People have mastered the Art of Balance, please help...

bfuture31

I am having massive stress as of late and I have never been good with handling it correctly. I either go from one extreme of eating everything in sight or anything that gives me an nostalgic moment, to eating absolutely nothing until I start to shake. I need help balancing out both my diet and stress level. I normally run but lately, it effects has not been lasting as long. Please.... if anyone has suggestions on how to cope with either, I am all ears.

mfanyafujo

Make a schedule and stick to it. That means planning regular meals and snacks, and not skipping your meals. Also, plan to have some of the food that you really like, just make the portions fit your calories. I eat chocolate every single day, and it keeps me from going crazy.

As far as the rest of your life, and handling stress there, since I don't really know what issues you face, my advice will be a bit general. Again, make a schedule for your day, but your real goal is to make sure you have time to do the activities that help de-stress you. I like to go for walks out in the woods and leave my phone behind, and I make sure I have time to do it several days a week. Keeps me sane.

I think a lot of people feel stressed when it seems like their life and their time is out of their control. Take some control back, and you might feel better.

aquarabbit

I am a naturally unorganized, scatter-brained loony whose stress level get elevated VERY quickly. What I've found is that the best way to manage stress is to have control of yourself. It's the only thing that you can control. So if you are able to find little ways to build up that self-control and find that inner peace, you'll be able to handle the things you can't control with a clearer head. Without control, I get very panicked and nervous and my stress levels to through the roof. It's not easy, but there are lots of things that can help. Some things that I've found that help:

Laugh. If you find something to laugh about everyday, you feel better. Even if it's a youtube video of a guy walking into a pole. Laugh. It really is the best medicine.

Come up with phrases to say to yourself. Little inspirational quotes. Mine are "procrastination is opportunity's assassin" for when I'm feeling unmotivated and lazy, and "it's not stress that kills us, it's our reaction to it" when I'm in a situation where I can feel myself panicking.

Keep things organized as best you can. If I saw a big mess, I would get tired just looking at it and then if I went to the kitchen, I wouldn't have the motivation to even cook because I didn't want ANOTHER mess. So I'd order in or have something quick and unhealthy. I took a week off of my work and went through everything I had. I threw out or gave away probably 3/5 of my stuff because it was unnecessary and just took up space. Then I re-organized everything and now make sure the clean one room a day. It's a small step each day, it keeps things organized, and I feel accomplished. It makes me feel more in control.

Meditate. I know that we all have crazy lives and so much to do, but try to set aside 15-30 minutes for absolutely NOTHING. This can be a bath, a moment outside, or even sitting in your car. But don't go out and buy a bunch of CD's. There are so many guided meditation videos on youtube, Pandora channels, phone apps that focus on meditation it's easy to work it into your life and it doesn't cost you a thing. This, again, helps you feel more in control and able to handle your stress better.

Breathe properly. It really does help!

These kinds of things are really helpful tools to manage stress and, for me, make it much much easier to take control of my fitness, dieting, and life in general. Sometimes it's not enough and if you stress levels are really bad you may want to talk to your doctor about medication. But it might be just as simple as slowing down, and getting your mind in the right place before you tackle the bigger things.

pkw58

I finally came to the realization 18 months ago that eating for any purpose other than nourishment of my body was just not worth it. I picked an eating plan suitable for my age and activity level and just did it. I haven't gotten into exercise as intently as I wanted, but I am hitting my nike fuel band fitness goal most days these days. I am taking a real yoga class tomorrow morning.. wish me luck!

bfuture31

Thank you everyone for your replies. I believe takaing a lil of each one's ideas (such food planning ahead and taking time out for myself each) will definitely help my stress control. It took alot to finally admit that my stress levels were out of control but now I am happy I spoke up and was able to get suggestions from others. So Thank you again and I will let you know how everything works out in the next month.

Oh, and good luck PKW58 with yoga!