Mental stress has become the default mode of our urbanized lifestyle. It is the cause of most health problems. The answer lies in embracing healthy habits about food, physical activity, and the mindset. Mental stress is commonplace. It could arise from problems at work, family, career, or health.
THE BEST TIME TO DO ANYTHING IS NOW. YOU CAN START ONE STEP AT A TIME.
In a nutshell – To combat stress one must
Have good sleep for 7-8 hours.
Cut down tea, coffee chocolate drinks.
Stop smoking and drinking alcohol.
Cut down sugar/maida enriched drinks and food like cold drinks, bread, cakes, and pastries.
Cut down oily – samosa, batata vada, farsaan, pizza, cheese.
Eat lots of fruits.
Eat whole grain and sprout options.
Regular time out and physical activity (NOT optional)
Regular relaxation, meditation/pranayama or dhyaan (NOT optional)
Change the thought process and priorities to healthy ones.
How stress affects the body?
Stress triggers the release of hormones like adrenaline and steroids. These will increase your heart rate, blood pressure, sugar levels, and abdominal fat and cholesterol levels. Constant stress is harmful to your body and mind. Don’t wait till it becomes a cause of disease like diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease, fertility problem, breathing problem, acidity, or simply indigestion.
How do you know you are stressed?
One may get sleep disturbances, lack of sleep, and irritation over minor issues, difficulty in concentration or decision making, excessive alcohol drinking or smoking, or just feeling tense and not being able to relax. One may get headaches, back pain, neck pain, and palpitations.
What drinks to avoid?
Watch your caffeine intake. Avoid stimulants like tea, coffee, chocolate drinks. Tea has more caffeine than coffee (If you have to have them, control the number and size of drink, 2 cups of 100 ml a day is enough). Stimulants such as tea, coffee and cigarettes may provide a temporary energy boost, but they drain your energy levels and deplete nutrients in the long term.
What foods to avoid?
Here we need to avoid the high swings of sugar levels. Sugar/ Maida/ Fat loaded things like sweets, chocolate, cupcakes, muffins, pastries, fruit juices, bread, biscuits, sweets cold drinks, crisps, pizzas, farsan. They may give short term energy boost but are harmful and can even increase stress levels. Avoid highly refined foods. Replace processed food with homemade or natural food.
What to take?
Water – Drink 2.5 to 3 liters of water per day. Replace caffeinated drinks with fruity detox waters, buttermilk, homemade flavored waters, nimbu-paani or simply plain water
Fruits (and not fruit juices) are the best option for that highly stressed moment.
Breakfast – You can try options like whole-grain carbs like chapatti, brown pasta, unpolished rice, cooked or uncooked sprouts whole corn or recipes made from different daals. Choose whole, natural foods. Avoid sugary cereals, pastries, and too much caffeine. One may have good amount of proteins.
Protein-Protein helps to slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream. Proteins are present in daals, sprouts, soya granules, and lean fish chicken or white of eggs.
Vitamins and minerals – Having deficiencies of these vital things will not help stress. Fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouts, nuts, dairy products will maintain a good balance of these nutrients.
Never go starving. Never skip meals. Small regular snacks will help to maintain energy levels.
For those who find it difficult to get rid of old habits of unhealthy eating, a good idea is to combine a healthy snack with a small amount of these junk items if you really have to, for e.g. boiled chana chaat with a spoonful of farsan, frankie of chapati and vegetables, small portion of pastry with fresh fruit.
Emotional eating
Avoid heavy food when stressed or busy. Stress usually diverts energy away from digestive system. So, if you eat heavy, it will result in bloating acidity indigestion. When in doubt, eat small portions. Fruits are best things to have in such situation. They give small burst of instant energy yet a very healthy option.
Smoking and alcohol
Smoking and drinking don’t help in the long run.
Physical Activity
Regular aerobic activity like walking, cycling, swimming for 30-45 minutes goes a long way to reduce stress, get good sleep, and improve physical and mental health as well. Any kind of physical activity, even in small bursts is good. It could be a small thing like a walk, climbing stairs, moving around the office. Typical upper body, heavy muscle-building exercises may not help much.
SLEEP
Make a pre-bed routine. Having a sleep of 7-8 hours is essential. Don’t miss on sleep at any cost. Closing all work 60-90 minutes before sleeping time, closing all screens, not taking any food/ heavy drink within last 1-2 hours helps. One can try meditation or relaxation techniques.
HOW TO RELAX?
Simple relaxation techniques – Regular relaxation needs to be built into daily life.
Reading, having a bath, getting a massage or listening to music are great ways to promote relaxation.
Simple thing like slowly relaxing or imagining relaxing muscles from toe to had, visualizing them relax and focusing on breathing in and out can be tried.
Deep breathing techniques from ‘pranayama’ – This typically involves slow deep breathing in and out and fully concentrating on breathing. Breathing via abdomen or chest expansion alternately can help.
Time out – Simply taking 10-20 minutes break every few hours and doing something relaxing – lunch break, taking a non-stimulant drink or reading can help.
Taking time off just for yourself every few days will help to relax.
Hobbies – Any hobby is a good way to relax.
Mindfulness – A concept and method borrowed from Buddhism, is very useful in focusing your mind on the present moment. It has been found useful by many people.
TREATMENT
If the stress is intense, one may need counseling or medication.
Read- https://dolclinic.com/weight-loss-and-the-psychology-of-the-individual/
See what our clients say- https://dolclinic.com/success-stories/