. Financial problems can occupy our every waking moment, it can help to take a few moments each day to centre yourself and calm your busy mind.  Meditating on a regular basis for just a few minutes each day can help to alleviate the stress and anxiety you are feeling.  Gentle exercise such as stretching can also be very helpful

10.  Focus on your health.  When finances are problematic the stress you inevitably experience will affect other areas of your life. Eating healthy foods and get regular exercise will help to reduce stress and keep you healthy. It is too easy when you are stressed to grab the first thing you see, which is often a cake or a biscuit or a cup of coffee, which will only add to your stressed state and may eventually have a detrimental affect on your health.

What Type Of Stress Do You Suffer From?

Stress can affect us in so many different ways.That feeling of being overwhelmed is something most of us are familiar with. It is not unusual to become aware of the old familiar headache, something I suffer from if I over stretch myself or lose vital sleep.

There is a particular type of stress called Eustress which is basically a stress caused by something that can actually be seen as enjoyable.

Eustress is the anxiety you feel when you are about to do something you are unfamiliar with, or the anticipation of an event. For example you might experience eustress before giving a presentation at work, or maybe before going for a job interview.

In eustress, usually occurs when you are concerned about the outcome, when you are anxious for something to go well. Pre-wedding nerves are likely to cause eustress as the bride prepares to walk down the aisle, something that will change her life forever.

These examples would be classed good stress or positive stress in that they entail taking a step into the unknown with the hope of a positive outcome.   

A more negative form of stress is called Distress. Anxiety, fear, frustration and an overcoming sense of dread are the emotions one might experience when suffering from distress.

Burnout at work is a common form of distress caused by working too many hours in a stressful environment. Continual exposure to stressful situations and people whose demands become unreasonable causes negative outcomes often resulting in ill health. 

Distress is not good for you despite what you may think and living under stressful conditions for long periods of time is damaging to your immune system. 

Take action now to lessen the stress you are under before it is too late and start to reverse the negative effects on your health and well being.

How to Manage Stress by Clearing the Clutter

Managing your stress is vitally important to your future health. If you don't manage stress, it will find a way to manage you. Stress can be very invasive in your life. It loves to be in the driver's seat and you hand over the keys without fail on a regular basis because you feel defeated by it.

So who is to blame for your stress? Is it your boss at work, your teenage son or maybe your better half? You can't control what other people do or say, but you can manage the way you respond to them.

Here are some stress triggers that you can quite easily control and change to help reduce your stress levels

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Clutter – The more "stuff" you have, the more cluttered your life becomes and the more time and attention is needed to keep it under control. One way to reduce that demand it puts on your life  is to eliminate some of the stuff that you don't really need.

 

Do it systematically  room by room. You need to take a critical look at the things that demand your time and attention.  Promise to give away or throw away something from each room and then try to do it once a month for a few months until you feel the benefit of de-cluttering your home

Don't add to your clutter. Stop purchasing things you really don't need. Before you buy a new wok or 26-piece baking set, think about how often you would actually use those items. Do you have any other kitchen equipment that can double for the same purposes?

The Perfect Housekeeper – Unless you can afford a full time housekeeper, you need to accept that you don't need to clean all day everyday. Weekly cleaning is good enough. Save the frantic furniture polishing and baseboard wiping for quarterly cleaning or preparing for a party. Remember that rooms in magazines look so great because no one lives there to mess them up.I remember some advice given to me when the children were small was clean the bathroom and kitchen and the rest can wait for another day. After all a bit of dust never hurt anybody.

Too many clothes is a trap that is easy to fall into especially for woman. I wardrobe full of clothes you hardly ever wear. Too many choices can also become stressful. Keep your wardrobe simple.If you need help, you can always ask a fashionable friend or hire a wardrobe consultant to work with you.  Maybe you could arrange your clothes so that you can see clearly which clothes go well together.

These are just a few suggestions of ways to manage stress by dealing with the things in your home. You can apply the same strategy to other areas of your life.

Stress comes in many forms. It can be physical, mental or emotional. Sometimes it is hard to differentiate and fully understand what is happening to our bodies. But one thing is for sure it is a major contributor to our health and well-being, and the term "silent killer" is no exaggeration. Stress is now known to contribute to major illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, thyroid dysfunction to name but a few, as well as having a detrimental effect on the body's immune system.

It is time to sit up, take note and reassess your lifestyle and your approach to life.

As somebody who has suffered, more years than I care to admit, from chronic stress, I feel I am qualified to make these comments. My stress was killing me and I wasn't even aware of what it was doing to me. Luckily for me I dealt with it before it started to have any major negative effects on my health. However 15 years on I am still experiencing the effects of my previous lifestyle choices and I am trying to deal with them in every way possible.

I will share some of my insights with you in this blog. In the meantime you need to answer this question honestly.

Is Stress YOUR Silent Killer??