stress and trying to lose weight

truddy6647

so my question for you is, what do you do when you are faced with a tremendous amount of stress and it feels like it keeps on piling on higher and higher? I have a lot of weight to lose and right now have been going through a huge amount of stress with more and more being added. I have regressed today with stress eating. To give you an indication of the stress going on My husband is currently in the hospital and has been for some time now (in fact we haven't had Christmas yet), things have not gotten better and actually have gotten worse. They are trying to get him stable but so far no luck, in fact now he has diabetes on top of everything else. To top that off one of our dogs passed away last monday, my dryer stopped working, the truck steering is all messed up, propane prices jumped our bill by 200.00 from what it normally is and it seems like it keeps on piling on more and more

LinOtt

I am sorry to hear of all your troubles. I have found that making time for exercise has helped me cope with stress much better. It is all about learning new behaviours and new ways of coping. When frustration or boredom strikes I do some squats , pushups or jump on the exercise bike. My sleep patterns have improved and my mood has improved. Feel free to add me as your friend.

Mellyajc

Agreed. While I want to lose weight, that is a secondary reason to why I exercise, anymore. Exercise releases the stress, helps me function clearer, sleep better, and all around feel better.

I'd also recommend trying some meditation (there's some good ones on Youtube). They can be helpful for refocusing on what you have control of and being ok with uncertainty. Being grounded in yourself and your ability to cope will make everything feel a lot easier!

Best of luck and prayers for your husband!

HappyMeLovely

I can relate to the stress eating and am still working on figuring out other coping mechanisms. As far as stress goes I try not to let the stress "build" into a mountain, instead I tackle what I can and accept the things that I cannot change or fix at the moment. I take care of my disabled mom and brother, so I understand how stressful hospitalization of a loved one can be. You have to take it easy on yourself and just be there for your husband the best that you can, and trust that he is where he needs to be. I'm a nurse, many many patients take a turn for the worse before they begin to improve; his recent diabetes diagnosis may throw a wrench in things temporarily but they will get that under control and that should help him improve some. As for the financial woes, sit down and work out a budget, there may be some ways for you to reduce spending in other places to compensate for the unexpected increases in price and car issues. Maybe consider having a garage sale, the decluttering process can be therapeutic and may yield an unexpected profit. I recently had 2 yard sales and made close to $400! You have done so well, 80# loss is nothing to shake a stick at! If all else fails, make yourself a cup of tea and go sit outside to enjoy nature, or take a nature walk. I'm sorry to hear about your pet passing away, allow yourself to grieve, maybe frame a favorite photo of the pup and think about the good times that you had. If I get overwhelmed and seem to be unable to de-stress, I watch my favorite show or read a book instead of turning to the fridge. If you do turn to food, don't beat yourself up over it, just make up your mind that your next meal will be a healthy one and move on from there. Be kind to yourself! Feel free to add me.