Stress Do's and Don'ts
Stress Reduction | Stress Management | Stress Do's & Don'ts | Exercise & Stress | Stress Q&A

DON’T:  Don’t skip meals or rely on fast food for your energy requirements.  Stress depletes the body of vital nutrients and places an extra demand on the organs of your body.  Making sure that you supply your nervous system with essential vitamins and minerals is even more important to those who are under stress than those who aren’t.

DO:  Pay attention to the warning signs that your body gives you when you are under stress or overly anxious.  Slow down, listen to your body and practice deep diaphragmatic breathing.  You can’t always control a stressful situation but you can sometimes control how you handle it.  Breathe deeply through your stomach-- not your chest--and continue breathing deeply throughout your day as a preventative measure.

DON’T:  Don’t overindulge in caffeine and sugar.  The quick burst of energy is not worth the prolonged effects that you will suffer later.  Look for a healthy substitute for the sugary foods and caffeinated drinks that you normally reach for when under stress. 

DO:  Make exercise and physical activity a regular part of your healthy lifestyle.  As a response to stress, certain glands of the body produce stress hormones which can build up and cause anxiety.  Exercise can stimulate the release of natural substances that counteract the negative effects of these stress hormones. 

DON’T:  Listen to the old negative scripts that play in your head.  Instead, keep repeating positive thoughts and visualizing yourself as calmer and balanced.  Thinking new, motivating thoughts actually changes the way that your brain is wired and establishes new neural patterns that make up the operational software of your brain and nervous system.  Don’t let your thoughts control your mind.  Let your mind control your thoughts.

DO:  Devote time and energy to engaging in some sort of vigorous exercise, if possible.  Vigorous exercise can release pleasure producing chemicals called endorphins.  Endorphin secretion has been associated with increased pain tolerance, improved appetite control, and a reduction in anxiety, tension, and anger.  Especially important to women is the implication of endorphins in the regulation of the female menstrual cycle.

DON’T:  Don’t surround yourself with people who do not support your healthy lifestyle goals.  Some people are literally energy vampires and only serve to increase your stress level and reinforce negative thoughts and perceptions that have taken years to form in your brain and nervous system.  Instead, spend as much time as possible with people who are supportive and live the kind of healthy, balanced life that you also aspire to live.