February 2, 2009

When the Going Gets Tough

zen With the worldwide economies threatening meltdown, and the bad news that seems to batter us daily (and the constant talk and media attention surrounding it), it’s understandable that stress levels are increased. Even more concerning is that study after study shows us that stress can have dramatic effects on your health and physical body.

One very important method of neutralizing these harmful effects is to maintain an ultimate level of health and fitness to ensure your well-being is always up to par, no matter what is happening in the environment around you… It’s about creating a truly healthy lifestyle and maintaining positive attitude!

A lot of people today confuse our SELF Worth with our NET Worth. This could not be further from the truth! It is not the same thing.

Ben from Ya-ttitude writes:

“Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.”

It is just an incredible quote. From every mistake, every heartache, every supposed disaster and imagined setback, you will find in it the key, the ingredients, the information you need to go forward and be better than you are, better than you could have ever imagined you could be. It is a quote I try to live by and one I try to instill in everyone I work with. There are no defeats, just defeatists, and once you figure out that all you did with that mistake is learn how to do it the right way next time, you will realize just how much you can learn and be better from those errors. We all make them, understand how to use them for your advantage!

Napoleon Hill is also the owner of one of the quotes I just love. Someone once said that “if life hands you lemons you should make lemonade.” I am sure there are hundreds if not thousands of people, who can be credited with that one, but Napoleon Hill did it his way and I am Para-phrasing.

“When Life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Then open a lemonade stand and sell it to all the people who are throwing the lemons at you!”

Darn Brilliant!

Timing is everything. When you least expect it, something or someone shows up to put just the right words together for you–the ones you needed to hear–needed to remember. A friend of a friend passed this message on to me today. The process again validates how much we have to share with one another if we are willing and open to receive each other’s wisdom:

“Go forward with steps that never leave any trace. Accept everything that confronts you with a positive attitude… Just make sure you aren’t trying to avoid the things that are coming, and don’t try to cling to the things that are leaving. Become a brave person who is never stained by anything or attached to anything. Become a true human being, a person who is both the most normal and the most extraordinary.”

~Excerpt from No River to Cross
by Zen Master Dae Haeng

Here’s a few more valuable tips from leading experts; Jean Chatzky talks about her tips for dealing with stress, which she sums up with this easy-to-remember acronym:

A.C.E. Your Life:

Awareness: Before you can tackle stress, understand what is causing you grief and what gives you joy. Jot down which people, places and things give you energy and make you smile, Dr. Hall says. Then, document the things that bring you down. Communicate your findings with family members and encourage them to do the same to build mutual support and understanding, she says.

Choice: After you’ve taken stock of the major sources of stress in your life, know that you have the power of choice, Dr. Hall says. Ask yourself “What can I get rid of?” “What do I need to focus on?” and “How can I build my life around what gives me life?” Learn to say no, set boundaries and give yourself permission to get rid of the negative aspects of your life,” she says.

Energy: Stress can wear away at health and happiness, so it’s important to break the negative cycle of stress with more positive energy, Dr. Hall says. The key is to take baby steps. “Change one little thing—do something more about what you love, and in a week, notice the change in your energy and your experience,” she says. “What that does is it gives you courage to take a bigger step.”

Foods That Help Relieve Stress by Bob Greene:

Stress-Reducing Foods:

Foods rich in vitamin B: These include clams, lentils, chickpeas and quinoa. Foods high in vitamin B have a calming effect on the body, helping to melt away feelings of stress and anxiety and enhance your mood.

Papayas: Fruits and vegetables with orange and yellow pigments are generally going to contribute vitamins A and C, as well as folate, which helps enhance the mood, Dr. Ro says.

Red bell peppers: These contain vitamins A and C and folate, which help give you more energy and repair cell damage caused by stress.

Basil and arugula: These stress-reducing herbs are a great source of folate and add great flavor to healthy dishes.

Sunflower seeds: These contain vitamin E and folate to enhance your mood.

Foods to Avoid:

Caffeinated beverages: Caffeine can cause anxiety and raise stress hormone levels, Dr. Ro says.

Trans fatty acids: Found in sweets like cakes, pies and cookies, trans fats compromise the immune system, which causes more stress on the body and also increases your risk for heart disease.

Sugar: Sugar causes spikes in blood sugar levels, which robs your adrenal glands of their ability to control stress hormones and protect the body against stress.

Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption adds more sugar to your diet and, again, is harmful to the adrenal glands, which protect you against stress. “You might want to put the cork back in the Burgundy [when you are under stress],” Dr. Ro says.

Another important thing…

Sleep: When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces extra stress hormones, making you more vulnerable to stress. But too much sleep can also cause problems. The key is to get balanced sleep, which for most people means, on average, about eight hours a night.

With our busy schedules, we often don’t take the time to attend to the regular maintenance of our bodies. The next time you realize that you are feeling scattered and overwhelmed, take a moment to just breathe and notice the sensation.

Live passionately… what else have you got to do?

Coach Chris

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Christine is a certified life coach for women. She is the founder of Girltime Coaching and also writes her blog, Live Passionately.

By Holly

4 Comments

Posted in Health , Health & Fitness

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About the Author: Holly Ord

In addition to being the Founder and Editor of Woman Tribune, Holly Ord is a freelance writer, web designer and developer, feminist activist and blogger, and hopeless video game addict. She lives in Northeastern Pennsylvania and has been blogging on liberal politics and gender equality on her personal website, Menstrual Poetry since 2007.

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4 Comments on When the Going Gets Tough / Add Your Comment

Patricial says:

April 2, 2009 at 5:51 pm

Does a product like cylapril as discussed on http://www.adrenalweightloss also work for stress relief?

k2 says:

October 26, 2009 at 8:36 am

One of the best post ever read on the topic. Really impressive. Thanks for sharing. Keep it up…..

R Bailey says:

December 7, 2009 at 9:04 am

Very good post.
My experience (for what it’s worth) is that ATTITUDE is everything.
I always have looked at adversity as ‘bad things happen FOR you not to you.

online documentaries says:

March 26, 2011 at 8:34 pm

My experience (for what it’s worth) is that ATTITUDE is everything.

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