Let’s face it! In today’s society, stress is part of everyone’s daily life. We have interpersonal stressors (that voice inside our head that can be quite critical and hurtful at times), and stressors from relationships, family, work, financial and environmental. We all experience stress!
Articles and research studies have shown that psychological and physical stress affects how we perform and function, our health and especially our weight! In times of stress, many of us turn to food for relief, because we either do not have any other tools for coping or because the food is the most accessible and the quickest temporary fix.
The great news is we do not have to be victims of stress, and we can choose to deal with stress in a healthy manner that does not increase our waistline!
At Metabolic Research Center (MRC), we want to help those struggling with being overweight to set a course toward a healthier lifestyle. MRC began more than 25 years ago with a program that provides a nutritionally balanced approach to weight loss. MRC’s programs incorporate food from all four food groups and focus on weight management for life, using principles that address both sound nutritional practices and life management skills. More than simply making better meal choices, MRC’s philosophy teaches clients how to better deal with stress and how to overcome the emotional side of eating.
Melissa L. White, a licensed clinical social worker and member of MRC’s Medical Advisory Board, answered a few typical questions about how to recognize and cope with stress.
How do I recognize if I am stressed?
To be able to manage stress properly, we first have to identify our responses to stress. Different people react to stress in different ways. Some of us start feeling tense or start clenching our jaw, some become absent minded and aloof, some of us start feeling physical symptoms, such as a stomach or headache, and some of us are not able to identify stress until it is all consuming. Once we have identified our individual responses, we can start taking precautionary and corrective measures when things start to get stressful. We can also prepare and prevent when we know we are going to be put in a stressful situation.
How can I cope with stress in a healthy manner?
There are many coping mechanisms we can use to guard ourselves against or to combat stress. We like to recommend starting at the interpersonal level – how we think about things and our general attitude and approach to life. Do some “spring cleaning” in your head and work to get rid of negative thoughts and replace them with some positive thoughts, which in turn will foster a positive attitude.
As quoted in a chapter from the National Victim Assistance Academy Textbook under a section about coping with stress, “How you think can have a profound effect on your emotional and physical well-being. Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. If you see good things about yourself, you are more likely to feel good; the reverse is also true. Eliminate words such as “always,” “never,” “should,” and “must.” These are telltale marks of self-defeating thoughts. Talk to yourself, switch negative self statements to positive statements. For example, “I can do (whatever it is you are setting out to do)” or, “I made a mistake, but I can do (whatever it is you are setting out to do),” or “I made a mistake, but I do a lot of things right.”
Positive affirmations are also a great way to start replacing the old, dusty, negative thoughts with clean, happy and freeing thoughts. Catch your negative thoughts, then repeat these statements like a mantra to yourself every day, several times a day. Some examples are: “I am capable,” I am smart,” “I am effective,” “I am doing the best I can,” “ I learn from my mistakes,” “I am loved,” “I can choose my thoughts,” and “I release my negative thoughts.”
Can proper nutrition and losing weight help me decrease my stress?
Yes! Research has shown that stress, which causes elevated cortisol levels, is linked to fat storage, specifically in the abdominal area. Stress also results in lowered metabolism, increased appetite and cravings for foods high in fat and carbohydrates.
At MRC, we provide one-on-one support, which allows you to lose weight quickly. In addition, we also teach you how to overcome emotional eating, so when you do experience stress, you know how to respond by making healthy lifestyle choices.
A great task to focus on this month is to educate yourself more about stress, take an inventory of the stressors in your life, and how you react and commit to trying new stress management tools each day. Remember, the more in control you feel of your stress, the more ability you have to make healthy choices for your mind, your body and your spirit!
Metabolic Research Center has three locations in the Tampa area – Citrus Park (6607 Gunn Highway); New Tampa (17407 Bridge Hill Court in the Tampa Palms Professional Park); and Brandon (435 Lithia Pinecrest Road). For more information, visit www.emetabolic.com or call 813.961.9585 to schedule a free consultation.
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