Listen to "Mister Magic" by Grover Washington, Jr.
I Google'd the word "stress" this morning and 202,000,000 results were returned.
The theme for Week 7 of Choose To Move is De-stressing the Stressed Out. Learning how to handle stress is very important especially with the recent occurrences in America and other parts of the world.
Several organizations are dedicated to informing the public about stress like the American Institute of Stress who hopes to advance our understanding of stress and the Nemours Foundation who is dedicated to improving the health of children by offering some tips for handling stress on their Kidshealth site.
Some of the Signs and Symptoms of Stress shared by HelpGuide.org include:
Difficulty making decisions *** Inability to concentrate *** Confusion *** Poor judgment *** Restlessness and anxiety *** Depression *** Anger and resentment *** Easily irritated and “on edge” *** Urge to laugh or cry at inappropriate times *** Headaches *** Digestive problems *** Fatigue *** Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing) *** Overdoing activities such as exercising or shopping *** Losing your temper *** Sleeping too much or too little *** High blood pressure *** Weight gain or loss *** Eating more or less *** Isolating yourself from others *** Increasing alcohol and drug use
We all handle stress differently.
SelfGrwoth.com offers 11 ways to handle stress including Listening to your body and Talking with others.
The Missouri Extension office suggests balancing work with play and accepting the things you cannot change.
The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia suggests avoiding over commitments by learning to say "no."
I handle stress by praying and meditating, listening to relaxing music, burning aromatic candles, taking a long bubble bath, venting to family and friends, going solo to a restaurant or movie, or shopping. Finding your "niche" is key.
How do you handle stress?
Posts
At the end of any journey, it’s always nice to reflect on the experience and enjoy the exhilaration that comes with accomplishment. During the past 12 weeks, seven real women have opened their hearts and minds to women across the country. They’ve revealed struggles, shared empowering messages, offered valuable tips and served as genuine advocates for this program.
During the Choose To Move challenge, these women not only engaged in physical activity, they discovered a community of women who share a common goal – increase physical activity in order to develop a healthier lifestyle. Their success is a direct result of determination, commitment and the support they received from those in the Choose To Move community.
From a mom with three kids to a full-time college student to women in the workplace, our real women take on many important roles. And as women juggling multiple responsibilities, we want to be the best we can be - a common thread among women in America. However, in order to be the best for our families, we must do what’s best for ourselves. Our seven real women did exactly that! Each woman, in her own way, learned how to make time for physical activity and develop better eating habits!
For Ruann, Kara, Lisa, Melanie, Vernita, Kathleen and Zulema, the 12-week challenge has come to an end. However, the ultimate reality is that their life-long journey to maintain a healthy lifestyle has only begun. No matter where you are in this journey, I encourage you to rely on women in the Choose To Move community, as well as those around you. Take advantage of the Choose To Move program and turn this challenge into a way of life.
My total chol. is 184
HDL is 46
LDL is 106
Trig. is 184
I have been on a low fat, low carb diet since Sept (NutriSystem). Should I be concerm about my Trig?
Comment by on February 12, 2008 2:54 PMDr. Mieres,
I'm very much an internet girl. As soon as I found out I had high blood pressure, I found this site. After going through all the 'choose to move' selectees, I chose Vervita, for the reason that she update often and replied to those that posted comments.
Well here we are, 6 months later, most of those chosen have yet to update.
Considering these are all busy and accomplished women, perhaps some slack should be cut. Ok.
The forums are worse. I have had to hunt and peck to find true posts, some of which should be answered by a professional, not a jr. high social studies teacher.
I'm sorry to be so negative. In truth, AHA diet and recipes have made it possible that I may be coming off meds next week. My diet plan has been based on your cookbooks.
When I called in my numbers today, to get a refill, the office called me back and said the doctor said when I want, to stop meds for 4 days and make an appointment for the 5th. If bp is in the 100-120 range, we'll stop the meds. Woo hoo! Diet and exercise may pay off!
Comment by on June 12, 2008 8:17 PMDr. Mieres,
I'm very much an internet girl. As soon as I found out I had high blood pressure, I found this site. After going through all the 'choose to move' selectees, I chose Vervita, for the reason that she update often and replied to those that posted comments.
Well here we are, 6 months later, most of those chosen have yet to update.
Considering these are all busy and accomplished women, perhaps some slack should be cut. Ok.
The forums are worse. I have had to hunt and peck to find true posts, some of which should be answered by a professional, not a jr. high social studies teacher.
I'm sorry to be so negative. In truth, AHA diet and recipes have made it possible that I may be coming off meds next week. My diet plan has been based on your cookbooks.
When I called in my numbers today, to get a refill, the office called me back and said the doctor said when I want, to stop meds for 4 days and make an appointment for the 5th. If bp is in the 100-120 range, we'll stop the meds. Woo hoo! Diet and exercise may pay off!
Comment by on June 12, 2008 8:17 PM
Comments
Apr 17 | kara said …
I YELL a lot! No, really I too share many of your same methods. I used to eat but now I am trying to make that a method of the past.
Apr 17 | Vernita said …
Hello Kara,
Yelling IS definitely good.
I try to make choices like salmon and spinach when I "vent" at the restaurant, though I do need to include more exercise to offset stress - shopping coupled with walking the malls does not compensate for exercise, right?
~Vernita
Apr 17 | Melanie said …
I go outside and take a fast walk! Being outdoors is wonderful and the physical activity is just good for my soul :D
Apr 17 | Vernita said …
Hello Melanie,
Walking is a wonderful relaxation tool.
Now that the weather is more welcoming (it snowed last week) I think I will spend a bit more time outside and connect with nature.
~Vernita
Apr 18 | k-k-k-katie said …
Hey, where'd you get the picture of me?? hahahahahahahaha
Breathe deeply! And keep breathing -- remember, you are never given more than you can handle!
I saw Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN's "House Call" on an early morning talk show promoting his book, "Chasing Life" and he suggested each person should eat 7 different colored foods every day. That got me to thinking......
Are there 7 different colors of chocolate??
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Apr 18 | Vernita said …
You are hilarious, Chef K!
I thought about uploading a picture of me after taking a test...then thought better of it.
Wasn't Chasing Life interesting? Can you imagine weighing every morsel of food that goes into your body to get the exact amount of calories that you want? I really enjoyed that documentary.
I missed you-where have you been?
~Vernita
Apr 18 | k-k-k-katie said …
Vernita:
Dental trauma -- recovering from a root canal! And, did I lose my appetite? Unfortunately NOT!
Still hungry after all these years!
Apr 18 | Vernita said …
Hello K-k-k-k-katie AKA Chef K,
Root canal...eeekkkkkkk that hurts!
Get plenty of rest while you're recovering and start an enjoyable project, maybe that will help keep your mind and appetite in another direction, you think?
~Vernita
Apr 19 | k-k-k-katie said …
Vernita:
Oh, if only it would have. While I dined on oatmeal for my recovery initially, I graduated to the biggest piece of steak I could find to make up for the oatmeal. Don't get my wrong, I have oatmeal every morning to keep the cholesterol down, but the steak was pretty tasty after a mouthful of novocaine! hahahahaha
But, I did see Jacques Pepin make a dish that seems easy to make and delicious to devour, so I'm adding that to my list of things to make.
Apr 19 | Vernita said …
Hello Chef K,
We're connected by the oatmeal string. I add either sliced bananas or grapes to my oatmeal to give it some flavor since I'm not too particular about brown sugar or honey.
I REALLY hope that my cholesterol is under 300 when I return to Dallas at the end of the 12 weeks. We'll see.
Who is Jacues Pepin(love the name)?
I like to watch G. Garvin on TV One. He's very smooth in the kitchen and flows to some great music.
Take care of that tooth, moderate the nova intake, and let me know if Pepin's dish surpasses the steak.
~Vernita
Apr 19 | redis279 said …
Venita,
Hi, I'm Becca and new to the Choose to Move program. When I moved to your blog the first thing I saw was that uber-stressed cat! LOL Hey, I resemble that feline! So did many of the symptoms. Like you I'm working on choosing non-food ways to de-stress.
Today someone challenged me to walk just 100 steps at lunch so I did. 100 didn't even get me out of my office building. 850 steps later I'd been around (and around and around...) the koi pond and garden out back of the office and totally stressed out Mr. & Mrs. Mallard who nest here every season. Poor things! I feel better having been outside in the beautiful sun and worked off some of that stress.
Looking forward to learning more about your journey in this program and starting my own.
Blessings,
Becca
Apr 19 | Vernita said …
Hello Becca,
Welcome aboard.
Aren’t challenges great? That co-worker is a keeper. Let them know how much you appreciate them for encouraging you to bring Healthy back into your life by taking a wonderful walk out in the sun. Yes!
We’ve been pumping the accelerator on this journey thus far, hey let’s cruise control it here on out. Decision made we can be a little risky and set the control to 74.5 miles/hour. Think we’re taking a chance? Well, we have all the tools we need – we know how to handle stress, we know what foods are body-friendly, we know to move as often as we can, and we know that we have a strong support system cheering us on.
I’m so glad you joined the journey, Becca, and look forward to hearing about your celebrations along the way!
~Vernita
Apr 21 | k-k-k-katie said …
Vernita:
The Jacques Pepin dish was easy and what I like about him is that he uses leftovers and says that growing up, his mother never wasted anything. And, I can tell he learned from her.
He took asparagus, almonds, chorizo (so tasty!)and day-old crusty bread and sauteed them all in olive oil. Although the Spanish say chorizo is sausage, I liken it more to pepperoni. It's very flavorful and you can make a meal with just that, some good cheese and a tomato.
But, Jacques' dish was served as a side dish for a buffet -- but I was thinking -- if you add eggs near the end, it could be a great way to get almost all the food groups in one dish! Or, sauteed less and oven baked like a frittata!
You're doing great and we're all proud of you!
Apr 22 | Vernita said …
Hello Chef K,
I thought you might like this sight containing a database of some of Jacques Pepin’s recipes.
http://www.jacquespepin.net/members/recipes/index.html
and an interactive site: http://www.kqed.org/w/jpfastfood/home.html
After reading the dish that you shared I couldn't help but to think about subtracting the bread, adding pepper jack cheese and egg beaters and combining the contents into a wheat tortilla shell. Yummy.
~Vernita
P.S. Thanks for taking the time out and replying to Barb’s question.
Apr 23 | Christine said …
Hi Vernita,
Well today is Monday, April 23. Four days into my plan of action to lose weight. I did indeed grab hubby on Friday and we went for an hour long walk along the river. Then climbed (not walked...) a really steep hill to get back home. I tell you, the walk was great, but going up that hill was crazy. My poor heart was pounding so hard, I thought it was going to come out of my chest. But I did it!!
Saturday I went for a leisurely walk for 1.5 hour. And treated myself to only one scoop a lemon lime ice at Baskin Robbins. The nutritional info said 0 grams of fat and 120 calories. Believe it or not, it tasted Great! and I was satisfied!
Sunday, I decided to start adding in some strength training. Dusted off my 8 lbs weights that had been sitting in my storage room and did some exercises for 15 min. I was not able to walk today, but I did eat healthy at my inlaws. BBQ'd salmon with a teryaki sauce with roasted veges and a salad chock full of fruit.
Today, will be more weights and taking the stairs at work. The most exciting thing about today is that I feel GREAT! Everyone is asking me why I look so happy and it's because I feel great!!!
Apr 23 | Vernita said …
Hello Christine,
You have a strong beginning - your positive attitude and family support system will help carry you through the "trying" times.
I also noticed that you gave yourself permission to be "treated" with healthy refreshment. Too often we don't realize how important it is to celebrate our accomplishments along the way.
A friend of mine recently reminded me that small changes make a big difference - and what a BIG difference you are making to your spiritual, mental, physical, and social well being by the choices you are making.
~Vernita
May 13 | T said …
Hi Vernita,
I just decided to join the Choose to Move group tonight, and I'm so enjoying your blog.
Thank you for your entry on stress. I'm trying small things in my life to manage stress (i.e. gym, eating better, relaxing, breathing) because I'm 31 and just realized that my BP was higher than usual for the first time ever in the past 6 months (136/89) because of stress and recent major changes in my life. With a history of high BP and diabetes in my family, I'm committed to not pass on these trends to my own children when I become a mother. I took a long walk with friends today and felt better than I've felt in a long time.
Thank you for your transparency with this program - and I love the song you posted by Grover Washington. Very relaxing.
~ T
May 13 | Vernita said …
Hello T,
Let me tell you, this pass week was a "stressor" - big time - tests on top of projects. I faltered off the wagon some but "All is Not Yet Lost" and I know that this temporary "trial" does not have to leave me with a "permanent" condition.
Rewind, Press Play, and before long we will be Fast Forwarding.
Congratulations on making this major move in YOUR Life For YOU! We are all in this together.
~Vernita
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