User:Maddie hunt/sandbox

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE (Coping with stress)

Health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (World Health Organization)Having a healthy lifestyle is something people reach for in order to live longer, have a better body, impress others, and most importantly as a way of coping with stress etc. Saying that someone has a healthy lifestyle can be interpreted differently by any persons. The generalities could be:

- Exercising regularly - Having a balance diet - Getting enough sleep - Having a balance in life - Using spirituality and meditation in order to cope

Many scholars have studied healthy lifestyles and stress over the past years, and the connection between each other. They have found that the generalities written earlier were the true definers of coping with stress while living a good life. Some of those studies will be shown in the following topics.

Exercising

Exercise might be the healthiest coping strategy since it allows you to refuel your energy. Sitting around too much has been one of the biggest problems found in the United States. A research has found that the more you move, the healthier you are. Moderate activities like taking long walks with the dog and gardening are also considered activities that could help you manage your stress. Adding some exercises throughout your day can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, improve joint stability, increase and improve range of movement, help maintain flexibility as you age, improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and definitely reduce stress. Exercising is also view as proactive coping strategies. Proactive coping strategies referred to eating healthful, regular meals, consuming moderate amounts of alcohol, being physically active, and getting good sleep quality. Exercising has been found to actually regulate your sleep, lowers the symptoms of depression, boosts your energy, and helps you remain calmer and focused. Taking the time to exercise can, over time, be a critical part of your stress management plan. Not everybody is a fanatic of exercise, so incorporating slowly some exercises throughout your day could be a good way to deal with your stress. Again, it might not show a big difference at first, but it will certainly pay off at one point. “Exercise is considered a good way to deal with stress because it's a healthy way to relieve your pent-up energy and tension. Exercise is known to release feel-good brain chemicals. It also helps you get in better shape, which makes you feel better overall” (Familydoctor.org).

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NUTRITION

Having a balance diet is very important in order to have a balance life. Many studied have shown that nutrition is a big part of coping with stress. People react very differently with stress and food. Some people like to eat their feeling as they say, and some others like to deprive themselves from any food when stress hits them. According to researchers at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center, stressful events and hassles of the daily life can cause the Cortisol level to rise rapidly. Cortisol “is a steroid hormone, in the glucocorticoid class of hormones, and is produced in humans by the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex within the adrenal gland.”(Wikipedia) In the research, they have noticed that “cortisol causes food cravings, and in women those cravings tend to be strongest for carbs, especially sweet food.” (Glassman) As reported by Lauren A.Greene, “[s]oothing your pain with high-calories, high-sugar, or high-fat comfort food feels good at first, but it can quickly spiral out of control when your mind and body begin to associate negative emotions with eating.” (A.Greene)The connection your mind makes when you are stress can create some health and self-issues that could be easily avoided with better nutrition and control; “[o]vereating can cause weight gain and make you feel worse about yourself, as well as exacerbate the GI issues (bloating, reflux, constipation).” (A.Greene) Not eating is also a big problems that can cause someone to get sick, faint and even past away in the worst cases. Some people feel the necessity to avoid eating in order to get something done.” “American report coping with stress behaviorally: (…)skipping meals (27%).” (J.Boulos) Twenty-seventh percent is a large number, and it is something that can be so easily reduced with couple daily ideas. The solution to this problem would be to always have snacks around so that when stress hits, you can still eat something and deal better with the situation. The solution of eating a big/brunch breakfast could also help to go through an whole afternoon without eating. In conclusion, both options of eating too much or not at all are bad for your body and something needs to be done in order to be able to deal with stress easily.

Sleeping

Recent studies have shown that getting enough sleep is a component of healthy living that can help combat adversive symptoms and reduce stress. Shalini Paruthi M.D., an expert on sleep and member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has studied the benefits of getting a good night’s rest. One of her major findings is that sleep helps with heart health. When people fall behind on sleep, they are more at risk for high blood pressure and heart attacks. Another important aspect of sleep is that it helps with maintaining a healthy weight. Today, “more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese” making it even more important that people get the recommended 7-8 hours per night (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, Flegal). Michael Breus Ph.D. explains that when people are sleep deprived, the levels of the hormone leptin, which signals to our brains that we are full decrease, leaving people more susceptible to overeating and potentially leading to obesity. Sleep has also proven to have a profound effect on mood. Paruthi observes “even one night of sleeplessness can make you cranky and irritable the next day.” The stress generated from lack of sleep also appears to create a downward spiral since people who are stressed out find it more difficult to fall asleep the next day. Decreased physical performance has also been attributed to lack of sleep (Souissi, Chtourou, Aloui, Hammouda, Dogui, Chaouachi, Chamari). When physical performance suffers, people are less likely to get themselves to the gym and exercise, another key component to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and combating stress.

Spirituality

“Exploring your spirituality can lead to a clearer life purpose, better personal relationships and enhanced stress management skills” (Mayo Clinic). Spirituality is different for everyone, but it can definitely be a good way of coping with stress since it can be found in nature, music, art, or secular community. Being around people with similar beliefs can certainly enhance your mood and your approach to stress. They might understand you better than others and it can be a source of comfort when you are not necessarily feeling well. Spirituality can help in a way that you can feel a sense of purpose, connect to the world, release control, expand your support network, and lead to a healthier life. (Mayo Clinic)

Balance lifestyle

Having a healthy lifestyle also means having a balance lifestyle. People have a lot of problems with dividing their life equally in a healthy way. Student-athletes, full-time workers, and regular competitive students have difficulty to manage their time in order to have this needed balance in their daily life. There would either be too much school work, too much time at the office, too much exercising, too much procrastination, and most of the time a lack of social life for committed persons. Having a social life and something else than work to do is very important in order to stay healthy. “If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to handle life’s stressors.” (helpguide.org) Taking a long bath, spend time in nature, call a good friend, get a massage, watch a comedy, and work in your garden are all ideas that will help you enjoy life has its best. It is important to set a time for a relaxation period(s) throughout your day. “Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.” (helpguide.org) Oftentimes, people will attribute their stress to the feeling that they are always rushing around and don’t have enough time to do the things they want to do. An effective solution to this problem is developing good time management skills. “Time management- being careful about how we use our time, how we portion our time- can enhance our sense of control” thereby reducing stress (Janata). For example, people who are constantly bombarded by emails throughout the day may feel overwhelmed at having to respond to them all at once. Janata recommends that people “set aside two or three particular times of the day for reading e-mail…” instead of responding to them right away. By allotting a specified time for this task, people have a greater sense of control leading to decreased levels of stress.

In conclusion, many persons have different way to cope with stress and these are some of the ideas that have been proven to help greatly in studies and surveys. The best healthy lifestyles are the ones that include exercise, good nutrition, sleeping, and spirituality (of some sort). They could also include a personal thing that has been proven to work for your own body over time. Incorporating these methods into your daily life could make a difference with your ways of coping with stress and the daily hassles. Stress is not something that can be good for your body on the long run. Therefore, you should start taking care of it now.

Work cited

"Cortisol." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.

"Http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html." Web. 6 Apr. 2015.

"Adult Obesity Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 Sept. 2014. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

Klein, Sarah. "The 11 Biggest Health Benefits Of Sleep." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

A.Greene, Lauren. "Best and Worst Ways to Cope With Stress." Health.com. Health. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

"Stress: How to Cope Better With Life's Challenges." Stress: How to Cope Better With Life's Challenges. FamilyDoctor.org, 1 Nov. 2010. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

Waehner, Paige. "Simple Ways to Live a Healthy Lifestyle." Simple Ways to Live a Healthy Lifestyle. About Health, 16 Dec. 2014. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

Boulos, R. J. (2014). How do health behaviors, stress and coping strategies influence weight status during periods of transition?(Order No. AAI3588204). Available from PsycINFO. (1534280735; 2014-99100-566). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/docview/1534280735?accountid=14816