The De-Stress Blueprint

The De-stress Blueprint

By Tangela Yvette Adams CHC

Everyone has faced stress at one time or another. Stress can be a hard opponent to conquer but not an impossible one. It is important to note that there is both good and bad stress. Healthy stress helps us to focus so we can follow through in a given situation. Unhealthy stress, if unchecked, can reek havoc on your entire well-being. In some people, chronic stress can lead to sleepless nights, weight loss, digestive problems, lack of focus, relationships and intimacy problems and more.

Stress can derail your entire outlook regarding your health and wellness goals. Fitness goals can certainly take a turn for the worst if you are to tired from lack of sleep to engage in even the simplest of movements. If you are not getting the required hours of sleep due to stress, it can take your weight management goal into a complete tail spin. Over eating or skipping meals in general can be a side effect of stress, and it has also been known to cause severe bouts of depression and anxiety attacks.

Episodes of stress may also occur when a major event is occurring in your life, such as a adjusting to a new baby, relocating residences or going through a divorce. Luckily, there are ways to positively manage stress, and consistency and discipline are the key players in slaying stress.

The first step is to identify what your triggers are. It is impossible to completely remove stress from your life, however you can recognize the things that you react to negatively and find a healthier balance in coping with those negative triggers.

The second step is to eat a well balanced diet. You need to have a good energy source to manage stress. Eliminating processed foods as much as possible gives the body a chance to generate a high level of energy throughout the day. This allows you the capability to tackle whatever comes along. Adopting a whole foods approach to what you are consuming is a great way to maintain balance within your body. Processed foods tend to slow you down and that often effect your mood.

Step three is getting out and getting active. The body is a remarkable machine and when we treat it with respect it gives back a million times over. Taking a walk around the block, hiking, running and practicing yoga are great ways for your muscles to get a workout. Movement allows the right amount of circulation in the body so you perform at your optimum level of health and wellness.

The last step is usually the hardest for most people, and it is to take time out for self-care. We all have busy lives. There is work, the family, the obligations and more. Just think for a moment how all these things would suffer if you are not at your best. Simple changes that you can implement today include soaking in your tub with a candle lit nearby, finding a nice, quiet spot to enjoy a book of poems or a novel, meditating or reading positive affirmations.

These steps, among many others, are some great ways to minimize stress and help restore a positive, healthy balance in your life.

Tangela Yvette Adams is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and speaker living in Tallahassee. She works with stay-at-home moms and helps ‘Mompreneurs’ live a life of purpose through health and wellness. She empowers women to embrace the life that they were destined to create and live. Tangela is the author of the forthcoming book “Head Dumping”.