Have you ever been stressed? Upset, uptight? Nah you say? You are lying! This world is full of many stresses. Working too much, not working at all, health concerns, kids, school etc. Life is full of ups and downs.
Last November I was at work. I work at a rehab facility in Boise, and if I have talked about this before forgive me, but I do have a point that I will get to. I was driving to work, and not feeling my best. I have to leave a 6:10 so that I can start my shift at 7. That right there is a stresser. Anyway, I was feeling short of breath. Much like when I had a pulmonary embolism 5 years ago. I didn't think much of it, and continued on with my day. Around 11:00 in the morning, my heart started to race, with more shortness of breath. I went to talk to the charge nurse to explain my symptoms, and he took my blood pressure. It was sky high. He was very calm, and drove me to the ER, and after testing I found out I had yet another pulmonary embolism. My hubby met me in the ER, and also had a calming effect for me. After getting home my husband announced that he lost his job that day as well. Yes it was the day from hell to say the least!
Since last November things have pretty much stayed low stress as we were receiving unemployment. Unemployment is not much at all, but it carried us through with my income as well. Then in June our unemployment ended and we are living on savings. So guess what? The stress came back with the thoughts of running through our savings. It will carry us until October, but then what? My poor husband has been tirelessly filling out applications, going to job interviews etc. with little success.
So what happens to your body when you are stressed? For me I have gained weight. There is a reason for this. Our bodies are pretty amazing, and they do what they think is best for us. Cortisol increases in our bodies, and makes us think we are hungrier than we really are so we eat more. Your insulin levels rise and you crave sugar and fatty foods. This is exactly what has happened to me. I have been trying and trying to give up sugar, but with all the stress I just can't seem to get away from it. I want comfort foods, something that will make me feel better. Now I haven't gained a whole lot, but enough to make me sit up and pay attention.
So what can we do to alleviate our stress? It is such a hard concept to grasp, and something we need to work on continuously. Many of you may not know that I'm LDS (Mormon) We have a strong belief in God. We have a strong belief in faith as well. Faith is a hard nut to swallow as well, but at the end of the day what are you going to do? I have learned through much stress that I just have to turn it over to God. Give all my problems to him and then try hard to forget them. Easier said than done, but with practice, practice, practice it can be done. If we are doing all that we can, good things will happen with his help. I truly believe that.
There is still stress though, and the need for comfort food, so how can we alleviate that? Pack your home with good foods. Get rid of the junk, that way you won't eat what you don't have. It's a fighting battle for me when I go to the store, to not purchase junk. It's so prevalent these days! I guess what it all boils down to is how bad do you want to be healthy, and how much are you going to fight to get it.
Today we received some much needed good news. My husband received an email asking him for an interview to get his old job back, now you might wonder why he would go back. It's under a new owner, so we again are hopeful that everything will work out. A lot of stress has been lifted. Life goes on, and at the end of the day how you handle things will either make you healthy or not so much.
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/stress-weight-gain#1
1 comment:
Comment from Candice:
Thanks for sharing, sometimes it helps to just "talk it out", even online! I love the verse you enclosed a the end - I'll be sharing THAT!! I'm LDS, too, and know that "let go, let God" can be easier said than done. But it works, if we are doing all we can do. Best wishes on the job situation - as my husband always used to say, "It'll all work out," and it always did. He's been gone almost 12 years now - a stress of a different sort. Been there done that, on the job front - he was usually self-employed, and THAT was a major stress, for ME!!! Meantime, you are right about keeping your environment clean of "junk food" - if it's in the house, it isn't a matter of IF you will eat it, only WHEN!!! Keep up the good fight, you'll make it out the other side! (BTW, I've been enjoying Chef AJ's book on Ultimate Weigh Loss - thanks for the reference! Very helpful, I've referred it on to others! I have the nice fridge magnet now, and am a confirmed "leftie" - love my VFB!!!!)
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