Stress, we all have it, some more than others. Most of the time we get stressed about things that we think are out of our control. But what if our stress is being added to by things that are actually well within our control, like our diets and physical activity?
Lightening the load of our stresses can make dealing with the left over stress easier. Much how once you’re stressed it is easier to become more stressed, it also works the same the other way, by chipping away at the stress you carry, the better equipped you are to deal with the rest.
So where can you start? The things we eat or don’t eat and the things we do or don’t do, will be having knock on affects to our stress levels, here are some things to consider below –
Nutrition
Everyone knows having a terrible diet isn’t good for you, but elements of your diet may be contributing to your feelings of stress without you even knowing it.
- Too much coffee! – Or more specifically, caffeine. Apart from kick starting your day, caffeine has some negative effects on you. Not only is it addictive, it can also increase Cortisol (stress hormone) levels which can result in you feeling nervous, having headaches, heart palpitations and overall stressed. Cutting down on your caffeine can help reduce contributors to your stress levels.
- Skipping meals – When you’re stressed your appetite can go out the window, perhaps you’ve got too much to do. Stopping to eat gives you a chance to slow down allowing you to de-stress, so it’s important you don’t skip your down times to eat.
- Eating unhealthy foods compulsively – This is often a reaction to being stressed (what we all know as ‘comfort eating’). Not only do these unhealthy foods affect your stress levels, most of the time you will feel guilty afterwards, sometimes making you feel worse afterwards than you did before.
- Be aware of stress inducing foods – There is correlation between things like sugary foods, high-saturated fats and white carbs (pasta, bread etc.) with stress and anxiety, generally the more of this consumed the higher your stress levels. Not only this, but it is not particularly healthy which can contribute to you feeling guilty or unhealthy in yourself.
Physical Activity
Being physically active is good for both your physical and mental wellbeing. Being physically active is a good stress reliever, whilst being inactive won’t help you feel any better at all. Some liken physical activity as meditation in motion for its stress relieving benefits.
- Being active releases endorphins – Being physically active releases endorphins which make you feel good. Any physical activity that requires intense or prolonged physical effort will release endorphins, which helps you to feel less stressed and more positive.
- Stress relief – By getting active you will often find you shed the stresses that you carry with you during that time, forgetting about them whilst you’re active helps to clear your mind and give better focus to enable you to feel better equipped to tackle whatever stresses you’re dealing with.
- Self-improvement – Becoming more physically active not only helps directly on a biological level to deal with stresses, but the act of making that effort to be active and make a change will be energising in itself. By taking charge and making a change you will feel like you’re bettering yourself and in control of your stresses, not the other way around.
More Information
If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘The links between nutrition, physical activity and stress’ is being delivered live on Friday 6th November at 12:00pm, please use the following link to register for this session –
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5027554711865752079
If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.
If you feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.