Fighting stress with fitness

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kagekone
kagekone Posts: 12 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi all,

I have been away from MFP for a long time, but I have decided to come back.

I am on a sick leave at the moment because of stress and am in a situation where I am not sure if I will be able to come back to my current job.

For the first 5 days I have been sitting on the couch watching TV and it is not helping! I want to try and start feeling better with exercise and healthy food. Lately I have been very inactive and have switched between not eating at all and eating junk.

Anyone who is or has been in the same situation as me is very welcome to add me so we can support each other and share tips :)

Replies

  • kar2083
    kar2083 Posts: 68 Member
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    I hope that you are eventually able to return to work healthier and stronger.
    I can relate to the stress. Work has really been stressing me out the past few months and in those few months I have regained some of the weight. I am hoping to get back on mfp and hopefully it'll provide a method of handling the stress.
  • MaLoser
    MaLoser Posts: 1
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    I too have been very stressed at work which results in poor eating and bingeing. I know the right things to do but because I'm working 60 hrs a week and have a family, house, etc I can't find the time to get organized and plan my meals. It's very discouraging.
  • juliebmomof3
    juliebmomof3 Posts: 115 Member
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    I am a nursing studnet and a mom of 3. My teachers always tell us to walk or work out when the stress of school is getting to be too much. It is a big help to me, plus I feel sooo good all day if I eat well or get a quick work out in.
  • floersh21
    floersh21 Posts: 44
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    I've done research in a neuroscience lab that is literally based on the title of this post: fighting stress with fitness. Exercise is one of the absolute best ways to battle stress--in fact, it's crucial to continued brain health and actually makes you "smarter." You can do this!
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
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    Go for a nice long run. I always feel great after and I run harder when I'm stressed.
  • tbruegg
    tbruegg Posts: 283 Member
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    I've been there also, 5 woman office downsized to 1 that be me. The stress was so bad couldn't eat, or sleep I was a mess. Since I had been there 14 years and I am 59 years old just tried to hang in. I was blessed the day they came and said, we need to downsize and someone with more senior will be replacing you. So decision was taken out of my hands, best thing that ever happened to me...Yes I'm still unemployed and Unemployment is running out but, I would never put myself in that situation again. I believe that much stress is deadly. I'd rather be unemployed and happy then to be back there again.
    Everyone has to make decisions that fit their situation but, IF the stress is temporary then maybe hang on........
  • SarahAFerguson
    SarahAFerguson Posts: 250 Member
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    I too have been very stressed at work which results in poor eating and bingeing. I know the right things to do but because I'm working 60 hrs a week and have a family, house, etc I can't find the time to get organized and plan my meals. It's very discouraging.

    That's me right there. Couldn't have thought of a better way to put it except that I"ve been able to cut back on work hours to a more reasonable 40/wk, but now it feels like I can't get anything done. Getting organized is my all consuming time gobbler. Never really seems to happen no matter how hard I try.
  • MsSueBee
    MsSueBee Posts: 35 Member
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    I took leave for stress several years ago ... it helped me to regroup and come back stronger & more resilient -- but only because I made sure to structure my days to include positive and productive activities ... such as walking, attending counseling groups, working on clearning/organizing my house, getting in touch with friends, writing about my feelings, etc.

    One thing that has helped me tremendously with my stress has been the OA 12-step program. For me, it has been a total life-changer!

    Anyway, hope things are better for you soon!
  • kagekone
    kagekone Posts: 12 Member
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    Thank you for all your replies. It's nice to know that I am not the only one. Unfortunately I have not made much progress fitness wise yet (I haven't been to the gym, but I've gone for some short walks), but I have started eating more healthy meals.
    I've been there also, 5 woman office downsized to 1 that be me. The stress was so bad couldn't eat, or sleep I was a mess. Since I had been there 14 years and I am 59 years old just tried to hang in. I was blessed the day they came and said, we need to downsize and someone with more senior will be replacing you. So decision was taken out of my hands, best thing that ever happened to me...Yes I'm still unemployed and Unemployment is running out but, I would never put myself in that situation again. I believe that much stress is deadly. I'd rather be unemployed and happy then to be back there again.
    Everyone has to make decisions that fit their situation but, IF the stress is temporary then maybe hang on........

    Unfortunately the job has been very busy since I started this spring so I don't think it will ever be a temporary thing. Even though I have told them twice that it was too much and they tried making changes, it all just went back to the same hectic routine pretty quickly. I am thinking being unemployed (and happy!) is starting to look like a better option than a job that is making me ill....

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