Taste Life Blog

“Help! I am fifty pounds overweight.  When I started at my company 14 years ago, I was the thinnest, fittest; healthiest I had ever been in my life.  Then when I moved to corporate 7 years ago to support our COO…the pounds started coming on (long hours, bad routine) and has continued ever since as my responsibilities just seem to increase. In all honesty, I have been in a mild depression over the state of my body for a few years—I’m tired and just don’t have the energy I used to. So, there you have it.  Getting my body back (in health and shape) would make a world of difference for me.  Until I succeed at that, I think it will hold me back from other things.  I’m tired of being stressed out every day.  I think I need a team of people to pull me out of this.”

Does this sound like you? Has your stressed out life left you overweight, overtired and overcommitted to everyone except you? You may need the support of others but what is really missing is YOU. You cannot control others but you can control you.  Summer is the perfect time to put yourself back on your to do list.

The following are Tips for a Stress Resilient Lifestyle: knowing how to balance the pressures and demands in your life with positive satisfying experiences and personal pleasures.

Prioritize: Ask yourself do you prioritize your schedule or schedule your priorities? Make time for yourself! Cooking a healthy meal can be incredibly relaxing and creative. Take time for an evening walk or get up earlier than usual and have a walk before breakfast. Remember it doesn’t have to be a 30 minute walk— all physical activity counts; 10 minutes of housework, 10 minutes of playing with your kids and a 10 minute walk with your dog.

Identify your top stressors: Identify what is draining your energy? What is on your to do list?  Go through your list and decide what you really want to do not should do.  This will free up some of your time to eat healthier and squeeze in physical activity. Remember there are only three choices of tasks on your to do list: Do It, Dump It, or Delegate It. Summer is the perfect time to get rid of your energy drains and stress.

Get support and connect with others: People with a strong social support system report experiencing less stress and are better able to cope with the stress they have.  Studies show that having friends can lower your blood pressure, improve your immune system and even increase your life span. Hold yourself accountable for healthy eating or physical activity with a friend.   Join an exercise class. Hire a coach.

Break your goal into small weekly goals: Change is a process not a state. It takes 100 days to “feel” your new habits. There are twelve weeks from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Create a weekly goal for nutrition, fitness and stress management. Don’t worry if you don’t totally succeed…it is only 7 days of your life! And, next week is a totally new week – you start over. Don’t be hard on yourself!

Celebrate your success: Reward yourself for small new behavior changes. Schedule a movie night out with your friend, or buy yourself fresh flowers or a new book or pamper yourself with self-care. Don’t wait – reward yourself weekly!

A new season is a perfect time for a new chapter for stress resilience living. Remember you cannot always control what people are doing and saying around you but you can always control what you THINK about what is going on around you. Good luck thinking you are the person that needs to go back on your to do list and you are at the top of your list.