Daily Stress Busters To Beat Diabetes!

by Kathi
(Pennsylvania)

By now you’ve heard all about the concept that high stress levels lead to a worsening of diabetes symptoms but how are you to know if this is part of your problem?

Easy! Just answer these few questions honestly about yourself for a quick overview of your current stress levels.

Are you anxious most of the time?

Do you tend to worry about everything, whether it is real or imagined? The constant worry, especially about events which haven’t even happened yet lead to an increased risk of placque build-up in the arteries. The final result here, a heart attack.
Are you often impatient or aggressive towards other people?

Are you continuously agitated and anxious about having to wait in a line, getting behind a slow driver, always eating on the run, always feel pressed for time, always doing one project while you are thinking about two others, impatient when waiting for an answer...? All of this undue stress you place on yourself will ultimately lead to high blood pressure.
Intermittent stressors in your life that never seem to get resolved

Intermittent stress on a on and off and then on again cycle always leads to a higher risk of obesity, higher risk of those nuisance conditions such as colds and the flu, back pains, headaches, sore muscles, joint pain etc.. All of this undue pressure therefore consistently with time leads to other common medical problems.
Are the scales constantly tipping upwards as you grow around the waistline/stomach area?

Consistent out of control stress leads to an over-production of cortisol in the human body. A class of hormones, cortisol initiates weight gain because it increases your levels of appetite. Unfortunately, with all the extra foods that you end up eating, cortisol stimulates weight and fat growth predominantly around your stomach area.

Putting The Brakes On Stress

You can always feel it coming on. The rapid breathing, impatience, your blood pressure rises, you get fidgety and often feel like you want to shout, scream or yell. It’s time to set up a plan to stop this cycle before it can take hold and disrupt your life further. Try these proven remedies one at a time or in combination, depending on the intensity of your current stress level.

Take a 5 minute timeout by just stopping everything. Sit up straight, shoulders pushed back, clear your mind of everything, listen to some calm music while you continuously take deep breaths in through the nose and exhale long and hard through the mouth.
Do a low impact exercise routine for the next 10 minutes. Try walking the dog, push the baby’s stroller, water the garden, pick some flowers, watch the birds or a fish tank or even spend some time enjoying the antics of a kitten playing.
Spend 15 minutes of quality time with your pet(s). Playtime, petting, brushing or just having a conversation with them is a great way to reduce stress, blood pressure, fear, anxiety and soak up tons of unconditional love.
During this unsettled time, use your brain and actually stop and figure out what would be the absolute worst end to this scenario, and then ask yourself is that worst end likely going to happen anyway. If you are two minutes later to your destination, is that plane going to be gone? Is your job actually going to lock the doors just to keep you out? Is it going to matter if dinner gets served 5 minutes later tonight?

After you realize none of this is going to matter much in the long-range anyway and none of this is going to produce any major significant impact on your future, relax and just accept the inconvenience of the present situation. Every single organ in your body is going to thank you with time.

So yes, stress is still going to rear its ugly head in your life off and on, but just remember, you do have complete control over its effects on your mind and body. How you approach it and the steps you take to lessen it - or to relieve it - will be the deciding factor which will determine the control it has on your life.