Stress and Weight Management
Imagine you are at work. You didn’t have a good night sleep, didn’t wake up on time and could not eat breakfast.
You reached office and came to know you have got 2 more projects in addition to 3 ongoing ones, which are nowhere meeting the deadlines.
Now a friendly colleague invites you for coffee. You will feel like barking at him.
Imagine you are at work. You meditate before going to sleep with instrumental music on. Last night you had great dreams and woke up in really good mood. Made your favorite breakfast and enjoyed with family.
You reached office and came to know you have got 2 more projects in addition to 3 ongoing ones, which are nowhere meeting the deadlines.
Now a friendly colleague invites you for coffee. You happily go with them and make fun of the current work situation and how workload is increasing.
Oh Yes, stressful situation doesn’t change if we follow good lifestyle and diet. Only the dealing with stress becomes easier. We are able to manage it better. Remember in the Movie 3 Idiots Rancho said, “All is well believe karne se problems kam nahi hoti, unhe jhelne ki taqat aa jati hai”. Same thing happens with diet and healthy lifestyle.
Stress is harmful. We need to get rid of unhealthy habits leading to stress. We all know about situations like depression and anxiety and the rising trends of these situations.
Do we also know, conditions like heart diseases, diabetes, kidney failure, blood pressure, brain stroke, aneurysm and even cancer can be caused by extreme stress?
Do we know our efficiency at work reduces with stress? It causes problems like indigestion, constipation, nervousness also.
Do we know we become addicted to junk food, smoking, alcohol or drugs easily with stress? It can also cause weight gain as stress stimulates your appetite, hence causing weight gain.
Fun part is; things which cause stress make a viscous circle. For example, we eat unhealthy, become stressed and then stress eat unhealthy food for relief. Another example, we sleep late, feel stressed for entire day and next night sleep eludes us due to stress.
Of course if it is a serious issue, we need help from psychologist. . Few things can help in stress otherwise.
Ways to Reduce Stress
- Take plenty of water, adequate water intake removes toxins, reduces stress from our human system.
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, the antioxidants help a lot. Remember how refreshing it is to eat juice fruits.
- Eat a balanced diet. Human body needs a balance of all nutrients, deficiencies cause stress.
- Cut down processed food, plan fast to cook, good to eat, healthy meals to suit your busy schedule. Chemicals, excess salt and sugar in processed food increase addiction and stress. It makes us crankier.
- Keep 2 hours distance between dinner and sleep. Stroll after meals, not to the ice-cream parlor.
- Sleep well, on time, play instrumental soothing music before sleeping, can have a ball dance with spouse too.
Guess what it is cent-percent true, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise”
- Exercise regularly, happy hormones are boosted with exercise. Do the exercise you like. Switching on music and dancing, playing outdoor with children are also exercises.
- Have some recreational time. Daily. Enjoy life. Talk to cousins and family, invite them over or visit them, play games not video games. Play antakshri, damshrads, carom, ludo, cards, uno, on real boards, not online. Play badminton, cricket, TT, Tennis – anything you like.
- Spend less time on social media; Social Media is one of the major culprits causing stress these days.
- Join yoga/ music therapy/ any fun activity which you wanted to do as a child but parents didn’t allow due to studies.
- Connect to nature, help people who need help, there is an old song, “Tum besahaara (let’s mean stressed here) ho to kisika sahaara bano, tumko apne aap hi sahaara mil jayega” Visit old age home, each one teach one, do good for society.
- Go for shopping, clothes and accessories, not food. Give gifts, giving gives more pleasure than receiving.
I sincerely recommend two movies – Rajesh Khanna starrer Bawarchi & Vinay Pathak Starrer Dasvedania. These will give us something to think.
Remember- It is very simple to stay happy, but it is very difficult to be simple~ Shree Rabindranath Tagore
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