Are any of these familiar?
‘Just one more year of this crazy-pace, then everything will be different – when the kids are older’, or
‘When I’m through this next patch of job uncertainty at work – and then I won’t be so stressed’, or
‘Once I get all these family and work functions out of the way, then I’ll be able to be more careful about what I’m eating…at the moment, it’s just too hard not to cheat!’
Time to face it – noting changes until something changes.
And when it comes to our old friend stress – it’s a part of our lives; it’s part of the human experience. It’s the way we handle it that counts.
So have you ever wondered if feeling strung-out has any effect on you, besides maybe feeling like steam’s coming out of your ears when you’re late from an appointment, or less than amicable to the person who’s just cut in front of you out of nowhere?
According to some research this year by Suzanne Segerstrom, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, very short-term stress actually be helpful. ‘But once stress starts to last a matter of days, there are changes in the immune system that aren’t so helpful. And the longer that stress lasts, the more potentially harmful those changes are.’
Ok, so we know stress can affect us – in what sort of ways?
Actually – in just how many ways may surprise you.
Ready?
It can increase an immune factor that’s linked with increased levels of osteoporosis, certain cancers, type-II diabetes, decreased mental agility, decreased digestion and cardiovascular disease, plus is linked to slower wound healing, and can mean you really are more likely to catch viruses etc that are ‘going around’.
And what can we do about it?
As it turns out – plenty.
I go into this a bit more in the article ‘How stressed are you really?’ published in Venus magazine (March 2014) – although a good place to start is with the Big Three – eating nutritious, real food; relishing regular exercise, and switching off totally for quality sleep.
There are a couple of resources I put together for you, in the new audio we talked about last week – which you’ll find handy for cutting to the chase when it comes to managing your stress.
For now though – take your diary, and pop in a couple of times for you to exercise for the coming week, that you know will work best for you around your day. This might be talking your 30min walk, catching your favourite class at the gym, or even taking a swim.
How about making this next 30 seconds the best thing you’ve done all day? – and going ahead and scheduling that now.
You’ll be pleased you did 
Fi Jamieson-Folland D.O., I.N.H.C., is The LifeStyle Aligner. She’s an experienced practitioner since 1992 in Europe, Asia and New Zealand as a qualified Osteopath, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, speaker, educator, writer, certified raw vegan gluten-free chef, and Health Brand Ambassador.
