Lifestyle and how to reduce the effects of Stress

Stress is unavoidable in life but its effects can be mitigated. The effects of lifestyle on preventing and reducing stress and stress-related illnesses cannot be overstated.    These simple suggestions for managing stress may help:  

1. Avoid emotional eating (overeating and undereating). Eat healthy foods, in appropriate amounts, when hungry. This will not only keep the body healthy but will also lead to weight stabilization. 
2. Enrich nutrition and reduce empty calories. 
3. Take a complex multivitamin and mineral supplement to ensure adequate intake of trace nutrients. Vitamins made from real foods are an excellent choice. 
4. Drink fluids throughout a day. Many of us do not! 
5. Get enough sleep and correct sleep. Sleeping adequate amounts is critical to keeping the neuroendocrine system healthy, reducing stress, and caring well for the body. Sleeping at optimal hours for the body’s hormonal and neurotransmitter systems is also important to health. Cortisol and melatonin have secretory rhythms that are optimized by following diurnal sleep patterns, ideally by going to sleep by 11pm and rising early in the morning. 
6. Get moderate exercise.
7. Engage in relaxation techniques such as art therapy and aromatherapy. 
8. Avoid or minimize caffeine intake. 
9. Address work-life, relationship, or environmental stressors through making changes, getting counseling/wellness consultations, to reduce exposure to life stressors and environmental hazards. 
10. Social support is one of the most important factors in stress response. Individuals living in isolation respond more poorly to stress and illness, recover more slowly, than individuals with an established social network and social support. 

1. Avoid emotional eating (overeating and undereating). Eat healthy foods, in appropriate amounts, when hungry. This will not only keep the body healthy but will also lead to weight stabilization. 
2. Enrich nutrition and reduce empty calories. 
3. Take a complex multivitamin and mineral supplement to ensure adequate intake of trace nutrients. Vitamins made from real foods are an excellent choice. 
4. Drink fluids throughout a day. Many of us do not! 
5. Get enough sleep and correct sleep. Sleeping adequate amounts is critical to keeping the neuroendocrine system healthy, reducing stress, and caring well for the body. Sleeping at optimal hours for the body’s hormonal and neurotransmitter systems is also important to health. Cortisol and melatonin have secretory rhythms that are optimized by following diurnal sleep patterns, ideally by going to sleep by 11pm and rising early in the morning. 
6. Get moderate exercise.
7. Engage in relaxation techniques such as art therapy and aromatherapy. 
8. Avoid or minimize caffeine intake. 
9. Address work-life, relationship, or environmental stressors through making changes, getting counseling/wellness consultations, to reduce exposure to life stressors and environmental hazards. 
10. Social support is one of the most important factors in stress response. Individuals living in isolation respond more poorly to stress and illness, recover more slowly, than individuals with an established social network and social support.

Written by Lena Isayev, B.A., C.A.