The Mommy Post: Stress
Posted by Julie Kinney on Thu, Jul 01, 2010 @ 09:16 PM
This may seem like a silly topic for me to post as a Mommy Post subject, but it has been on my mind for some weeks now, and I thought I would share what I have found.
Ever since I had children, my time is NEVER my own...I mean, NEVER. With a husband that travels for work, 3 young children, a home-based business, and my personal weight loss coaching with clients, I am ALWAYS on the go! And it seems I am always overwhelmed, and always stressed out about something.
Whether you are a single person in the working world, a student, a working parent, a stay at home parent, or a retired senior, stress, in some way, shape, or form, is part of your life. I am almost 99% sure of it!! Even though it may be something small, we stress as humans.
I thought it pertinent to post about this today because, for some reason, this summer is more stressful to me than any other summer. I recently talked with a friend about my stresses and her immediate answer was, go shopping. My mother told me to find some "alone time" to do something for myself, and my husband told me to go to the gym and exercise (can you tell he has been around the HMR program for a while?)
While all of these are good suggestions, they are ALWAYS the suggestions that come to mind. So I googled it, as I do with every topic I want to know about...what did we ever do before the internet?!
I found a great website that had 52 stress reducers...52!! That is one per week essentially to last me a whole year. Now, we are talking! It doesn't matter what the stress is, I am sure one of these reducers can take care of it. I read through the whole list, and I have actually practiced a bunch of them in the past, but not consistently. Read the list of 1-5, and meet me at the bottom.
1. Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
2. Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table, make lunches, put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.
3. Don't rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc. ("The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory."-Old Chinese Proverb)
4. Doing nothing which, after being done, leads you to tell a lie.
5. Make duplicates of all keys. Bury a house key in a secret spot in the garden and carry a duplicate car key in your wallet, apart from your key ring.
6. Practice preventive maintenance. your car, appliances, home and relationships will be less likely to break down/fall apart "at the worst possible moment."
7. Be prepared to wait. A paperback can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.
8. Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.
9. Plan ahead. Don't let the gas tank get below one-quarter full. Keep a well-stocked emergency shelf of home staples. Don't wait until you're down to your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more, etc.
10. Don't put up with something that doesn't work right. If your alarm clock, wallet, shoe laces, windshield wipers, whatever are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.
11. Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to appointments. Plan to arrive at an airport one hour before domestic departures.
12. Eliminate (or restrict) the amount of caffeine in your diet.
13. Always set up contingency plans, "just in case." ("If for some reason either of us is delayed, here's what we'll do.." Or, "If we get split up in the shopping center, here's where we'll meet.")
14. Relax your standards. The world will not end if the grass doesn't get mowed this weekend.
15. Pollyanna-Power! For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 10 or 50 or 100 blessings. Count'em!
Visit the Child Development Institute web page for the complete list and more information.
Here's my point, because there is one!
You have subscribed to our blogs because you are interested in managing your weight and/or your health. While the list above doesn't actually have concrete suggestions with stress eating, at least half of the people I work with in weight loss and maintenance EAT OUT OF STRESS! While it may not be alarming, it is a huge part of why people struggle with their weight. I hear so often, "If my job weren't so stressful, I would eat better." Or it may be, "My father is in the hospital, so I am eating more and worse foods."
Just because this list doesn't directly address stress eating, it does handle everything else. If you can re-direct your stress, little by little, isn't that going to affect what you eat? If you get up 15 minutes earlier (#1 on the list), aren't you going to be able to plan accordingly for your day easier (#2 on the list). The answer is YES! Take care of yourself and your well-being and, while that isn't directly putting shakes, entrees, and fruits and vegetables in your mouth all day long, it is paving the path for success!
Do yourself a favor and TRY one of these suggestions each week, and practice it consistently all week. Just like our weight loss skills and tools that we practice, we can practice our skills around stress as well.
Have a Happy 4th of July! Celebrate America's Independence, and celebrate your own with a stress-free weekend!