Staying Balanced in Difficult Times

Few things are more challenging than trying to manage stress during the difficult times in life. Whether it’s dealing with an illness, family issues, financial troubles or unemployment, the longer the problem continues the worse the feelings of stress and anxiety can get. And unfortunately, these are the times when managing stress is most important. This kind of constant worry and anxiety has been linked to many health conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, insomnia, low immunity, even diabetes and weight gain.

Our bodies are made to react to real or perceived danger. It’s a survival response called the “fight or flight” response. The body releases adrenaline and other hormones which give it a burst of energy, speeding up the heart rate and respiration, slowing digestive function, elevating blood sugar, and shunting blood into the major muscle groups. Basically, we kick into high gear and prepare to defend ourselves or run like heck. This response is critical when faced with an immediate threat. When the threat is gone, the body has an opposite chemical reaction that brings it back to a normal state. It’s called the “relaxation response.”

When you become stressed, you are setting this fight or flight reaction in motion. The problem starts when you begin to experience chronic stress. Because of the constant presence of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, your body never gets the opportunity to fall back into its naturally relaxed and balanced state and over time this leads to serious health problems.

When you are stressed you may feel you have little control over your circumstances. While it’s true that you may not be able to control some things, there are some you can. There are three things you can start doing right now that can really help you manage how you react to stress. These are Breathing, Exercise and Diet.

When we are stressed or anxious, we tend to take shallow breaths. Constant shallow breathing over time causes constriction of the chest and lung tissue, decreasing oxygen flow. On the other hand, fuller, deeper, rhythmic breathing expands the diaphragm and the lungs, and invokes the relaxation response.

Deep breathing is simple to learn and can be done any time you feel tense, anxious or stressed:

Sit comfortably someplace where you will not be disturbed. You can close your eyes if you like. Start by taking a couple of slow breaths. As you begin to relax, focus on your breath. Breathe in slowly through your nose, as deep as you comfortably can. As the breath enters, direct it downward toward your belly button. Visualize your lungs as large containers, and as water would fill a container from the bottom up, so does the air you breathe in. As you take that deep breath, allow your belly to expand first, then your ribcage, then your chest. After taking a full breath in this way, release it slowly. Repeat this for several minutes, keeping your attention focused on the breath, and you will begin to feel a real sense of relaxation and letting go.

It may take a few sessions to get the hang of it, but don’t give up! Besides helping you feel more relaxed, this kind of breathing exercise can lower blood pressure, relieve muscle tension and headaches, and promote better sleep.

The benefits of regular exercise are many. They include increased energy, focus, strength and stamina, decreased risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and decreased feelings of stress, anxiety and depression. It can also help to re-focus your energy into a healthy activity. The tendency to feel hopeless can lead to lethargy, depression and inactivity. Making the commitment to a daily activity such as walking, running, biking, or a workout at the gym is crucial to keeping this in check.

As with exercise, the diet often gets kicked to the curb during difficult times. Stress and anxiety can trigger cravings for sweets and fatty foods. And when feeling overwhelmed it’s often much easier to reach for fast food than to prepare a healthy meal. Unfortunately, this perpetuates an unhealthy cycle. Not only does a diet of sugary drinks and snacks, salty processed foods and unhealthy fats deprive the body of the good nutrition that is especially important during stressful times, it weakens the immune system and sets the stage for lifelong health problems like diabetes, heart disease and chronic pain syndromes.

Key to effectively managing stress is a healthy diet. And there really is no shortcut. You need plenty of fresh vegetables, whole grains, lean quality protein and fresh fruit. Now that the weather is warming up, take a trip to the farmer’s market and explore the varieties of fresh greens, fruits and other offerings. Consider joining a food co-op to get access to affordable, quality food.

Lastly, and well worth mentioning is the importance of staying positive. Keeping a positive outlook can be challenging. The cycle of negative thinking comes about when the body and mind are unhealthy and out of balance, and if you do everything you can to keep yourself healthy you will find it is easier to keep yourself grounded and focused on your objective.