Stress Archives - Page 5 of 5

December 21, 2015 By Urvashi Sareen 3 Comments

How foods play an important role in managing stress ?

Stress and nutrition have always been linked – it’s a fact that has been in existence for years. It’s no rocket science to realize that someone with a healthy and balanced diet is likely to be far less stressed than someone with a poor diet.

Stress has become a common factor in one’s life today and various factors lead to stress on a daily basis? It could be work pressure, home pressure, and lot many things add to stress. And, during times of stress, the one thing that most indulge in is bad eating.

We more often than not turn to traditional “comfort” foods such as macaroni and cheese, pizza, and ice cream. All these high-fat foods are usually the worst possible choices because they can make us feel lethargic and less able to deal with stress. To add to this, stress can drive up our blood pressure and raise serum cholesterol levels, wreaking havoc on our arteries and increasing risk of heart attacks.

Best solution? Low-fat, high-fiber, carbohydrate-rich meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables. They soothe us without sapping our energy and give us the nutrients we need to boost our immune system.

Here’s a guide to which foods reduce stress and which foods make it worse:

There are plenty of foods that are good for reducing stress:

Water – Hydrates, makes the individual more energetic and less stressful

Asparagaus-I know, these slender stalks are known to make your urine smell funny. But, they are high in folate which is essential for keeping your cool

Avacados-These creamy fruits stress proof your body. Rich in glutathione, a substance that specifically blocks intestinal absorption of certain fats that cause oxidative damage, avocados also contain lutein, beta-carotane, Vitamin E and more folate than any other fruit.

Berries – Blueberries have some of the highest levels of antioxidant known as anthocyanin and they have been linked to all kinds of positive health outcomes, including sharper cognition. But, all berries, including strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are rich in vitamin C which has been shown to be helpful in combating stress.

Chocolate – besides the healthy antioxidants in this treat which push chocolate to the top of most heart-healthy food lists, Chocolate also has an undeniable link to mood but, moderation is key to it.

Green tea – Green tea has an amino acid called theamine. This slimming food is a brain booster as well as enhances mental performance.

Oatmeal – a complex carbohydrate, Oatmeal causes your brain to produce serotonin, a feel-good chemical.

Fresh Fruits and vegetables- vegetables also have high fibre content, which is helpful in treating constipation-another long term effect of stress. Fresh fruits and vegetables provide an array of vitamins and minerals that are great for reducing stress.

Fish- Fish such as Mackerel contain Omega fatty acids, which are extremely good for the heart and can protect you from heart diseases. Fish also contains choline- a great memory booster.

Yoghurts- Yoghurts provide minerals including calcium, essential to maintain well functioning nerve impulses.

Herbal Products- Herbal items such as Dandelion, Chamomile, and Passion flower to name a few relaxes both the body and mind.

Having said the above, there are certain foods and drinks that can aggravate stress. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you should avoid some of them completely but, it is advised that you consume them in moderation.

Foods and drinks that can trigger and aggravate stress include:

Tea, coffee, cocoa, energy drinks- These drinks contain neuro-stimulators like caffeine and theo-bromine, which are proven to heighten stress.

Fast foods and takeaways- They contain high levels of protein, fats and carbohydrates that don’t contain vital minerals and vitamins, which in turn induce stress.

Butter, cheese, Meat – These are high saturated fats which have a negative impact on stress levels.

Sugar- stress causes an increase in blood glucose levels, which can in turn lead to a higher risk of developing diabetes.

Soda, Alcohol, soft drinks and chocolate drinks-The high levels of carbon dioxide/ sugars in beverages aggravate stress. Therefore soft drinks need to be considered as an unnecessary addition to your diet.

So before you go in to grab that cold aerated beverage or have a cheesy burger to relieve your stress…think twice and instead go for the healthier food option suggested above to get reduce your stress.

December 9, 2015 By Aaishwarya Haldule 2 Comments

Meditation and it’s healing powers

Meditation as we all know is one of the most ancient stress relieving and healing techniques used in India and now even in the Western world. It however has its roots buried in the centuries old science of medicine in India. Now one may think, meditation is only to sit with eyes closed and breathe, to be practiced by saints and yogis.

MEDITATION- the true meaning is to make peace with oneself mentally and physically.But, this is not easy as one may think and needs practice or even training for some period.

The term meditation refers to a variety of practices, such as techniques designed to promote relaxation and build internal energy or life force which is also PRANA in Sanskrit. This enables the individuals to develop love, compassion, patience, effortless single pointed concentration, thus enabling the person to enjoy the well being while engaging in any life activity.

In the recent times meditation is often suggested as a treatment to ease health concerns such as hypertension/ blood pressure, depression, anxiety, insomnia, fear and phobias, control emotions such as anger or hatred. Meditation has a calming effect on the body as well as mind. It directs awareness inward until pure awareness is achieved which is rightly described as “Being awake inside without being aware of anything except awareness itself”

Now one may ask how to achieve the state of awareness and peace? Here is how you can.

Sit comfortably wearing comfortable clothes.
Starting with your head working downwards feel the vibrations in your body.
Focus on your breath; follow the sensation of inhaling and exhaling. With each inhalation the tummy will blow out and with each exhalation the tummy will go back in.
Once you achieve this state, you will face thoughts, the key here is to not hold on to any thought. Instead make it a slide show, let all the thoughts come and go as if it is a photo gallery.
Once you are able to achieve this, you can begin with mantra repetition such as OM for 5- 6 times.

It has been proven that practicing meditation; has numerous benefits and accelerates the process of healing of many health conditions, as well as delay the ageing.

To highlight a few prominent benefits, let’s look further.

Increase immunity:

Relaxation appears to boost the immunity in recovering cancer patients. Progressive muscular relaxation when practiced daily has shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer and its recurrence. A study at Ohio state university has shown that practicing meditation and relaxation for a month boosted the immunity cells in the elderly giving them more resistance to viruses.

Emotional Balance:

As we discussed earlier, meditation helps to achieve control over emotions such as anger, hatred.

Emotional balance means to be free of ego. Though this is very difficult to achieve fully, meditation does help to lessen the outbursts due to ego. As the consciousness is cleansed of emotions and memories, one not only achieves a full freedom but also great balance in actions and words.

Increases fertility:

It has been found that women are more likely to conceive when emotionally balanced and stress free. Being stress free also helps improve male fertility in many ways.

Relieves Digestive ailments:

People who suffer anxiety related acidity, or other digestive complaints get great relief with regular meditation and breathing exercises.

Hence, it is widely recommended as an effective treatment.

Lowers blood pressure:

Similar to exercise meditation also helps to secrete “happiness hormones such as endorphins”, making the body less responsive to stress hormones. These effects are also seen with regular cardio exercise and blood pressure lowering medications as well.

Inflammation:

Stress; of all kinds’ leads to inflammation, which is widely related to heart disease, arthritis, asthma and many skin conditions. Practicing regular meditation can prevent and help in treating these conditions by reducing the stress response.

Calmness and sleep:

The simple difference between the people who meditate and those who do not, is that for a meditative mind the thought occurs is witnessed, while for an ordinary mind, the thought occurs and is governed by ego. In case in both minds, an upsetting thought occurs, but for those who meditate it is just another thought which is seen, allowed to blossom, and let go, while in a non meditating mind, such thoughts can instigates a storm which rages on and on. This can lead to sleep disturbances. Hence meditation helps to improve sleep.

In short, Meditation is a way to celebrate being at peace with oneself and celebrating it with silence.

Happy Meditating!

March 2, 2015 By Luke Coutinho 1 Comment

Worry: the biggest obstacle to your Health & Weight – Ways to overcome

Do you eat food peacefully or with worry in your mind? Do you exercise happily or with worry in your mind? Do you also go to bed worried? Are you low on energy through the day and only the thought of outside food or entertainment cheer you up?

Do you accept defeat when:-
(i) Your weight does not budge
(ii) You have a restless night sleep.
(iii) You give in to food cravings.
(iv) Your friends around you seem to lose weight faster or look better than you.

A roadside advertisement for a certain brand of motor oil read “A clean engine always delivers power.”

So will a mind, free of negative thoughts, and very positive or in other words, a clean mind will deliver power. Therefore, flush out your negative thoughts, give yourself a clean mental engine, remembering that a clean mind, can always deliver power.

Most of our obstacles to weight loss and health are mental in character. You may say, “mine are not mental, they are real”, perhaps so, but, your attitude towards them is clearly mental.

“Worry”, is the most subtle and destructive of all human diseases. Through “worry” we have the dangerous ability to manifest diseases, stress, failure, defeat, anger, frustration and depression.

Do not accept defeat so easily. When your weight does not budge, be patient and instead of giving up, be more consistent with the things you should be doing to lose weight. It took you months or years to pile on fat, what makes you think it will go in few weeks without some sacrifice and effort?

Are you being honest with yourself when it comes to your food, exercise and eating outside?

Ask yourself, if the defeat that you have accepted is because you keep comparing yourself or your body to those around you? Your friends? Your social circle?

if yes, then you will never be happy with the progress you make, you will get further depressed and you will fail.

Have you even seen any two actors with the same body type? How can you ever have the same body as someone else then?

Comparing ourselves or our children with others is the most drastic mistake one can make when it comes to our health or weight. Your benchmark for progress should be you and what you did yesterday, compared to what you will do today and tomorrow. Keep getting better, getting consistent and that will get you to your goal and peace of mind.

If you struggle to sleep, filter your thoughts and your mind. Easy to say, but hard to do, however you must make the effort if you want to sleep well again. Worry stems of our insecurity, greed, fear, low confidence, guilt and other factors. Sometimes, you have to let go and if you don’t, your health will make that decision for you.

One of the best exercises to combat your insecurities is to count your blessings.
Take a paper and write down all the things that you have and are grateful for. This should come from your heart. When you are done with this, your problems and insecurities will suddenly seem less.

When you begin to eliminate worry, your energy levels automatically increase.

You see we have over 60,000 thoughts running through our heads everyday, so it’s difficult to focus on what we have (which is usually enough) and instead fill our minds with chaos, which in turn stems worry and negativity. This causes stress and we all know by now that stress causes disease, a weak immune system, and is the biggest- I repeat ‘THE BIGGEST’ obstacle to fat loss and sleep.

Don’t see yoga or breathing as just an exercise. Use that one hour or 45 minutes to actually reflect, count your blessings, pray or analyze the goodness in your life.

It is being proved today that the best way to cure a disease or a pain, is not to focus on it, instead focus on everything else that’s going well in your life.

To reach our goal, just have faith. All religions preach this and most people fail to follow or believe in that.

Use a day or a weekend in a month for you to weed out negative thoughts, detox your mind, relax your body and count your blessings.

Worry is a down payment on a problem that may NEVER occur and worry has never been known to solve a problem.

August 8, 2014 By Satish Kurapaty 1 Comment

5 SIMPLE WAYS TO OVERCOME STRESS

There is no escape from stress. Stress has become an inseparable part of urban lifestyle. Research studies across the world continually uncover new ways in which stress can negatively impact both the physical health and emotional health of a person. With so much at stake, shouldn’t we learn how to battle and overcome stress?

Not only depression and anxiety are associated with Stress, people with excessive stress seldom respond to treatments. This increases their vulnerability to common ailments like the flu, common cold and even heart diseases.

Now that you know how bad stressing over that deadline can be for you, here are 5 simple and easy ways that will empower you to beat stress:

** Spend time with yourself- Stay away from your smartphone/ computer/ tablet and spend some time with yourself.

The reason behind your stress can be an overload of information that happens as a result of being constantly connected with the world through your devices. Ensure you make time for yourself; even a 10 minute break where you switch off all devices and spend some quality time enjoying nothing but the silence will help you feel more stress-free at the end of the day.

** Stop stressing over stress–A little bit of stress can actually do you some good. A small amount of stress can be the trigger that pushes you to the optimum level of productivity. It’s just stressing to the point that you’re always stressed out which does you harm.

** Take relaxing baths-Most of us feel better after a hot bath. It relaxes sore and tired muscles and takes away the stress. It’s been discovered that a bath washes away negative thoughts and feelings like remorse, post-decision doubt, and guilt. So go ahead and spend some extra time soaking in hot bath/shower and you will feel more relaxed.

** Follow your passions– It just cannot be that you do not have any passion or hobby. In the busy schedules that we have one often forgets that they have a hobby that they can pursue. Pursuing your hobbies can do more than just build your skill set. It also helps you beat stress. Pursue activities those are enjoyable and stimulating to the brain. This will only uplift your mood and even lowers blood pressure levels.

It could be cooking, playing, painting or listening to music doing something you are passionate about.

** Make time to exercise-Believe it or not, more often than not your stress is a result of frustration. And exercising is the best way to channel all anger and frustration in to doing something constructive. It also releases serotonin in the body that uplifts your mood, makes you feel energized and keeps the harmful impacts of stress at bay.

Believe me, it’s not that hard to beat stress. As long as you keep in mind that the goal is to still all inner ‘chatter’ and focus on unwinding and relaxing. It doesn’t always have to be yoga and meditation; simple fun activities that you enjoy doing are just as effective in battling stress. The key to stay stress-free is to experiment, explore and be open to new ideas that could quiet your mind and make you deal with your problems more effectively.