I will admit the last few months have been a bit stressful for my family. As a result we have had some weight changes in our family. When my sister is stressed, she doesn't eat and loses weight. When I am stressed, I want to empty the refrigerator and unfortunately the scale goes up. Neither one of them is healthy, but I will admit that secretly I wish I had my sister's problem. (I know, I know the grass is always greener on the other side.)
All I can say is this challenge couldn't have come at a better time. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Leslie! Now time to start working on some stress management after all I am in it to win it this time!
I understand Cammy! I am the same way a lot of the time. I find pleasure in eating and that helps me cope with the stress I feel. Here are a few things I've tried that help me most of the time (except at that special time of the month where I'm depressed, stressed, and bloated- I'm still trying to figure out how to manage that):
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've really enjoyed is Yoga. With the right teacher/class or video it really helps me be able to just focus on breathing and meditating and I find a real peace and calm from it especially in times of stress. The only kicker is that I have to do it in a peaceful environment- low light and low noise- which is hard when the kiddo is around.
Another thing that helps me is drinking lots of water. I know it sounds silly, but when I'm stressed I tend to dehydrate myself and the it makes things even worse.
A few other things that help with stress are; playing the flute or piano (it is very calming to me) or reading a great book.
I hope some of these help. Best of luck with this upcoming stressful month!
I am definitely a stress eater. I have become more aware of it recently which is a step in the right direction but is not enough. I need to work on fixing the problem. My cute friend said that when she gets stressed out with her kids she locks herself in the bathroom and brushes her teeth. That gives her some time to de-stress, the mint is calming, it curbs the desire to eat, and she will have some sparkly clean teeth. Good strategy.
ReplyDeleteWow, great ideas gals! I did have a serious victory moment today when I went to have an after dinner snack to destress after getting kids in bed. I went to get it out and realized I wasn't hungry and left the kitchen and I was just fine :).
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