Diet and Stress

DIET AND STRESS
A short story


Lucy noticed that after working tirelessly for the past one month to beat deadlines at work and going through a heart break after a one year relationship with Chuks (she thought the man was serious but he wasn't) that she had back pains and frequent headaches plus the traffic every morning to work and back. She became constipated and struggled to go to toilet. She also noticed that she gained a little weight, had acnes and couldn't sleep past 2hrs everyday, that is if she doesn't get woken up by calls. She also ate poorly during the past month. At first, she had little or no appetite and later she had cravings for comforting foods that are high in sugar, fats and calories. She never cooked since was too busy or too tired to prepare meals at home and too heart broken to do any cooking. She became worried and had to see the doctor, she was diagnosed of being pre-hypertensive. She was experiencing symptoms of stress. Stress occurs in our everyday lives from having a heated argument to getting stuck in traffic to trying something new and exciting to trying to beat work deadlines to unemployment due to loss of jobs or no job at all to physical or mental abuse to family conflicts.
Most times we experience the combination of these in succession. When stressed, practice:
✓ healthy eating to support immune system and repair damaged cells since chronic stress leads to cell damage. ✓research has shown that polyunsaturated fats and vegetables may help regulate cortisol levels (hormones produced during continuous stress releasing glucose into the blood).
✓ not relying on fast food because you are too tired or too busy to prepare meals.
✓ not stress-eating because you eat quickly without noticing what or how much you are eating which can lead to weight gain.
✓ exercising regularly
✓ Good rest and sleep hygiene, aim for 7-9hrs of sleep. I hope after today, you will find time to rest, relax and sleep. Use vacations & personal time too. #dietandstress