How to Control?!-Stress
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KTaurusW0516
Posts: 126 Member
This month biggest issue for me has been stress. One thing after another. small or BIG. It's been making it harder to stay good on my diet. I can be good all day and by Dinner, I feel like giving up. Just saying, "I don't care." Even though, that's a big fat lie! I've gotten better but, it occasionally will get the best of me. Its not only effecting my health but, my food budget. I've been buying healthier food. (Which, cost more money for me.) When, I have my I don't care moments, I'll buy Fast Food, which kills my diet and my wallet. Which, ADDS MORE STRESS! P.S. Snapping a rubber band doesn't help me. 
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Replies
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Why don't you plan and make simple meals you want to eat, from cheap ingredients?3
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Dealing with stress is something we all have to do sooner or later. You need coping skills. Try yoga--it works on deep breathing and relaxation.1
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This answer is going to be no use what so ever as if it were straight forward everyone would be doing this already.
The way to stop stress eating is to change how you think about food. Most of the modern world has been brought up on food as a reward, my parents did it with me, I did the same with my children - you do well at something so you get a McDonalds, it's your birthday so you get cake and jelly and ice cream, you pass an exam = big meal out and on and on...
It is a mind set and you need to change your reward structure. So when you feel good about something binge watch that terrible TV series that you like but don't tell anyone you like, or shop for a non-food treat, or you get the weekend to sit on your butt in the sun, or a massage, or sit on the xbox or playstation for a day, whatever you want as long as it is not food.
Hopefully, at some point, when you need a boost your brain won't run straight to food as the answer.8 -
It helps me to take a two-pronged approach. First, find large long term sources of stress and see what can be done about them. When I decided to get healthy I also made changes to my job, my house, and my relationships, to eliminate some long standing problems. Second, try non-food or low calorie related comforting behaviors. For example, I enjoy doing my fingernails now, and I drink herbal tea or an almond milk latte with dark chocolate (fifty calories) for stress relief. A long bath, a run, or good music might be some other alternatives.
It can also help to prepare foods ahead of time when you aren't stressed so that making better choices is easy when you are stressed. Prepping meals or snacks ahead of time, for example.3 -
I love these ideas, to be honest never thought of it that way. I didn't grow up like that and I hope to change that with my future children. I'm about to have six week vacation from work and my main concern was, being bored and eating. (Instead of stressed.) I just need to make a giant to do list every week and when I get bored or stressed, mark things off.2
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snowflake954 wrote: »Dealing with stress is something we all have to do sooner or later. You need coping skills. Try yoga--it works on deep breathing and relaxation.
I took yoga classes for a week. (Free promotion for this gym in my town.) However, they are way to expensive to go too! Do you know any good online yoga classes or videos I could try? (I tried looking before but, I didn't succeed.)0 -
KTaurusW0516 wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »Dealing with stress is something we all have to do sooner or later. You need coping skills. Try yoga--it works on deep breathing and relaxation.
I took yoga classes for a week. (Free promotion for this gym in my town.) However, they are way to expensive to go too! Do you know any good online yoga classes or videos I could try? (I tried looking before but, I didn't succeed.)
Many people on here like "Yoga with Adriane". Look up some of the yoga threads and you'll get a lot of ideas that won't cost you much.1 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Why don't you plan and make simple meals you want to eat, from cheap ingredients?
Sandwichs: Meat:$3 Cheese:$2 Bread: $2 =$7 for a week. (Raman, chips, granola bars, etc.) Raman: WAY CHEAP Chips: $1 Granola Bars: $2 =$10
Wendy's is a fine example. I can buy $50 Frosty. $1 Fries. $1 Burgers. But, there salad's are $5 or more. Even fast food knows, healthier is more expensive.
Salad: $1 (Times Two for Sure) Ranch: $2 Chicken: $7 Fruit: $15 (Fresh Fruit) Canned Fruit or Vegtables: $10 Frozen Vegetables: $7 (Bag per day or so.) = $28-$32 (I splurge and buy almonds on occasion. $5 a bag.)
However, it varies where you live. My Grandma from AZ. Complained about my Mom not buying us kids "healthier" food. Yet, when she visits KS. She complains how expensive everything is at the stores. (Goes and uses coupons at BURGER KING!)0 -
kommodevaran wrote: »Why don't you plan and make simple meals you want to eat, from cheap ingredients?
But, I'm learning quickly the extra money spent to keep me healthy is WAY more important then a few more bucks. I just can't always spend that money, when I don't have it.0 -
Sorry, I don't have the link to it, but just the other day someone was asking how to eat well on a very strict budget. This is a frequent topic and many posters chime in with ideas and menus and prices. It can be done.1
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I think you need to workout why you are stressed. Meditating, prebuying food, squeezing balls .... as admirable as they are for lowering and distracting you from the stress ... would it just not be easier to eliminate the cause of the stress in the first place. ? ... ie, if you had a hole in your wall letting the wind in and you were cold, would you keep doing jumping jacks to stay warm .. or fix the hole ?
What is stressing you ?
if you are stressed its because your body/mind is perceiving something as a threat, you dont like that threat, you need to change the way you perceive events that is causing you to get upset about them3 -
Stop pushing yourself so hard. Pick one or two things in life that you REALLY want and focus on them. You sound like me when I was spreading myself too thinly1
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Find what is causing you stress and remove it from your life. Avoid any medication because you will just poison your body and the side effects are typically worse than the initial problem. Find things you like to do that keep you active and make you happy. I always suggest get outdoors and workout. Hiking, walking, kayaking, mountain biking whatever you can than gets you out and keeps you active. Going to the gym and seeing the same things and doing the same routine is boring and hard to keep focused. The world is your gym so get out there. As far as the diet it is easier to stick with if you meal prep. I like to make 4-6 days worth of breakfast, lunch and dinner and then have fruit or veggies as snacks. I typically meal prep on Sunday for the next week. Another thing we have started doing at our house is healthy soup and freeze it. My wife will double a soup recipe and then we will freeze individual portions so they are easy to grab on your way to work or just take a few and throw in the crockpot while frozen and dinner is done when you get home. Best of luck and remember If being healthy and fit was easy everyone would be.3
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ramansuresh754 wrote: »meditation is the best way to deal with all type of stress.
I'll be honest with you, I read medication at first. Yes, meditation is a great idea. 2 -
I think you need to workout why you are stressed. Meditating, prebuying food, squeezing balls .... as admirable as they are for lowering and distracting you from the stress ... would it just not be easier to eliminate the cause of the stress in the first place. ? ... ie, if you had a hole in your wall letting the wind in and you were cold, would you keep doing jumping jacks to stay warm .. or fix the hole ?
What is stressing you ?
if you are stressed its because your body/mind is perceiving something as a threat, you dont like that threat, you need to change the way you perceive events that is causing you to get upset about them
Its just been this month in general, I hope the rest of the year won't be like this. However, if it does. I can't help it. It was small things like taking care of boyfriend when he got sick. (I would want him to do the same when I'm not feeling good.) Then, surgery happened for my boyfriend. (Wisdom Teeth, on top of being sick.) Trying to keep up with my job and my home life. (Hard to motivate yourself to workout after standing on your feet for eight hours.) (Hard to motivate myself to do small things like dishes at home, after I just did like four loads of them at work.) I'm a cook for a private school. On top of that, its SO hard to cook dinner, after you already cooked two meals that day. I feel like by Dinner time, I want to sleep and eat food I didn't make myself. Sometimes, I'm smart and eat fruit. However, I have the days were fast food is easy to grab on the way home.0 -
KTaurusW0516 wrote: »I think you need to workout why you are stressed. Meditating, prebuying food, squeezing balls .... as admirable as they are for lowering and distracting you from the stress ... would it just not be easier to eliminate the cause of the stress in the first place. ? ... ie, if you had a hole in your wall letting the wind in and you were cold, would you keep doing jumping jacks to stay warm .. or fix the hole ?
What is stressing you ?
if you are stressed its because your body/mind is perceiving something as a threat, you dont like that threat, you need to change the way you perceive events that is causing you to get upset about them
Its just been this month in general, I hope the rest of the year won't be like this. However, if it does. I can't help it. It was small things like taking care of boyfriend when he got sick. (I would want him to do the same when I'm not feeling good.) Then, surgery happened for my boyfriend. (Wisdom Teeth, on top of being sick.) Trying to keep up with my job and my home life. (Hard to motivate yourself to workout after standing on your feet for eight hours.) (Hard to motivate myself to do small things like dishes at home, after I just did like four loads of them at work.) I'm a cook for a private school. On top of that, its SO hard to cook dinner, after you already cooked two meals that day. I feel like by Dinner time, I want to sleep and eat food I didn't make myself. Sometimes, I'm smart and eat fruit. However, I have the days were fast food is easy to grab on the way home.
That's why meal prepping and freezing portions would probably work well for you. You wouldn't have to think about cooking when you get home (I totally understand why you don't want to cook when you get home). As for cleanup, would your boyfriend step up? You could agree to do something else. Good luck.1 -
snowflake954 wrote: »KTaurusW0516 wrote: »I think you need to workout why you are stressed. Meditating, prebuying food, squeezing balls .... as admirable as they are for lowering and distracting you from the stress ... would it just not be easier to eliminate the cause of the stress in the first place. ? ... ie, if you had a hole in your wall letting the wind in and you were cold, would you keep doing jumping jacks to stay warm .. or fix the hole ?
What is stressing you ?
if you are stressed its because your body/mind is perceiving something as a threat, you dont like that threat, you need to change the way you perceive events that is causing you to get upset about them
Its just been this month in general, I hope the rest of the year won't be like this. However, if it does. I can't help it. It was small things like taking care of boyfriend when he got sick. (I would want him to do the same when I'm not feeling good.) Then, surgery happened for my boyfriend. (Wisdom Teeth, on top of being sick.) Trying to keep up with my job and my home life. (Hard to motivate yourself to workout after standing on your feet for eight hours.) (Hard to motivate myself to do small things like dishes at home, after I just did like four loads of them at work.) I'm a cook for a private school. On top of that, its SO hard to cook dinner, after you already cooked two meals that day. I feel like by Dinner time, I want to sleep and eat food I didn't make myself. Sometimes, I'm smart and eat fruit. However, I have the days were fast food is easy to grab on the way home.
That's why meal prepping and freezing portions would probably work well for you. You wouldn't have to think about cooking when you get home (I totally understand why you don't want to cook when you get home). As for cleanup, would your boyfriend step up? You could agree to do something else. Good luck.
We split the chores. I guess I always saw it as 50/50 and never thought about having him do extra. (He works too.) I feel like we both struggle on the whole motivation thing. I'm trying to push myself first and push him later. I don't want to look like a hypocrite on telling him to eat healthier or workout, when I'm not doing it myself.
I already tried the "couple goal" dieting together. It sucked! He splurge here or there and I felt like I could too. (Which, neither one of us should be doing that.) I learned, I do better focusing on myself and then him later.0 -
Look up a list of self care ideas. Everyone likes different things(coloring didn't work for me ;-;). When I was really stressed I liked:
One a week "spa" day (at home but focused in the grooming that I don't always get to do)
Soak in the tub
Big mug of herbal tea
Yoga
Positive affirmation app (pushed messages (some self written) to my phone to help me stop and breathe one an hour or so)
Everyone is different though n.n I also agree on focusing on you.2 -
There is a website called Do Yoga With Me that's free. The videos offer all types and levels of yoga. :-)5
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I eat on $5 per day (1700 calories), and I live in Seattle. It's not cheap to live here. For instance a one bedroom older apartment is going for $1800 per month rent...
So it can be done. Beans, rice, whole grains, frozen bags of vegetables and fruits, big block of cheese that lasts the month, milk. A few fresh vegetables and fruits like lettuce, avocado. A few prepared things like salsa and spaghetti sauce and oil, butter. Hamburger, chicken, tuna, eggs as protein. Regular, cook-it-yourself bulk size oatmeal. I don't buy drinks - just water from the Brita and coffee. I shop the Dollar store for things like general spices, olives, bread, and if I want some treat food like cookies or chips. One serving, $1. Be creative with your meals, it's healthier and lower calorie and you'll feel full longer.0
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