How does stress affect health? – Coping with stress

Where do I start?

Reduce stress with a foot spa

Try and identify stress factors in your life and off-load those you can do without. This may require some soul-searching and honesty on your part.
Do you know how to say “No!”? Taking on added responsibilities which you can’t really cope with especially when they’re pushed on you by other people, can be frustrating. Learn to say “No” gently, respectfully and without apology.
Find out the situations you encounter every day that stress you. If you can avoid them, great! If you can’t, try adjusting your routine e.g. listening to a favorite cd on your daily commute.
It’s in the mind! One person’s stress may be another’s favorite recreational activity. The difference is in the way you think. Approach every situation positively. A “can do” attitude can go a long way.
Express yourself. Don’t bottle up your emotions. Try talking things over with a counsellor at your church, a close friend (that’s not a part of that particular situation) or someone you can trust to give you sound unbiased advice. Don’t be afraid to cry.
Laugh! Try to see the funny side of things. Laughter can often de-fuse a sticky situation and bring down tension. Laughter is like medicine.
Prayer and meditation - this is a source of relief for many people. Praying to and committing everything into the care of your heavenly Father can bring a tremendous sense of relief and peace. Reading from the bible can also have a very soothing effect.
Supplements :
1. Take a good multivitamin daily especially one high in B-vitamins which are good for the stressed-out.
2. Take a green Superfood daily to help cleanse your body and increase your immunity (ability to fight disease). It contains high chlorophyll foods which are a very good source of essential nutrients.
Natural progesterone cream may also help if you’re having menopausal symptoms.
Diet - watch what you put in your mouth.
1. Avoid processed food e.g. junk food, chocolate, soft drinks, artificial sweetener, fried food, pork and sugar.
2. Avoid caffeine (disrupts sleep), tobacco and alcohol.
3. Eat lots of high fiber foods like bran, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. (Now, where have you heard that before?)
Aromatherapy - scent can have a very strong influence on our emotions. Aromatherapy involves using essential oil to stimulate your sense of smell and elicit certain feelings in the body. Some of these essential oils may help to relax you
- lavender
- chamomile
- bergamot
- sandalwood
- geranium
Put 10-20 drops of one of these in your bath and soak for 20 minutes. Alternatively, they can be incorporated into a calming and restorative massage. Read Techniques of massage.

Relaxation techniques- learn how to relax no matter where you are .
Time management - learn how to manage your time more effectively.
1. Avoid activities and relationships that sap your time and energy without yielding useful results e.g. spending time with your family-positive use of time, sitting in front of the television soaking up useless “information” negative use of time!
2. Planning -set goals for what you want to achieve in the areas of
  - your family
  - your work
  - your health
  - your faith & spirituality
  Achieving a balance in these key areas is vital in stress management. Map out the steps you’ll need to take to achieve these goals.
3. Learn to delegate. You can’t do everything!
Take up a new hobby or revive an old one to help you let off steam.
Rest & relaxation - as a woman you will often spend a lot of time giving of yourself to others, whether in the form of time, energy or in other ways. This can leave you drained.Take time to pamper yourself once in a while. Do your hair or your nails. Go to the gym. Go out with friends. Have a massage.