Stress - Part Two and My Happy List

This is a continuation of yesterday's blog...


So, is the stress still eating away at you?

How do we get into stressful situations? Why do we get into stressful situations?

The dictionary defines stress as "physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension". We've all felt physical stress when we've done too much for our body, or done something physically challenging and we feel it in our body. But I believe we feel the mental and emotional stress just as much in our body, sometimes we just don't know it.

There are many ways we deal with stress. How many ways do you describe it?

"I'm so stressed out"
"The stress is killing me"
"He/she is stressing me out"
"Major stress"

Sometimes, the stress is daily, sometimes it is weekly, sometimes it is layers upon layers and built upon for years. When I see someone who is completely "stressed out", usually it is a pattern that has built up over a period of time. There are major stresses and there are minor stresses. Major stresses are deaths, divorce, separation, job loss. Minor stresses are job situations or office politics, disagreements, deadlines, decisions. Children and finances can be both of these, major and minor :)

The minor stresses you can handle, sometimes well, sometimes not so well. But the major stresses truly take a toll on your body. And sometimes you don't recover from that stress and being "stressed out" becomes the norm for you. You have probably heard about the hormone cortisol and how harmful it can be, i.e. belly fat and this is a serious problem. There are also other hormones in your body that are affected by stress, esp. for women, progesterone levels, estrogen. All of these affect how your body responds and how you live after a stressful event. If you are stressed out and cannot seem to get better, go back into your past and find what event started this journey. Sometimes you have to really do some digging, other times you just know what it was. Find out what is was and write it in your journal. Then look at your life since then. Did you handle the stressful event or is it still being manifested in your life today?

How do you know if you still have stress in your body from a stressful event? 

Well, most of the time, you just KNOW. You KNOW something is not right. You are sad. You hurt. Aches and pains. Your heart hurts. Your nerves hurt. You feel "fried". You snap at people. You cry. You go from one thing to another and never finish.

Ya gotta get it out. Start small with the suggestions in yesterday's post, but do something to start. Start getting the stress OUT of your body so you can truly live.  Many people just put it off and say "I'll start this....when I get over this...." and continually put off getting healthy. I see this so many times when people start a new workout or nutrition program. Something happens, a stressful event, and it sets them back and they say "I can't do this right now until this... is over", but they don't realize that the workout or nutrition program will actually help them get over the stress. And it just repeats the cycle. Can I tell you something? If you are thinking about starting a new workout or nutrition program, I can GUARANTEE that something stressful is going to happen to you, probably in the first week of your program. Guaranteed. The question is - how are you going to handle that stress? It starts by getting healthy today, no matter how stressed out you are.

Now, on request from my friend Stefanie - http://theprincessrunner.blogspot.com/ - I am posting my "Happy List" - 10 things that make you happy...some things that make me truly happy:

1. The sound of my son laughing. I love this sound. He has a great laugh, a belly laugh and when I hear it, I can't help but smile.

2. Watching my daughter play her viola. She is beautiful and plays the instrument like she loves it. She does. She gets her whole body into it and she feels the music.

3. Running. No doubt about this one. My personal therapy. I no longer say I am a slow runner, I just say I am a runner. This is where I solve the problems of the world and I love the feeling after a run when I just feel free and healthy and happy.

4. A kiss from my dad. I don't see him that often, but when I do and we part, we hug and he kisses me on the cheek and says "be good". I don't know, just something about that kiss. He does not show his emotions and never says "I love you" or anything resembling that, but when he kisses me goodbye, I feel that love.

5. Running with Fred. Fred is the best dog! He is my white German Shepherd who loves me unconditionally - and - he LOVES to run! I love to watch him run. He is graceful, he is fast, he is unbelievably fast. He looks like he is grinning when he runs. That makes me smile.

6. Browsing in a bookstore - I could spend hours in a bookstore. I love books, I love magazines, I love browsing and learning and smiling at everything they have. I think when I am 90 or 95, I will work in a bookstore, just because I can.

7. Celebrating PMS at Coldstone's. I know, I know, I'm a fitness trainer, I should know better. I don't do this all the time! But there are certain days, okay, there is one day in particular, one day a month, where it is in the best interest of my family at home that I leave the home and consume a highly chocolate-based snack. I choose Coldstone's. Dark chocolate ice cream with brownie and fudge sauce. Eat it slowly and walk while I am eating it, casually while the world gets better. Then I go home and no one dies that night :)

8. Random acts of kindness. Doing something for someone else that is unexpected. I truly believe you cannot be happy unless you put others first, think about others and be kind to others. I love making someone happy or make them smile.

9. Smiling. I love to smile. I love when a friend sends me something like a text or e-mail or calls me and makes me smile. It can be something silly, something crazy, anything that lightens the mood and makes me smile. I have a natural tendency to be too serious and bring my brow together, even when I am working or reading. Smiling takes that away and makes me relax.

10. A great workout. Giddy-up. The harder, the better. I want to be totally drenched in sweat, weak in the knees, and feeling AWESOME! Taking all my stresses to the workout and leaving it there. Coming out of the workout like a new person.

Okay, that's it. Thanks Stefanie, that was fun! I challenge each one of you TODAY to make your Happy List. Please share it if you want to. Really think about it. What makes you happy? What REALLY makes you happy? Tell me your list - and THEN - start doing it! Be Happy today!